Kidney diets.

[lucky and jj mum]

Yes they have the senior Whiskers and Felix, though Lucky eats mostly the Kidney dried food.

[Mark]

Senior wet food is a good compromise as it is about 25% less phosphorus than regular, although still a lot higher than renal - the difference being that most cats will eat it.

[lucky and jj mum]

Thank you all for your interesting replies. It's nice to know I'm not alone with cat's who won't eat the diet food.
I learnt my lesson the hard way about letting them eat what they want as long as they are eating. A lot of very useful information I have found on here, thanks a lot to one and all.

[Mark]

Thanks for the compliment but I learned a lot from people on here when Clapton was diagnosed. Especially Helen & Helen (and anyone else I forgot  )

[Corporal Smokey]

Specific was the only one I could get down Hope. She hated them all. I wish my vet hadn't insisted that the food was the main thing to keep her alive and normal food was really bad. I've learned lots from Purrs, especially Mark and Clapton. They're the resident renal experts!

[clarenmax]

I'm probably 75/80% renal, but he still has his Natures Menu and Applaws, and his treats etc, so is not totally on the kidney diet.  Seems to be working so far though, as his levels have come down since early Feb when we first did his bloods 

[Mark]

I will have to get some too. At the moment, I have 3 unopened boxes of Hill's k/d sachets and about 10 tins of trovet renal pate. I had tried others so hope this will be eaten. Even still, I don't like the idea of a 100% renal diet.

[cat man do]

Im going to try that new renal food on my Tiffy.

He wont eat any of the CRF foods.

[Maddiesmum]

Are you addicted to Purrs yet Sue????

[clarenmax]

Just started a new thread about the RC new tuna sachet, Max eat it all straight down, he loved it 

Might be worth a go?

The Specific food is not widely stocked in most vets, mine had never even heard of it.  Only problem is you have to buy 16 of them, which is not good if they won't eat it.

If you pm me you're address, I'll be happy to post one for you to try?

[lucky and jj mum]

My boy Max will not eat the Hills pate, or RC sachets, but he will eat a pate food called Specific, its much more moist than the others seem to be, so I have more success with that.

Don't think I have seen that food, have to look out for it.
J had her check up Monday at vets, she has put on weight whilst on the a/d food. My vet was so pleased with her said she can stay on the a/d whilst she is eating it.
So I brought her some more and guess what....... she has started to refuse it so it's back to the other food at the present. Still as long as she eats.
Thank you all for your comments.

[Mark]

This is a good guide for Phosphorus content in food. I don't follow it religiously but just try to keep to the higher ones on the list and don't give him hi-life any more.

http://www.felinecrf.org/tinned_food.htm

[clarenmax]

My boy Max will not eat the Hills pate, or RC sachets, but he will eat a pate food called Specific, its much more moist than the others seem to be, so I have more success with that.

[swampmaxmum]

Both of mine have early CRF and are supposed to be on renal food. They sometimes like the minced chicken k/d but it has hard bits in it (rice?)which just don't get eaten. If your cats lick food, you could try what I do which is to blend the pouches of Royal Canin renal chicken food into a soup consistency which can then be licked up. My Swampy's doing ok on it as he did badly on Fortekor and binders so right now his CRF's being controlled with diet only. If your cats can tolerate the phosphorus binders, you have more options to just use senior foods or foods they may like more - or mix and match in different meals, one nice one in the morning then renal blended in several small meals throughout the day.

Just read the fortekor thread and one of your cats is on Ipaketine - that may give you more options re feeding non renal food (?). Guess you'll have to measure bloods and urine concentration and see how it goes. With heart problems think the renal diets (prob all senior diets) are low in sodium which could be as important.

[Mark]

My Clapton won't eat renal food and I have tried loads of different ones. He is doing well on Senior food with regular felix in gravy as well as his fortekor tablet every day. I have read in a few places that they don't think renal food is good long term due to the restricted protein. The testing was done on rats so possibly not a good diet for cats. Other people use regular food with phosphorus binders. A lot depends on the severity of the disease I think. I think it is important that they eat. It is no good trying to force them to eat something they don't like as at the end of the day, quality of life is the most important thing.

[lucky and jj mum]

When I first was told my cats had Kidney disease I was advised to put them on the special diet. Which I did, I tried hard to get them to eat it and wouldn't give in, they didn't mind the dry food but the moist would only lick the meat dry and then leave it. Much to my regret now one of my other cat's who also had Kidney problems became ill, because she wasn't eating enough. This caused other problems and sadly after a while I had to let her go. So I then switched to using senior cat food, which they eat ok.
Have any other members who's cat has Kidney disease found their cats wouldn't eat the food?
At present J after her resent op for dental is on a/d food, she loves this but can only be on this a short time. Wish the makers of the kidney diet food could make the meat a pate and tasty like this is.