My Cleo (Siamese) was diagnosed with kidney impairment in Oct 2005. (No such word as "failure" in our house... ) We have managed it together by means of medication for her high blood pressure and hyperthyroidism and subcutaneous fluids. As time goes by she needs the fluids more often. It started off at once a week in Feb 06, then twice a week, then up to three-four times, now it's just about every day. She also has Chinese herbs and acupuncture. She didn't like the renal wet food at first but she liked the renal dry after her normal wet food. A little bout of constipation recently has meant that she now has very little or no dry food but she has started to eat the wet renal much to my delight. She is generally going on very well. She is now 18yrs 8mths. She is gradually losing more and more weight though. She loves her food and is still bright and reasonably agile.

I would say to you, please don't think there is anything you did to cause this. Cats are prone to kidney impairment by virtue of the fact they have less nephrons (the little filtration tubules) in their kidneys than other animal species including humans. Some cats are lucky and are never affected in this way, but many are. Some make it to 12, 15, or 17 before it shows up, others contract it earlier in life. Dear Monty just drew a short straw, and I would say there is nothing you could have done about it, particularly as the condition is almost always well under way before a cat shows any signs of having the condition.

We wish Monty well and that he and his purrents manage the condition well so he has a long and happy life. No reason at all why he shouldn't.