Emaciated Stray - Advice welcome BW/UA report attached

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carolyn & jesse (GA) & spock

carolyn & jesse (GA) & spock

Member Since 2009
A stray showed up in my yard on April 8th. Two of my cats were out and were growling and approaching him, so I scooped them up and into the house. The stray was gone. He showed up the next day and I got him in a carrier to take to the vet. He looked so sickly and was walking as slow as a sloth. He's long-haired and his body was covered in mats. The vet did bloodwork - he's neg. for FIV & FeLV. His BUN is high at 71 (range 14-36), but his Creatinine is 2.6 (range 0.6-2.4). The vet said since the Creatinine is not high, the BUN level could be from dehydration.

He got fluids and Clavamox for his URI. His weight was 3 lbs. 7 oz. and the vet figures he's about 10 (quite a bit of tartar) and is neutered. He is the sweetest kitty! He was playing with the light from the ear scope.

I tried to clip his claws (polydactyl) but when I got to the one between finger and thumb he bit me (luckily I had my thumb brace on). Figured out why he bit me - the nail was a spiral!!

He was shaved on the 14th, got dewormed, had fluids and got his claws clipped. When I picked him up, I asked to talk to a vet about his spiral nails (they were just prepared to say "here's your cat, bye-bye"). The vet said they were cutting into his paw. I asked if they were infected and he said that they would heal on their own but I guess they should check him in a week (grrr). He also said he was in kidney failure. I asked why the other vet said he wasn't and he had no answer. Weighed him when I got home and he was only 2lbs. 7 oz.

He continues to eat well. I tried Recovery the 2nd day I had him and his poo was pudding. Vet suggested I stop it and now his poo is fine. I put a lot of water in his food and he continues to eat well. No vomitting, or diarrhea. He's still a little wobbly so I'm keeping him in the bathroom for now. But he is sooooooooooo sweet. I sit on the toilet (very small bathroom) and he reaches up so I'll pick him up and he snuggles in the crook of my neck.

Sorry for the long diatribe... What I really need to know is if I'm doing everything I can to get weight on him. I was giving him Fancy Feast and Friskies and yesterday went and got some Core and something else that has high calories. I also started giving him NutriCal (the only cat I've ever had that would eat it!). As of today he's at 6 lbs. 4 oz.

I've attached a photobucket link where his before and after shaving pics are. But having never used that before, I don't know if I did it right. I also need to figure out what his name is - I'm leaning toward Lenny.

Thanks for reading and for any advice you can offer.

http://s1009.photobucket.com/user/cmauroni/library/
 
Re: Emaciated Stray - Advice welcome

Good for you!

Frequent modest meals to put on weight so you don't get scarf 'n' barf are often suggested for cats needing to gain weight. Kitten food has a bit more protein for muscle buildup. Wellness foods, if I recall correctly, are a tad higher in fat.

You may need to wait a bit to determine if dehydration was the renal issue or renal disease. The Friskies Special Diet foods are low carb and OK for possible renal compromise.

Forti Flora or other probiotic may help reduce GI upsets. Also do food changes slowly, maybe 20% different at a time for a day or two before changing more.
 
Re: Emaciated Stray - Advice welcome

The high Creatinine is 2.6 (range 0.6-2.4), indicates kidney deficiency. Did they do an urine analysis? What I am interested in is urine specific gravity since that is a good indicator of kidney problems.
 
in punkin's labwork, my notes say less than 1.030 is kidney disease, and his is 1.019. This isn't my area of expertise, but it sounds like he's in the beginning of kidney disease.

we fed punkin the Friskies Special Diet Turkey and Giblets - it's both low carb and low phos. but Lenny isn't diabetic, so perhaps the carbs don't matter.

have you looked at the low phos list on http://www.catinfo.org? i think i'd go with the low phosphorus and highest calorie you can get.

The pics are adorable, carolyn. i think your house radiates love and safety - the kitties just seem to find you! they know a good thing when they do! the poor little guy was just skin and bones - good job putting some weight on him. cats with kidney disease can live a really long time with sub-q fluid support. my cousin's kitty made it to 20 with her last 6 years getting subq's at the vet's twice a week.

you have such a big heart! i hope he thrives and brings you a lot of joy. :YMHUG:
 
Thanks for the reply Julie. Yeah, i just couldn't ignore him and it makes me really angry at how anyone else could ignore him either. I've never met a more sweet and loving kitty. And he definitely has a strong will to live. I have to do all I can for him because by all accounts he should've been dead.
 
i suspect he has a "cat-lover, soft-heart bean" radar. When he came by your house, his radar went off loud and clear! :-D he's obviously a smart guy, because in spite of getting scared the first time, he came back so you could love him up!

i'm super glad to see you!
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
in punkin's labwork, my notes say less than 1.030 is kidney disease, and his is 1.019. This isn't my area of expertise, but it sounds like he's in the beginning of kidney disease.
Click to expand...

All labs are different and give different reference (normal) ranges. Her labwork noted the reference range as 1.015-1.060, so it is still within the normal range.

As for the kidney issues, I would hold off worrying about it for now. I would not conclude CRF by those initial lab readings. As the vet said, the BUN could be the result of dehyrdration, and the creatinine was just very slightly elevated @ 2.6, the high range starting @ 2.5. The creatinine is the one that is really important when checking kidney values.
But Lenny was in such bad shape, and so many things can skew the readings, you really do not know if it accurate. I would just concentrate on giving him lots of healthy food, TLC and retest the blood in a month and see how it is.
(BTW, I have been through the CRF thing with my last kitty and although it's been a while, I did a LOT of research on it at the time)

Also, the urine did show blood, what did the vet say about that? How did they do the urinalysis, do you know? Was it a sterile sample taken with a needle or did they squeeze the bladder for a sample? They reason I ask is- sometimes they can produce blood in the urine when they squeeze the bladder.

Bless you, bless you, bless you for taking that poor guy in and doing all you are doing. :YMHUG:
 
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