Food & NutritionMy best friend's cat (11 yrs old) has rec'd a diganosis of EARLY stage CKD. Vet was very concerned with high levels of phosphates and now I am concerned about my cats nutrition as it sounds that high protein/phosphates are the culprit in some cats.
Hello, and thanks for your question about Stella. I can tell you want to make sure you're making the best decisions in her care! In short, if a cat doesn't currently have kidney disease, no diet change is likely to *prevent* it from developing. It's an age-related disease, so if her current kidney function is fine you don't have to make any changes. However, Blue Buffalo isn't my favorite food - I see a lot of cats with urinary problems on this diet, and a lot of animals with chronic GI problems. I prefer Hills Science Diet, Purina, or Royal Canin instead.
The best way to be proactive about managing the possibility of CKD is through regular routine bloodwork to get a good baseline of what's "normal" for Stella, in order to pick up on any changes as early as possible. I recommend doing this annually as long as results keep coming back normal, and increase the frequency if your vet sees something worth monitoring.
Hope this helps!
Updated on August 12th, 2025
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