Protein in urine

[pumpkins mom]

It has been over a year since I have been on the board. My Pumpkin has been in remission for all that time and I am absolutely thrilled. His BGs are all normal! Thank you to eveyone on the board who helped get me through that really difficult time. Now for the next problem. My other cat, Jazpurr, is a 5 year old Himalayan mix (his mother was a Himmy and his father is an orange tabby). He has been perfectly healthy up until the other day when I saw him fussing in the litter box. I took him in to the vet, assuming he had a UTI. The urinalysis showed that he had some struvite crystals and some protein in his urine. My vet did a microalbumin test and it came back at 2.6. Apparently normal is 2.5 or less He put him on Clavamox and wants to repeat the urine tests in a week. The test did not show any infection. Does anyone have any info on this? I am in a panic thinking that my 5 year old Jaz is going in to kidney failure. The members of this board always seem to have a wealth of info on all health topics. I'd really appreciate your help again.

 

[BJM]

Increased albumin/protein in the urine tends to increase with age in cats (saw that today from a company that has a test for microalbumin). It can be an early warning sign of a renal issue - decreased filtration, infection, etc.

The food chart at Cat Info lists phosphorus levels as well as the % calories from carbohydrates. One example is the Friskies Special Diet pates which are both low carb, and lower mineral. You'll want to be sure he's eating wet food with phosphorus levels that are low. Also note what Dr Pierson says about crystals in the urine.

Providing fresh water daily, maybe even distilled water (no additional minerals to filter out of it) can help preserve the kidney function. Some cats really enjoy running water and a pet fountain may encourage more drinking.

The Feline CRF site has more than you ever thought you might need to know about CRF.