My cat grieves, has kidney issues. Should I get her a new kitten?

Hello. Thank you for your question. I can understand your concern. It is possible that the issue was genetic so It would not hurt to have your kitten tested for any deficits. It could also be completely unrelated. The sibling could have had issues from birth that none of the other kittens had, or it could have injested something toxic. Symptoms to look for would be increased or severly decreased water consumption, lethargy, weight loss, decreased appetite, and bad breath. Your veterinarian will be able to run blood tests that will show if there is any decreased kidney function. I hope everything turns out ok! If you have any further questions you can always contact me directly through the consultaions option.

Hello. It is very difficult to say how Esther may react to a new kitten, but she may be distressed by the loss of her companion. I think it would be a good idea to adopt a new kitten, but do take plenty of time to introduce them. Only time will tell if this will soothe her distress. You might also consider having Esther examined as any stressful event in a cat's life can bring on underlying conditions or illnesses. If she checks out fine, then bringing home a kitten needing a new home would be a great idea. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! To be safe, I would recommend blood testing the second cat. If she's not in failure, it would give a good baseline for future blood testing. It will not hurt both cats to be on the special diet. They are safe for all pets and could help stave off renal changes. Good luck and kisses to both kitties!

Unfortunately there is no way for us to know how long it will be before a pet starts having issues with 1 kidney. Problems may never arise. So you will have to just see how she does. Hopefully she doesn't have any problems and she can get on insurance to cover most of her needs going forward. Best of luck and take care. : )

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jimmy. I do recommend that he is current on all his vaccines before bringing a new kitten into the home. Personally, I have not seen vaccines cause kidney problems in cats. So I do not believe this is a reason not to vaccinate him. However, his veterinarian will know his complete medical history and can give you more detailed advice. I hope this information helps!

Hello, It does sound like Sophie is be grieving the loss of her friend. In this case, getting her a new companion may be helpful. I would recommend fostering an adult to senior age cat. The benefits of getting an older cat over a kitten is that they already have an established personality and there's no risk of them growing up to become a bully of their senior friend. Fostering works really well because if it takes a few tries to find the perfect friend fit, you can be really sure that Sophie is happy with the new addition before committing to adoption. Feliway sprays and collars are a natural calming pheromone that can be helpful both during her current grieving process and will help when introducing cats to each other at first as well. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

There are a number of causes of weight loss in cats. I'm assuming that the information of 1 kidney being larger than the other was something that the vet noted when the belly was palpated on exam. That finding, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily mean the kidneys are the issue. I see that Neko is only 3 years old. Weight loss in a younger cat could be due to kidney failure, though its much more common in senior cats. Working only off of the information that Neko is a young cat who losing weight and has 1 kidney larger than the other, with no other history given, it is hard for us to get any impression for what may be wrong. Again, if she were a senior cat I would suspect kidney failure, and I would then recommend a canned prescription kidney diet, lots of water, TLC, and know that time is limited -- with the understanding that we don't KNOW its the kidneys without blood work. However, since Neko is young, its harder to jump to this sort of advice. It could be her kidneys, but other concerns would include inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal worms, or even something like FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). Some causes are relatively inexpensive to treat, and others are much more difficult. Additional information about any other signs would help us-- is she vomiting, how is her appetite, is she playful and active or is she dumpy and lethargic, is she hiding, etc. Please feel free to resubmit a question on the forum (no charge), or request a consultation (for a fee) and we can give information back and forth and would likely be able to assist you further that way. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.