If your cat has been diagnosed with kidney disease, chances are you already know that it's a serious illness. There is no current cure for kidney disease in cats, but there are things you can do to extend their lifespan and improve their quality of life. Feline acupuncture is one of those things. If your cat has never had acupuncture before, here are three things you should know going into your first treatment.

No Kidney Insertion

When you visit your cat's new acupuncturist, the first thing the two of you will do is go over your cat's medical history. Once the kidneys come up, chances are your acupuncturist will focus their treatment on your cat's kidneys. However, that doesn't mean that a needle will be placed in or near your cat's kidneys.

Acupuncture is designed to change the flow of energy in the body. Your acupuncturist will place needles in something called an energy meridian. The easiest way to think about this is like a vein that moves energy instead of blood from place to place in the body. Your acupuncturist will use these meridians and won't need to needles anywhere near your cat's kidneys.

Kidneys in TCM

In western medicine, it's known that the kidneys are responsible for filtering the body's blood and keeping toxins to a minimum. However, in traditional Chinese medicine, that's not all that the kidneys do.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the kidneys are responsible for many different functions in the body. For example, kidneys are responsible for keeping bones strong and for supporting the senses of the body, like hearing. Most importantly, kidneys store something called prenatal Qi, which is energy that your cat is born with and carries through their life. All of these aspects of your cat's life can be improved with kidney acupuncture, so you may see major improvements in your cat's demeanor.

What To Expect

Getting your cat treated with acupuncture is a pretty simple endeavor. After learning about your cat, your acupuncturist will go to work. They'll carefully insert hair-width needles into your cat's body in places along the energy meridians leading to your cat's kidneys. They may gently twist the needles once they're in place. Depending on your cat's condition, your vet will leave the needles in for a while while the energy flow is altered.

Chances are your cat won't experience any pain from acupuncture. The needles are extremely fine, and most acupuncturist stick to parts of a cat's body that have fewer nerve endings to detect pain, like in the scruff of the neck.

Getting acupuncture for your cat's kidneys can potentially improve their life. Talk to a vet or pet acupuncturist if you've never gotten acupuncture for your cat before to find out how you can start. Click here for more information.