Many older kitties suffer from CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease). While this disease is progressive, there is a lot we can do to help these kitties live longer and happier.
Below is my holistic approach to CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) in cats:
- Diagnostics. When your cat reaches 7-8 years of age starting monitoring blood work regularly. Be sure your veterinarian is checking your kitty’s thyroid and kidney function. Click here for cheat sheet of laboratory values that we monitor for kidney function. If your kitty’s lab work indicates any signs of kidney disease, begin monitoring every 3-6 months.
- Diet. Water is key here. Cats are notorious for poor water drinking! The more moisture you can put in your cat’s diet the better. Generally, a raw or canned diet will have the most moisture. Avoid dry food at all cost.
Protein content is a major source of debate between allopathic and integrative veterinarians. The idea behind protein restriction is that you stress the kidneys less and build up less toxins in the bloodstream. While this may be true, cats as a whole are much healthier on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. For this reason, many integrative veterinarians recommend normal amounts of protein in the interest of the whole cat, not just kidney function.
I see both sides, and generally give my clients the option to feed either. For my cat, Sammy, I continue to feed a high protein diet.
Supplements. Let me start by saying, many cats won’t take any supplements. So, I have listed in order of importance the ones I recommend for chronic kidney disease:
- Fish Oil. I use high doses of fish oil to help reduce inflammation and recommend Ultra EFA.
- Rx Renal Feline Beadlets by Rx Vitamins. This is a great blend of herbs that help improve kidney function.
- Probiotics. I use Rx Biotic by Rx Vitamins for Pets. Probiotics can help improve digestion and reduce inflammation.
Save 10% when you purchase my Feline Kidney Disease Bundle!
Water. Like I mentioned earlier, cats are poor water consumers. Unfortunately, water is exactly what they need when their kidneys are failing. Using a water fountain, adding water to their food or flavoring the water with sardines are all great ways to help your kitty stay hydrated.
When kidney disease advances, subcutaneous fluids are needed to help your kitty stay hydrated and to flush toxins out of his/her blood. Generally, subcutaneous fluids can be given at home from twice weekly, to every day. Your veterinarian can help you decide when adding this therapy is appropriate for your kitty.
Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture and herbal therapy can be helpful in slowing down the progression of kidney disease. To find a veterinarian that practices Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, check out IVAS or The Chi Institute.
As always, work with your veterinarian to make the best plan for your kitty. I would love to help you in any way I can. You can leave a comment below.
Recommended Products From This Post
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Rx Renal Feline Beadlets$42.00 — or subscribe and save 5% -
Feline Kidney Disease BundlePrice Varies -
Rx Biotic Probiotics for Pets$42.00 — or subscribe and save 5% -
Ultra EFA Fish Oil$34.00 – $64.00 — or subscribe and save 5%
Hello. I hope you are still answering questions on this thread. I just took my 12-year-old to the vet today and received the worst news…. end-stage kidney failure. They wanted to euthanize her today, but I wanted to research to see if there was anything I could do to help her. The vet gave me no other options! I live in a fairly small town. She is still drinking water well; however, she is not eating as much as she used to and, most of the time, is turning up her nose at anything I present to her. I have ordered all of the supplements mentioned above. My questions are: Will the supplements help with end-stage kidney failure? Will there be any improvement, or will she continue to decline? Since I am having a hard time enticing her to eat are there any options for getting food in her? I am so worried about here and do not want to have to make that hard decision. I know none of us do. If I can help her in anyway to improve her quality of life right now and moving forward I would love to get any information availalbe!
Hi Mary. I’m so sorry that you and your kitty received this news and I can appreciate that you are really searching for ways to provide her with quality of life. My recommendation would be to schedule a video Consultation with Dr. Angie. She would review all of your cat’s medical records and would be able to provide you with her best recommendations around diet, supplementation, and what to expect with her diagnosis. All her recommendations would be specific to your cat’s needs. You can access her schedule at this link: https://boulderholisticvet.com/video-consultations-with-dr-angie/
Sending love, JoJo
I just lost my almost 8 year old cat to CKD that we were very unaware who was sick at all. In a matter of days he went downhill and that Is when we learned he was far past the end stages of kidney failure and there was nothing we could do. I have a almost 6 year old cat that had been frequently getting uti’s but have since have gotten under control. He eats a urinary diet both wet and dry and I give him as much wet as he wants over dry. are any of these products something I could use for him as a preventative? I don’t want to go through what I just went through again for a very long time and will do anything to keep him and his organs healthy.
