Food for sensitive cat? (long)

My cat Emily has been having more and more problems with diarrhea and
occasional vomiting of her food as the years go on, especially this past
year. She's fourteen now. I've had her to three vets. The only food I've
found so far she can eat is Fancy Feast trout feast. I've unsuccessfully
tried about ten other Fancy Feast flavors. What I do is feed her the food
I'm testing exclusively for two days, one food a week, watching her BMs up
to two days afterwards. Usually the diarrhea shows up the second or third
day after introducing it. The problem is, I'm not sure of whether it's the
new food or change in diet. Very frustrating. I'm pretty sure it's the food
as reactions vary. Maybe I should try another brand but I trust Purina -
they didn't have to recall like most of the other pet food makers when the
Chinese wheat gluten(?) caused so many problems some years ago, IIRC. The
seafood feast in gravy seemed to be ok, but a week or two later I tried
plain seafood feast and she very quickly had diarrhea the first day. I'm
reluctant to try the gravy type again - ingredients seem to be much the
same.

I've tried probiotics from the vet but she won't eat food it is sprinkled
on.

FWIW, I feed her three times a day - when I eat

The most recent vet suggested Nature's Best dry food. I tried a quarter cup
of the ocean fish and brown rice one morning. She threw it up a few minutes
after trying it and was sick, would eat very little, and had problems with
every food then for three or four days. Maybe coincidence? I've not dared
to try it again.

The dry Iams probiotic started giving her diarrhea, only fed quarter cup
once a day. A whole bag previously it didn't bother her.

She is strictly an inside cat and I no longer give her table scraps - just
the cat food.

I'm afraid Purina will stop making trout feast and I'll have nothing to
feed her so am trying my best to find alternatives she can eat.

I've had six or so cats previously and never had feeding problems, even in
their old age.

Several vets suggested staying away from lamb and beef. She seems to also
react badly to turkey. I've not tried shellfish yet.

Suggestions? Brands? I've heard good things about Wellness but have not
tried it.

TIA

Ken


--
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always
remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner

25 Apr 2010 17:06:51 GMT from KenK :

Wow - this is a tricky problem, and I won't pretend to have "the
answer".

She is strictly an inside cat and I no longer give her table scraps - just
the cat food.

Is there a reason you don't give her table scraps? I'd think a
little poached salmon or other gently cooked fish would work for her.
Again, I'm just guessing here.

Does she eat that cat grass?

Suggestions? Brands? I've heard good things about Wellness but have
not tried it.

My vet recommended Wellness - the wet, not the dry. Milo loves it.
There are a few little bits of what looks like cooked carrot, but
it's grain free. They make different flavors, so you could try small
cans of different ones and see if she'll eat it and how her tummy
responds.

EVO was also recommended by my vet, and it's also grain free. Milo
eats it, though it's not his favorite.

Good luck. It's hard with an older cat, and I think you're right
that when you change food it might be the change itself that is the
problem.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Stan has some good suggestions.

First, NO dry food. If your cat has food allergies, there are too many
questionable ingredients in any dry food.

You need to try a grain-free, fish free wet food (fish can be a common
allergen). Wellness has chicken, turkey, and chicken and beef wet that
is grain free. Innova Evo has chicken, turkey, duck, and venison that
are grain free. Nature's Variety has some grain-free wet also.

You can also try a commercially-prepared raw diet. A number of
varieties are available. Do your homework and check the ingredients
and instructions on their web site.

Also, I would suggest feeding 2 x/day about 12 hours apart. Warm the
food a bit before feeding (cats eat based on smell, and since your
girl is older, her sense of smell might be diminished).

You can buy probiotics at a health-food store and mix them into her
food. She shouldn't even know they are in there. Make sure to buy ones
that don't have dairy (another possible allergen).

KenK I would suggest getting Emily on a good quality canned food and
don't change it. My cats eat Wellness chicken. Constant changing of
food can cause all sorts of problems. Some companies keep changing
their formulas (Nutro for example) so avoid these. The use of canned
food can help prevent URIs.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

Rene wrote in news:fa3d30d9-b488-4c36-90a0-
:

You need to try a grain-free, fish free wet food (fish can be a common
allergen). Wellness has chicken, turkey, and chicken and beef wet that
is grain free. Innova Evo has chicken, turkey, duck, and venison that
are grain free. Nature's Variety has some grain-free wet also.



