Kidney disease in older cats is especially worrisome. It is also known as chronic renal failure and is a common problem in older cats. It is seen in cats of all ages, but mostly older cats.
Symptoms of Kidney Disease in Cats
* Your cat is drinking much more water than usual
* Your cat is urinating much more than usual
These will be the most noticeable symptoms for you and your cat. When the kidney is not functioning properly, it can't concentrate your cat's urine. However, your veterinarian will probably conduct some blood tests just to rule out any other illness, as this can be a sign of another illness.
Unfortunately, the symptoms don't usually become apparent until about three quarters of the kidney is already in failure. Just as unfortunate is the fact that kidney disease (chronic renal failure) in cats has no cure or way of reversing the damage. The disease will continue, but there are ways you can make your cat more comfortable in the years she has left.
Treatment can include the following
1. Diet: You might hear or read things that suggest certain special diets for your cat. However, the most important thing is that your cat is eating. If your cat doesn't like the diet and refuses to eat the food, it doesn't do much good. Feed your cat the foods she likes to eat, staying with nutritional, healthy foods. Don't feed your cat just dry food. They will need the moisture from other foods to help keep them hydrated.
2. Nutrition: Your veterinarian might suggest a special food called Renafood, which can help better your cat's kidney function. You might need to crush it into your cat's regular food, but most cats actually like it.
3. Supplemental Fluids: Your veterinarian can give your cat supplemental fluids at their office or teach you how to do it at home. This is one of the best ways to keep your cat hydrated.
There are many ways to help you help your cat live out a happier and healthier life and the most important part of that is keeping them hydrated. Your cat's kidneys can no longer keep the water because of the damage that is already there and it can't be reversed. Ask your veterinarian what else you can do to keep her hydrated, because this will in turn keep her more comfortable. Your vet might suggest some homeopathy, herbs, flower essences and/or acupuncture to help make your cat feel better.
Your vet may also suggest some medicines to help. There are some that can help, just make sure you have all of the information on them (including side effects) in case you find your cat may have some unwanted effects from them.
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Jean Morgan
Natures Healthy Pet
photo source
Understanding Kidney Disease In Cats
How To Feed Your Pet And Keep Away The Vet
Once-a-day? Twice-a-day? Free-feed? Ask around and you'll hear lots of different opinions on what is the optimal feeding schedule for your cat or dog food. So what is the correct answer? Well first off, rest easy as there is no hard and fast correct answer. That said, however, it's our opinion that free-feeding is the worst way to go.
The best comparison we can make is that free-feeding would be like a person having a full buffet in your house, stocked with food 24 hours-a-day. When you think of it this way, it's not hard to understand why pets that are free-fed tend to be sluggish, lethargic, and passionless about their pet food -- in addition to having a variety of dog health problems. After all, how excited would you be about that lasagna if you had a big bowl of it sitting in the corner all day long. In a dog or cat's life food is the #1 motivation they have. Sure, they love rides in the car, going for a walk, or getting a visit from the neighbor's pet. But nothing beats a great natural dog food. A critter with no passion for food is an unhappy critter. A pet should have a unbridled passion for food. They need to look forward to their next meal with anticipation and excitement. This lays the foundation for a well-tempered, happy pet. In addition the negative effect on disposition, having access to food 24 hours-a-day is not ideal for the digestive system. Dogs and cats in the wild have long breaks between meals -- far longer than humans who operate ideally on 3 meals per day. These breaks give their digestive system a chance to rest and prepare for the next meal. So if this is all true, why do some pet foods suggest free-feeding? For the same reason that your shampoo bottle tells you to lather, rinse, and repeat . . . to sell more shampoo. The sad fact is that many pet food manufacturers are far more concerned with the almighty dollar than the health of your pets.
