Newsday Tuesday – Oh no! Your Cat Has to Visit the Veterinarian! Is it Kidney Disease?

If there’s something most cat moms and dads dread, it’s a visit to the veterinarian. It’s definitely an ordeal we’d rather not participate in. And that’s mostly because it upsets our sweet fur-kid so much.

Lily has kidney disease. She may have been born with it because she was diagnosed when she was still a very young kitten. I guess we’ll never know what caused this, but we certainly are treating it. So far the program involves checking her kidney values every year or so and a low-protein diet. Lily is eight years old and doing well, especially for a cat who developed this disease so young. The best news we got this week is that Lily is maintaining her weight (over 12 pounds) and has remained steady at that weight for several years. Yay! She eats well and seems to feel good. Also, the most recent tests show that, while the values are going up (not good), they are going up slowly, thus giving Lily’s body a chance to adjust with each increment.

So what causes kidney disease in cats? Statistics say that one in three cats will develop it in their lifetime, but generally not at such a young age. Kidney disease in older cats is more common.

I found a great site that lists reasons why cats get kidney disease. I thought you might like to see it. http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-diseases-conditions-a-z/10-common-causes-kidney-disease-cats

One fact in this report that startled me is how dangerous lilies are for cats. I knew they were poisonous to cats, but I didn’t know how seriously dangerous they can be. In this report, it says that if a cat were to walk too closely to a lily and get a little pollen on her fur, then lick the pollen off, that’s enough to damage her kidneys. If she were to lap up some of the water from the vase of lilies, she could become a kidney patient. If you have cats, DO NOT allow bouquets with lilies into your home. In fact, we should start a campaign to mandate that flower shop owners put a warning on flower deliveries that include lilies or ban lilies altogether for home delivery. When you order a bouquet for someone with cats, ask that the florist leave out the lilies.

Of course, there are other toxins that can cause kidney damage in cats and several other causes of kidney disease. If you have a cat who is losing weight, drinking a lot of water, and urinating in large amounts in or outside the litter box, especially if the cat is elderly, it’s time for a veterinarian visit.