six months ago my 14-year old cat was throwing up and losing weight. the vet determined bailey was in renal failure. one of his kidneys is shriveled up and not working at all and the other one is only working at 50%. the vet put him on prescription cat food and sent me on my way.

over the past few days i've noticed that bailey seems to be losing weight again so i emailed my vet. he said i need to bring him in to run the blood tests again because 6 months of renal failure in cats is like 6 years of renal failure in humans.

now i'm SO scared. i almost don't want to take him in for the test. i don't think i'll be able to handle the news if he doesn't have much longer to live. i'm not strong enough to ever be able to put him to sleep.

do any of you have any good news that could be shared... like a cat that lived years after being diagnosed? anything? please....

Oh gosh Kris---I wish I could give you some good news, but I just want to say I don't know about the outcome and have never had cats, BUT, dear, I do hope everything is going to be in the best interest for you....

I couldn't handle putting my babies down, I had son to do it, but if it came to that I'm hoping you can find someone that can help you...but I think your kittie probably has a good bit of time left....prayers going up for you and your kitty Kris...stay strong....

Ask your vet about medication for nausea, and acid build up in the stomach (yes they are two different medications). Also ask him to teach you how to give subcutaneous fluids at home. That is where you actually insert a needle under the scruff of their neck and administer fluids that way. NACL or lactated ringers are best for kidney cats. 100mL of fluids a day or every other day will do wonders for a kidney cat, along with medication to keep his appetite up in the meantime. Cats can live years with bad kidneys if they are properly medicated/managed

Thank you, Julie... for your prayers and kind words.

Tara, thank you as well. The info you gave will help me ask the right questions when we see the vet today although Bailey seems to be eating and drinking just fine. On the phone, the vet's assistant did mention giving fluids at home. I've done this before for a neighbor's cat while they were on vacation and I hope Bailey will be okay with it.

He's not exactly known for his sweet temperment... he's the welder's gloves up to the elbows kinda cat lol but he's my baby!

Awwwwwwwwwww I hope your kitty will be o.k (HUGS) have you been to the vet yet.....??

Now that sort of scares me where it concerns jake my kitty!! ((((HUGS)))) coming from TEXAS.... I hope he gets better

Sending special thoughts and prayers for You, Kris and your kitty

Sending MANY hugs, good thoughts and prayers your way!

I don't know what else to say.......I hope everything works out!

i took bailey in today for his blood test. the results will be in tomorrow but my vet won't be in until saturday and he's asked me to wait until then so he can review them instead of the on-call vet.

so... i guess i wait until saturday for the results. the good news is that bailey hasn't lost any weight like i thought... he's actually gained 5 ounces in 6 months. not a lot but i'll take it!

Very good---that is a good sign Kris..glad to hear kitty has actually gain some weight....try to be as optomistic as possible....it helps very much....thinking of you and kitty....

While the results can be scary, there are things that can be done to improve quality of life regardless of what stage your kitty is in. I'm glad you got the test done. Hopefully things are ok. I can also relate to the welder's gloves one of mine is that way.

Unfortunately, there's no cure for renal failure, but there are things to help slow it down. If you are able to administer fluids at home, that's great! One of the most important things you can do for him is manage his diet. Be very strict with this, no cheating. Renal diets are formulated to be low protein and low salt to reduce stress on the kidneys. There is more than one type out there, so just find one he likes and stick to it. I often think this is not stressed enough to owners and so many people don't realize the important role proper diet has with renal patients and slowing the disease progression.

Big hugs and prayers for you and your furbaby. Sure stinks when they are sick

my vet called me early this morning from his conference. i guess he knew how stressed i was so he didn't wait until tomorrow to call me...

it turns out that bailey has NOT gotten any worse... if anything, he's gotten better. there's no reversing renal failure but the prescription diet i have him on seems to be working because the kidney level is closer to normal now!!!

bailey is old and i know he'll never recover from this but i'm SOOO happy the treatment is working! as of right now, no additional medication is needed but i will have to continue to have his blood tested every 6 months as well as staying on the prescribed diet.

*whew* !!

Glad to hear it. Its so hard when our beloved pets get old. But that's one of the things we have to except when we choose to become pet owners...but it sure doesn't make it any easier.

Big Hugs

*Big hugs to you and your kitty*

I'm so glad you have such a kind, concerned vet. Our vet is like that, too, and it's a blessing. I hope your cat continues to do well!!