Providing enough calories to prevent further weight loss is one of the objectives when feeding a cat with kidney disease.

By Karen Commings

Kidney failure is one of the leading causes of illness among older cats. Many owners who are unfamiliar with options to treat the disease assume it’s a death sentence. “Cats can live for years with decreased kidney function,” says Kathy Michel, DVM, an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

In addition to losing the ability to regulate water balance in the body, cats suffering from kidney failure are unable to eliminate waste products from the blood. Toxic waste builds up, resulting in uremic poisoning. Acute kidney failure has a sudden onset and may be caused by urinary tract blockage, poisoning, trauma to the kidneys,…

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