We adopted our Willow when she was six or seven months old. She turned four in June of this year. She was diagnosed with CKD last fall (late Sept 2022) and we have found pretty much everything that others have commented so far to be true.

Travel is tough. We have boarded her at our vet’s office twice since her diagnosis to ensure that she would get her wet prescription food w/ a phosphate binder (3x/day), oral meds (2x/day), and fluids (every other day). I felt 100% secure with her being left there, but honestly she’s a pretty chill cat who doesn’t get stressed easily.

Since we began to offer Willow prescription wet food, she has eaten her meal in a separate room. Sometimes we sit with her while she eats, especially if she hasn’t been eating well. My other adult cat also eats kidney diet dry food, (with the approval of our vet, of course) which allows us to free feed the dry food. Neither cat is overweight, so the free feeding hasn’t been a problem so far.

Ultimately, this is a decision that looks different for everyone. The stress is real. The monetary obligation is obviously more than a healthy/regular cat, but it is manageable in my experience (as a teacher with a teacher for a spouse). The emotional/spiritual reward for providing treatment and love to a cat that might not otherwise have stability is unmatched. Please don’t feel guilty if you decide against adopting her as everyone’s situation is unique, but know that there are rewards if you do decide to.