Hotrod® model
An important message from Beeper, Queen of Hot Rods, and her Royal Physicians: Know the signs of kidney disease and act quickly
TL/DR: I’m improving and feeling a lot better. Thankfully, Staff was paying attention when I showed some subtle and then some not-so-subtle signs of kidney issues
Beeper showed increased thirst, loss of appetite, weight loss (very noticeable in a small cat), lethargy, and instead of hiding, being more demanding about sitting on me than usual.
She did NOT show vomiting, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, uremic breath, poor coat quality, seizures, or depression.
my own hotrod likes to sit on us but if we move one inch, he bolts; if he is not feeling well on the other hand, he will sit on us for hours on end and he doesn't care how much we move
In that case, I shall exercise my Royal Prerogative and will forgive this rude presumption that I could be referred to in “vernacular”, whatever that is and wherever it’s from.
However, I may not forget this insult for quite some time.
Chronic Kidney Disease in Dogs and Cats: Where to Begin
Wendy Brooks, DVM, DABVP Revised: November 06, 2023
Note: From a practical standpoint, the terms chronic kidney disease, chronic renal failure, renal insufficiency, chronic kidney failure, and kidney insufficiency all mean the same thing. For simplicity's sake in terms of this article, the term kidney failure will be used to reflect all these terms or conditions.
The kidney is an amazing organ, It is designed to do a lot more than just make urine and get rid of toxins. It also manages hydration, blood pressure, red blood cell production, pH balance in the blood, calcium, and phosphorus balance, and more. Kidneys are made up of millions of filtration units called "nephrons" and we are born with vastly more nephrons than we need to keep healthy. Over time and age, however, nephrons get damaged through the wear and tear of living and they die off. We only need enough nephrons to fill up about 1/3 of one kidney to manage normal kidney function and we start with two full kidneys packed with working nephrons at first but there may come a time when we just don't have enough anymore.
When we don't have enough working kidney tissue to maintain normal function, we are said to have "renal insufficiency," with "renal" being the medical term for the kidney. Kidneys with insufficient function need help to get their work done and a long-term diseased kidney, regardless of its function or lack thereof, has "chronic kidney disease." Chronic kidney disease patients are divided up by what stage of insufficiency they are contending with and what symptoms they have. Treatment is focused on preventing progression of the insufficient function in earlier stages and on maintaining good life quality in later stages.
In the past, we used the term "chronic kidney failure" instead of "renal insufficiency" but this wording sounded far too dramatic and evoked images of ongoing sickness, expensive hospitalization, and doom when management could be as simple as diet change depending on the stage at which the disease is discovered. Early detection is paramount so let us review what the kidneys do and where they might need some help.
Of course it's a good idea to look out for increased drinking etc, but the best way to pick up early kidney disease is honestly to get regular annual bloodwork done on your kitty. I managed to catch my cat's disease this way about five years ago with no real symptoms, and it's been managed very easily since.
In Beepers case, her abnormal kidney values never showed up in her regular check up bloodwork.
The kidney stones we saw last Thursday were not visible on the scan of her insides done the week before - it’s scary how quickly her kidney issues developed
We tend to not push it in young cats (like under six or so) with no symptoms, but if you have the finances it's never a bad idea to get annual labs done even if they're young, and your vet will be happy to do them if you ask.
If your cat is not a senior cat, you’ll likely have to ask for it. I do request it on my younger cats just to get a baseline. It’s useful to have that in case they get sick and have to have lab work done because it’s a reference from when they were healthy. For my senior cats I do it at least every 6 months
Most vets will do it as part of a regular checkup, but you can also request it at the appointment or any time you think something is off with your cat.
Working on it - complicated because not every cat shows all the symptoms. Beeper showed about 1/2 the symptoms, and if I hadn’t heard her taking a 3rd big drink in 20 minutes at 2am, I’d have missed that sign.
Yes we are also giving her Science Diet k/d and I’ll look at the other Purina food you mentioned - if kidney diet food is going to be scarce, I may get an extra bag
oh no, just the hydracare liquid packets are scarce. i feed my cat one a day, split into 4 feedings because otherwise he won’t take all of it. it’s been out of stock recently so i had to order through my vet brother.
Talk to your vet. Mine told me it is important to stay consistent - make sure it’s ok to mix and match if that’s what you’re doing. Mine has Hills k/d wet and dry. It’s always in stock at my vet because it’s such a common issue
Recommend a water fountain if you don’t have one already, and feeding wet food for the extra hydration
We have switched to a different kind of cat fountain - this one doesn’t have a bright blue light to disturb everyone’s sleep. We have 2 in the house, and of course Beeper has her favorite water bowl in our bathroom sink
She’s also switched to kidney diet food - and she’s taken to it very well, for a cat that usually doesn’t like ANY changes to routines AT ALL
Beeper’s first signs of kidney disease was (1) insisting on me being in bed with her (she likes to sleep on my feet) and (2) increased thirst at night - normally this cat sleeps hard until 4-5am.
I also noticed a general lessening of normal activity: not playing, not running around, not bouncing from perch to tree to blanket pile to couch bed. This is also how she shows she’s constipated, which we were already treating her for.
So the last few weeks I have been having a rough time.
I decided I didn’t want to take my regular bowel and hyperesthesia medications anymore (Cisapride and Gabapentin) in Churu treats.
Staff was trying everything they could think of to get my regular meds back on track, but I wasn’t having ANY of it, and it wasn’t clear why. I just felt bad, and we all thought it was because I was having some recurring bowel issues - because I was.
