Farmina Vet Life Renal Feline Formula Dry Cat Food | Veterinary Prescription Kidney Diet | Restricted Phosphorus, Omega-3 & High-Quality Protein for CKD | 2kg

VETERINARY PRESCRIPTION DIET — Feed only under veterinary supervision and prescription. This diet is formulated for cats diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or other renal conditions. Do not feed to healthy cats or cats without a confirmed renal diagnosis — the restricted protein content is not appropriate for healthy adult or growing cats. Transition gradually from the current diet over 7–10 days to minimise digestive upset and improve acceptance. If the cat refuses the food, consult your veterinarian before reverting to a standard diet — maintaining appropriate nutritional intake is critical in CKD cats prone to cachexia and muscle wasting. Ensure fresh water is always available — CKD cats have impaired urinary concentrating ability and require generous water intake to minimise uraemic toxin accumulation. Keep out of reach of children. Store in a cool, dry place; reseal bag tightly after each use.

Farmina Vet Life Renal Feline Formula Dry Cat Food | Veterinary Prescription Kidney Diet | Restricted Phosphorus, Omega-3 & High-Quality Protein for CKD | 2kg

Farmina Vet Life Renal Feline Formula is an FEDIAF-compliant veterinary prescription dry cat food formulated by Farmina Pet Foods (Italy) specifically for adult cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at IRIS (International Renal Interest Society) Stages 1–4. The diet addresses the three primary nutritional strategies proven to slow CKD progression and reduce uraemic clinical signs in cats: (1) phosphorus restriction — the most evidence-based dietary intervention in feline CKD, directly reducing hyperphosphataemia-driven secondary renal hyperparathyroidism (SRHP) and renal mineralisation; (2) high-quality, moderately restricted protein — providing essential amino acids for lean body mass maintenance while minimising nitrogenous waste (urea, creatinine) production; (3) Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation (EPA + DHA) — reducing intraglomerular hypertension and renal inflammatory cytokine production. The diet is enriched with potassium, B-vitamins (lost via polyuria), and antioxidants (Vitamin E, Vitamin C), and is formulated to be highly palatable to combat the hyporexia and nausea characteristic of uraemic cats. Feed as directed by a veterinarian.

