Low Protein Diets for Cats with Kidney Disease

When your cat has kidney failure, one of the first things you need to do is get very involved with his or her diet.

Many vets recommend switching to a special canned low-protein diet. A low-protein, low salt, low phosphorus diet will help reduce the amount of waste products that your cat's kidneys will have to filter out. The lower salt and lower phosphorus may also help control the electrolyte balance in your cat's body, which is good for muscle and nerve function.

Since meat is especially high in phosphorus, low-protein diets will have less meat, and more fat. Reducing the level of highly digestible protein decreases the demand on your cat's kidneys and liver.

While there's no actual "cure" for chronic kidney failure, a low protein, low phosphorus diet may be able to slow the progression of the disease. It can ease the burden on your cat's kidneys, and may help you cat feel better, too.

Some popular low-protein, CRF cat foods include:

 Hills Prescription Diet Feline - K/D canned
 Royal Canin Veterinary Diet – Renal Medi-Cal® Feline Reduced Protein
 Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Multi-Stage Renal Formula (Canned)
 Iams® Veterinary Formulas Renal Multi-Stage Renal™/Feline Canned Formula
 Purina NF Kidney Function Brand™ FORMULA (canned and dry) - Purina Pet Food

Many of these brands have both canned and dry varieties. At this point, I believe that cats with kidney problems should only eat canned cat food. Dry cat food can dehydrate your cat at a time when they need more fluids, not less, to flush out toxins from their bodies. (I'd be interested in your opinion on this, especially if you are a vet or have been treating a cat with kidney disease. Add your comments below.)

After our cat, Michou, developed her kidney problems, I felt guilty at having fed her dry cat food for so many years. It was easy and convenient and she liked it. Plus, it naturally made it easier to leave her some food if we went away for a day or two. But today, the folly of that diet seems obvious. Just think of cats in the wild. Do lions and tigers eat grains? Vegetables? No, they hunt other animals. They eat meat. It just seems obvious today that we should have been feeding her wet or canned cat food all along.

Some studies have questioned whether restricting protein (and therefore reduced phosphorus) is good for a cat, in that it may not give the cat enough protein for other normal body functions. One expert is quoted as saying low-protein diets are not appropriate until your cat's Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) levels are double the normal reading (roughly 60-80 mg/dl).

All I can say is that we switched to this diet immediately after Michou's diagnosis and have been on it for over three years. There is one thing to watch out for, though...

And that's weight loss and loss of appetite. Michou was a heavy cat to begin with so the weight she initially lost brought her into the normal range. She is now a bit skinnier, even a bit bony, which is cause for concern.

But as you'll read in "Does My Cat Feel Pain," nausea and lack of appetite is a big problem in cats with kidney disease. You have to continually make sure they are eating, even if it means hand-feeding or spoon-feeding them at times.

And the biggest problem with switching a cat's diet, as you may know, is that the finicky little critters won't eat the stuff!

We experimented at first with 3-4 brands until Michou found one she seemed to like, which was the KD Chicken brand. But after about two-and-a-half years, as her appetite seemed to wane and she got thinner, we tried a few other brands. Lately, she's been on Royal Canin's Medi-Cal® for cats.

What NOT to Do With a Low-Protein Diet

Veterinarians warn not to supplement your cat's low protein, low phosphorus diet with any foods that are high in protein. This can cancel out the positive effects of the diet.

Foods to avoid include meat and milk, which is surprisingly high in phosphorus. Also avoid ever feeding your cat onions, which can lead to anemia, which is especially dangerous for cats with kidney failure.

There are more things you can do, as you'll see in "Appetite Boosters for Cats with Kidney Disease."