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ON THIS PAGE:
What to Buy
Where to Buy
Emergency
(Disaster) Supplies
HOME
Site Overview
Just Diagnosed? What You Need to Know
First
WHAT IS
CKD?
What Happens in
CKD
Causes of CKD
How Bad is It?
Is There Any
Hope?
Acute Kidney
Injury
KEY ISSUES:
PROLONGING LIFE
Phosphorus Control
Hypertension
(High
Blood Pressure)
Proteinuria
Anaemia
Potassium Imbalances
Pyelonephritis
(Kidney Infections) and Urinary Tract Infections
Metabolic Acidosis
Kidney Stones
KEY ISSUES: HELPING YOUR
CAT FEEL BETTER
Nausea, Vomiting,
Appetite Loss and Excess Stomach Acid
Maintaining Hydration
The B Vitamins (Including
Methylcobalamin)
Constipation
CAT FOOD DATA
Ways of Assessing Food Content, Including
What is Dry
Matter Analysis
How to Use the Food Data Tables
USA
Canned Food Data
USA
Dry Food Data
USA
Cat Food Brands:
Helpfulness Ratings
USA
Cat Food Brands:
Contact Details
SUPPORT
Coping with CKD
Tanya's Support Group
Success Stories
SYMPTOMS
Important: Crashing
Alphabetical List of Symptoms and Treatments
Fluid
and Urinary Imbalances (Dehydration, Overhydration and Urinary
Issues)
Waste Product Regulation Imbalances (Vomiting, Appetite Loss, Excess
Stomach Acid, Gastro-intestinal Problems, Mouth Ulcers Etc.)
Phosphorus and Calcium Imbalances
Miscellaneous Symptoms
(Pain, Hiding Etc.)
DIAGNOSIS:
WHAT DO ALL THE TEST RESULTS MEAN?
Early Detection
Blood Chemistry: Kidney Function, Potassium, Other Tests
(ALT, Amylase, (Cholesterol, Etc.)
Calcium, Phosphorus, Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) and Secondary
Hyperparathyroidism
Complete Blood Count (CBC):
Red and White Blood Cells: Anaemia and Infection
Urinalysis (Urine Tests)
Other Tests: Ultrasound, Biopsy, X-rays etc.
Renomegaly (Enlarged Kidneys)
Which
Tests to Have and Frequency of Testing
Factors that Affect Test Results
Normal Ranges
International and US Measuring Systems
TREATMENTS
Which Treatments are Essential
Fluid and Urinary Issues (Fluid Retention, Infections, Incontinence,
Proteinuria)
Waste Product Regulation
(Mouth Ulcers, GI Bleeding,
Antioxidants,
Adsorbents, Azodyl, Astro's CRF Oil)
Phosphorus, Calcium and
Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (Calcitriol)
Phosphorus Binders
Steroids,
Stem Cell Transplants and Kidney Transplants
Antibiotics and Painkillers
Holistic Treatments (Including Slippery Elm Bark)
ESAs (Aranesp, Epogen etc.) for Severe Anaemia
General Health Issues in a CKD Cat: Fleas, Arthritis, Dementia,
Vaccinations
Tips on
Medicating Your Cat
Obtaining Supplies Cheaply in the UK, USA and Canada
Working with Your Vet
and Recordkeeping
DIET & NUTRITION
Nutritional Requirements of CKD Cats
The B Vitamins (Including
Methylcobalamin)
What to Feed (and What to Avoid)
Persuading Your Cat to Eat
2007 Food Recall USA
FLUID THERAPY
Oral Fluids
Intravenous Fluids
Subcutaneous Fluids
Tips on Giving
Subcutaneous Fluids
How
to Give Subcutaneous Fluids with a Giving Set
How
to Give Subcutaneous Fluids with a Syringe
Subcutaneous Fluids - Winning Your Vet's Support
Dialysis
RELATED DISEASES
Heart Problems
Hyperthyroidism
Diabetes
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
Pancreatitis
Dental Problems
Anaesthesia
OBTAINING SUPPLIES CHEAPLY
What to Buy
and Where to Find It
UK
USA
Online
USA
Local (Fluids)
Canada
SAYING GOODBYE
The
Final Hours
Other People's Losses
Coping with Your Loss
MISCELLANEOUS
Prevention
Feline CKD Research, Including
Participation Opportunities
CKD Research
in Other Species
Share This Site: A
Notice for Your Vet's Bulletin Board or Your Local Pet Shop
Canine Kidney
Disease
Other Illnesses (Cancer, Liver) and
Behavioural Problems
Diese Webseite auf Deutsch
SITEOWNER (HELEN)
My
Three CKD Cats: Tanya, Thomas and Ollie
Contact Me
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Home >
Supplies: What To Buy And Where To Find It
Overview
-
When your cat
is first diagnosed, you won't know what supplies you need. However,
having certain items in stock can be very helpful, especially when
your cat has a bad day.
