Sick cat

Question
Hi,
I have a 3 year old female cat who has a history of chronic diarrhea. A few days ago I noticed she was lethargic and sleeping more than usual, and was moving very slowly and as though her back legs were too heavy. During the night she urinated on my carpet without asking to go out, and the following day she had a very poor appetite, but was drinking more than usual. I was very concerned, as my cat is usually highly energetic, vocal, sociable, and eats everything in sight, whereas at this point she was withdrawn, quiet, lethargic and barely eating. She had also refrained from defecating or urinating, until that evening when she had a bowel movement that was very dark and contained some diarrhea, as well as being painful. I took her to an emergency clinic, where a full physical examination revealed nothing, and was given an appetite stimulant, which seemed to improve her greatly over the following couple of days. I was later told by my regular veterinarian to discontinue the stimulant because the diarrhea did not subside and the stimulant itself seemed to be causing her pain. I would like to have bloodwork done to get to the root of the problem, but I am financially challenged at the moment, and was wondering what you would suggest in the way of either diagnosis or treatment.

Answer
Hi Erin, I am so sorry about your cat.  This sounds like she could be in kidney failure.  I understand you don't have the money for blood work.  You can try some home-cooking for her.
Give her some cooked white chicken and rice for a few days.
After that, I can give you a cat food recipe for cats with kidney stones or kidney failure.
Kidney is just a guess on my part.... Without bloodwork, it is hard to tell.
Kidney problems tend to be a major cause of feline death.

Blessings to you!  I will keep you in my prayers.

Marie Peppers lPN MA