Hi Brooke,
I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet kitty and I hear your desire to be as supportive as possible of your 6 year old cat. I’m glad to hear that the UTIs seem to be controlled at this point. Dr. Angie does offer a bundle of her favorite Kidney suppportive supplements. The bundle includes nutraceuticals, CBD, probiotics, and Omegas and you can find that here. Thank you for being such a great advocate for your kitty’s best health. Lots of love, JoJo
Hi, I am helping a friend in the caring of his 15 year old female cat recently diagnosed (back in September 2020) with Kidney Disease. Incidentally she is a rescue that came to the cat rescue group I run, so we didn’t know much about her history. She has been hospitalized twice and currently she is rather anemic. We’ve been administering Sub-Q Fluids per the vets directions since January 2021. Are there any recommended natural supplements and food that would help keep her comfortable until she is finally ready to move on (meaning be euthanised)? Currently she’s still got a lot of will in her and hasn’t started the downward spiral towards the end. Thanks in advance
Hi Adrienne,
I am so sorry that your friend’s kitty is struggling right now. From the sounds of it, you both are advocating and caring for her so well. She is lucky.
Is she eating? Does she like red meat? Does her vet think this may help a bit with the anemia? What else was recommended the anemia?
Also, is there a vet in your area who practices hospice care to keep her comfortable? Is she on CBD (our go-to for kitties is here)?
I am so sorry I can’t give a more straightforward answer, but I am sending you all so many hugs!
Warmly,
Claire
Never mind. Malachi was euthanized over the weekend.
Oh, Sue, I am so so sorry.
With so much love,
Claire
A friend of mine has a young cat who was found as a kitten with a paralyzed hind end. The vet determined that he would not be able to walk, although he can stand. When he moves around, he drags his hind end.
He also has to have urine expressed from his body manually, but his owner is willing to do that. But just recently, he became ill and didn’t want her to even touch him. The vet says his kidneys are swollen. If he survives this (he’s at the vet right now), I wonder if you have any ideas about what would help him not have problems in the future with this.
Hello,
What food would you recommend for my senior kitty 14 years 7 months. She is amazingly pulling through from having a creatine level of 9. I don’t have a holistic vet nearby so they recommend science diet k/d. Should I give her something that doesn’t restrict protein as much? Also, I think her poops are really hard right now, is there something I can give her for this?
Thanks so much,
Christina
Hi Christina,
This is a great question!
Overall, Dr. Angie doesn’t often restrict protein for kitties (even those who have kidney disease). There is some research that low phosphorus is helpful.
One of the most important aspects is keeping her hydrated. With this in mind, a high quality canned is a great option.
I hope this helps and big hugs!
Warmly,
Claire
Hi. I’ve been having someone telling me to give my cat Braggs apple cider vinegar – 1 drop a day with water for his kidney failure. Everything I read says that’s not a good idea. The reason he believes in it is they sent his kitty home on her death bed and gave it a try and she is doing so much better now her numbers have improved and all. What’s your thoughts.
Hi Liz,
I have not heard of using apple cider vinegar for kitties with kidney disease. Instead, I would focus on the recommendations in Dr. Angie’s blog first and assess how your kitty does thereafter!
Warmly,
Claire
Hi Dr. Angie , I have an 11 yr old Russian Blue that was just diagnosed with early kidney disease. I am buying the Ultra EFA , RX Renal and the RX Biotic . He and his 3 sisters have 2 water fountains that they have had since they were kittens and are good water drinkers. My problem is he will not eat wet food of any kind nor meat or fish. He only eats kibble , veggies and cantaloupe. He won’t even eat cat treats , I buy him carrots for treats. I’ve tried putting water in the dry food and he wouldn’t touch it so I had to stop doing that because he wasn’t eating at all. I am at a loss as to how I can get more moisture in his diet. He is a very good water drinker though
Hi Kathy,
Goodness, that is challenging!
I’m wondering if your boy will eat something like freeze dried raw? This is still raw food (better than kibble!) but has the “crunch” that many cats addicted to kibble like!
