[msarkie]

My sweet 15 yr old kitty, Picabo, has been having kidney problems for about a year now. We just had shots and a check-up, and she's lost weight despite the fact that I leave food out for her all the time. She doesn't wash herself much, and sleeps all the time. Now she's begging for food but vomits up almost everything we've given her.

The vet says there are several treatment options, ranging from least agressive of sub-Q fluids on up through hospitalization and IVs. She would probably require oral meds for the rest of her life, and definitely sub-Q fluids about every other day, although I could do the fluid injections at home.

Has anyone had experience with a cat with kidney disease? If I had all the money (and time and energy) in the world, there would be no question - I would have her treated as necessary. But here in the real world, what am I supposed to do? I've cried and cried as I try to work out the best options for all involved. I swore when I took our golden retriever to be put down that I wasn't going to be the one to do it next time! I'm still traumatized, 7 yrs later, after having to put my horse down.

Say I start her on the sub-Q fluids and it helps. She might live a few more months, or a year, and she would be more comfortable. But I would have to stick a needle in her every other day (you know how cats just LOVE that) and I have to consider the cost of the solution and supplies. Plus, the fluid will only solve some of her problems. In order to treat all her ills she would need several other meds as well. ($$) And who would I be doing it for, me or her? Am I just being selfish to try to keep her here, or is it more selfish not to?

I'm sorry if I'm a little incoherent. I'm really upset about this right now. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Kitty]

I don't envy you right now.....what a hard decision to have to make.

I'd ask the vet exactly what the sub-Q fluids would do for her and if she would be in any pain. That would be my main concern. I totally understand the desire to keep a pet with you as long as possible......but if their existence isn't pleasant for them it's not fair to them. They depend on us for these sort of decisions and you're a wonderful pet-Mom to take everything into consideration. I wish everyone did.

I think what would make the decision easier for me to make would be knowing that I was sparing them months or years of pain and medical treatment that wouldn't really enhance their quality of life.....only prolong it so I could have them with me for a longer time.

You and Picabo are in my prayers.

[SandyC]

The sub Q fluids will keep her hydrated, that's a good thing. Will it cure her? No. It will make her more comfortable. I did sub Q on all my cats that have passed. It is the least expensive way to keep them home and let them live a little longer. I also fed them when they wouldn't eat. We used prescription food I fed through a syringe. NOW, that is a nightmare at times because cats really hate that. None of my cats hated the sub Q fluids because it was virtually painless to them.

You have to do what's good for you. If your cat is still eating, maybe try the softer cat food and only give a little bit at a time to see how she holds it down. More than likely she's vomiting from dehydration as well as kidney failure. Is she happy? Is she still purring? I hate to say it but they will do that until the end. You know her better than we do. I could tell when it was time with all my past fur babies.

It's a tough call and you have to look at what you can afford and the time you have to do such a venture. One of my cats never recovered and sub Q was only getting him by. As soon as I stopped he went back down. The vet suspected cancer so we put him to sleep. The other two lived several years and had some good and bad times. No one knows the right answer in this type of situation. Go with your gut.

[FluteMaker]

point one...... dont buy the fluids from your vets office. most vets run the standard mark up and a simple 100ml bag of LRS fluids can run upward of 50$. granted your probably only going to give about 100 - 200mls at a time,that can add up quick. see if you can go through MEDVET (shopmedvet.com)the exact same bag is 2$. the lines are 75cents.you may have to get the needles from your vet though. point two, ask about putting your cat on either royal canan S/O or hills science K/D both are for kidney health.
but thats the easy part. the hard part is deciding when you cat has reached a quality of life issue

[mrsD]

That is really tough. My feelings are with you and your kitty.

I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but my son brought this
to my attention:

Feline vaccinations linked to kidney failure/disease:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=003

We only get rabies for our cats. I don't trust feline vaccines anymore.
Our middle cat who is 15 had a severe reaction to the rabies in Spring 2008 and almost died. This was her second reaction and previously we had the vet give Benadryl before the vaccine. Now she is blacklisted from ALL. I passed on rabies for Sheba who is almost 22 now. The only one we get the rabies for is Oreo who is 8 and outside alot.

If you Google feline vaccinations there are more horrifying articles on vaccination sarcoma...as well. I think there is very little regulation/control on pet vaccines...worse than for humans!

[weegot5kiz]

hello Ms Arkie am sorry to hear of your trouble, I had one who passed from it, we tried the treatment that was available back then ( an injection) and I can say if the hair gets a matty and stiff feeling, you may want to think this through, thats not a good sign with the feline illness, I can not say for fact what treatments are out there now perhaps someone more recently has had this experience with their cat again sorry about the kittys troubles

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by FluteMaker

point two, ask about putting your cat on either royal canan S/O or hills science K/D both are for kidney health.
but thats the easy part. the hard part is deciding when you cat has reached a quality of life issue

Both of my cats eat Royal Canin Urinary SO and love it. I started buying it when Tigger had a kidney infection and they discovered crystals in his kidneys. Since being on the food he hasn't had a problem. It's not cheap.....$20 for a 5 lb. bag but it lasts a long time.

[msarkie]

We've had Picabo on the Hill K/D for over a year. She doesn't like it much. We even bought some of the soft canned kind. She ate that for a while, but not anymore. We've given her tuna fish and canned chicken (human food) the last couple of days, and she eats it right up, but an hour or two later ---- hack, hack, hack, HACK, GAGGG! She still looks bright-eyed and comes and hops on my lap looking for love after the kids go to bed, but she's so thin.

I'm afraid I won't be a very reliable caretaker as far as the fluids are concerned. Right now my son has strep and I can't even remember to give him his antibiotic. I forget to give myself shots. I'm very bad about cleaning the poor kitties' litterbox anymore. I know what I WANT to do, I just don't know if I would be able to do it. I hate trying to play God!

[Kitty]

Have you tried baby food? I have a friend who has an older cat and she has resorted to feeding him baby food chicken. He throws up alot, too, but she said that this seems to stay down most of the time. You might want to ask your vet about it before doing it....but it's just a thought.

[SandyC]

Originally Posted by msarkie

We've had Picabo on the Hill K/D for over a year. She doesn't like it much. We even bought some of the soft canned kind. She ate that for a while, but not anymore. We've given her tuna fish and canned chicken (human food) the last couple of days, and she eats it right up, but an hour or two later ---- hack, hack, hack, HACK, GAGGG! She still looks bright-eyed and comes and hops on my lap looking for love after the kids go to bed, but she's so thin.

I'm afraid I won't be a very reliable caretaker as far as the fluids are concerned. Right now my son has strep and I can't even remember to give him his antibiotic. I forget to give myself shots. I'm very bad about cleaning the poor kitties' litterbox anymore. I know what I WANT to do, I just don't know if I would be able to do it. I hate trying to play God!

Do what's in your heart. If you think it may be too much on you it may be, in the long run, best to go ahead and let her go. I feel for you. I know how hard this is.