Can't find any of these where I live. We only have Petsmart and Walmart,
Target, etc. with much cat food. I called Wellness but their only store
here only has dry cat food. They will order for me but I have no idea what
flavor to order - I only wanted a few cans to try out.

Ken


--
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always
remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner

Stan Brown wrote in
t:

Does she eat that cat grass?

Nope.

My vet recommended Wellness - the wet, not the dry. Milo loves it.
There are a few little bits of what looks like cooked carrot, but
it's grain free. They make different flavors, so you could try small
cans of different ones and see if she'll eat it and how her tummy
responds.

EVO was also recommended by my vet, and it's also grain free. Milo
eats it, though it's not his favorite.

None of these are available here. The only place that sells Wellness only
has dry. They'll order canned but I don't know what flavor to order to
try out.

Ken




--
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always
remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner

Can't find any of these where I live. We only have Petsmart and Walmart,
Target, etc. with much cat food. I called Wellness but their only store
here only has dry cat food. They will order for me but I have no idea what
flavor to order - I only wanted a few cans to try out.

Try calling Wellness and ask if they will mail you a few cans to try.
Ask for chicken and turkey flavors to start with.

Do you have a Petco? They also sell Wellness

Try looking up local pet stores in your yellow pages. They will
usually sell these premium brands instead of the lower-grade brands
chain stores tend to sell.

MaryL, a regular on this board, has ordered food online. I hope she
chimes in. I can't remember the store, but they do have good sales.

26 Apr 2010 17:52:40 GMT from KenK :

Rene wrote in news:fa3d30d9-b488-4c36-90a0-
:

You need to try a grain-free, fish free wet food (fish can be a common
allergen). Wellness has chicken, turkey, and chicken and beef wet that
is grain free. Innova Evo has chicken, turkey, duck, and venison that
are grain free. Nature's Variety has some grain-free wet also.



Can't find any of these where I live. We only have Petsmart and Walmart,
Target, etc. with much cat food. I called Wellness but their only store
here only has dry cat food. They will order for me but I have no idea what
flavor to order - I only wanted a few cans to try out.

Ken,

Go to froogle.google.com -- there are LOTS of online retailers.
Unfortunately buying just a few cans is not very economical, but it
is possible.

Cans come in two sizes: about 5 oz (tuna-fish-can size) and about 13
oz (Campbell-Chunky-Soup size). As you might expect, the latter are
more expensive in absolute terms but cheaper by the ounce.

I found good case prices -- around $27 for twelve of the large cans.
But a case is $30 at the local Agway, and I figured by the time I
paid shipping it would be pretty much a push.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

26 Apr 2010 17:54:59 GMT from KenK :
None of these are available here. The only place that sells Wellness only
has dry. They'll order canned but I don't know what flavor to order to
try out.

DON'T buy the dry. I tried it, but Milo gained a couple of pounds on
it in a couple of weeks. It's the old [problem: too much
carbohydrate per protein.

Salmon/shrimp/crab and Salmon/beef are two flavors of the wet food
that Milo likes. But I doubt your retailer will order individual
cans for you. You might ask about a case price -- if it's more than
$30 you can definitely do better on the Internet.

If you buy a case and your little buddy doesn't thrive on it after a
few days, you can always donate the unopened cans to a shelter or a
vet -- they'll be gratefully received because Wellness cans are good
stuff.



--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

(---MIKE---) wrote in news:14891-4BD5C944-1532
@storefull-3173.bay.webtv.net:

KenK I would suggest getting Emily on a good quality canned food and
don't change it. My cats eat Wellness chicken. Constant changing of
food can cause all sorts of problems. Some companies keep changing
their formulas (Nutro for example) so avoid these. The use of canned
food can help prevent URIs.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')



As I've related in other messages, good canned cat food is hard to come
by in my small city (~100K).

I try to feed her only Fancy Feast trout feast; the other foods I try
weekly or so are to try to find another food she can eat in case I can't
get the trout. Seems I was right, Walmart hasn't had the trout in a week
- maybe they dropped it. Petsmart doesn't carry that flavor. Nor Target.
sigh The Fancy Feast tuna feast in gravy seems to only give her soft
BMs (about halfway between diarrhea and normal) so I may have to switch
to it if the trout doesn't turn up by this weekend when I will run out.

Ken




--
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always
remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner