1 year old baby with kidney failure :'(

[sarah5]

I haven't been here for so long but I am desperately seeking advice and help for my beautiful Charlie, who is only just 1 year old.

On Friday he was his normal bouncy crazy self and went out for a wee, came back in half an hour later slinking and totally unusual for him he just flumped down in the corner of the room and wouldn't look at me. I picked him up, at which point he cried loudly and was sick foamy stuff and then went back to the corner of the room where he remained for the rest of the morning.

Took him to the vet on the same day and he was given antibiotics, vet was very concerned and asked us to come back the next day...

.. basically we spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday back and forth to the vets for antibiotics injections but today, Tuesday he is still much the same, floppy, lethargic, not eating, etc.

Today he has had a blood and urine test, which has come back as Renal Failure I am devastated. How does a 1 year old get Renal Failure?

Vet has given me renal Royal Canin pouches, Zantac and Enrofloxacin and I have to go back tomorrow to get more drugs!

Basically she has said that if he shows no sign of improvemetn within 5-7 days then we might have to look at an ultrasound to see if there is a cyst or growth on his kidneys...

I don't really know why I'm writing or what I'm hoping to achieve here, I think maybe I just need to talk about it?

I can't stop crying, my Charlie really is (was) the most amazingly loopy and fun loving cat I've ever had the pleasure of owning, I can't bear to see him like this.

[Squirrel]

*hugs*

First of all, it is good to talk to people when things go wrong - it gets it all out, lets you express something about what you're hearing, and you know that someone will read.

Also, there are several on this forum who will have advice to offer from similar situations they've been in.

Regardless of experience, we're all able to offer support - all be it just in reading what you've written, and a few words to say that we're thinking about you in your situation.

All I can do is offer my sympathy, am a very new cat owner myself, and my wee one is younger than yours. I hope someone with more knowledge will be along later.

Hang in there.

[lynz85]

i'm so sorry to hear about charlie . i had to go through this last year with my 5 year old boy aswell and i have no idea why it happened to him either. from the sounds of it could he have eaten anything outside? some flowers like lillies or anti freeze can cause this. this link covers all you need to know anout renal failure http://www.felinecrf.org/causes_of_crf.htm this was given to me by another member on here, elaine who is very knowledgable on renal failure, she will probably be along to give you any other advice!

i really hope your boy can get through this. is he still eating/drinking well? going to toilet ok?

[angieh]

I am so very sorry for you and Charlie. It's heart breaking and stressful to have a cat with any illness, let alone one so very young. It will do you good to chat here - to relieve the tensions if nothing else.

As lynz says, Elaine is very knowledgeable about CRF (the reason I joined Catsey in fact). I hope she will be along soon to offer advice.

[sarah5]

Ooh thanks SO much for your replies, it is wonderful to be able to talk to people about this and I am incredibly grateful.

Well good news, Charlie likes the special Royal Canin Renal cat food and gobbled up a few mouthfuls (not a lot but hey, small steps!). He is drinking lots and lots of water too. The vet said to let her know if he doesn't drink..... or drinks too much. How on earth do I know what is too much though lol!?

He is still very floppy and lethargic and basically just sleep sleep sleeping... not at all how a 1 year old should be. However he did get up and see us when we got home from the school run and let the boys stroke him for ages (they are 8 and 6 and absolutely adore Charlie and our other cats).

I do wish he would realise that he can not jump up any more though as he keeps falling back and yelping He struggles to even jump up onto the bed poor lad.

Right well that's enough for now.... thank you so much again for talking to me about this, I just feel I need to be able to talk to someone really, I feel helpless and alone and just want to help my beautiful cat as much as I can.

Thanks again

[Elaine]

Hi Sarah, really sorry to read about your poor wee cat. The very first thing that alarms me about this is that your vet didnt imediately admit your cat and put him on IV fluids.
It sounds to me like your cat has ARF, Acute Renal Failure opposed to CRF, Chronic Renal Failure. ARF is sudden and is usually the result of poisoning.
How is your5 cat doing now? Is he eating/drinking at all?
To save a bit of time I can pm you my phone number, feel free to call me if you wish as this is a serious matter and if your cat is not picking up, you must act imediately. First thing I'd do is get another vet asap. Time is of the essence with ARF.

[Elaine]

http://www.felinecrf.org/links_and_r..._renal_failure

[sarah5]

Oh my goodness, just looking at the link you provided now....

[sarah5]

Sorry I meant to add that he has eaten a small amount of the renal cat food (Royal Canin) and has been lapping at the water for a while. If anything he appears to have perked up a *little* since earlier, he has actually got up and walked around a bit, although seems dazed and confused. He tried to jump onto the worksurfaces and slipped and fell backwards and yelped But he has got up, which is good in comparison to how he has been over the last few days.....

.... do you still think I need a 2nd opinion?

Thanks SO very much for your help

[Elaine]

Sarah the other issue is that he is not eating well at all, that in turn can result in hepatic Lipidosis or fatty liver disease. He will almost certainly be anaemic now aswell. I really cannt stress enough just how serious this is. Please please get a second opinion asap.