The easiest way is to take your cat to the vet for check-ups once they turn 10 or 11. Kidney failure is one of the most common causes of death for older cats, and it often goes undetected until most of their kidney function is gone. Once it's gone, you can't get it back. If I had known this, I definitely would have taken mine for check-ups instead of only taking her when she got sick..
As it was, I noticed that my cat seemed to be drinking a lot more water. She always had a drop of water on her chin from drinking.. If it seems like your cat is drinking every time you turn around, you're probably on to something. Also if he/she seems to be urinating more. You can tell if you are having to scoop the clumps out of the litter more often. Both are signs that there is a problem. It could be kidney failure, or it could be diabetes. The only way to know for certain is to take them to the vet. They'll take a sample of your kitty's urine and a blood sample. Once they test them you should have an answer. If it turns out that your cat's kidneys are failing, your vet will give you some information, and a diet food. If they're a really good vet, they'll give you samples of several kinds of kidney diet foods, both canned and dried, so that you can try them on your cat and see which one(s) they prefer. Whichever they seem to like best, you may have to slowly mix it with your cat's existing food in order to get them used to it.
This is actually a huge topic, as there are a lot of different foods and opinions on what you should and shouldn't give your cat, so I'll write more about it at a later post. This should at least get you started on how to know if your cat's kidneys might be failing. Kidney failure in it's late stages is a pretty horrible disease, so watch your cat and catch things early. And if it all possible, take them to the vet when you first notice problems. I know that it's expensive and sometimes if you wait they get better. But as I learned the hard way, they may SEEM better, but could actually be getting ready to die. If you wait, they might die a painful death which could have been prevented.
As it was, I noticed that my cat seemed to be drinking a lot more water. She always had a drop of water on her chin from drinking.. If it seems like your cat is drinking every time you turn around, you're probably on to something. Also if he/she seems to be urinating more. You can tell if you are having to scoop the clumps out of the litter more often. Both are signs that there is a problem. It could be kidney failure, or it could be diabetes. The only way to know for certain is to take them to the vet. They'll take a sample of your kitty's urine and a blood sample. Once they test them you should have an answer. If it turns out that your cat's kidneys are failing, your vet will give you some information, and a diet food. If they're a really good vet, they'll give you samples of several kinds of kidney diet foods, both canned and dried, so that you can try them on your cat and see which one(s) they prefer. Whichever they seem to like best, you may have to slowly mix it with your cat's existing food in order to get them used to it.
This is actually a huge topic, as there are a lot of different foods and opinions on what you should and shouldn't give your cat, so I'll write more about it at a later post. This should at least get you started on how to know if your cat's kidneys might be failing. Kidney failure in it's late stages is a pretty horrible disease, so watch your cat and catch things early. And if it all possible, take them to the vet when you first notice problems. I know that it's expensive and sometimes if you wait they get better. But as I learned the hard way, they may SEEM better, but could actually be getting ready to die. If you wait, they might die a painful death which could have been prevented.
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| My precious girl a month or so before she died |
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