Key Nutritional Strategies & Evidence Base

• Phosphorus restriction (primary renal diet intervention): In cats with CKD, progressive nephron loss reduces the kidney’s capacity to excrete dietary phosphorus (Pi) into the urine → serum phosphorus rises (hyperphosphataemia); hyperphosphataemia stimulates parathyroid chief cells to secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH) → secondary renal hyperparathyroidism (SRHP); elevated PTH: (a) drives bone resorption (osteitis fibrosa cystica) releasing calcium and phosphorus from bone → further worsens hyperphosphataemia in a self-perpetuating cycle; (b) directly acts as an uraemic toxin on multiple organ systems including the cardiovascular system (PTH-mediated cardiomyocyte calcium overload → systemic hypertension) and the nervous system; additionally, hyperphosphataemia promotes soft tissue mineralisation including renal tubular and interstitial calcium-phosphate crystal deposition (nephrocalcinosis) → accelerated tubular injury and interstitial inflammation; furthermore, excess phosphorus stimulates renal FGF-23 (fibroblast growth factor 23) secretion from osteocytes: FGF-23 reduces CYP27B1 (1α-hydroxylase) activity in the remaining functional proximal tubular cells → reduced conversion of 25-(OH)D3 to active Calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2D3) → Calcitriol deficiency → further PTH elevation and reduced intestinal calcium absorption; dietary phosphorus restriction slows this entire cascade by reducing the phosphorus load delivered to the already-compromised remaining nephrons; target serum phosphorus in CKD cats on renal diet: IRIS Stage 1–2: <1.45 mmol/L; Stage 3: <1.61 mmol/L; Stage 4: <1.94 mmol/L; Farmina Vet Life Renal Feline achieves phosphorus restriction via: (a) controlled total dietary phosphorus content (restricted % DM); (b) use of highly digestible ingredients that reduce undigested phosphorus reaching the colon (colonic bacteria ferment undigested protein → releases additional Pi); intestinal phosphate binders (calcium carbonate, lanthanum carbonate, aluminium hydroxide) may be added by veterinarian if dietary restriction alone is insufficient to achieve serum phosphorus targets
• High-quality, moderately restricted protein: Cats are obligate carnivores with uniquely high constitutive protein metabolic requirements — they cannot downregulate hepatic aminotransferases (ALT, AST) and urea cycle enzymes (argininosuccinate synthetase, ornithine transcarbamylase, arginase) in response to low dietary protein as omnivores do, meaning dietary protein must supply the continuous hepatic amino acid oxidative demand; protein restriction must therefore be moderate (not severe) and high-quality — complete amino acid profiles with high digestibility — to meet essential amino acid requirements while minimising urea (BUN — blood urea nitrogen) production; excess dietary protein → hepatic transamination and urea cycle processing of amino acid nitrogen → urea production → elevated BUN; uraemia (accumulation of urea and other nitrogenous waste products — including creatinine, symmetric dimethylarginine SDMA, indoxyl sulphate, p-cresyl sulphate — that the diseased kidneys cannot adequately excrete) causes: uraemic gastritis and ulceration (urea → bacterial urease → NH3 in GI tract → mucosal irritation), nausea, hypersalivation, uraemic breath, anorexia, lethargy, uraemic encephalopathy, uraemic pericarditis; Farmina Vet Life Renal Feline uses carefully selected high-biological-value protein sources (poultry, fish — confirm from current Farmina product label) providing a complete essential amino acid profile (including taurine — essential in cats; cats lack the hepatic enzyme cysteine sulphinic acid decarboxylase for adequate endogenous taurine synthesis) at a restricted total protein percentage that balances uraemic toxin reduction with lean body mass preservation; note: taurine deficiency in cats causes dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and central retinal degeneration — taurine supplementation must be maintained even on restricted protein diets
• Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation (EPA + DHA from fish oil): Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA — 20:5n-3) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA — 22:6n-3) are long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) from marine fish oil with renoprotective mechanisms: (a) intraglomerular haemodynamic modulation — renal inflammation and the hyperfiltration response to nephron loss increases glomerular capillary pressure (intraglomerular hypertension) which accelerates glomerular injury and proteinuria; EPA and DHA compete with arachidonic acid (AA — 20:4n-6) for COX-2 and 5-LOX enzyme active sites: AA → pro-inflammatory 2-series prostaglandins (PGE2, TXA2 — TXA2 is a potent vasoconstrictor of the efferent arteriole, increasing intraglomerular pressure) and 4-series leukotrienes (LTB4 — potent neutrophil chemotactic agent); EPA → 3-series prostaglandins (PGE3, TXA3 — TXA3 is a weak vasoconstrictor compared to TXA2, reducing efferent arteriolar vasoconstriction and intraglomerular pressure) and 5-series leukotrienes (LTB5 — weak chemotactic activity); (b) NF-κB anti-inflammatory pathway suppression — EPA and DHA are partial agonists at GPR120 (free fatty acid receptor 4 — FFA4/FFAR4) on macrophages and renal tubular cells → β-arrestin-2-mediated anti-inflammatory signalling → reduced NF-κB-driven TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and MCP-1 production → reduced renal interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration; (c) EPA-derived E-resolvins and DHA-derived D-resolvins and protectins — specialised pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) that actively resolve established renal inflammation (distinct from simple anti-inflammatory inhibition)
• Potassium supplementation: CKD cats frequently develop hypokalaemia due to: (a) polyuria-driven renal potassium wasting — increased tubular flow rate reduces K+ reabsorption efficiency; (b) reduced dietary potassium intake secondary to hyporexia/anorexia; (c) metabolic acidosis-driven K+ shift into cells as H+ shifts extracellularly; hypokalaemia in cats causes: generalised muscle weakness and ventroflexion of the neck (polymyopathy — hypokalaemic polymyopathy is a well-recognised syndrome in CKD cats), exacerbates renal function decline (hypokalaemia stimulates renal ammonia production → complement activation → renal tubular inflammation → tubulointerstitial nephritis progression), and contributes to cardiac arrhythmia risk; Farmina Vet Life Renal Feline is supplemented with potassium (potassium citrate — which also has alkalinising activity) to prevent and correct hypokalaemia
• B-vitamin supplementation: Water-soluble B-vitamins (thiamine B1, riboflavin B2, niacin B3, pantothenic acid B5, pyridoxine B6, cobalamin B12, folate) are lost in excess urine volume in polyuric CKD cats; B-vitamin deficiency, particularly thiamine deficiency (causes Wernicke-like encepahalopathy with vestibular signs, dilated pupils, and seizures in cats — thiamine is critical for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex function and the TCA cycle) and cobalamin deficiency (impairs DNA synthesis, causes megaloblastic anaemia and peripheral neuropathy), worsen the clinical condition of CKD cats; the diet is supplemented with the full B-vitamin complex
• Alkalinising formulation (potassium citrate / sodium bicarbonate): CKD cats develop metabolic acidosis from: impaired renal H+ excretion (reduced tubular ammoniagenesis and titratable acid secretion capacity as nephrons are lost) and reduced renal bicarbonate reabsorption and regeneration; metabolic acidosis accelerates protein catabolism (stimulates the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in muscle • activates branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase), exacerbates hypokalaemia, promotes renal ammonia production → tubulointerstitial inflammation, and stimulates PTH secretion; alkalinising agents in the diet (citrate and/or bicarbonate) buffer dietary acid load, support plasma bicarbonate, and slow CKD progression

Feeding Guidelines

• Feed as the sole diet under veterinary prescription and supervision
• Transition from current diet gradually over 7–10 days — mix increasing proportions of Farmina Vet Life Renal with decreasing proportions of previous food
• Feeding amount based on body weight, body condition score (BCS), and energy requirement — follow the feeding guide on the pack or veterinarian’s specific recommendation
• Always provide unlimited fresh water — adding wet/canned food alongside dry kibble significantly increases total water intake in CKD cats (wet food is 70–80% moisture vs 8–10% in dry kibble) and is strongly recommended by the IRIS CKD guidelines
• Monitor body weight and muscle condition score (MCS) at every veterinary visit — CKD cats are at high risk of sarcopenia and cachexia; caloric intake must be maintained even if protein restriction worsens uraemia transiently
• Regular veterinary monitoring: serum creatinine, SDMA, BUN, phosphorus, potassium, bicarbonate, urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC), blood pressure — adjust diet and supplementation based on monitoring results