From the age of seven or eight, our cat starts in old age, which entails special care. It is highly recommended to perform geriatric studies and thus obtain a early diagnostic of certain diseases, such as the case of kidney failure in cats, whether young or old.

When the kidney disease gives the face (the symptoms appear) it is because it is advanced since it is a progressive disease, that is why these routine checkups are recommended. Continue reading this article to know 4 symptoms of kidney disease in cats:

The kidneys, what are they for?

The kidneys are the organs in charge of maintaining the water level adequate in the body, in addition to detoxify the blood, so that deteriorated kidneys can generate different health problems. Many symptoms of kidney disease in cats are nonspecific and also shared with other pathologies.

If detected too late, the cat will be dehydrated and with severe renal failure, so it will require immediate hospitalization. Kidney failure is a irreversible disease, the treatment that is carried out is to improve the quality of life of our cat and help maintain kidney function.

4 symptoms of kidney disease in cats

Do you think your cat could suffer from kidney failure? Do you want to rule out a health problem? Here are some symptoms of kidney disease in cats:

1. Appearance of polyuria and polydipsia: the cat drinks and urinates more than normal since his kidneys have lost the ability to concentrate urine. We will observe that it stains the sand more than usual and that consequently, it drinks more water. We can measure the water you drink per day to tell our veterinarian. This symptom can also occur with other diseases such as diabetes and hyperthyroidism, so we must check our cat as soon as we realize this circumstance.
2. Loss of appetite and weight slowly and progressively: our cat is eating less and losing weight. In addition, they see a coat without quality and may have ulcers in the oral cavity due to uremia.
3. Vomiting and weight loss: At first, vomiting is usually sporadic, but little by little we will notice that our cat loses its appetite and continues to vomit.
4. Lethargy and apathy: Our cat has toxic waste products in the blood so we will find him dull and weak. You may have seizures.

Diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease

Through a physical examination, blood, urinary and diagnostic imaging we will obtain an accurate diagnosis of the degree of renal failure suffered by our cat or, on the contrary, we can rule out that he suffers from this disease.

Once we receive the diagnosis, the veterinarian will give us a forecast, although it is important to emphasize that it is a chronic disease, it can not be cured permanently. It will also indicate a series of measures to take as treatment:

• Treatment of the associated pathologies: anemia, dehydration, vomiting, anorexia etc.
• Reduction of dietary protein and phosphorus: supplements of phosphate binders and the prescription of a feed for kidney failure or homemade diets.
• Reduction of blood pressure: through drugs and reduction of salt in the diet.
• Reduction of protein loss through urine: drugs.
• Potassium supplementation: if the concentration of potassium in blood is low, it must be supplemented with this ion.
• Nutritional supplements that help the kidney: B vitamins, flavonoids, antioxidants, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Stimulate water intake: wet diet, fresh water sources, etc.

This article is merely informative, in .com we do not have the faculty to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to 4 symptoms of kidney disease in cats, we recommend that you enter in our section of degenerative diseases.