Chronic kidney disease affects a large proportion of senior cats and requires comprehensive welfare management balancing dietary therapy, symptom management and quality of life assessment.
Chronic kidney disease welfare management in cats requires balancing evidence-based dietary recommendations with palatability reality — a dietary prescription that the cat refuses to eat provides no medical benefit and causes welfare compromise through reduced food intake. Regular welfare assessment using validated quality of life tools enables systematic tracking of the wellbeing trajectory as disease progresses. Home subcutaneous fluid therapy can significantly extend the period of good quality of life when administered skillfully and with cat tolerance. The most important welfare skill for owners of CKD cats is recognizing when disease progression reaches the point where active treatment no longer maintains adequate quality of life — enabling timely humane euthanasia decisions.