A Special Diet Can Help Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease

We’re happy to report that we were able to pay for more than a case-and-a-half of Royal Canin Renal Support prescription diet cat food for Baby to help manage this adorable cat’s chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Healthy kidney function is essential to the ability to filter blood, and when kidney issues arise, a cat may suffer from a variety of health-related issues. Over time, and as the kidneys continue to fail, a cat can become very sick.

CKD is characterized as a loss of kidney function over time, and while there is no known cure for it, one of the most common ways vets recommend managing the condition is with a prescription diet like the one Baby is on. This can go a long way to improving a kidney cat’s quality and length of life, but it costs a lot of money.

“We were able to help Ellen and Baby by shipping the prescription food she needed, which is only possible thanks to recurring and one-time donations that generous people send us,” said Daniela Caride, Phinney’s president. “The impact that our donors’ contributions have on the lives of pets can be measured every day, several times, when their food is served. It's a life-saving service we are offering,” she added.

In Baby’s case, just one case of 24 three-ounce cans of prescription food costs more than $40. “When you calculate how many cans a cat needs to eat each day based on their weight, you start to see how the cost of prescription food like this can quickly become a financial burden on a pet parent who does have a lot of financial resources,” Daniela said.

Ways you can help support Phinney’s pet pantry

One of the easiest and most impactful ways to support our supply shipments is to make a recurring donation to Phinney’s. Recurring donations can be made on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, in any dollar amount, and can go a long way toward ensuring that pet parents' pantries will stay well stocked no matter how difficult things are at that moment. For instance, $25 a month generally covers pet food for a couple of months for a small pet, like a cat, bird, or guinea pig, and $50 a month helps ensure that larger pets, like dogs, get the food they need.

More about CKD
Cats with CKD have trouble processing proteins, which can cause internal wastes to build up, and that’s where prescription renal food can be beneficial. Prescription foods to manage CKD tend to be lower in protein and phosphorus, which generally means a cat’s kidneys don’t have to work as hard to excrete waste.