Thanks for the info…my sister has been wondering how long she might be doing this. She is not sure how old the cat is, since it was a stray, so the cat could very well have 5 years left in her, if the treatment is successful for her.
I’m really sorry, Sunrazor. I went through the same thing and lost my kitty last spring. Sometimes being a pet owner just plain sucks. I’ll never not be one, though.
Best wishes to Orson the Giant Grumpy Kitty too, jsgoddess.
Sorry about the hijack – I did NOT mean to do that. I am so sorry, jsgoddess. Our best to you – doctoring a cat is no dang fun. The little boogers simply do not appreciate it, but how can you not? So, I’m curious – are you doing the special low-protein food with powder and stuff in it? How old is Orson the Grumpy?
I don’t consider it a hijack. I’m sorry to hear about Estes.
Orson got started on k/d diet today, and he very happily ate 1/3 of a can just a few minutes ago.
No powder stuff. Is that for vitamins, etc.? So far the only good news is Orson’s potassium and… phosphorus? levels are good. The urine is dilute, the kidney values are getting worse, and he’s steadily losing weight.
But he acts happy, so far.
Mine was a stray, too. Sweetest kitty cat evah. I think her owners dumped her because they didn’t want to deal with her illness. We gave her one treatment (at the vet’s office), but she went downhill very quickly (prolly was sick for a long time). Poor little Willow…
Orson’s gorgeous - I have no experience with this kind of thing so have nothing to offer but my good wishes.
Ditto what ScareyFairie said. I didn’t have kidney disease, but liver disease to deal with for my Trouble, so no info to share, just huge sympathy.
Came upon this thread late, but our dear departed Max went through kidney problems and though he lasted much longer than we expected, it was still hard to see him go. We did the sub-Qs for months and bought some doggie stairs so he wouldn’t have to jump up on the bed (since he kept getting weaker and weaker). He never seemed in any pain, though, and though we may have been able to stretch things out if we had given him his pills as often as prescribed, administering them always scared him and we believed his quality of life should include looking to his Mom & Dad for comfort and not associating us with these new negative impressions.
He died at home, with our vet’s help. I don’t know how I knew, but one day he just started to act differently–more lethargic and withdrawn. The end was only a few days after that, so the drop was very sudden and precipitous. In the meantime, we kept him company as much as possible; I even took a couple days vacation so the last few days he wouldn’t be alone. We still really miss him (he, like Orson, was huge but adorable).
Best of luck, jsgoddess. They really do have 9 lives and he stuck things out much longer than we expected (this was after fully recovering from liver disease), so you never know. Just make the most of whatever time (little or lots) you’ve got with him.
We finally said goodbye to our Miss Mew just over a year ago, 5 years after her diagnosis of CRF, at the ripe old age of 22.
I made a long post about her treatment, here, way back when. I did a ton of research and found a lot of excellent resources, so if you want more information, just let me know. You can also find some great info at http://www.felinecrf.com/ – it’s probably the most comprehensive site on the web about this condition.
I’m sending warm kitty prayers out to everyone who’s dealing with this disease. It can be scary at first, but it’s often easily treatable, with remarkable results. Best wishes that everyone has a comfortable extended life with treatment.
Orson is really loving the extra attention so far, and he’s actually gained back a fraction of the weight he lost. He gets to sit with me when I read on the sofa, or when we watch TV. He likes to wedge in between my husband and me, touching both of us at the same time seems to be the goal. 