My cat has early kidney disease. What food should I feed her?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

  Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

  Published on October 15th, 2018

  Cats with kidney failure benefit from a low-protein diet. They still need enough protein to maintain lean muscle mass, and the easiest way to do this is to use a prescription diet. You can look at over the counter cat foods to see which has the lowest percentage of protein, but it won't be quite as low as the prescription foods. There are also some mineral changes in the prescription diets. I would recommend that you discuss this with your vet. They may be able to make a recommendation based on Shadow's current stage of kidney disease. You could also ask for a referral for a nutrition consult (often done over the phone or online) so that you can make a properly balanced homemade diet.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Anna M., DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on April 3rd, 2019

  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!

  

  3Pet Parents found this answer helpful