How to Know if Your Cat Has Kidney Issues
Monitor your cat’s drinking habits., Pay attention to your cat’s eating habits to see if she has developed uremia., Check your cat’s mouth for ulcers., Look at your cat’s fur and mark any changes., Take note if your cat sleeps more than normal and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Monitor your cat’s drinking habits.
Cats are very efficient at conserving water and do not need to drink as often as other animals.
Take note if you begin having to fill your cat’s water bowl more often than normal or have to clean out wet cat litter more frequently than you are used to.
These things could mean that your cat has an increased thirst, which could be a sign of kidney problems.
When kidney issues occur, nephrons in your cat’s body have a harder time absorbing water out of your cat’s blood.
Your cat starts drinking more to compensate.Be aware that cats who are fed wet tinned food should drink little.
Cats are actually able to retain a lot of their water from tinned food, so they drink less water.
Cats who are fed dry food are more likely to drink water often, as their dry food is dehydrated. -
Step 2: Pay attention to your cat’s eating habits to see if she has developed uremia.
Uremia is a build-up of natural toxins in the blood that the kidney is supposed to filter out.
When the kidney isn’t working right, those toxins stay in the blood.This can cause inflammation in the stomach that can lead your cat to:
Eat less or show disinterest in food.
Act nauseous and vomit.
Produce blood vomit if the inflammation has led to ulcers in the stomach. , Uremia can also cause your cat to develop ulcers in her mouth.
As stated above uremia can cause an inflammation and irritation in your cat’s stomach that can affect your cat’s mouth.
The condition can lead to your cat having:
Sore gums, which makes her want to eat less.
Ulcers on her gums and tongue.
Trouble keeping her drool in the mouth, leading to foul-smelling saliva and drool. , A cat with uremia will have a hard time grooming herself because she will feel pain when trying to lick her fur.
This is because of the ulcers and sore gums that uremia causes.
Look at your cat’s coat and note:
Fur becoming dull in color.
Fur becoming matted or unclean.
Unpleasant smelling fur. , The kidney is involved in a complex cascade of hormones that stimulate your cat’s bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
Diseased kidneys produce less erythropoietin, a hormone necessary to stimulate blood cell synthesis.
As a result, your cat’s body has a hard time replacing old and damaged blood cells, which leads to a condition called anemia.
Signs of anemia include:
A lack of energy.
Sleeping more than normal.
Disinterest in toys and other things you cat likes.
Pale color in her eyelids (they should be pink but will instead look dull or white). , A slightly bizarre sign that a cat has renal disease, and one that is unique to cats, is being unable to lift her head above the horizontal position.
This happens because the kidney leaks potassium out into your cat’s urine.
Potassium is an electrolyte that is necessary for muscle contraction and when blood levels are low, the cat's muscles become weak.Your cat's head is relatively very heavy compared to the rest of her body and requires a lot of muscular effort to hold it up.
Cats with low potassium levels typically hang their heads.
However, it should be said that this is a rare sign, and if absent, doesn’t mean your cat does not have renal disease. , As renal disease progresses, your cat’s ability to compensate for water lost via her urine is exceeded.
This means that your cat, unable to drink enough to replace lost fluid, goes into a net loss situation and becomes dehydrated.
A good way to test for dehydration is to lift your cat's scruff away from her neck and let it go.
The skin of a fully hydrated animal drops back immediately.
The skin of a dehydrated animal's "tents"
that is it drops back down over several seconds. -
Step 3: Check your cat’s mouth for ulcers.
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Step 4: Look at your cat’s fur and mark any changes.
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Step 5: Take note if your cat sleeps more than normal and seems to lack energy.
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Step 6: See if your cat can lift her head above a horizontal position.
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Step 7: Perform a ‘tent’ test to see if your cat is dehydrated.
Detailed Guide
Cats are very efficient at conserving water and do not need to drink as often as other animals.
Take note if you begin having to fill your cat’s water bowl more often than normal or have to clean out wet cat litter more frequently than you are used to.
These things could mean that your cat has an increased thirst, which could be a sign of kidney problems.
When kidney issues occur, nephrons in your cat’s body have a harder time absorbing water out of your cat’s blood.
Your cat starts drinking more to compensate.Be aware that cats who are fed wet tinned food should drink little.
Cats are actually able to retain a lot of their water from tinned food, so they drink less water.
Cats who are fed dry food are more likely to drink water often, as their dry food is dehydrated.
Uremia is a build-up of natural toxins in the blood that the kidney is supposed to filter out.
When the kidney isn’t working right, those toxins stay in the blood.This can cause inflammation in the stomach that can lead your cat to:
Eat less or show disinterest in food.
Act nauseous and vomit.
Produce blood vomit if the inflammation has led to ulcers in the stomach. , Uremia can also cause your cat to develop ulcers in her mouth.
As stated above uremia can cause an inflammation and irritation in your cat’s stomach that can affect your cat’s mouth.
The condition can lead to your cat having:
Sore gums, which makes her want to eat less.
Ulcers on her gums and tongue.
Trouble keeping her drool in the mouth, leading to foul-smelling saliva and drool. , A cat with uremia will have a hard time grooming herself because she will feel pain when trying to lick her fur.
This is because of the ulcers and sore gums that uremia causes.
Look at your cat’s coat and note:
Fur becoming dull in color.
Fur becoming matted or unclean.
Unpleasant smelling fur. , The kidney is involved in a complex cascade of hormones that stimulate your cat’s bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
Diseased kidneys produce less erythropoietin, a hormone necessary to stimulate blood cell synthesis.
As a result, your cat’s body has a hard time replacing old and damaged blood cells, which leads to a condition called anemia.
Signs of anemia include:
A lack of energy.
Sleeping more than normal.
Disinterest in toys and other things you cat likes.
Pale color in her eyelids (they should be pink but will instead look dull or white). , A slightly bizarre sign that a cat has renal disease, and one that is unique to cats, is being unable to lift her head above the horizontal position.
This happens because the kidney leaks potassium out into your cat’s urine.
Potassium is an electrolyte that is necessary for muscle contraction and when blood levels are low, the cat's muscles become weak.Your cat's head is relatively very heavy compared to the rest of her body and requires a lot of muscular effort to hold it up.
Cats with low potassium levels typically hang their heads.
However, it should be said that this is a rare sign, and if absent, doesn’t mean your cat does not have renal disease. , As renal disease progresses, your cat’s ability to compensate for water lost via her urine is exceeded.
This means that your cat, unable to drink enough to replace lost fluid, goes into a net loss situation and becomes dehydrated.
A good way to test for dehydration is to lift your cat's scruff away from her neck and let it go.
The skin of a fully hydrated animal drops back immediately.
The skin of a dehydrated animal's "tents"
that is it drops back down over several seconds.
About the Author
Cheryl Collins
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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