Learn All About Cat Renal Diet & Its Importance
Like humans, even our pets - cats and dogs - suffer from renal failure, i.e., kidney failure. In a study, it is found that about 1 in 3 cats that attained the age of 10+ suffer from chronic kidney diseases. It is saddening to know our pets have to deal with such serious conditions.
This implies that it is important for cat owners to keep their pet’s health examined by a vet regularly, especially when they act weird. If your cat is diagnosed with kidney failure, it becomes necessary for you to take certain measures to improve their well-being and extend their life span. To start with, you can switch your pet’s diet with a cat renal diet. This diet structure is science-formulated to help your pet get nutritious food to fight its serious condition.
Keep reading to get an understanding of how you can plan the diet for your cat suffering from renal failure and what brands to choose to help them in the best way possible.
Why Renal Diet For Cats is the Way To Go
One of the most common health conditions in cats that comes with age is kidney disease. When your pet's kidneys fail to remove the toxins that exist in the blood, the toxins tend to accumulate in the body, leading to symptoms such as vomiting, a lost appetite, and lethargy. If you happen to notice any of these symptoms, it is time for your cat to get its health examined.
If the diagnosis leads to kidney failure, the best option available for you is the feline renal failure diet. It is designed to control the condition by slowing down the progression of the disease while improving the quality of life for your cat. There are several food brands available that produce food for cats with kidney problems. The diet food produced by such brands typically contains focused levels of protein and phosphorus in comparison to other cat food brands. This is to lessen the load on the kidneys and also ensure your cat gets all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and do its best to expand its lifespan.
What are the Main Aspects of a Renal Diet for Cats?
During the selection process of the cat kidney disease diet, below are the constituents that are usually focused on:
- High-quality protein: Low amounts of high-quality, easily digestible protein are generally included in kidney diets. This helps in reducing the production of harmful uremic toxins during food digestion when the kidney is not functioning properly. When such toxins enter the blood, it will make the affected cat feel poorly. The renal diet will focus on reducing the uremic toxins, thereby making the cat feel better. The reason to keep feeding your pet with protein is because they are carnivores and their natural diet contains protein and fat, which boosts their appetite.
- Phosphorus, Restricted: High phosphorus levels tend to speed up the rate of kidney destruction in your pet. Hence, the renal diet constitutes low phosphorus levels so as to preserve the kidneys from further damage and also from the setting of other conditions such as Renal Secondary Hyperparathyroidism. Reducing phosphate is also essential to lessen the calcification of the body tissues in the cat.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A component of fish oil and others are known to enhance kidney function. Omega-3 fatty acids, also including EPA and DHA, are a part of the feline renal disease diet to help improve the cat's blood flow for better delivery to the kidneys and reduce the chances of inflammation.
- Rich in antioxidants: The renal diets, besides providing all the necessary antioxidants, fight free radicals and oxidative stress. In addition, these help in protecting the kidneys along with raising your cat's overall health.
- Increased palatability: Your cat may be suffering from a low appetite because of oral discomfort or reduced taste sensation because of its kidney condition. The feline kidney disease food is made palatable and encourages your cat to eat and be nourished.
Popular Renal Diet Brands for Cats
There are a lot of brands that specialise in renal diets for cats, and what you should pick will depend on the various dietary needs of your feline friend. Your pet might tend to like the diet food from some brands more than other brands, due to their limited appetite and taste preferences. Hence, it is crucial to experiment with the brands before feeding your pet with a brand regularly.
Here are some top-recommended feline kidney failure diet foods for both wet and dry options:
Hill's Prescription Diet Feline - Key Benefits:
- Protein levels lowered to minimize uremic toxins
- Omega-3 fatty acids to enhance kidney's blood flow
- High antioxidants for countermeasures of oxidative stress
- Made palatable for the choosy eaters
Hill's Prescription Diet Feline K/D is formulated to boost the health of a cat with kidney disease. This moist food improves hydration status - this is an important need in managing kidney disease. Further, it provides some essential fatty acids and antioxidants, thus conserving renal and overall body health.
Eukanuba Cat Veterinary Diet Renal Formula - Key Benefits:
- Better fibre system to inhibit the buildup of nitrogenous waste
- Medium amounts of protein that will not lead to toxins settlement
- Omega-6:Omega-3 fatty acids ratio in concentrated levels
- Promotes kidney health and reduces the likelihood of oxalate stone formation
- Presence of additional potassium citrate
This recipe cat-specific nutrition must be more precise in order to ensure reduced production of waste products that will allow for better functioning of the kidneys of your pets and not exacerbate them any further.
