One of my cats has kidney disease.

He was diagnosed on Tuesday. It keeps hitting me over and over throughout the day. We have only had him almost 8 years. We brought him in from the street in 2016 before a hurricane, and I thought we would have him longer than this. I thought I could get him to at least age 16 or 18. But that will not be the case. We are devastated. And yes, he is a senior cat, but that doesn’t make it hurt less.

He has a big personality, and I am going to miss him terribly. Being told that his levels are not coming down after a week of fluids every day, was disappointing, and I wanted to break down right there. The majority of his kidney functions have stopped working. All of this happened so fast. Now, all we can do is try to get the levels down from home with subcutaneous fluids, and try to keep him comfortable until the time comes. I am heartbroken.

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Livingwell · 61-69, M

My daughter has a 19 yr old cat with the same thing. She is giving the IV's and the cat is on special food. He also had a kidney infection which sprung up. He was supposed to die. After that was under control, his levels came down slowly. He's lived 3 yrs like this. Still eating, drinking, and loving. Hang in there. A miracle is possible.

PoisonLace · 41-45, F

@Livingwell What stage is it?

Livingwell · 61-69, M

@PoisonLace 4

PoisonLace · 41-45, F

@Livingwell How often does he get IV fluids? Is it subcutaneous from home? That's what I have been doing for my cat, and it's every other day. What food is he on? My cat's levels did not come down after taking him back and forth to the vet for 6 days in a row. He was hospitalized for hours each day, only for us to be told his levels were not coming down. He was even still dehydrated after all of that, and still is even though we give him fluids from home...but we were told by the vet to do it every other day. I feel like it should be every day, but the bags cost money.

Livingwell · 61-69, M

@PoisonLace Every day at home. My daughter gives the to him. He tolerates it well.

PoisonLace · 41-45, F

@Livingwell I honestly wish we could afford it. The thing is, my boyfriend makes good money, but isn't willing to spend thousands on an animal. He will tolerate doing this every other day, but having to go back to the vet once a week would be asking too much of him. He doesn't like being away from work for very long, as he is expected to get things done because he's an engineer. I do not drive, so it's him that brings me there. If the bags didn't cost money, maybe, but since they do, he would turn his nose up at the idea. And after 6 days of IV fluids at the vet in January, they told us he was still dehydrated. It's just not fair. If I had the power to do what your daughter has done, I would definitely do it. And it's not that I've given up, it's that I can't convince, nor is it my place to ask him to spend his money...because right now, I'm out of a job. :(

Livingwell · 61-69, M

@PoisonLace I'm sorry. I'm not sure how much they cost but the clinic is working with her.