Cats and kidney disease

Always sad to lose a furry friend - even worse when they're so young, and go down so fast.

Another huge advantage to indoor-only cats: scooping litter boxes daily keeps you on top of their output, so spotting changes is easier. (Got a few of my boys into the vet sooner rather than later based on altered litter box habits...)

I have have looked after a number cats over the years and I understand how you might feel when one dies . I have also had cats with kidney problems , I believed it was more common than your number ? .
A vet told me it is largely caused by processed cat food and some cats are more prone to problems than others .
I only have the one now , and he eats better than I do.

MaryMumsy said:

It has been more difficult than previous cats because it was so sudden and she was so young. We still have one cat

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I am so sorry to hear this. One of my cats also succumbed to kidney disease, but at an old age. Your cat's sudden death makes me wonder . . . did she have access to a lily? You probably already know this, since you mentioned plant material, but lilies cause kidney failure in cats. Even if they get some of the pollen on their coats and wash it off, it can be fatal. I thought I'd mention this because of your other cat--just on the off chance you weren't aware of the danger of lilies.

I know this now because my cat ate fourteen leaves of a lily plant, but we caught it in time and the vets were able to induce vomiting and feed him activated charcoal (yum), which saved him.

Again, my condolences.

Our oldest cat is fifteen and I'm constantly watching out for her, worrying over every little thing ("Is she lethargic or is it usual cat laziness?" "Is she drinking too much water?" "How would I know since we have two cats and it's tough figuring who peed when?" "She didn't eat her wet food that she's normally eaten before. Finicky or something else?")

Doesn't help that she A) is antisocial - I'm the only other living thing she tolerates -- including over my husband who adopted her in the first place before he even met me! B) hates our other cat - a 10 yr old male we took in a few years ago who is MUCH bigger than her, REALLY wants to play and is unable or unwilling to read her boundaries. So that adds extra stress and Feliway doesn't help her.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

One of the problems with owning cats is how private they are. It can be hard to tell if a change in behavior is a health problem or just cattitude.

I'm so sorry! I have lost a beloved Himalayan to kidney failure. Sucks. It really sucks.