Teresa - you are a smart young woman who can think for herself and makes good decisions (I read your thread about the foster kitten). You can learn to give sub-q fluids. I've given thousands now but years ago I was so hopeless at it that I'd keep taking my first cat with CRF to the vet techs because I couldn't keep the needle in, or I couldn't control the cat. You will learn as we all learned because it is to the very great benefit of our cats.

You don't want to watch Honey slowly get sicker and sicker from CRF. She will stop eating, vomit several times a day, develop sores on her tongue and ultimately have seizures as the toxins build up in her body. It's possible you will have to make a mad dash to the vet to euthanize her with her seizing in her carrier. Think about how you feel when you are dehydrated - headaches, nauseated, weaker than usual. Fluids are easy, cheap (I'll get to that later), and work really well.

You will lose her to CRF, but it can be years before that happens if you start her on fluids therapy now and by the time her kidneys fail you will know her so well that you will recognize signs of ultimate failure and can get her to the vet before she goes into total distress. She will stop absorbing the fluids or she will stop urinating and you will know you can't help her any more.

My latest CRF foster cat, Sam, was 4-1/2 pounds when I took her, barely eating and with little will to live. On fluids therapy she changed completely, gained 3 pounds and eats like a horse. She's still going strong 2-/12 years later.

The cheapest route to give fluids is to have your vet write a prescription for a case of Ringers Lactated fluids from a pharmacy. Call around and see which pharmacy has the best prices. I use Costco and a box of 12 bags costs about $25. Let's say you give 150cc every other day which will mean a bag will last 2 weeks. You can get needles and lines from the same pharmacy. You should use a new needle every time but lines, if you make the switch over carefully, can be removed from the empty bag and pushed into the new bags several times.

Although KD is prescribed for kidney failure cats because it is low in protein and phosphorous, I've never used it. I want the cat to feel they can eat any time and whatever they want so I feed high quality canned and dry food. For me it's a psychological issue, and vets in general believe it is better that the cat eats than that they eat a low protein diet.

If Honey is still nauseated even with fluids therapy, you may want to give her part of a Famatodine (Pepcid) tablet once a day. Your vet will tell you how much.

You should be proud of yourself for taking good care of Honey. You just need to take one more giant step to make her feel almost as good as new.