RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Fortress of Awesome Chat Bad news for Buddy

We got his results back today, and his kidneys are failing.

He has already lost a lot of body weight and it is hard to get him to eat much.

Reading up on this it seems that there is not much hope and most of the treatments are guess work.

There is no cure, and all you can do is slow the progression of kidney failure.

The photo above is from 2007 and it is heartbreaking to see how much weight he has already lost.

He doesn't seem to be suffering although he spends much of his time sleeping in a hiding spot he's found himself.

He is still friendly when you go see him, but he rarely comes out to hang anymore.

I already very deeply miss my friend.

I'm.....erm...genuinely sorry to hear that.

I lost my cat of 15 years about 6 months ago. She was emaciated and unable to eat or absorb any fluids no matter how much she drank. Like him, she was still very friendly, but still listless. And clearly in pain. After we found out her hormonal system had shut down, causing her kidneys to fail, we ended up putting her to sleep. It was particularly hard to deal with.

I don't know if you're considering it or not, but I recommend not letting the condition persist much longer. The more dehydrated he becomes, the more miserable and detached he'll be.

Sorry to hear that Jaburg. Only thing you can do is make him as comfortable as you can until the end.

I'm thinking it through. The last thing I want is for him to suffer for my benefit.

I'll talk to my wife about it, see how he reacts to the meds she brings home tonight.

My Cat Marius passed away in 2005 because of Kidney failure.
the vet at the time said any cat foods will help cause/create this except the super expensive types...name brand like Iams or Hill's doesn't necessarily mean anything..it is how the food is processed and what is in it.

very sorry to hear that......Burg!

Cats are amazing.

Sorry to hear about Buddy. Losing a pet is always tough.

We lost two of the three G-cats this summer: one to heart failure and one to kidney failure. The one with heart failure (G1) was diagnosed in August, we started giving her medicine and she died in her sleep on Labor Day. The other one (G2) had been in kidney failure for about two years but he did well on special food until taking a turn for the worse in May. Finally, one night in June, he had a seizure and it was time to euthanize him.

I have no regrets with G2 because he did fine on the special food until the very end. I kind of wish I hadn't tried to keep G1 going, however, because she hated being pilled and I don't think that added to her last month's quality of life.

We had a nine year old cat I had to put down. Sucks having to kill your own pet. I did bury her in our garden where she liked to lay in the sun and sometimes hunt birds.

that sucks burg!!

i had to put my last cat to sleep and it made me cry. pets are a gift. good luck man. sorry you have to go though it.

Buddy has been hanging in there, but right before Christmas buddy took a turn for the worst.

He is still with us now but I think he may not be with us much longer.

Sorry, Jake.

Just make sure his last days are good ones...

What a beautiful cat, in the photo of your opening post!

I love cats, and I've owned several and unfortunately seen them die. They usually live around 15 or 16 years. Only one died prematurely of feline leukemia at around 10 years of age.

One was my neighbor's cat, but I gave him a lot more attention than my neighbors did, so he behaved like he was my kitty, and would run up to my car when I came home from work. I'd pet him on the sidewalk when I got home for around 30 minutes every day.

My neighbor (John) told me the little guy had some condition, and the vet told him his cat would only live another 6 months or so. And while he was thin, he seemed happy, and was most certainly loved. And lived another 7 years! He only died because he got in a fight with some other animal, was badly injured and died of some infection, despite being taken to the vet after and pumped full of antibiotics.

So... you never know.

I hope Buddy has more life and years in him than he seems to. And that you both can enjoy the time you have with him.

We had to put Buddy to sleep today.

Rest in Peace, Buddy!

Sorry to hear that, Jaburg.

My brother recently lost his cat of 15-plus years, and likewise he got very thin and was throwing up a lot, and he finally did the merciful thing and put him to sleep.

About a month ago, he got two new kittens to fill the void. If I get new cats, I think I'll do the same. That way they can keep each other company when you're not around to give them attention.