Kidney failure is one of the most common causes of deaths in cats, and although many of these deaths couldn’t be prevented, early diagnosis of feline kidney disease symptoms could have resulted in many of them having lived much longer with proper treatment.
It is important to know that there are two types of kidney disease in cats, one is acute renal failure, the other is chronic kidney disease, the first is reversible if caught early enough, while the other is not curable, but can be managed to prolong the life of the cat.
Therefore, in this article today we will take a look at the symptoms of kidney disease in cats, because it is important to diagnose both of these conditions early on to get the best results from treatment.
What are the two types of kidney failure and feline kidney disease symptoms in each?
1. Acute Renal Failure (ARF)
A. Causes
Acute renal failure is usually developed over a short period of time and can happen to cats of all ages, and there are quite a few causes of this condition. Acute renal failure can be caused by poison, such as eating a poisonous plant, or drinking a liquid that is poisonous, such as anti-freeze, or getting into human medicines which can be extremely dangerous. Trauma can also be a cause of acute renal failure or shock from losing a lot of blood, or even rapid dehydration.
Other causes could be an infection in the kidneys, or a blockage that inhibits the flow of blood into the kidneys as well as the flow of urine out from the kidneys. Heart failure can also be a cause, especially with low blood pressure, which again reduces the flow of blood into the kidneys. Having said that, even though acute renal failure is a serious condition, and can be fatal, it can be reversible if caught early enough and treatment is followed correctly, depending on the cause.
B. Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis for acute renal failure can be quite expensive if you don’t have pet insurance, and generally involves a complete examination, blood samples, urinalysis, ultrasound, biopsy of the kidney, x-ray of the abdomen and more depending on the situation and vet. Once the vet has found the cause, the treatments can vary, with some treatments include inducing vomiting, the use of intravenous fluids, control of vomiting, drugs, monitoring of urine output and more. There is no effective home remedy or treatment for acute renal failure, however, if you suspect your cat may have this contact your vet immediately and follow their advice to the letter.
C. Signs for Cat Owners to look out for
Things to watch for regarding acute renal failure are, changes in water intake and urination, disorientation, decreased urination, straining to urinate, loss of appetite, weakness and lethargy. Moreover, be aware especially in the colder months, to keep anti-freeze away from cats as this is extremely poisonous due to the ethylene glycol content. Many cats that roam outdoors during winter months are prone to coming into contact with ethylene glycol, in turn giving them a larger risk of developing acute renal failure.
Here is a YouTube video which gives you an overview of the most common symptoms:-
2. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
A. Causes
Chronic kidney disease is the progressive loss of kidney function over time, and as we all know, that kidneys perform many tasks needed to keep the body healthy. Moreover, the kidney is what filters the blood and makes urine, so problems with the kidneys can lead to a number of other health problems, especially in cats. Clinically speaking, a cat with chronic kidney disease, can have a buildup of waste, which the kidney would normally filter out, remove or regulate.
Cats with chronic kidney disease may have acid buildup in their blood, leading to lethargy and cats with acidosis can lead to other problems with other organs in the body. Chronic kidney disease may also lead to the cats inability to produce red blood cells, leading to anaemia, in turn, this can lead to their gums becoming discolored, appearing light pink, or in more severe cases white. A veterinarian will usually run blood tests and urinalysis to evaluate the waste buildup that good kidneys would normally filter out.
Some of the causes of chronic kidney disease can be urinary blockage, prescription medications, lymphoma as well as some genetic factors. For instance, owners of Persian cats, and Abyssinian breeds should be aware as these breeds are often more prone to chronic kidney disease than other breeds, although all breeds are known to get this. However, recognizing some of the signs, or symptoms can help get this condition diagnosed quicker if the owner is aware of what to look for in their cat.
Early detection of any of the following indicators can help to treat this type of kidney disease early and help preserve the remaining functioning parts
- Increased thirst/urination
- Weight loss
- Poor coat quality
- Lethargy
- Bad breath (halitosis)
- Mouth ulcers
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
B. Diagnosis and Treatment
As the clinical signs are often quite vague with this type of the disease the aims of your vet will be to monitor your pet over a period of time by carrying out the following tests
- Clinical examination. This is done by physically feeling the cat’s kidneys to check for size and shape and for any discernible discomfort
- Blood test. To check for toxin indicators, quality of red and white blood cells, as well as phosphorous and potassium components
- Urine sample. To check the functioning ability of the kidneys
- Abdominal ultrasound. The vet may recommend this to assess the kidneys function further as a means of detecting any potential tumours
Depending on the results of the above the vet may recommend the following treatments:-
- Intravenous fluids. For re hydrating your cat and flushing the kidneys to remove toxins
- Appetite stimulants. To help start your cat eating again
- Dietary changes. Vet may prescribe a special kidney diet to reduce the levels of toxins in the blood stream.
