Purina NF Kidney Function Cat Food 6 lb

What customers say about Purina NF Kidney Function Cat Food 6 lb?

1. 31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

   
   Great for CKD cats who like dry food. Some experienced advice….., June 25, 2015

   By 

   Panfryd –

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Purina NF Kidney Function Cat Food 6 lb (Misc.)

   First, about this product (Purina NF). Our CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) cat had a clear preference for certain brands of dry cat food, but it took him very little time to start enjoying this food. He never liked canned food. I credit NF and regular subcutaneous hydration for keeping our cat alive and relatively healthy.

   One comment: What is up with so many places requiring a prescription for a special cat food? Have you ever heard of anyone requiring a doctor’s prescription for special human food, such as high-protein, gluten-free, or low-sodium? I can think of no reason other than it’s a racket between vets and vet food makers to keep prices high. I doubt there’s any law requiring this. Many thanks to Amazon for not participating in this racket.

   Some tricks if they don’t go for it right away: Put a couple of treats on top of a bowl of NF and they’ll start associating the food with something they really like. Cats can’t see up close very well so they’ll probably eat a little NF while they’re aiming for the treats. Don’t do that too often – let them eat the NF when they’re hungry. Eating the treats sometime ‘primes the pump’ and they’ll keep going by eating the NF. Add some dry NF to the treats pouch and shake it up … the smell and flavor will get on the NF and the cat will eat the NF as a treat. Keep the NF closed up tight to keep it fresh and put out only as much as will be eaten within a few hours.

   CKD kidneys are atrophied and inefficient so a cat needs more than the normal amount of water flowing through the kidneys to remove enough toxins from the blood. Normally, a cat concentrates toxins in the urine but the CKD cat’s kidneys cannot do this efficiently so they pee a lot which can cause dehydration. The build-up of toxins can make the cat feel very bad and damage the kidneys further. Special kidney food supplies high quality protein to minimize the creation of toxins. Cats are very finicky about water and won’t drink no matter how thirsty if they don’t like the water, so always provide plenty of clean water in clean water bowls. Try bottle spring water or even rainwater. With moderate to advanced CKD, cats cannot drink enough water on their own so supplemental subcutaneous hydration will be required. Most CKD cats actually die of dehydration, not kidney failure.

   The following is a tribute to Coleman, our male 9 y.o. ‘tuxedo’ cat who was possibly the sweetest cat that ever lived. If you can avoid our mistake, I hope you may be spared the grief we now feel. Although quiet and stoic, he would always hop down from wherever he was anytime I came into the room and rub against my legs indicating he wanted to be picked up and cuddled. If I was sitting in a straight chair he would quietly sit at my feet. If I sat in a plush chair he would hop into my lap and push his little head under my hand indicating he wanted to be petted. And if I was reclining he would climb up my chest and nuzzle his head under my chin. What tugged at my heart the most was sometimes when he was sitting in my lap he would slowly raise his head and gently look into my eyes for a while. It sure felt like love and affection to me.

   The key measure of CKD is creatinine levels. Normal is below 2, while 2 to 3 is mid-stage, and 4 to 5 is advanced. Coleman made one visit to the vet hospital when his creatine level had advanced to 5. A week and $3500 later we brought him home with a level of 4.5. After 5 months of regular subcutaneous hydration and NF kidney food, his creatinine had dropped to 4. A cat with CKD cannot be cured, but can vastly improve with good treatment.

   If you want your cat with advanced CKD to remain alive and feeling good, you must learn to give subcutaneous hydration. It’s really not difficult and the cat feels little to no pain. In fact, believe it or not, Coleman would hop up onto the card table and get into position as soon we moved it out for hydration. Sometimes he would jump onto the card table at other times too and look at us. I wonder: could he have possibly associated the hydration procedure with feeling better? He looked and acted noticeably better a few hours after hydration. We gave 100ml of ‘Ringer’s Lactated’ daily, but follow your vet’s advice as to amount and frequency (too much can cause heart damage). Buy the supplies from your vet and get them to show you how to do it, if they won’t, find another vet. There are also instructional videos on the Internet. Supplies will be cheaper at the pharmacy or pharmacy supply (not all carry it so call around).

   Since a cat cannot tell you how they feel, you must be very careful to notice signs. Sitting with head up and looking around = good; head down and eyes closed = feeling bad. Tail gently waving = good/contented, tail thumping = bad/stressed. Not eating = nausea, acid stomach, or constipation; drooling = very bad nausea or acid stomach. If a CKD…

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2. 24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

   
   Kidney Diet for Cats, May 3, 2013

   By 

   NM Mom (New Mexico, USA) –

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Purina NF Kidney Function Cat Food 6 lb (Misc.)

   We tried 3 different brands of kidney diet when my 14-year-old cat was diagnosed with kidney disease (about 3 months ago). I put each type out in a different bowl and this one disappeared before the others. I also tried 3 different types of kidney diet soft/canned cat food (none of which disappeared!) So, my vet recommended feeding my cat regular canned food to help him keep his weight up and this to help with his kidney disease. I can really see a difference. When he eats the regular cat food, he goes and lays down somewhere hidden, which is what he does when he’s not feeling well. When he eats this, he is fine… his normal, content self. So, this dry cat food really does do its job (produce less “waste” for the kidneys to metabolize/clean/etc. It helps the kidneys work less, and I can see it in my cat’s behavior.

   I am not recommending this protocol (of regular soft and kidney dry food) for other cats. But, my cant is 14 years old and both weight loss and kidney disease are risks. So, the vet and I have found a “middle ground” that works for my cat.

   I do recommend you try out different brands of kidney dry (and maybe wet) food to see which your cat prefers. I do have another cat, who is younger and whose kidneys are fine. He eats this food too. The vet said it wouldn’t hurt him. 🙂

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3. 15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

   
   My cats loved it, March 7, 2014

   By 

   Wei Hsu –

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Purina NF Kidney Function Cat Food 6 lb (Misc.)

   I went with this product vs. Hills K/D as many reviewers have stated that their pet preferred the taste of this brand. I am so glad I did as my cat (Liebe) is super picky and she only likes wet food. She started showing interest by rubbing her scents around the shipping box. When I finally opened the bag and poured some into the bowl, Liebe came running and finished it right the way. My other cat (Lulu) was really curious, so I poured some more in and the bowl was cleaned within 5 minutes. I highly recommend this product. Also, we got this from 4PetsUSA, it was cheaper ($30.99 + free shipping) versus the vendor through Prime. And the shipping came in 3 days.

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