So now that we've eliminated free-feeding, should you go with once or twice-per-day? (We don't suggest three meals for the same reasons that free-feeding is not ideal). Between once-a-day and twice-a-day, it's really a matter of convenience and preference. If you need a definite answer, we would go with once-per day. This allows for a long period of rest for the digestive system and has shown to produce the best results over the years as far as the health and attitude of the dog or cat. However, once-a-day feeding has proven difficult. Many dogs and cats drive their owners crazy begging for food throughout the day when on a once-a-day diet. Usually this type of behavior can be trained out of the pet of you stick with it for a couple of weeks. But it does take a lot of patience in those cases. That said, twice-a-day does work for many people and they still have very good results -- along with a dog that's not quite so obsessive about food throughout the day. Whether you're trying to achieve once-per-day or twice-per-day feeding, the best way to do it is to be as consistent as possible with your feeding times. Put the pet food down for a specified feeding window and pick it up after around 10 minutes regardless of if they've finished or not. They will quickly conform to this new feeding window. The more you cave in to your pet's demands, the longer it will take them to become accustomed to their new feeding schedule. If you're going to do snacks during the day, we recommend feeding them as rewards only, and to use healthy foods like raw carrots or apples. Also, the more you stick to a routine of specific times and events for reward snacks, the less your dog or cat will beg between meals.
If you're doing twice-per-day feeding we suggest one meal in the morning and one at night. If you're feeding once-per-day, either morning or night will work. Also, keep in mind that these rules do not apply to puppies and kittens, which do need 2-3 smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to once-a-day feeding.
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Ward Johnson
Holistic dog food
photo source
Yummy yumy [photo]
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while
"Good Riddance (Time of you life)" - Green Day
by pink_daisy
Cat Eating Chicken Foot
Cats get the chicken feet at butchers' stalls. This particular chicken foot tasted so good the cat didn't move for the hundreds of people coming through the crowded Hussein / Khan al-khalili area. (Egypt)
by josiehen
Cat Supplements and Vitamins - Does Your Cat Really Need Them?
As long you provide a well balanced and healthy diet for your pet, it is rare that your cat would need additional vitamins. Your cat's nutritional needs can be easily obtained from good quality lean meat and a small percentage of plant based fiber and therefore it is unlikely that you would even need to give your cat fiber supplements. Veterinary experts report that there is an increase in the number of diseases and illnesses reported in domestic cats over the last few decades since more owners turned to cheap, mass produced cat food when it was introduced on the market. Thus, it is worth your while to spend just a little more on a diet which sustain a cat's genetic feeding needs, compared to the alternative of hefty price tags that vets charge.
You should also bear in mind the ingredients and manufacturing process that would affect the supplements your cat takes. For instance, with manufacturers that maintain a policy for only using organic ingredients, there will be greater assurance that the supplements you are giving your cat contain no dangerous chemicals or hormones, compared to supplements manufactured from products from intensively farmed animals or sprayed crops. Although you may have the good intention of boosting your cat's health with cat liquid vitamin supplements or Brewer's Yeast, it's important to know what vitamins your cat lacks before administering them
Should your cat fall ill, there are many healthy options available to boost your cat's immunity to combat disease. Supplements are also readily available and help improve your cat's coat and skin as well as boost the general well being of your cat. However as with any other treatment or care, it is essential to consult your vet before you give your cat any supplements.
It would be useful to give the vet a detailed record of your cat's daily diet to help ascertain what vitamins your feline might be lacking in. The vet would be able to make a more informed clinical analysis on what ails your cat.
Secondly, the dosages for various supplements can vary from product to product and it's important to know if any supplement you're thinking of giving is likely to make any existing condition worse or mask the condition's symptoms.
Factors such as the age of your cat will be taken into consideration when vets prescribe supplements. For example, with cats that are getting on in years, it may be necessary to think about treatments and supplements for arthritis or bone conditions. This will provide mature cats with a better quality of life in their later years and keep pain under control. On the other hand, kittens would benefit more from products designed to boost immunity and encourage bone growth and density.
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Moses Wright
Cat Nutrition
photo source
Cat eating pepper?
This cat eats virtually anything...things like watermelon, tomatos, kiwifruit, uncooked peppers...
By Jolie2005