Its critical to seek immediate veterinary treatment when you notice the signs of a problem kidney in a cat. The earlier your cat gets treatment the more chances she has for a longer life with you. While chronic renal failure arrives over a long period of time, acute kidney failure is an emergency. Here's some tips to recognizing the symptoms of kidney failure in cats.

Feline kidneys are vulnerable to a number of life-threatening disorders that can lead to a failing kidney in a cat or chronic renal failure. Your vet would probably agree with the statistics that they see more cats 7 years and older that are showing signs of kidney failure in cats.

The risk for feline kidney disease may be inherited. Some long-haired breeds like Angoras and Persians and short-haired cats like the Abyssinian are more genetically predisposed to kidney problems, either acute or chronic renal failure.

The main difference between chronic and acute kidney failure in cats is that acute renal failure is a very severe situation that occurs relatively suddenly - over a week or a month. Chronic renal failure creeps up on your cat over a longer time, years even.

The most common cause of kidney failure in cats occurs when your cat swallows a toxic substance like antifreeze, pesticides, cleaning fluids and human medications. Common causes of acute renal failure include blockages that prevent a good flow of blood to the kidney in a cat or stones and inflammations blocking the flow of urine from the kidney into the bladder.

Signs Of Kidney Failure In Cats

Occasional vomiting Increase in water consumption Increase in urination Weight loss Loss of appetite

Your vet may refer to some of these symptoms with the terms "polydipsia" or "polyuria". Polydipsia means that your cat is drinking a lot of water - lots of it. On the other end, In fact, you this may be the first sign your recognize of a problem kidney in a cat. When you clean the litter box you find numerous pee-balls of cat litter, or unusually large ones.

If your vet suspects kidney failure in a cat she will evaluate your cat's BUN. BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen, as well as the creatinine levels. When these are elevated it means your cat's kidneys aren't working right and need extra help.

Traditionally, treating renal failure in cats is determined by the disorder causing the condition. If acute kidney failure is caused by a urinary tract blockage the stone must be removed immediately. Treating chronic renal failure is done with a more conservative approach. This may include intravenous fluid therapy and changes to diet.

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Written by Kate Rieger using tags: animals, cat care, cat health care, e, f, family, g, garden, h, home & family, i, k, kidney failure in cats, kidney in a cat, n, natural pet care, P, pet, Pet Care, Pets, pets_and_animals

Veterinarians are diagnosing diseases of the kidney in cats more and more. The second most common cat illness - especially in senior cats - is chronic renal failure. There is no absolute cure for a diseased kidney, but you can improve your cat's chances for a longer life by recognizing the symptoms of common diseases affecting your cat's renal system.

There isn't a complete cure for treating a diseased kidney in cats, but there are several things you can do to slow the advance of chronic renal failure in your cat. When your recognize the symptoms of a sick kidney in cat early into her illness and you can do a number of things to lengthen her life.

Diseases of the kidney in cats include:

Chronic Tubulointerstitial Nephritis, Amyloidosis, Nephrosis, Glomerulonephritis, Pyelonephritis, Hydronephrosis

A problem with the kidney in cats is likely when:

Increased thirst, Lots of urine and urination, Loss of appetite, Vomiting, Anorexia, Depression, Lethargy, Weight loss, Poor hair coat

What can you do to improve the quality of life for your cat with kidney disease?

Some treatments for cats with chronic renal failure are similar to what you can to do prevent a sick kidney in cats. Encourage water intake by providing lots of fresh water in bowels or cups or even mini-fountains designed to encourage fresh water intake. Water, water, water. H2O is a key ingredient to preventing a feline urinary infection and to promoting a healthy functioning renal system.

Some treatments for cats with chronic renal failure are similar to what you can to do prevent a sick kidney in cats. Encourage water intake by providing lots of fresh water in bowels or cups or even mini-fountains designed to encourage fresh water intake. Water, water, water. H2O is a key ingredient to preventing a feline urinary infection and to promoting a healthy functioning renal system.

You'll have to switch your cat to a low protein diet recommended by your vet. This may be dry kibble, but if possible, opt for canned cat food to add water to your cat's diet. If your cat was severely dehydrated, your vet may set you up with an intravenous apparatus so you can treat your cat at home.

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• Failing Kidney In Cats - Your "I'm Not an Idiot Guide" to Recognizing Kidney Failure In Cats by Kate Rieger Veterinarians are diagnosing diseases of the kidney in cats more and more. The second most common cat illness - especially in senior cats - is chronic renal failure. There is no absolute cure for a diseased kidney, but you can improve your cat's chances for a longer......
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Written by Kate Rieger using tags: animals, cat care, family, Home, kidney failure in cats, kidney in cat, kidney in cats, natural remedies, Pet Care, pet health care, Pets

You would never think of giving poison to cats, but you may be doing it by accident. In fact, overloading your cats' diet with some hairball remedies can prevent absorption of a vital vitamin.

Many of us rely on vitamin supplements to provide a nutritional boost to our human diets. Perhaps you even thought about supplementing your cat's diet with vitamins. After all, didn't you read somewhere that kittens with diets low in vitamin D develop rickets? Or what about older cats with low levels of vitamin D in their diet suffering from brittle bones?

These problems are totally possible, but such deficiencies are rare in today's cat diet world. That said, it is possible that you may cause your cat to have a vitamin D deficiency simply by treating him for hairballs. You could be literally giving poison to cats when you treat them with hairball remedies that have a mineral oil or petroleum jelly base.

If your cat 'just loves' his petroleum based hairball remedy and you 'just love' giving it to him, you both may need to back off the program a bit. Excessive use of this type of hair ball remedy can interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamin D.

