Kidney Failure in Animals

My cat, Socks has recently been diagnosed with kidney failure by my vet. Socks is sixteen years old and has been with the family since he was a kitten. I am devastated by this diagnosis. Does this mean that we will have to put Socks to sleep now? Our vet has spoken to us about treating Socks for the kidney failure, but I am not sure if I want to put him through that? Is treating him cruel and would I be keeping him alive for selfish reasons?

Jenny Considine
Johannesburg
South Africa

Dear Jenny,

What is kidney failure and why do cats die from this? The kidneys filter poisons and waste products out of the body.They also make the urine concentrated to retain water in the body which helps to keep your cat well hydrated. If the kidneys fail, your cat will become dehydrated which will make him feel sluggish and tired and less likely to want to eat. Waste products and poisons will also build up in the body which will make him feel nauseous and unwilling to eat and he may even vomit. A cat that has chronic kidney failure will typically eat less and less over time, thus losing weight, drink a lot of water and even start to urinate in the house, He may start to vomit more often that he used to. So if left untreated. cat will die from dehydration and the build up of of poisons in their bodies. There are two types of kidney failure, acute – which comes on suddenly and in which the kidneys can literally shut down due to exposure for example to poisons and anti inflammatory drugs, and chronic, which is much more common and is usually seen as an old age change in cats.

Checking for dehydration by lifting the skin and seeing if it “tents”

The first thing you should know is that many cats with early uncomplicated kidney failure do well with treatment. Uncomplicated kidney failure means that there is not another disease in the body affecting the kidneys such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, extreme anaemia, or cancer. How well a cat responds, how long he will live, and even whether you need to make the decision to put him to sleep all depend on the stage of kidney failure he is in. Kidney failure can be divided into four basic stages, with stage 1 being the earliest and stage 4 the most severe. The cats are divided into these stages by a simple blood test and a urine test, probably the same tests your veterinarian uses to diagnose your cat’s kidney failure in the first place. Cat’s in stage 1, 2 and even stage 3 often do very well with treatment and the treatment is not inhumane. Unfortunately cats in stage 4 do sometimes have to be put to sleep.  The cat that does not start to eat after it has been on a drip, or the cat that vomits continuously or has black loose stools, fetid breath with an inflammed mouth and gums, or oral ulcers, or the cat that does not become hydrated despite being put on a drip may need to be put to sleep for humane reasons.

Hermione is in stage 4 renal failure due to a cancer on her kidney