HYDRATION

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.

A FEW TIPS TO MAKE WATER MORE PALATABLE

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!

NUTRITION

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.

GETTING EASY NUTRITION IN

Baby food is an option if your bewhiskered patient is really struggling with food. It’s mild, nutritious and soft going down.

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.

The research tells us a renal diet will double the lifespan of a cat with CKD. Needless to say, it’ll also take a lot of strain off their body and help your cat feel so much better!

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.”

Quickly reducing protein intake can result in malnutrition and a swathe of related health complications. The last thing you want to do is put more problems on your cat’s plate! Do your pal a solid and take things slow and always consult with a vet to get their dietary formulation right.

SUPPLEMENTS

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).

Love, care and world class kitty cat knowledge

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.

What cat parents are saying about us...

“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