If your Captain Boggins or Ms Mittensworth is newly diagnosed with CKD, chances are there’s been a period where they’ve gradually become run down.
They may be in a position of not having eaten or drunk enough for some time. Getting this right is your first priority. Most animals (cats, humans, it doesn’t matter) can survive less than 72 hours without hydrating.
It’s the stuff of life and we can’t be without it for too long. As with any health crisis, step one is to keep the body alive with water. The added complication here is that most cats actually don’t like drinking.
You’re going to have an uphill battle dealing with that low thirst drive.
One option is to add broth to food. Another is to move their drinking bowl to a new area. Your intuition is your best friend here.
If you watch your cat closely (without being too obvious about it—they hate that!) you may well get important clues as to how you can fool/politely convince your cat to hydrate.
INTRAVENOUS HYDRATION MAY BE NECESSARY AT FIRST
If all else fails, you’ll need to get your cat to the vet for intravenous hydration. Don’t wait too long!
Cats crash fast. Even your most sedate lap cat burns energy like it’s going out of fashion. If your cat has been struggling with eating for a while, it’s important to tackle the problem head on.
SWITCHING TO A RENAL DIET
Once the crisis stage is past, it’s important to transition your cat to a kidney-friendly diet—low-phosphorous foods filled with lean animal proteins.
BE CAREFUL ABOUT LOWERING PROTEIN TOO MUCH
One important pro-tip here. You might hear that lowering protein is important. This is “kind-of-sort-of true.”
Then there’s supplements to think about. Cats with CKD urinate more and essential vitamins and minerals are likely to become depleted.
Vitamin B may be an important additive to your cat’s diet. Omega 3 is used in humans with kidney disease and may be of use to your cat also. Potassium may also be required.
If you want to learn more about this, we suggest speaking with your vet.
You may also wish to consider putting your cat on vet-approved omega 3 essential fatty acid supplements.
Although research with Omega 3 and cats is still at an early stage, we do know they assist humans in dealing with kidney disease.
Not only that take a look at the Scruffy Paws Kidney Vitalize Chews, the active ingredients inside them (Astragalus extract & Rhemannia extract) have been scientifically backed to help reduce proteinuria (a leading marker of kidney disease).
👉 Made with scientifically backed active ingredients
👉 Provides kidney support for cats of all ages (whether they are affected by kidney disease or not)
👉 Made with 100% natural ingredients (no artificial flavours or nasties!)
👉 Helps keep your cats kidneys healthy
Our supplements are manufactured here in the USA. This allows us to keep an eye on everything and make sure your fur ball only gets the best.
At Scruffy Paws we don’t see cats as just ‘pets’... they’re family. And we’d do anything for family. That’s why we made it our mission to create nutritional treats, drops and chews that not only help improve the quality and longevity of your kitties life... But are also fully transparent with whats inside our goodies and the scientific backing of why we put them in.
As cat parents ourselves we’ve made it our mission to help YOU become a feline feeding superhero who supports their kitties body during good times and bad.
“My cat bootsie seems to be doing better already! I think she has put on a little weight, more energy and hasnt had any problems urinating. I break uop a chew and mix it in with her morning and afternoon feeding. Thank you so much for your product!. And Bootsie thanks you too! ” — Juan