Ask a Vet: Diet & Kidney Failure in Cats
October 21st, 2008 by Dr. Donna SpectorQ: We brought our five-year-old cat Sterling to our vet due to constipation and poor appetite (He always ate dry food and generally wouldn’t touch wet). He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, high calcium, and kidney failure — and the prognosis of living about a year more at best. After enemas and flushing, she prescribed a special diet of food with the ingredients below. Can you share your opinion about if that diet seems on the right track, or what diet we should be seeking?
Ingredients from the prescribed food (dry):
Rice, ground corn, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, chicken meal, natural flavors, cellulose powder, dried egg powder, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, brewers yeast…etc.
A: I am always hesitant to recommend a diet with rice, corn and corn meal as the main ingredients for cats. Cats are carnivores, and their metabolism is best suited to a high quality meat-based diet. However, the kidney failure that Sterling is experiencing may require that he eat a lower protein diet. Ask your veterinarian if there is another diet they recommend that could provide higher quality meat ingredients, even if in lesser quantities. Good luck with Sterling.
Dr. Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM
Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:57 am
My cat, Cal, is 10 years old and for the past two years has lost patches of fur on his head and neck when the weather gets colder (fall/winter). I haven’t actually caught him scratching, but have seen scratch marks. Last year our vet (without blood testing) said it was feline endocrine alopecia and gave him a cortisone injection. The fur grew back shortly after. I, on the other hand, now believe it is some sort of seasonal allergy since it only happens around this time of year.
We have replaced all of our air filters with ones for allergies and two weeks ago I started him on Halo Dream Coat and he has not lost anymore fur. I also just ordered Spot’s Stew Lamb canned food to go along with the Innova Evo dry cat food he already eats. I would like to try something natural and try not to use steroids. Can you recommend any supplements to help him with this condition?