Chronic kidney disease in cats
Chronic kidney disease is one of the commonest conditions of older cats and is managed, not cured: a kidney diet, fluids, blood pressure control, treating nausea and protein loss, and phosphate binders. Most of the medicines are human generics a pharmacy fills; the diet and fluids are the other recurring costs.
What it is
Cats’ kidneys lose function slowly with age, and the signs, drinking and urinating more, weight loss, poor coat and reduced appetite, appear only after much of the function is gone. Blood tests (creatinine and SDMA), urine tests and blood pressure confirm and stage it. Dogs develop the same disease less often.
Treatment aims to slow progression and keep the cat comfortable, and cats often live well for years after diagnosis. The stage guides what is done: a prescription kidney diet is the single most effective intervention, with extra water from wet food or fountains; subcutaneous fluids at home for dehydration; medicines for the complications as they appear. Regular rechecks adjust the plan.
How it is treated
High blood pressure is common and treated with amlodipine, a human generic, to protect the eyes, brain and kidneys. Protein loss in the urine is treated with benazepril or, more recently, telmisartan, which is now approved as a veterinary product for cats. Nausea and poor appetite are treated with maropitant (Cerenia), ondansetron, famotidine or omeprazole, and mirtazapine, a human antidepressant used as an appetite stimulant, available as a transdermal ointment for cats.
Phosphate binders (aluminium hydroxide, lanthanum, calcium-based products) control the raised phosphate that drives progression when diet alone is not enough. Potassium supplements correct low potassium. Anaemia in late disease can be treated with hormone injections at the clinic. Dental care and treating urinary infections matter throughout.
What an owner pays cash for
A cat with kidney disease costs its owner a prescription diet every month, periodic blood and blood pressure checks, and a changing list of medicines, most of which are cheap human generics: amlodipine, benazepril, famotidine, omeprazole and ondansetron are filled by any pharmacy for mostly dispensing fees, and cat-sized doses are often a split human tablet rather than a compounded product. The veterinary products, telmisartan for cats, Cerenia, mirtazapine ointment and fluids, come from the vet or a pharmacy that stocks them. Compounded liquids are a convenience with a price.
The medicines, one guide each
- TelmisartanPharmacy can fill
Telmisartan is an angiotensin receptor blocker approved for cats as Semintra, an oral liquid for high blood pressure, and used for protein loss in the urine with kidney disease. The human tablets are the same drug, and a pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for them where the dose allows.
- Benazepril and enalaprilPharmacy can fill
Benazepril and enalapril are ACE inhibitors used in dogs with heart failure and in dogs and cats with kidney disease and protein loss in the urine. Veterinary versions exist, but the human generics are the same drugs and are what most pharmacies dispense on a vet’s prescription.
- MirtazapinePharmacy can fill
Mirtazapine is a human antidepressant that vets use as an appetite stimulant and anti-nausea drug in cats, especially those with kidney disease, and in dogs that will not eat. A veterinary ointment rubbed on the ear is approved for cats; the human tablets are the same drug and a pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for them.
- Famotidine and omeprazolePharmacy can fill
Famotidine and omeprazole reduce stomach acid in dogs and cats with vomiting, reflux, ulcers or kidney disease, and omeprazole treats gastric ulcers in horses. Both are human generics also sold over the counter, so for most pets they are among the cheapest prescriptions there are.
- Maropitant (Cerenia)Vet-only
Cerenia (maropitant) is the leading anti-nausea medicine in veterinary practice, used for vomiting from any cause, for motion sickness in dogs and around surgery and chemotherapy. It is a veterinary-only drug with no human equivalent, so it is sold through vets and pharmacies that stock veterinary products.
- OndansetronPharmacy can fill
Ondansetron is a human anti-nausea drug that vets use in dogs and cats for vomiting from chemotherapy, kidney disease, pancreatitis and other causes, often when maropitant (Cerenia) is unavailable or not enough. It is a cheap generic that any pharmacy can fill.
Questions for your vet
- What stage is my cat at, and what does that mean for the plan?
- Which diet, and how do I get a reluctant cat to eat it?
- Does my cat need blood pressure or urine protein treatment?
- What can we do about nausea and appetite?
- Can the medicines be written for human generics, and can tablets be split rather than compounded?
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for your pet’s prescription
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your your pet’s prescription prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual
- FDA Approved Animal Drug Products (Green Book)
- American Veterinary Medical Association
Written by the Script Unlock editorial team from the sources above. Not yet reviewed by a veterinarian. Last checked 2026-10-03. Your vet\u2019s diagnosis and plan come first; nothing here replaces them.
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.