What are the signs of chronic renal failure?

[jackiesmom]

Im concerned about Jack.

Some days he does fine.

Some days though,, he gets cranky and bites me when I pet him. And he just looks kind of sullen. He still hops up to see me and lays next to me, but hes different.

He eats..and drinks better, but his eyes are tearing.

Hes not missing the litterbox and he doesnt seem to go often like increase urine output would suggest.

Is there some days where his neuropathy could just make him moody? Or is there a bigger problem going on?

I looked at the symptoms of renal failure but he doesnt share any of these.

 

[BJM]

He'd likely still be urinating more than normal. His appetite might be reduced.
Feline CRF

Eyes tearing suggest respiratory or occular problems.

One common condition is feline herpes. In that case, vets often prescribe 500 mg of l-lysine daily. Its an amino acid which supports the immune response against feline herpes. If you get it powdered, you can mix it into the canned food.

 

[Anitafrnhamer]

Have you had full bloodwork done lately? And a T4?

Many things can cause your cat's eyes to run. With my boy it was low thyroid and a food allergy. He also has CRF but there are no outward signs and can only be diagnosed by consistently high BUN and Creatinine levels. When he was switched to Rx allergy food and put on Levothyrox, his eyes stopped running.

Getting a full blood panel and T4 is your best bet to make sure that he doesn't have CRF and that there is nothing amiss.

Anita and Squeaker

 

[jackiesmom]

Hes actually been diagnosed with herpes..

I totally forgot about this..

I can get some lysine treats

is it normal for diabetic cats to miss the box once in a while?

 

[BJM]

Well, it is plausible that diabetic neuropathy could be subtle and affect balance, coordination, vision, etc, so maybe. Or having a very full bladder might lead to some urgency and ignoring some of the finer points of technique (gotta go NOW!).

Also, arthritis may make it difficult to squat fully and missing the box could be a sign of that.

And some litter boxes need higher sides.