Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my 11y.o. male cat recently had a bout with ARF about 3 weeks ago. whats great is that he made a successful recovery from it and the vet said with 100% certainty that my cat isn't chronic and has regained normal kidney functions with whatever is left of his kidneys after the ARF. my cat also lost about 2 pounds during the week he was sick. (he was 15 pounds before)

since he's been home he has slowly improved getting more interested in playing, and he's pretty much back to the same active cat he was before ARF but he seems to be having a lot of trouble eating. he's interested in eating but when he starts eating he only eats a few bites of dry food or licks the wet food then starts excessively licking to one side of his mouth and will grind his teeth too. he'll eat more wet food when i hand feed him. but he still seems to have a lot of trouble chewing. i know he needs dental work but i'm curious if his teeth are the problem. he didn't really have any difficulty eating before his ARF.

Hi There,

I wonder if your kitty has any ulcers in his mouth due to having elevated kidney values. If a cat has them and they are bad, it can take awhile for them to heal. Another possibility is that if he ingested something irritating that caused him to have chemical burns in his mouth, he may still be dealing with those. Do you know how he got ARF in the first place? It's usually caused by a toxin or can be drug-induced.

Because cats don't really chew their food, they will often continue eating if they have bad teeth. See if you can tell if your cat's gums are red and inflamed. Try gently lifting up his lip on one side to take a look. If they are bad, I would seriously consider having a dental done now while his kidney values are normal. They will almost always go up as cats age and your baby already has kidney damage. He may not have CRF at this point, but he may very well have it in the future. His age alone causes him to be at high risk.

I would try offering him some strained meat baby foods (with no onion added). He should be able to lap easily, as long as he doesn't have any ulcers on his tongue.

Take care, and please keep us updated.

Regards,
PHKitkat

we never found out what the cause of his ARF was. he must have gotten into something. no lillies or antifreeze around here. now i've also noticed his back legs are starting to get a little weak. he'll be walking and he will swerve to the side a little sometimes as if he were drunk.

Hi,

Weakness of the hind legs can be a sign that something serious is going on, such as diabetes or a potassium deficiency.

If this were one of my kitties I would seek veterinary care ASAP.

Regards,
PHKitkat

when he was first hospitalized 3 weeks ago his glucose was 97mg and his potassium was 4.0 mmol. do those sound right? i have a printout of his readings and it says "glu - 97 mg/dl" and "K - 4.0 mmol/L". i'm assuming the glu means glucose and the K means potassium. i'm not sure though. if it were diabetes wouldn't they have noticed it while he was there? i like the doctors that have treated him because they are familiar with my cat, etc. and they saved his life. but i'm gonna have to take him somewhere else because i still owe a few hundred dollars on my bill from the ARF and they probably wouldn't treat my cat again until i've paid up on my bill. i didn't qualify for the care credit payment plan thing since i have bad credit.

Hi,

The lab numbers sound pretty good. How is your cat now, any improvements?

Sorry you are having financial problems. I have been there myself and it isn't easy.

Take care,
PHKitkat

he seems to be doing much better. when he wasn't interested in eating, i would bring canned food to him and let him lick a little of it, then take it away for a couple seconds so he thinks i'm not gonna let him have anymore. then when i put it back in front of him he would be much more interested in eating it. then i'd take it away again and put it back again and so on and so on... i did this little trick over and over until he cleaned the plate and it worked wonders. now when i bring it to him he eagerly cleans the plate for fear that i might take it away. hehehe. its a dirty trick but it got him interested in eating again.

as long as he's playing, eating, drinking, pee'ing and poo'ing normally he should be okay, right?

Hi There,

As long as your cat is acting normally he should be ok. If you should notice that he is dehydrated, drinking a lot more water, or he stops eating, a vet visit would be in order.

I personally would have the bloodwork repeated in a few months to be sure all is well.

Please feel free to post again if you should have any questions or concerns. You and your cat are very lucky that he is doing so well after ARF!

Regards,
PHKitkat