- Antibiotics. These are prescribed if a urinary tract or kidney infection is detected.
- Potassium supplements. Where the cats kidneys have failed resulting in muscle weakness and poor coat quality, a cat’s well being can be improved with these supplements that replace the potassium lost through kidney failure
- Vitamin B and C supplements. Again these are required to replace those essential for good health vitamins lost through kidney failure
- Blood pressure monitoring. To lessen the chance of further damage to the blood vessels in the kidneys.
- Provide lots of water This is done to encourage your cat to drink as in their condition they are at a more higher risk of dehydrating.
Here is a YouTube Video which summarizes the causes and treatment of this disease:-
C. Signs for Cat Owners to look out for
Some of the things to watch for would be an increase in the amount of times your cat tries to urinate, blood in the urine, seizures, blindness, increased thirst, diarrhea, depression, vomiting, weight loss, constipation and lethargy. Keep in mind, that not all cats will show all of the signs, and some may not show most of the signs listed, but it’s always best to err on the side of caution and keep regular appointments with your vet. Moreover, be sure to tell your vet of any changes in behavior, especially changes that seem to have occurred over a lengthy period that you may not feel was relevant.
SUMMARY
Cats that suffer from a long term kidney disease, even when it is not curable, can often do well on the treatments available, especially giving quality of life and even slowing the progression of the condition.
For instance, it’s not just medication that can help, but sometimes a change in diet is necessary too, like a specially formulated kidney diet.
A cat’s progression of the disease will depend on the severity and stage of the disease, but with proper treatment you may be able to get stability from a few months to a few years, as each individual case will vary.
In Memory of Oscar
This article is dedicated to the memory of Oscar our beloved ginger tom cat who sadly passed away in June this year as a result of kidney failure despite having regular examinations by a vet during his lifetime. He was finally diagnosed as having Chronic Kidney Disease by the vet in June and was treated in the manner described above which also included dialysis treatment on his kidneys.
Sadly he did not respond to the treatment due to the advanced stage of the disease and was euthanized less than 2 weeks after the treatment had commenced having lost a lot of weight and the ability to eat and drink. He was only 7 years old and will be sadly missed.
IMPORTANT:–
Your Feedback Matters to me!!! I can’t answer if you don’t ask!! Any Questions?? Use the comments section below and I will respond.
I read your article about whether or not cats feel love and love us in return. I believe the answer is a resounding “yes”.
When mum mother was 90 she decided she wanted a cat. She was always of a mind that cats belonged outside an were not to be in the house. She thought there were mice in her attached garage and she needed a cat.
I took her to the Humane Society and after checking out many cats and selected an older girl and called her Maggie. They specially asked her to select an older cat because it was harder to find homes for them. They thought Maggie was 12 years old. Off to the pet store, and uncharacteristic for my mother she spent over $200.00 for supplies, toys a bed, etc. She never let Maggie sleep with her but Maggie always slept by my mother’s bedroom door. Everyone in Mom”s small town knew Mom’s cat.
Several years later Mom needed to move to independent living and live closer to me. When she moved Mom adopted Maggie, the Humane Society asked if I would take responsibility for Maggie if she couldn’t care for her because her age. might make it difficult top find her a new home. I agreed.
Maggie was the most loving animal. My granddaughter’s fist smile was for Maggie. The she was around 20 she began to sleep more, was losing some weight and occasionally seemed to falter. the vet said there did not seem to be any detectable illness.. she just was a very old cat.
A couple of years later, one day, she didn’t want to eat She just wanted to lay in the bright sunlight. At bed time she was still there. I was concerned but chose not to intervene. About 2 o’clock in the morning I awoke. I went downstairs to check on her. She was still by the door . I bent down to stroke her, she lifted her head, had the weakest little purr, looked into my eyes, put her head down. I continued to stroke her and realized there no longer was a heart beat.
I absolutely believe there is shared love.
What a wonderful story Mabel and thank you so much for sharing it with us. Jim
Hello, Now I know that Cats with chronic kidney disease may have acid buildup in their blood, leading to lethargy and cats with acidosis can lead to other problems. A cat’s progression of the disease will depend on the severity and stage of the disease. Keep in mind, that not all cats will show all of the signs, and some may not show most of the signs suggested by you. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for those comments my friend
First of all, I would like to thank you for this article because you have described an amazing topic and I like to say that you have accurately described Kidney Disease symptoms in cats. After reading your article, I have gained lots of information about this topic.