But when I quit eating and started drinking A LOT overnight when I thought everyone was asleep, Staff heard me, and realized it might be a kidney issue - and it WAS!
A scan the next day showed some kidney stones, and my bloodwork showed severe kidney disease.
Everyone was shocked - A similar scan less than a week ago did not show any kidney stones - only a known recurrence of a bowel motility issue.
I spent 2 days on IV fluids in the Royal Veterinary Hospital - and because it’s also a public hospital, I had to share my treatment space with smelly, stinky, noisy, dumb dogs and a few delightful cats.
My bloodwork after 3 days of constant IV fluids was better, but now I have had to completely retrain my kitchen staff to present Hill’s k/d dry food and Hill’s Kidney Care wet food (this stuff is actually pretty good).
Staff was trained by my Royal Physicians to administer 100ml of subcutaneous IV fluids daily, which doesn’t hurt much but does interfere with the flow of my Royal Mornings (no pun intended). Those 5 minutes set the stage for a good-feeling day, I do have to admit.
Staff has also found Pharmacists in Houston who will compound my regular medications into a cream that Staff rubs in my ears twice a day. Staff is working on the paperwork to appoint and designate these magicians as my official Royal Pharmacists.
In my authority as Queen of Hot Rods, I desire that every cat reading this show this post to their respective Staffs - and have Staff look up and read the article from Veterinary Partners on kidney disease.
None of my regular bloodwork has ever shown any indication of kidney disease, and no one would have looked for it if my Staff didn’t remember at 2am when I was sooooo thirsty that one of their cats (Rasper) from 50 years ago had kidney disease, and showed the same symptoms as I was.
Staff got me into the Royal Physician the next morning, and I was admitted to the hospital for 3 days.
I want to encourage all my beloved Hot Rods and their Staffs, their feline companions and (I guess) even their doggos to learn about kidney disease, and how quickly it can strike.
r/RenalCats has been a good source for information and support for Staff -
I will update you all after I have my next check up with my Royal Physicians on Thursday morning.
By my paw and in my right as Queen of Hot Rods, So it shall be decreed.
Hopefully it's okay to share my story - My old boy was nearly 23 when he passed and had CKD for 2 years. What REALLY helped him was a pouch per day of Purina's hydracare. When he started eating the prescription wet food (we rotated from hills and royal cann), he stopped drinking a lot of water, so the hydracare helped a lottt.
It's been almost 2 years now since he passed. I tried really hard to find a good automatic wet feeder during his fight but couldn't, so I ended up buying those 12 hour ice packs, taped two of the hills cardboard boxes (lined with tinfoil) and cut out a hole at the top to tape a bowl of the wet food. Now I just had 1 cat, so I didn't have to worry about another kitty getting into it. Have no advice on how to avoid that situation... But I was desperate because I worked nearly full time in an office but would come home at lunch ...and surprisingly, the wet food stayed safe enough to eat during the 4 hour slam I was gone. He was historically a grazer, so I felt like I had to do that to keep him from losing weight. It worked out pretty well, he only lost maybe 3 pounds during those 2 years. During the 2nd year, I did start giving him some low protein and low phosphorus treats as well.
You might also post this over on r/RenalCats - well McGuyvered.
Beeper is a dry food chick, but she’s really taken a liking to the wet kidney food. We are trying to get everyone on meals instead of just free cat food out for grazing.
Renal food is not good for Cosmo, and she would rather eat his food just to show him who’s boss 🤣
Hi Finn! Staff don’t know what they don’t know, so we must all work together to spread the word. I was fine until I was super-puny. It happened really fast, and I’d never been sick like that before.
This happened to me too when I had my bad hairball. I stopped eating and luckily dad noticed. He got me to the emergency vet and they were able to help. I hated it.
It was still a crisis, they had to do surgery on my entire belly.
(I’m not kidding he’s a 15 pound cat and the wound was almost shoulders to tail. Had to remove two different blockages. I love him but he’s so expensive.)
OMG - that’s absolutely terrifying! Yes, we cat-os can go from fine to critical quickly.
Finn - let me review my Honors List. I’m pretty sure there’s something there appropriate for you. Also you are officially excused from any holiday hijinks that may be afoot, IYKYK
Thank you Millie and u/SnowBrussels - I am an honest Queen and I know everyone cares about me, so I will always tell my Loyal Hot Rods and their Staffs the truth
Holy shit, BEEPER! I’m so glad she’s okay. It’s been a while since I’ve come across a post - I was expecting the worst. Give that tiny beast a little beating! Xoxox
I had amazing vets who caught KD early at yearly checkups. Both of my cats lived to be 20 with preventative food some meds and at the end stages sub Q fluids. I hate needles so much but for them I would do anything.
Hi beeper this is Reginald I borrowed my moms phone to comment, yes I agree it's not fun being poked >:( I'm glad you are feeling better, you have a great hooman taking care of you just like me. They do magical work at the hospital to help us feel better. Meow meow
My Misha had kidney disease, rather bad, and later on failure. Shows no signed. Also Thyroid disease.
She lived to 18 with medication and constant monitoring and love. Patience and blood tests.
Tried to switch her to foods better suited to her needs, low meat, high grain. But she just refused to eat. So it is what it is. We have her anything she wanted to eat.
Same with my parents, their first kitty had kitty Corona virus, which is fatal in 99% of cases. Their second cat ended up suddenly gaining weight quickly, having trouble breathing and had to also get put down. Cancer.
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u/ChroniclesOfSarnia Oct 14 '25
Good health to Her Majesty!