Kidney disease in cats, also known as renal disease is a very common topic among cat owners. Although it is usually the older cats which are affected by it, younger cats can also be susceptible to such health issue. Apart from the acute renal failure which happen over a short period of time, there is also the chronic renal failure which occur a longer period of time.
Chronic kidney disease in cats, some refer to as CRF, affects one out of fifteen felines which are over fifteen years of age. Unfortunately, CRF cannot be totally cured but when a cat is diagnosed with such health problem, it does not mean that it is already the end of her life. There are proper treatments to take like medication and diets to prolong the life of the affected cat and to minimize any pain as a result of the disease.
Most of us know that the main function of the kidneys is to filter out toxic materials and purified the blood. Filthy staffs are thus prevented from building up in the body. With healthy kidneys, any toxic substances harmful to our body can be removed by the kidneys through urination. Cats with kidney disease will not have the ability to effectively remove such wastes in the body system. Unhealthy kidneys will gradually weaken and fail to properly filter the toxic which will in turn bring about more health problems.
Regular check ups and screenings are important. Timely diagnosis is always better because early treatments will slow down the progress of the disease in the kidneys and as such, will benefit your cat more. When diagnosis is late, the kidneys may already have lost much of their ability to get rid of wastes. In other words, the faster you found out about the disease, the more effective will be the treatments to make your cat live more comfortably with a longer life.
There are some symptoms that will develop as the disease advances. Symptoms such as loss of appetite, fatigue, depression, constipation, dehydration, loss of weight, diarrhea or vomiting, to name but a few, are signs you should be watching out for. If you are not sure what has caused such health problem, it is best to consult the vet immediately. The process will include some testing on the urine and the blood to confirm if there is some problem with the cat's kidney. Further test like ultrasound and radiographs may also be done in the process.
Cats with renal failure should have controlled diets. For instance, diets with high content of protein should be avoided since the breakdown products of proteins are actually waste materials that should be removed by the kidneys. However, it is always wise to take prescribed diets by your vet because if the body is denied of enough protein, there can be other health problems occurring.
It is also very important to ensure that your cat drink enough water. Dehydration can further cause other health problems and worsen the health condition. If you think your cat is not drinking enough water, try to feed her food with high water content so that she can replace the lost fluid. For cats which are seriously dehydrated, they must replace the loss fluid faster by administering intravenous or subcutaneous therapy.
Kidney disease in cats is not an immediate death sentence if they are properly treated to give a higher quality life. As a responsible cat owner, you should do what it takes to give your cat the best so that she can live as normal as possible for the rest of her life.
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