You'll know it's time to euthanize your cat when your veterinarian has given a terminal diagnosis such as cancer or kidney failure and the quality of life has become dramatically affected. There may be drastic weight loss, difficulty moving and persistent breathing difficulties.
CKD is a progressive disease that slowly worsens, but the rate of progression is highly variable. Cats diagnosed with early disease have an average survival time of 3 years. Those with moderate disease live an average of 2 years. Those with advanced disease generally succumb to CKD within months.
End-stage kidney failure symptoms in cats include the general symptoms listed above, as well as dull, sunken eyes, inability to walk, body odor, urinary or bowel incontinence, seizures, confusion, refusal to eat or drink, twitching, blindness, pacing, and restlessness, withdrawing, hiding, and running away.
Cats with acute renal failure will feel very unwell in a short space of time. They often seem to be in significant pain due to swelling of the kidneys and may collapse or cry constantly.
A prescription diet restricting protein and phosphorus may be one of the first changes recommended with early renal disease. Warming food and hand feeding can help encourage cats to eat. Tuna juice water, gravy or low-sodium chicken broth can be mixed with food to coax eating and increase water consumption.
Kidney disease can cause high blood pressure and, conceivably, excess vocalization. However, these cats usually have other symptoms that show up first, including increased water intake, increased urination and decreased appetite.
With kidney disease, diabetes, urinary tract infections and hyperthyroidism, cats drink more and then urinate more. That can cause them not to be able to make it to the litter box in time and urinate wherever they are, whether it is in your bed or on the floor.
And as kidney disease progresses, you may notice the following symptoms. Nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, swelling via feet and ankles, dry, itchy skin, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, urinating either too much or too little.
You may notice your cat's back twitching. This is a symptom of end stage cat kidney failure. Back legs are also important to keep an eye on – if your cat suddenly develops a stiff-legged gait or has rear-leg weakness, kidney problems are likely prevalent within your pet.
Those diagnosed in the advanced stages of CKD or living in situations where treatment is not possible generally do not live long—perhaps weeks to months.
If your cat is suffering from acute kidney failure you may also notice an arched back or stiff-legged gait, symptoms that your cat's kidneys are causing pain. Chronic kidney failure gradually progresses over years, and the signs may not be noticeable.
Overview. End-stage renal failure, also known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is the final, permanent stage of chronic kidney disease, where kidney function has declined to the point that the kidneys can no longer function on their own.
When kidneys start to fail, they become less capable of removing waste from the bloodstream. As this waste builds up, your cat's breath will smell worse. The bad breath associated with kidney disease may have an ammonia odor.
Some illnesses such as kidney disease, diabetes, liver disease, osteoarthritis, anemia, parasitic infestation, and even cancer may affect your cat to sleep much longer than usual.
Stage I: Clinical signs are usually not apparent. Stage II: Some clinical signs are noted. Stage III: Many clinical signs are noted, and cats often appear to feel sick. Stage IV: A majority of clinical signs are noted and cats are in crisis.
Kidney disease progresses at different rates for different people, and it can take between two and five years to pass between different stages. Kidney disease stages are measured by using a blood test to check the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
The most important nutritional goal for a renal patient is that the cat eats well every day. You can also use the renal diets to compare nutritional profiles to retail food. Particularly, Purina's retail diets (Fancy Feast, Friskies) will compare favorably to the renal diet's nutritional profile.
Unfortunately, once the kidneys are damaged, they have minimal ability to recover. However, with proper management, most CKD cases progress very slowly. Your cat may have several years of quality, active life with treatment.
Nausea and vomiting
All those toxins the kidneys can no longer efficiently excrete lead to a major rise in some very nauseating chemicals in the blood. The brain responds by helping to eliminate them via vomiting.
Reduced GFR is a red flag for six major complications in patients with CKD: acute kidney injury risk, resistant hypertension, metabolic abnormalities, adverse drug reactions, accelerated cardiovascular disease and progression to end-stage kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) worsens over time. High blood pressure and diabetes are two common causes of CKD. There's no cure for CKD, but you can take steps to preserve function for as long as possible. Late-stage kidney disease requires dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Kidney disease draws water from the body, making your cat dehydrated, and stool is difficult to pass. Your cat's body tries to conserve water by reabsorbing it from the stool through the intestinal wall. The intestine takes every drop of water that it can, which renders your cat constipated.
Acute kidney disease—If your kitty suffers a severe and/or abrupt injury to the kidneys, as with acute kidney injury (AKI), she may become profoundly ill, and stop producing urine altogether, which too often leads to death.
If your cat is diagnosed with kidney disease, treatments can range from intravenous fluids to correct dehydration, to supplements, medications, vitamin injections, and potentially surgery to remove any blockages. The goal of treating kidney failure is to slow its progress and manage its symptoms.