Just got a call from the vet. Kitty has chronic kidney disease.

[spinbaby]

17. She'll probably be with you a while yet

We've lost many cats to renal failure. It's a lingering disease that will leave your cat thirsty and peeing a lot. She may start peeing outside the litter box. She'll lose weight and become lethargic but won't be in pain.

Things we've learned:

Subcutaneous fluids help with the chronic dehydration associated with failing kidneys and make the cat more comfortable, but in our experience don't seem to prolong lifespan much.

Put out lots of bowls of water and change them often. Ice cubes are appreciated.

Many of our cats developed an obsession with butter when they had failing kidneys. I think they needed the energy in the fat.

When your cat becomes unreliable about where she pees, puppy pads are helpful.