Update on 16-year-old cat w/renal failure

Judy, thank you for you response. Aja is still very much with us, and always will be, in our hearts and minds.

You asked about the treatment. I'm happy to share the info in case anyone else can benefit from what we learned. Once our vet got Aja stabilized, he put her on a renal diet - Royal Canin both wet and dry - 100 ml of sub-cutaneous saline 4 times a week and 5mg of Benazepril once a day. Over the course of several months, we were able to extend the time between fluid infusions to 7 days. My husband was competent and comfortable administering the fluids and Aja was such a mellow cat she didn't fight us. And while she hated the pills and would sometimes spit them out, she would finally swallow them. But try as we would, we could not get Aja to eat the special renal diet.

I tried to ease her into it by adding a tiny bit to her old food, she ate around the new dry, leaving it in the dish. Mixing the canned in with her wet, she refused to eat any of it. Since we have 3 other cats, it was hard to persuade her to eat something she didn't care for when she could see and smell their food. So I tried isolating her at meal time, especially at night. I'd put her in a spare bedroom with her food, water and litter box. Same results. I decided I'd try just straight renal diet with her in the bedroom thinking she'd be hungry so she'd eat at least some of it. Nope. Next morning it was untouched.

We decided we weren't going to starve her to death trying to extend her life by changing her diet. We did switch all the cats to a different brand of one specially formulated to reduce hairballs mixed with a bit of their indoor, senior formula. Aja had always been plagued with frequent hairballs, in spite of the fact that we brushed her on a daily basis. She still insisted on bathing that long silky fur herself. I don't know if it was the change in food, or increasing her brushing sessions to 2 a day - maybe a combination of both - but the number of hairballs went down dramatically.

We've wondered if the hairball issue contributed to her kidney problems. The day before she would present us with one, she would eat and drink very little. Over the course of 16 years that couldn't have helped her any. And, since we didn't get her until she was 10, we don't know what her life had been like before.

When we were first dealing with this, someone (I'm sorry I don't recall who right now) gave me the following website by a woman in Great Britain who has had at least 3 CKD cats (she refers to them as chronic renal failure, I believe). www.felinecrf.org

I found it to be a goldmine of information and although she's only had cats, at the least some of the info would apply to dogs, as well, I'd think. I found reading the accounts from others who've dealt with all the issues helped a lot. And I learned we weren't the only ones who decided that the fact our cat was eating at all was more important that what she was eating. We knew Aja's condition was terminal. Tom and I were willing to do everything we could to keep her with us as long as possible, but only if she was comfortable with it. Quality of life, not quantity is what we wanted for her and I truly think we achieved that.

How wonderful that you had the gift of those extra years with Aja. If and when you are up to it, could you share with us the treatment that extended her life? The info may be helpful to someone else. We have an 18 yr old kitty here and I remember, from past pets, how quickly something can go awry. Be strong. She's still with you, you'll just have to look faster to catch a glimpse from time to time.

Thank you all for the replies. We truly enjoyed those 2 extra years and I know Aja did, too. She was the sweetest, most loving cat to share our lives.

Tripalot, I can understand how you feel about Berkley even though it has been almost 2 years. I'm sure Tom will still be missing Aja. She was his lap cat, and he said it just seems so strange that yesterday morning she was there as he read the paper and this morning not. I haven't been able to bring myself to change my signature yet, but when I do I'm going to follow your example with Berkley.

RIP Aja, I know you will miss her dearly, but cherish those wonderful moments and memories you have. She was loved and knew it and I am sure she returned that love. Sorry for your loss.

It is almost 2 years since our beloved cat crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the age of almost 18. We miss him so much, especially on camping trips. So sorry for your loss - this is a difficult time for you but you know in your heart you did the right thing.

I'm so sorry. Thank you for letting us know. The time you had with her was priceless. Our kids mean so much to us no matter how many legs they have!

Prayers and condolences for you. I'm glad you had two more years with her.

So sorry for your loss...and yet so glad you had a wonderful two more years with her. May she be running pain-free and as a kitten again at the Rainbow Bridge.

Sorry for your loss. I'm glad you had some quality time before making that decision.

Doug