Diet for Cat Kidney Failure

Discovering your cat has kidney disease is a worrying diagnosis for any owner. If an illness has caused kidney problems for your pet, you will probably be wondering what steps you can take to help manage the condition in the future. Special diets that are low in protein are thought to help cats with kidney disease as they don't require the kidneys to work as hard as normal diets.

  1. Identification

    • Kidney disease is more common in older cats than kittens. The condition usually progresses gradually and symptoms may appear over long periods of time. According to the Feline Advisory Bureau, signs of kidney failure or deterioration include a loss of appetite, increased urination, lethargy and a poor coat. This condition is fatal to cats if it is left untreated, so if you notice any of these symptoms it is important to seek advice from a vet as soon as possible.

    Significance

    • The kidneys are vital for filtering waste and toxins from the cat's blood. If they are not working properly, these harmful materials accumulate in the cat's body and can be very dangerous to its health. The cat will also suffer from dehydration, as it is urinating more frequently. If kidney disease is caught early and managed properly using medication and a special diet, the kidneys might retain some of their functioning. However, the later a diagnosis is made, the more damage will have been done to this organ.

    Diet

    • A special diet for kidney disease is different from normal cat foods. According to Feline Good, research has shown that a low protein diet enables cats with kidney disease to live twice as long as cats with the same condition on a normal diet. The diet might also have lower levels of phosphorus compared to normal cat food, a balanced acidity, lower sodium and higher levels of vitamin B and potassium.

    Effects

    • Reducing the amount of protein in the cat's diet means that there are less waste products for the kidneys to filter. This helps reduce the number of harmful toxins in the cat's blood stream. The increased levels of potassium and vitamin B help account for minerals the cat may have lost through excess urination. High blood acidity can cause kidney disease, so keeping the acid-base balance stable in the food will slow down the progression of the condition.

    Considerations

    • Purrs and Pawprints warns that although you can treat cats and give them a special diet to help control the progression of kidney disease, once the kidneys are damaged they will not be able to repair themselves. Therefore, it is likely that you will have to feed your cat the special diet for the rest of its life to manage the condition.