How is it going?
Hugs,
Claire
Hi, I hope you are still answering questions on this blog. My kitty has arthritis and I bought her Jump for Joynts by Adored Beast homeopathic remedy. Before we’d had a chance to start it, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Kidney Failure. Is this remedy okay for her with the kidney diagnosis? She’s also on buprenorphine.
Jump for Joynts Ingredients: Homeopathic preparation of Calendula (30C), Ruta Grav (200C), Symphytum (1M), and Arnica (1M)
Inactive Ingredients: Water, 13% alcohol preparation
Dispensed by pump: 4 pumps = 0.5ml
Thanks!
Hi Carla,
Thank you for reaching out!
We are not familiar with the homeopathic you are using for your girl.
For arthritis in kitties, we see huge success using CBD. For cats, we recommend HempRx and our dosing chart is here.
Will you keep us posted?
Warmly,
Claire
What do you mean by “high doses” of the Nordic naturals fish oil? I have a kitty who was diagnosed with and underwent surgery for a hemangiosarcoma originating in his spleen that had spread to his kidneys in June of last year. He responded very well to natural treatment for the cancer, but he is peeing more and more. He drinks an adequate amount of water and is not dehydrated at all. I’ve been giving him 4 drops of the Nordic naturals fish oil twice per day.
He is a very picky eater. He will only eat the fish formulas of fancy feast, and once in awhile he will eat some organic raw buffalo burger.Thanks
Hi Leslie,
This is a great question! Because we don’t know your kitty, it’s probably best to check in with his veterinarian regarding a good dose specifically for him.
Keep us posted!
Warmly,
Claire
Hi, Dr. Krause: My cat, Pippin, was recently diagnosed with CKD. My question is two fold. First, what do you feed your cat? I’m a fan of the 40% protein as my dog who had kidney disease just basically wasted away. How would I find cat food that is higher in protein but lower in phosphorus? Secondly, I have two other healthy cats. It’s a challenge to monitor food intake especially overnight. Would the lower phosphorous food have a detrimental effect on my healthy cats if they happen to eat it? Thank you!
Hi Meghan,
These are great questions.
All cats can eat a lower phosphorus diet to a certain extent, so that should’t be a problem!
One diet that you could consider is the Blue Buffalo Natural Veterinary Diet specifically for helping support healthy kidney function. Their version doesn’t restrict protein as much as the other Rx foods available, but still limits phosphorus content. Here is their kidney diet.
I hope that this helps!
Warmly,
Claire
Hello, My cat has been diagnosed with early Kidney failure and is now on a prescribed kidney diet. She is responding well to the canned food, in fact she eats more of it than she did of the prior store bought cans. She was also given a phosphorous binding powder 1/8 teaspoon per day to be added to her food.
Are there additional holistic supplements/treats I should be giving to her as well?
I looked up the RX Renal as mentioned in the article above – I believe she is on the Phos-Bind by that same company. Should I ask my Vet about RX Renal or is Phos-Bind sufficient?
Thanks in advance for your time and response.
Hi Michael,
I’m so sorry for our delay in response!
The RxRenal and the PhosBind are both great supplements (that are different from one another). I would definitely ask your veterinarian about adding the RxRenal, it has a lot of great herbs to support healthy kidney function!
Warmly,
Claire
I THINK MY SOPH HAS BEEN HEALTHIER WITH CKD LONGER DUE TO MASSAGES AND SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH HER. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFO, WILL BEGIN UTILIZING WHAT WORKS FOR US SOON! JOANNA
Hi Joanna,
We are huge believers in massage therapy! Big hugs to you and Soph, so glad she is in such loving and caring hands!
Warmly,
Claire
What amount of fish oil per day do you recommend ? My cat is about 5 lbs. weight.
Hi Jane,
The dosing for fish oil is 25mg/kg per day. Your kitty would get around 56mg of fish oil per day. That said, we’d recommend starting a little lower than that and working up, to see how our cat responds.
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Claire
Are there any organic plain pet bone broths that you recommend that one could add potassium chloride to help my cat increase her hydration and help with low potassium? Thank you.
Hi Sandy!
Have you seen Dr. Angie’s chicken broth recipe for cats here?
I hope that this helps!