Finally, I would like to say that your article was extremely beneficial to cat owners and it contained lots of important information about this disease. I will definitely share your article on my social media platform.
Thank you my friend for those kind comments
Thank you for sharing this article with us. It is truly amazing that you covered this subject so well in your post. I’ve learned a lot from reading your post and gained a lot of knowledge about the points you raised about Chronic Kidney Disease My pet cat had this disease and I was later able to cure it. You can buy the book Ultimate Cat Secrets from Amazon from which you can learn a lot more about this problem.This book contains essential information and tips on how to get rid of a cat’s health problems I have read and enjoyed your article so I would like to share your article with my friends by sharing it in the Facebook group so that everyone can know about your article and gain knowledge about it.
So pleased to note that you enjoyed reading this article my friend. Yes you can certainly share the article on your social media avenues.
It is obvious that this is a good post. I have a cat and I knew that Kidney failure is one of the most common causes of deaths in cats.
For that, I was looking for an article about Kidney Disease Symptoms. I have a great interest to know about this. I didn’t have any idea about Feline Kidney Disease Symptoms. Many thanks to the author of the article for his article I have benefited greatly by reading this. I think if I follow your tips it will work very well. I will definitely share with you the experience of using it. One of my questions was that when a cat’s kidney problem starts to become alarming at a young age?
Once again, Thanks again for sharing this informative post. I will share the post with others. 😊
Thanks for those comments. In answer to your question kidney problems can occur in young cats and are usually the result of: eating poisons, Household products which are highly poisonous and can cause renal failure in any cat include antifreeze, toxic plants like lilies, pesticides, cleaning fluids, and certain human medications. Yes you can certainly share this post with others.
Hello,acute renal failure is usually developed over a short period of time and can happen to cats of all ages, and there are quite a few causes of this condition. After reading I know that Chronic kidney disease is the progressive loss of kidney function over time, and as we all know, that kidneys perform many tasks needed to keep the body healthy. Thanks for sharing your perfect guide.
Thank you Harish for your comments which are greatly appreciated
James- Thank you for such an amazing post on kidney disease in cats. I had no idea there was so much information on this. I know that it is a common problem for cats and I’m confident this can help so many cat owners deal with the issues.
Thank you again for this well written and informative post.
Thank you Russ. So glad that you found the information in the article to be useful to you
Thank you for your work in creating this incredible website this incredible and composing this important article. After reading it I now know that kidney failure is a common cause of deaths in cats. Frankly, I knew nothing about this. I have a cat and I love her very much. After reading your article I came to know the symptoms of this kidney disease, I will check out my cat from today to see if these symptoms are present in her. And I’ll also follow your advice. I think your article will be of great benefit to those who have cats. Thanks for sharing a useful and informative article. If you don’t mind, I will share this article on my social media account. All the best
Very pleased to note that you liked my website and in particular this article. Yes you certainly may share this post on social media.
Wow, never knew that there were such types of diseases in cats. Since I haven’t owned a cat before. I will surely look out for the signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease and acute renal failure once I get to own a cat in the near future. Thanks for sharing your knowledge about cat diseases and sorry for your loss.
Many thanks my friend for those comments
Hello James,
Thank you so much for covering this health issue found in cats. I love dogs and cats, but I do not have the privilege to have a feline friend. Tho, I do have a lot of friends that would definitely benefit from this article. I love how you structure your article so clearly, this makes navigation really easy in your article. I also am impressed in how detailed your sections are, from the causes, diagnosis / treatment and signs for owners to look out for. Another thing I enjoy, are the videos that you have attached. These really do assist in further explanation of the sicknesses.
I’m sorry to hear about Oscar, it must be hard being separated from your feline best friend. He will forever be remembered and thanks to your article, you will definitely help other cat owners to be aware of this issue, and help them create prevention before the issue gets worse. Great job done, a good read indeed.
Thank you my friend for those very welcome comments. So pleased that you enjoyed reading my article and yes Oscar will be missed very much!
A very comprehensive piece of info about feline kidney disease. Oscar is so pretty, sad to know he has passed away at such a young age… Acute renal failure symptoms are quite common. My cats can easily lose appetite, and be sleeping all the time. I can’t tell if they are just lethargic… I rarely see their water intake and frequency of urination too.
I guess to be safe, I really have to observe them more closely and even take notes and record down their habits especially urination. Thanks for the reminders.
Thank you for those comments. Yes I certainly miss my dear feline friend Oscar! He brought a lot of joy to my life and it was so sad to see him pass at such an early age.