Purina Veterinary Diet Feline NF (Renal Function) Wet - Key Benefits:
- Low phosphorus levels slow down the advancement of renal disease
- Omega-3 fatty acids work through the reduction of inflammation and the maintenance of low BP
- Good protein levels at moderate stages lessen the production of toxins
- Urinary health improvement
- Aiding in controlling the general sickness
Purina's Renal Function formula minimizes the amount of work that must be done by your cat's kidneys due to the presence of essential nutrients, while also giving your cat the nourishment it needs so that your feline friend is kept at a healthy weight and an optimized energy level.
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Renal Special RSF26 - Key Benefits:
- Nutrients to promote vascular function and a balanced digestive system
- Lower phosphorus levels for enhancing kidney health
- Includes antioxidants
- Better taste considering the picky eaters
This specialized diet is formulated to minimize digestive harm, increase overall well-being, and provide nutrients as needed. Its enhanced palatability ensures even fussy pets enjoy their meals.
Royal Canin Renal Select Cat - Key Benefits:
- Supplemented with EPA and DHA, antioxidants, and decreased phosphorus content
- Helps reduce the overload of kidney
- High energy density provides adequate calorie intake, thereby reducing the risk of weight loss
- Tailored to correspond to your cat’s taste preferences, enabling their appetite
Royal Canin Renal Select Cat is a specialized dietary formula to support cats with renal failures. The inclusion of EPA, DHA, and antioxidants supports chronic kidney disease management.
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Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Renal (Wet) - Key Benefits:
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A specially formulated diet to support felines with chronic kidney disease. The wet formula of the renal diet enhances hydration by increasing your pet's fluid intake. With the right targeted nutrients, it is known to help improve the longevity of your pet to some extent.
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Renal (Dry) - Key Benefits:
- Minimal phosphorus levels
- A powerful antioxidant complex for cellular defence
- Provides vascular health nutrients to support proper circulation
- Promotes a balanced digestive system
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline Renal is a nutritional solution designed for cats with renal challenges. It aids in improving kidney function and ensures better energy levels in your feline.
Feeding a Cat with Renal Disease
The overall process of putting your cat on a renal diet schedule and making it follow regularly might seem like a lot of work but it is to be considered that your pet requires care at this point as humans do. Here are some more aspects you have to consider to improve the wellness of your cat.
- Encourage Fluid Intake: Your pet with kidney failure might go through rapid cycles of dehydration and decompensation, which will only make the condition worse. Hence, it is usually recommended to give them more wet renal diet food than dry food as the former is known to increase the fluid intake of your pet. If your cat prefers drinking dripping water, you can consider buying a pet water fountain to encourage it to drink more.
- Monitor Appetite and Weight: Cats with kidney disease might stop eating abruptly. To avoid such cases, it is suggested to monitor the amounts of food they are consuming. If you ever get to know that your cat is not consuming enough food like before, experiment with different brands or flavours of diet food until you find one your pet likes. You have to understand that every cat is different and you should feel free to try anything. Also, keep track of the weight of your pet regularly.
- Consult Your Veterinarian: Always consult your vet when you decide to add or change any food for your cat. Particularly, if your pet has another health condition, check with your vet prior to making a change. Your vet can recommend the alternative feline renal failure diet food for your cat.
- Be patient: Your pet needs a lot of time to get used to the new diet, mainly when they experience oral pain or discomfort. It can refuse the food in the initial few tries or be choosy with the diet brands. All you have to do is be calm to help with improving the cat's health while helping it follow a better diet.
Role of Supplements in Kidney Disease Management of Your Cat
Apart from a specific renal diet for cats, other supplements can also be prescribed to treat the kidney disease of your cat. Among these are phosphate binders such as Ipakitine; they significantly cut down the phosphorus and help them excrete through faeces rather than through urine. Your vet might also prescribe potassium supplements if your cat is found to possess low levels of potassium, very common in cases of pets taking feline kidney disease food.
However, it is important to note that you should never try to self-prescribe any supplements for your cat without the consultation of a vet. This is because the supplements may interact with other medications and often the pet need not be supplemented at all.
Monitor the Health of Your Cat
You can't always get to know if your cat is sick or not because they are good at hiding the illness, so all you can really do is consult a vet. In regular intervals, you can also use a health-indicating litter - a good option that changes colour as a reaction to urine abnormalities from your cat. This indicates signs of possible health issues before these develop further in the future.
One of the crucial control measures for kidney disease in your feline and, in general, promotion of a sense of well-being in your cat is the selection of the right feline kidney disease food. With the availability of so many options in the pet industry, it is not unusual for you to find it difficult to choose the right one suited for your cat. But this is where the truth is found, by learning a diet food good for the kidney of your cat and one that your cat will consume regularly and happily. A proper feeding pattern will allow your cat to have a much healthier life and possibly slow down the progression of kidney disease.
Discuss your condition and needs with your vet, who will give you information you can utilize to shape solutions tailored to the specific condition and needs of your cat. Working with a vet and choosing the right food for your pet will have positive impacts on its health and overall wellness.
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