Warmly,
Claire
My kitty is 7 , she’s hanging at the water bowl a little too much to suit me,… I’m sure she’s nauseous, cause she’s eating a lot of grass too.
Hi Dr. Krause!
I inherited an old barn cat when I bought a horse farm in TN. 5 years later, one dog/coyote attack later, Beezus is still with us. She now lives in the house and lately I noticed changes hinting at renal failure. She has great appetite but the drinking was not so up to par. Your suggestion of adding some sardine to water was screaming in joy success. I will take her to a holistic vet next week to get a definitiv diagnosis. In the meantime, many many thanks for help getting extra water into this little loving fighter.
Sincerely,
Bina
I administer SubQ fluids twice weekly as part of my kitty’s plan. He is getting so thing that it’s hard to get the needle under the skin and not poke anything else. Do you have any tips on technique or alternate placement? I could use any advice.
Hi Dr. Kraus,
Thank you for sharing your info here. I have a 16 year old cat that has chronic kidney failure. It was diagnosed 4 months ago. His creatinine went down to 4.5 from 5.3 after a month of fluids, but is back up again. He is still eating well, but cries a lot. I only have access to traditional vets (that are wonderful!) where I am living, but want to treat him holistically. He is on a raw diet (for 7+ years) that has been tweaked with the help of a wonderful cat nutritionist for his condition. Is there realistically anything that I can do to help lower his creatinine levels and reverse the progression of the disease? It is heartbreaking to see…
Laura
Dear Dr and Laura:
My ex-wife has my former cat. My ex is an exceptional researcher and does a great deal of research into the cat which is now 20 years old and has kidney disease. Once a year or so, I inherit the cat while my ex goes on vacation ( I do right now) and I notice that the cat has been gaining weight lately. My ex gives the cat Slippery Elm to help the cat with its food. She also gives the cat Famotidine and restoralax for constipation. I notice that the cat has been gaining weight which I thought was especially difficult when suffering from kidney disease.
The vets to whom she’s taken the cat think that this cat is a medical miracle as she’s had kidney disease for several years now.
Of course she pees constantly but she also has bowel movements 5 times a week or so so we’re always changing its litter. The cat is especially social and always wants to be around people. She has a harder time cleaning herself so either my ex or now, I, am always cleaning its fur and so on
Hi Laura,
Thank you for reaching out!
Subcutaneous fluids could definitely help lower your kitty’s Creatinine levels, and we often recommend RxRenal Feline as well.
Please keep us posted!
I am curious about your cat crying. My cat has CKF and he cries out, I thought he was just cat wallowing but I am not sure. He seems to do it after eating a meal. How about your cat?
Thanks. Deb
Hi Deb!
Oh how I wish we could understand what our cats are trying to say! Does your guy only cry after eating or at other times too? Cats are known to become vocal for many reasons including thyroid disease, hypertension, dementia, and physical pain to name a few. Has your veterinarian evaluated your kitty to rule out medical causes for him to cry out?
Keep us posted!
Warmly,
Jacquie
Dr Krause, my kitty is very weak, only drinking water at this point and has been diagnosed with CKF. He won’t eat anything including the low protein food the vet suggested. I see that putting water subcutaneously will help get rid of the toxins so he might want to eat. Is there anything I can put into that water to boost his protein intake and help him get supplements? And if so, what can I give him? Thankyou. Judy
Hi Judy,
I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. My oldest kitty has CKD too. I use HempRx to increase appetite and have found it to be more effective compared with other pharmaceuticals. You should talk with your vet about controlling your kitty’s nausea as well. Cerenia is a really great choice for kitties as well as controlling phosphorus levels. Subcutaneous fluids alone can be very beneficial. Let me know how it goes.
Sending hugs to you both!
Angie
Hi Dr. Angie! What dose of HempRx? Is this the same company ‘Rx Vitamins’? I’d love to give my CKD boy a boost for his appetite as well. Thanks! 🙂
Dr. Krause, I adopted an older kitty a few years ago with numerous health issues. I switched him from dry kibble to 100% raw diet and all outwardly obvious issues disappeared. He is now 19 years old and going strong. Now, if I can just convince him to eat the fermented blueberries! 🙂
I love this! Kitties are definitely picky eaters!