Now that you know better that indulging your cats with this type of hairball remedy don't be tempted to add vitamin D back into their diet. Just continue to feed a high quality cat food which is full of vitamins cats need. Now that your cats are off the petroleum based product, their digestive system will be able to absorb the vitamin D again.

Let's now consider completely removing this 'petroleum based' product from your cats diets. Would you swallow something made of petroleum? That's right - have a pint of oil to goo up your insides. Its really not a far stretch to consider this as something close to giving poison to cats.

Switch your cats over to an herbal hairball treatment. There are herbal compounds that provide a gentle yet effective solution to cat hairballs. Psyllium nigrum is a very high source of dietary fiber while Aloe ferox (a well known medicinal herb) is known for its beneficial effect on digestive functioning. Nux vom is a proven homeopathic remedy often prescribed for indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, violent retching and abdominal cramp.

Its easy to give this herbal remedy and if you have a cat who hates the other products, bets are that he'll never even notice when you add a bit to his canned cat food. Just give 1/2 capsule 2 times daily for 10 days, followed by 1/2 capsule once daily as a maintenance dose for cats who are prone to nasty hairballs.

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Written by Kate Rieger using tags: cat care, cat hairball remedies, cat hairball remedy, family, pet, Pet Care, Pets, poison to cat

Are you worrying that your cat has a urinary or kidney problem? After you finish this article you'll understand what tests are run for cats in kidney failure. The key to lengthening your cat's life is to contact your vet as soon as possible to have a a series of diagnostic tests run. Your veterinarian will perform blood and urine tests to check for key symptoms for a cat experiencing chronic kidney failure.

There are terms used to convey the condition for cats in kidney failure. Acute kidney (or renal) failure in your cat is means complete organ failure where the kidneys stop working. Acute renal failure in cats happens quickly without much warning. It can affect both young and old cats.This type of kidney disease is almost always fatal but if treated immediately and aggressively, the kidneys may regain normal functions and your cat may live a longer life.

The other phrase you may hear is chronic kidney failure. This is the most common disease and is usually experienced by an aging cat. As cats age their major organs have weakened, including their kidneys. Sadly, by the time you notice the symptoms for cats in kidney failure about 70% of your cat's kidney functions are already in trouble. Chronic kidney failure is a progressive disease and eventually your cat will die from it. However, the earlier the disease is discovered the longer you can keep your cat comfortable for months or even years.

The most dependable diagnosis comes from the blood and urine tests taken from your cat. Your vet may also palpitate the kidney area and check for small, shriveled kidneys. He may take x-rays or an ultrasound too.

Blood Tests

When your vet tests for the BUN level, he is testing for the Blood Urea Nitrogen level in your cat's blood. The BUN is a chemical that the liver makes from ammonia. After production, BUN is excreted into the kidneys, which increases in some diseases especially for cats in kidney failure. The test also is a marker for dehydration in your cat or even bladder stones.

These blood tests also show the amount of creatinine in your cat's blood. Creatinine is the breakdown product of muscle and normally is excreted by the kidneys. If your cat's creatinine level is abnormal it helps confirm that your cat's elevated BUN level was caused by kidney failure.

Urine Tests

When a healthy cat is dehydrated the proteins show at a concentrated level. Your veterinarian will check for signs of infection by evaluating your cat's urine. He will also evaluate the concentration of proteins. For cats in kidney failure, this protein concentration is not there which is key to determining if your cat's kidneys are functioning properly or not.

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Written by Kate Rieger using tags: animals, cat care, family, for cats in kidney failure, kidney disease, natural cat care, Pet Care, pet health care, Pets, renal failure in cats

You would never think of giving poison to cats, but you may be doing it by accident. In fact, overloading your cats' diet with some hairball remedies can prevent absorption of a vital vitamin.

Many of us rely on supplemental vitamins to provide a nutritional boost to our human diets. Perhaps you even thought about supplementing your cat's diet with vitamins. After all, didn't you read somewhere that kittens with diets low in vitamin D develop rickets? Or what about older cats with low levels of vitamin D in their diet suffering from brittle bones?

These problems are totally possible, but such deficiencies are rare in today's cat diet world. That said, it is possible that you may cause your cat to have a vitamin D deficiency simply by treating him for hairballs. You could be literally giving poison to cats when you treat them with hairball remedies that have a mineral oil or petroleum jelly base.

If your cat 'adores' his petroleum based hairball remedy and you 'adore' giving it to him, you both may need to back off the program a bit. When you use this type of hair ball remedy too frequently it can interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamin D.

Now that you know better that indulging your cats with this type of hairball remedy don't be tempted to add vitamin D back into their diet. Just continue to feed a high quality cat food which is full of vitamins cats need. Now that your cats are off the petroleum based product, their digestive system will be able to absorb the vitamin D again.

Let's now consider completely removing this 'petroleum based' product from your cats diets. Would you swallow something made of petroleum? That's right - have a pint of oil to goo up your insides. Its really not a far stretch to consider this as something close to giving poison to cats.

Switch your cats over to an herbal hairball treatment. There are herbal compounds that provide a gentle yet effective solution to cat hairballs. Psyllium nigrum is a very high source of dietary fiber while Aloe ferox (a well known medicinal herb) is known for its beneficial effect on digestive functioning. Nux vom is a proven homeopathic remedy often prescribed for indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, violent retching and abdominal cramp.

Its easy to give this natural remedy and if you have a cat who hates the other products, bets are that he'll never even notice when you add a bit to his canned cat food. Just give 1/2 capsule 2 times daily for 10 days, followed by 1/2 capsule once daily as a maintenance dose for cats who are prone to awful hairballs.

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Written by Kate Rieger using tags: cat care, cat hairball remedies, cat hairball remedy, family, pet, Pet Care, Pets, poison to cat