I was just looking for some advice from other cat owners that have owned/own cats with CRF. I took my cat to get blood tests carried out today, as I have been concerned with his recent large water intake. He is nearly 12 years old and also seems a little more lethargic than usual. But his appetite is fine. The vet told me that he is in the early stages of CRF, and she recommended a course of pills and also possibly changing his diet. I really need to research these diets as I know that they are expensive and the vet will probably just supply me with the brand they use, and I am guessing that maybe some brands are better than others? She also mentioned something about administering IV fluids when it does develop further and the cat becomes ill. I was just wondering what peoples thoughts are on CRF? Owners that have cats with CRF, or owners that have owned cats that have unfortunately passed away. How long has your cat lived with CRF or how long did it take to become fatal? Obviously, I know this can vary but I just wondered is it possible for cats to live years with this or not? I really just wanted to research this subject more. Obviously, I want the best for my cat but I know how vets can be and I do not want to spend excessive amounts of money to prolong the cat’s life, if he is suffering badly, just for selfish reasons so that I can have him for a few more weeks / months before he dies, if you see what I mean? If his quality of life will be good then I will do whatever it takes to prolong it.

Thank you for reading and for any advice you can offer.

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Thanks very much Saikou, I really appreciate you taking the time to create such a helpful reply. I will take a good look at all the info that you have supplied. Nice to know that my cat could still be around for a while to come yet. I really appreciate the links and information as it is nice to understand more about this and understand what the vet is prescribing. I am not sure what the medication is yet that she is recommending. I will have to find out as I have only discussed the tests over the phone and not in great detail. Thanks again though I will update this thread when I find out exactly what the mediaction is etc, probably is the one you have mentioned though. Thanks again

Heya,

My Merlin was diagnosed with CRF and we had her for 2 more years before it got too bad. She was prescribed specific pills for this, which were a bit of a problem as she wouldn't eat them straight, crushed, mixed with food or hidden in chunks of meat. In the end we had to just force them into her mouth each night (not as cruel as it sounds and you get the hang of it quickly when you have to!)
In terms of food, they are much better than they used to be, but I think most cats will probably get in a bit of a mood about the change in diet. We tried Hills K/D (pouches seemed more popular than cans) and Royal Canin pouches. The latter definitely were more successful. As she was losing weight fast, our vet did say that it was better to get her to eat something, even if not the specific diet, than nothing at all. Her favorite was chunks of cooked chicken, and we also mixed this with canned pumpkin to help her stay regular. Water is also very important. We bought her a water fountain which went down very well.

If he is eating and drinking as usual than this has got to be a good sign. I switched Merlin to the pills and renal diet when I first found out, but like you, did not want to go down the road of treating to keep her alive just for me. I would say that she was 'ok' for the first year, a little worse for the next 6 months but stopped going outside, then we had about 4 months where she was just peeing all over the house and we had to get 4 litter trays. The last 2 months she couldn't even make it to them, she barely ate, she got stupidly thin and was wobbly on her legs. I had her pts on Jan 21st of this year after the vet suggested IV treatment that may only prolong her life for days. That was when I knew it was her time. She was 14 almost 15 years old.

To answer your question, cats *can* live with CRF, but it's not going to get better. Personally I would try out the specific diets as this could help the problem getting worse quickly. If your vet has also recommended pills, I would follow their advice, altho bear in mind the long-term costs of doing this (about £30 a month for us in pills) You can buy the specific diets cheaper online, but don't buy more than a month's worth to start with. I bough about 4 month's worth after she got on with the food for a week. Then she stopped eating it. Consequently I have about 20 cans sat in my cupboard that I don't know what to do with. I can send you some to try with your kitty if you want?

Hope some of this is useful..

My Lucy was diagnosed with this just 2 weeks ago and Fortekor has done wonders for her. From being a lethargic old lady who was not eating, she is almost back to normal and clearly has a good quality of life. I don't know how long it will last of course, but at the moment she is quite happy.

Liz

Thanks for all the great replies again. I will definitely try the Fortekor as Lizward's experience seems to be a positive one. Thanks very much Thelioncub for your offer of trying some of the food that you have left. I have no problem paying you for a can or two and P&P, just to see if my cat likes this particular brand. Very kind thanks

If you go online to a site such as Pet Drugs Online you will find the fortekor and the renal diets at a much cheaper price than what you are having to pay at the vets. You will need a prescription from your vet for the fortekor but they are legally obliged to provide you with one if asked.

Unfortunately since Oct last year the vets are now allowed to charge you (whatever they like) for prescriptions. This almost negated any saving I made buying pills online because I think the prescription cost was about £15! Sucks eh!

your vet should be giving the prescription to last between consultations so if your cat gets seen every 6 months the prescription should last 6 months and you only pay the fee once. The vets cannot refuse to give you a repeat. If they don't need to see the cat they dont need to see you.

Don't worry about paying me for postage.. I can see what I can try and send through work without them getting suspicious!
It can take some time to try and work out the best diet for a kitty, especially when you want the best for their health, so anything I can do to make that easier and I'll gladly try! If you would like me to send a couple of cans to try, then PM me your address and I'll get them in the post. Take care.