Home Treatment Tips For Cats In Kidney Failure

Cats with kidney disease feel better when they eat a low-protein diet. This is totally contrary to the fact that you cat is an obligate carnivore and should be fed mostly meat protein (not plant protein). That's not the case for cats in kidney failure.

For cats in kidney failure, a low-protein diet keeps their BUN levels low. BUN stands for Blood Urea Nitrogen. It is a waste product excreted through the kidneys. It builds up in the blood to dangerous levels in cats with diseased kidneys.

Shift your cat over to a low-protein diet to keep his BUN level low.

Your vet may have used intravenous or subcutaneous fluid therapy to rehydrate your cat. This means that fluids were injected under your cat's skin. Sometimes this takes cat caregivers by surprise when they take their cat home. There is a lot of fluid injected and you may see what looks like a fat bulge moving around. Its just the fluid moving about under your cat's skin.

The other reason for all this fluid is to promote diuresis. Diuresis is the process of flushing the body with fluids to create more urine and help eliminate the buildup of waste products in cats in kidney failure.

Water, water, everywhere...

Leave lots of fresh water around your home. Use filtered water if possible and change it everyday. Also, going back to the low-protein cat food diet, if you have the option to feed a canned product then feed him that. Its another way to introduce water into your cat's diet. If you choose to give him supportive supplements (we'll go over that in a minute) then you just mix them in with his canned food meal.

Potassium is a nutrient that is lost through the urine of cats in kidney failure. If your cat's blood potassium levels become too low, you will need to supplement his diet. Also B-vitamins are water soluble and lost through the body with excessive urination by cats in kidney failure.

Here's a natural twist to extending the life of cats with kidney disease. Provide your cat with the herbs he would usually eat in the wild. These could include the digestive tonic Burdock, appetite enhancer Dandelion, and the blood purifier Cleaver.

Burdock is widely known as a blood purifier and a digestive tonic that helps support healthy blood sugar regulation. It is also well known for its ability to maintain balance in body fluid levels and can help the kidneys to maintain their natural action of flushing out toxins.

Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, D, and C, as well as various B Vitamins, iron, lecithin, silicon, potassium, magnesium, zinc and manganese. It gives your cat a healthy appetite too.

Cleavers is an herb which has been used in folk medicine for many centuries as a cleansing tonic, lymphatic cleanser and blood purifier. Regular use helps to support all mechanisms of the urinary system.

Ask your vet about using these supplements for cats in kidney failure.