How to strengthen my cat's weak immune system after kidney issues?

Hi there. I am sorry to hear about Tikvichko's troubles. I will try to address each part of your question one by one, to see if I can advise you accordingly. First, you mentioned that he is very thin. Taking into consideration that Tikvichko goes outdoors, I would try to rule out intestinal parasites first and foremost. He is also getting a little bit older if he's around 6 years old. Cats and dogs are considered senior patients at age 7. I would make sure to run some tests that can help check for the following conditions, as they can cause weight loss in adult/senior cats - hyperthryoidism (meaning he would have an overactive thyroid and a fast metabolism that will not allow him to keep weight on), diabetes (cats and dogs with diabetes can lose weight, or remain very thin), kidney disease (can also cause poor weight gain). Secondly, if Tikvichko is going outside, he may exposed to other cats. These cats can pass respiratory bacteria and viruses on to him. He can get upper respiratory infections, or even diseases like feline immunodeficiency virus, or feline leukemia virus. These viruses can weaken his immune system and make him more susceptible to upper respiratory bugs too. They can also make him unable to gain weight. Checking his teeth too, to make sure he doesn't have any mouth pain is a good idea too, and part of a routine vet exam. Sometimes cats, adults and older, will have bad teeth, and this can cause mouth pain, and in turn, they may eat less, and not gain an appropriate amount of weight. Lastly, it is difficult for sure to keep kitties inside once they learn how to live an indoor/outdoor lifestyle. You can try to make him more comfortable inside by giving him an extra litter box. If he is the only cat, you should have 2 for him. Try some different cat litters too. He may be picky about which litter he likes. Since he goes outside, try something that's more like a sand litter to see if likes that. Depending on what's available in your area, you can also try some supplements for him when he is indoors such as feline rescue remedy, or feliway products. They are natural products that are known to help lower stress levels in cats. You can also make him a cat hidey-box, so he has a private area to cuddle in. This can be fashioned out of something as simple as a cardboard box turned upside down with an opening cut into it to allow him to come and go. Place the box in a private area of the house (away from the litter box of course). You can put some treats and food inside as well. In the meantime, I would schedule a visit with Tikvicho's vet. He should be tested for feline immunodeficiency virus, and feline leukemia. He should also have some labwork evaluated to check his organs, and to check for diabetes and thyroid disease, and they can also test his stools to make sure he is parasite free. He should also always remain up to date on all of his vaccines. Once you take care of all of that, I would focus on making his indoor environment as appealing as possible to try to encourage him to stay inside more. There is definitely a chance that he will still want to go outside more often than not, but making sure he is up to date on all of his preventive care, and checking him for any diseases he can pick up outside is the best way to make sure he stays health. Best of luck!

Unfortunately, that is often the case. They continue to lose weight and waste away with kidney failure. As long as he is doing his normal things I would not be overly concerned at this point. If you want to start him on an immune booster you can do that. I would suggest Imuquin. Check with your vet first before using it since they are privy to all of his medical history but I think it should be fine to give. https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=135966

Hello. This actually sounds pretty darn good! The only thing to add is to make sure Tony takes in as much fluids as possible & make sure you stay on top of those kidney rechecks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for visiting Petcoach! Since mites are not visible without the use of a microscope, I am going to assume you are seeing ticks on Tikvichko. Ticks can be prevented with only 1 preventative that I am aware of on he market right now, and hat product is called Bravecto for cats. Here is a website link with more information. https://us.bravecto.com/for-cats.aspx But to rid the ticks that are on him currently, and also to treat for his other conditions (likely an upper respiratory infection and possible tick borne disease) I highly recommend taking him in to your vet for a proper exam and possible tests to make sure he didn’t get some infection from the ticks. The vet can also remove the remaining ticks safely without hurting him so much. I hope he is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best wishes and take care.

The jury is still undecided if Vitamin C really helps pets or not. Cats synthesize their own vitamin C naturally. Likely the best measures you can take are to support over-all health. Make sure they are eating a high quality cat food. Deworm them if possible. Many cats respond well to Lysine for herpes infections. Adults take 500mg twice daily. This can be found in a fish flavored powder, gel and treat form. Also giving them an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for cats will help with natural inflammation control. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thanks for posting on PetCoach! I'm sorry to hear Tom is having all of these health issues. Poor guy! Spinal injuries can take a while to heal and some do require surgery. Spinal injuries are also often quite painful so making sure Tom has some pain medication on board would be helpful. If no pain medication was given, you may ask your veterinarian about this. Special food can be prescribed by your veterinarian or an appetite stimulant medication can be prescribed by your veterinarian to help increase his appetite. You can also heat up the wet food at home a bit to bring out the flavor and may entice him to eat a little bit. Ticks and fleas in small young kittens can actually cause anemia (low red blood cell count) which can cause weakness and lethargy. The ticks will need to be safety removed either by you or your veterinarian. If you are unsure how to remove a tick, I have linked a video below. You may use a bath of dish soap (Dawn dish soap works well) to help get rid of flea infestation until he is old enough to be on a month flea preventative such as Revolution or Advantage. If Tom is still not doing well, I would recommend he see his veterinarian again to see what else your veterinarian would recommend. I hope this helps and best of luck to you! https://youtu.be/0wotB38WrRY

Hello, Feline upper respiratory infection can be caused by a number of viruses and is seen frequently in younger cats. To my knowledge, we have no evidence to support the use of liver cod oil as a immune booster. Historically, we have recommended L-lysine added to the diet or even treats for cats with herpes infection. However, even the scientific evidence supporting the use is lacking. The best thing to do is feed Leo a good diet, avoid exposure to young, non-vaccinated cats, and follow up for yearly wellness exams, vaccines, and parasite prevention.