What To Buy
I would
recommend that everybody buys the following items. If funds are tight,
which is often the case upon diagnosis because you've just been hit with
(often unexpected) vet bills, then at least buy the baby food, vitamin B
(especially vitamin B12 in the form of methylcobalamin), slippery elm
bark, plus Pill
Pockets and gelatin capsules if your cat is hard to pill.
Supermarket: Food Items
Since most CKD
cats have a poor appetite at initial diagnosis, I would aim to have items
in stock to help encourage your cat to eat. If you are in the USA, pop out
to your local supermarket and buy the following (which are all discussed
in more detail on the
Persuading Your
Cat to Eat page):
-
Gerber's Stage
2 baby food
-
Fancy Feast
(the Classic pate style foods are very high in phosphorus but appeal to
most cats)
-
A variety of
cat foods that your cat might eat
-
Tinned tuna
(low sodium, no broth containing onions)
-
Pill Pockets
(available in Whole Foods)
-
Egg whites
-
Anything else
on the page that you think your cat might like
If you are in
other countries, it may not be so easy to find suitable baby food, but
check
Persuading Your Cat to Eat for alternatives.
Pharmacy: Items to Help
Your Cat Feel Better
You may not
need all these items immediately, but it is worth having them in stock,
though of course do not use them without your vet's knowledge and
approval.
Health Store
Online
If you are not in a hurry, you can buy almost everything you need online. This saves you time
(which you can spend with your cat) and effort hunting down what you need,
and it may also be cheaper. The following are usually easier to find
online:
Where To Buy
Local Suppliers
You can use
local pharmacies, pet shops, supermarkets and health food stores. I do
like the concept of supporting local businesses wherever possible. In
particular, it often makes sense to obtain subcutaneous fluids supplies
locally in order to avoid the high shipping costs of these heavy items.
If you are in
the USA, it is always
worth going to
GoodRx
to check local prices of the items you are looking for. Also look into
using
discount cards in the USA, which can save you money.
Online
Suppliers
Many people do
find it easier to buy their supplies online, particularly if they can do
one-stop shopping and then place repeat orders quickly.
Here are some
suppliers which members of Tanya's CKD Support Group use. Please also
see
Obtaining Supplies Cheaply for other suppliers in the USA, UK and
Canada..
Amazon
Amazon is a
treasure trove of supplies, and can be particularly useful if you have
Prime membership, because you will get fast, free shipping on items sold by Amazon
itself.
Amazon
UK will often ship to other European countries.
Chewy
Chewy
Chewy in the USA has an amazing reputation for customer service. I have
only ever heard good things about this company (though do not trust any dry matter analysis data they give
you; it is often wrong).
Chewy has a
wide variety of goods at good prices, free shipping on orders over US$49
(only US$4.95 otherwise) and an excellent returns policy.
Thriving Pets
Thriving Pets
An online animal-focused pharmacy that has been running for over fifteen
years, Thriving Pets
stocks many of the supplies you need to care for a CKD cat, so you can do
one-stop shopping. They will ship to certain other countries,
though you will have to pay a US$10 Customs Paperwork
Fee plus shipping. Free ground shipping is available for orders
over US$100 within the USA.
If you enter
"tanya" (without the ") in the discount code box, you will receive a
5%
discount on orders over US$100. Items that need to be shipped chilled do
not count towards this promotion.
I get mixed
reports about Thriving Pets. They do have some fans who have used them for
years with no problems. However, some
of their prices are not too good, they go through phases of being very
slow to respond to enquiries, and they sometimes take a while to tell you
a product is out of stock, which is not helpful if you need it urgently. I
would recommend calling and checking availability before you order in such cases.
Emergency Supplies
Some people live in disaster-prone areas. Even if you don't, you never
know what might happen. One Sunday afternoon, when I was alone in our
apartment, a firefighter knocked on the door and told me to get ready to
evacuate. You can imagine my reaction when I realised I was expected to
single-handedly carry three cats
down from the 42nd floor! Fortunately they were able to control the
fire, but I
gave serious thought to this matter after that.
If you are
likely to have to get your cats out of your home in a hurry, have clean pillow cases to hand, one per cat. You put your cat inside
one and knot the top. Not ideal, but this would have been the only way I
could have carried three cats down 42 flights of narrow emergency steps by
myself. Otherwise you need a soft-sided carrier per cat.
Will you be coming home to your dogs tonight?
(2013) is a helpful article about dealing with unexpected absences
from home.
Road iD
sells various ID tags on which you can mention that you have cats
at home. I use roadID myself and find it very reassuring.
Disaster
Supplies
If you do live
in a place where you might have to leave in a hurry, here are the items I
would suggest you keep ready:
-
Aluminium
blankets for warmth.
-
Batteries and
torches (flashlights), including a head worn model.
-
A small litterbox
(e.g. aluminium turkey roasting trays), and spare litter.
-
Wet wipes,
toilet paper and paper towels.
-
Your own and
your cats' medical records.
-
Phone chargers,
and ideally a spare PAYG phone.
Saving the whole family
(2018) The American Veterinary Medical Association is a brochure
about steps to take to protect your feline family.
Back to Page Index
This page last updated: 23 June 2025
Links on this page last checked: 23 June 2025
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