Hi,

I just found this forum while looking for information on feline CRF. My cat Charlie was diagnosed with the beginnings of renal failure a little over a year ago. He was fine until this past December when he stopped eating and was very dehydrated. We'd been giving him about 100cc of Sub-Q's a day and he started to look really overhydrated once the initial crisis period was over so cut back on them.

So he's been hanging on since then...and this past week he was very weak and had breathing difficulties. He hardly ever comes out of the bathroom so I had to move his bed and supplies in there. The vet said he was very anemic because he hasn't been eating enough and recommended pet-tinic. Well, he absolutely loves the pet-tinic so I've been putting it in his food. I blend his food together with water(or pedialyte, depending on how dehydrated he looks) to make a soup and sprinkle the pet-tinic on top.

All of a sudden since I started the pet-tinic, he's eating and drinking *tons* of water. He's gained a substantial amount of water weight in the last two days and he's very squishy. There's even water in his back legs....I haven't done *any* Sub-Q fluids in over a week so it can't be caused by that. He's drinking all of this water on his own.

He hasn't had any breathing problems today and if anything his breathing has improved in the last few days but I'm worried about congestive heart failure. He seems more alert and for awhile I thought he was improving but the water is making him very lethargic. He's so bulky it's hard for him to move around.

Do you think this means his kidneys have stopped functioning completely? I've read elswhere that it could mean his body can't regulate fluids but I just don't know and my vet is completely unhelpful. I have to research everything myself and suggest that he check for a specific problem or suggest a new medication. The last time I went in, I had to ask him to check for anemia, listen to his heart/lungs for fluid, weigh him, etc. Plus Charlie really is drinking a lot more water than he had been a week ago. Do you think the pet-tinic could be making him thirsty? Maybe it's salty...

I just don't know. I'm trying everything to help him because he's a wonderful and loving cat. Thank you for listening to my long winded explanations. I would appreciate any advice or stories if anyone else has had similar problems.

Thanks!
Laura

Kitty's name Charlie

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