I'm not sure what to do with my 14 year old cat. The vet told me he is going through kidney failure.?

I had 2 cats suddenly develop kidney failure and go "downhill" so quickly, it was astonishing! Frankly, I would be more in agreement with your husband and put him to sleep. I have seen the suffering of advanced kidney failure, and it is not pretty! And JUST because they can "stay alive" for a year does not mean the quality of that life makes it WORTH it.

I would suggest that you start saying your "good-byes" to your beloved one, and then take him to the vet. Be merciful to him. Cats are good at not showing their sufferings and pains, so he may not SEEM like he is suffering when he really is. When he is gone, he will be waiting for you at that "Rainbow Bridge." So please, have mercy and let him go before his suffering becomes worse.

Me… kittyslave23… I know my place.

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I have a 15 year old cat who has the same thing. However, vets now are supposed to call it "chronic kidney disease" and not "kidney failure". The reason for this is that with proper care these cats can often live comfortably for a long time!!!

First of all, did your vet provide a special food for your cat to eat? I highly, highly recommend feeding your cat a WET FOOD that is LOW IN PHOSPHOROUS. I feed my cat Wellness. The wet food has a lot of water so it will help with your cat's extreme thirst. It is also important to make sure your cat is eating enough because cats with kidney disease can lose a lot of weight and stop eating (mine is very thin).

Did your vet run blood tests to confirm your cat has kidney disease? If not, your cat could also have diabetes or maybe just a kidney infection (my cat has to pee A LOT because he drinks so much water, but he is always able to get to the litter box). I do have 4 litter boxes (I have 3 cats) so my cat is always very close to an empty, clean litter box.

Please check out the following website- it REALLY REALLY helped me!:

http://www.felinecrf.org/

Lastly, my cat has already had kidney disease for a year and he lost 5 lbs and was puking all the time before I got it diagnosed and he is doing much better now. Your cat could live a lot longer than a year, I suggest you get a new vet if you think yours isn't doing a good job.

My cats have both been diagnosed with kidney failure for over a year. I get regular blood work so I know if their diet is working. They are both 16. I would not keep in in a crate! that would indeed be cruel, a terrible suggestion.

He needs a vet visit with a urinalysis and culture. Kidney disease is NOT painful until end stage. The bad kidneys would not make him pee on the floor, that sounds more like a urinary tract infection, which makes the kidneys worse. You need to get it treated, talk to your vet about diet and home sub q fluids. That part is not expensive. The blood work every 3-4 months is what adds up, maybe $200 a visit.

If you can reach an agreement with your vet about money, your cat can live several more years with good quality life. Why dont you get your lab work, join a Yahoo group. Post the numbers there and get some answers from people dealing with this every day. Your cat may not even need sub q if you can get that urinary infection under control.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/tanyas-ckd-supp...

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It depends. I have a 9 year old cat with kidney failure but I give him IVs twice a week and he's been doing very well. At 14, I'm thinking it might not be worthwhile to do. You can ask the vet if it thinks it's worth it. It's easy to do, I keep a bag of Ringers in the closet and get it out Wed. and Sun. and the whole process takes about 5 min. and he eats a big treat while he's getting his IV.

I'm sorry your husband doesn't want to spend any money on him which puts it down to either or situation. Ask the vet about the prognosis and at what point will the cat start feeling really sick or be in pain and that's when you should have it done. Stay with him and let the last thing he hears is your voice telling him you love him. That's what we owe our fur family. Best of luck!

http://www.felinecrf.com/

Kidney failure isn't good.

He seems healthy, but that's your perspective.

My vet said that an older cat of mine had kidney failure. He woke us up yowling in pain because he was in so much pain. It was a medical emergency at that point; he had to be put down.

Now: you could change his diet. There are some cat foods that are designed for a cat's urinary tract. The kidneys are involved in the urinary tract.

I wouldn't put him back outside. If he's dying, keep him warmed and loved.

Love is the best medicine.

This is tough but the outcome of the condition really depends on the personality of the cat. Even though he looks healthy, do you think he is happy? Certain cats are ok with remaining indoor or being medicated constantly and most of these are indoor cats. However most outdoor cats are not ok with this and as your cats owner only you can really tell if he seems happy with the changes vs. dealing with them. HIs condition, although with treatment and medication can be maintained but only so long and will worsen over time.

Depends on its standard of life. If you're willing to dedicate the time and the money to keep the cat up to date on its meds to ensure its comfort, keep him around. If you just wanna let the cat do its thing, though, I can tell you organ failure of any kind is not a good way to go. It's not cruel to put the cat down if you're not willing to take care of its medical needs. The other option is to let the cat do its thing until it starts to deteriorate or show discomfort, then put it down. Although, if it was bad enough to notice, it's bad enough to matter.

14 years is not old for a cat. They can easily live 20+ years. Animals DO cost money. Sometimes a lot of it. Don't do something just because it's easier or cheaper, do it because it's right.

Tough call. As long as he is not suffering and you continue to clean up after him, no need to put him down. But there will come a time, so prepare for this and do the right thing.

Good luck.

Do whatever you think is the best thing for your cat - ignore your husband and question the Vet who thinks it's OK to let an animal suffer.