Tabby all patched up

Remember Tabitha? She was diagnosed with kidney disease earlier this year. After a bit of persuasion she took  to her special diet for failing kidneys with relish, although she misses her weekly fresh rabbit.
This week she had her progress tests. Her potassium levels were fine - diseased kidneys lose potassium - and her phosphorus levels were normal too. If phosphorous gets too high or potassium too low then cats lose their appetite and feel ill.
We were concerned to find that her creatinine levels were creeping up but as they are not affecting her appetite or quality of life we will just monitor her again in 3 months time.
Overall the special low protein, low phosphorous, high potassium kidney diet is keeping her healthy and happy so that she can properly supervise the next patchwork project - and at 16 years of age that's pretty important!

Lily poisoning

All species of lilies are toxic to cats. Indoor cats with little choice in plant munching material are most at risk as they will try any cut flower that comes into the house. 

Any part of the plant - flowers, leaves or stems - is dangerous. Even lily pollen licked off the coat destroys cats’ kidney tubules. 

Lilies proven to poison cats include: Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum), Tiger Lily ( Lilium tigrinum), Day Lily (Lilium hemerocallus), Asian lily (Lily asiatic spp.) and Rubrum Lily (Lilium rubrum). 

If you see your cat with lily on her coat, in her mouth or in her vomit don’t wait for signs of poisoning. The sooner we get it out of her system and start treatment to protect the kidneys the greater her chance of survival.

Affected cats vomit and are depressed within hours of ingesting lily. Some then seem to recover before starting to show signs of severe kidney failure a day or so later. Others continue vomiting, go off their food and get more and more depressed.

If emptying the stomach and medications to prevent absorption of the toxin are effective, the chance of recovery is excellent.

If your cat absorbs enough toxin to cause damage to her kidneys then her outlook is very poor. It is essential to seek emergency care immediately after ingestion of the lily plant.