When we came home from camp, Steven's first words upon picking up Calvin were, "He's lost weight." One of our catsitters agreed. Calvin has also been drinking a lot of water lately, so I made a vet appointment for him today.
He was diagnosed with kidney disease. So now my husband and my cat have this incurable disease. To say I'm upset is an understatement.
The good news is that this was caught early. Calvin's blood pressure is fine, and his kidney function is still acceptable. At this point we only have to change his diet. The concern with this, though, is that Doogie will have to switch with him. Doogie has had some major food issues in the past; he has trouble keeping things down. The renal-diet food the vet gave us is made by Hill's, which is the company that makes Science Diet. Doogie can't eat Science Diet, so I fear that he'll have trouble with Hill's renal food.
Nice welcome home, huh?
5 comments:
Oh! I'm so sorry to hear about the cats. I hope the food helps Calvin and that Doogie is able to tolerate it.
{{Anne-Marie))
Oh poor Calvin! So sorry to hear that. Hope Doogie will be able to eat Hill's renal food. This might be a dumb question, but why does Doogie need to switch food as well?
The cats' food is kept out at all times. They're grazers whose food is filled in the mornings, then they eat throughout the day when the mood hits. Doogie needs to switch because there would be no good way to keep Calvin out of Doogie's food.
We tried the 2 different foods thing several years ago when Doogie couldn't keep his food down and was on a prescription diet of his own. Calvin thought the prescription food was garbage and wouldn't eat it. We kept his food in the pantry, and he'd scream to be let in for it about 20 times a day. He didn't always want it; he just wanted to make sure his servants were there to do his bidding. Doogie was always trying to get in there with him, and it was just a mess. In fact, the story I had published a few years ago in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul was about the food issues and Calvin's dealing with a new cat in the house.
The brand that the boys currently eat is Eukanuba. Doogie keeps it down, and Calvin is willing to eat it. I did ask if they make a renal diet food, and they do, but my vet doesn't carry it. I was told they could order it for me in 50-lb. bags, which is HUGE for 2 cats, but we'll do that if we have to.
Anne Marie,
What a week--sorry to hear this news!
Poor Calvin! At least you caught it early.
It's always so hard when pets get sick. I hope the diet does the trick and Calvin has many happy years ahead! And I hope that Doogie can deal with the new feeding regime!
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