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- Nov 15, 2014
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Hi everyone!
I have been trying to solve a mystery of my cat's loose stools for a while now. I posted on another thread, but I wanted to get some opinions on potato and potato starch in foods and whether, over time, they could possibly be the culprit. I have 3 cats. The other two have had no issues, other than constipation when I tried to give them the Iams low-residue and Royal Canin Special 33 I was trying with the cat with the loose stools (they eat mostly wet and just a bit of the dry to carry them in between wet feedings and they are not free fed that kibble--it is hand fed a few at a time).
The cat has been to the vet and was dewormed, just in case, as they sample was not that great. A round of Flagyl with some Fortiflora helped, but only until it was out of his system. The vet said to change nothing in the diet in order to evaluate. The canned I was using before we went to the vet was Fancy Feast Classic Chicken, Fancy Feast Classic Turkey, Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken, and Weruva Quick and Quirky. However, before we ever went to the vet, I did try to do some trials with other wet foods. I thought he might have had better stools (they were never pure diarrhea, just pudding/soft) on duck (think I was trying Blue Wilderness canned), but to be honest, it was hard for me to believe it was a protein intolerance, since I fed nothing but boiled chicken for a day, and there was no diarrhea. When this all started, the small amount of dry was Blue Basics Grain Free Turkey and Potato.
So, his diarrhea is better (nearly to the point of constipation) with the Iams low-residue or the Royal Canin 33. I think he has less constipation on the RC 33, but I am wondering if that is just because the grains, especially the corn, are just drying--which is not the answer to the problem, just a Band-Aid, in my opinion.
Anyway, the loose stool seems to come and go now. I confess to adding a few kibbles of his old turkey and potato to the RC 33 to try to mitigate the constipation and get regular stools. I only did that one day, though. I am just thinking of how the Weruva has potato starch and the Blue Basics has like a lot of potato.
Has anyone here has ever had a cat sensitive to potato and potato starch? So many people here have found that switching proteins really helped, but again, boiled chicken seems fine to this cat. When I took him to the vet, I actually had him on only Weruva Paw Lickin Chicken, since it has such limited ingredients, and of course, he had loose stools at that time. I can't help but wonder if the potato could be an issue, but a search here did not bring up a ton of threads even mentioning potato sensitivity. They have been on the Blue Basic with the Turkey and Potato for about 2 years, and they are all 4. I am guessing they probably split 1/4 cup amongst the three of them in a day. They actually were on only Fancy Feast Classics (chicken, turkey, and beef) with the Blue Basics when I discovered the loose stools. The Weruva came out of some trials, and it was the only other food all cats would eat that I tried (and I tried a ton). At this point, I am not so worried about them all eating the same thing any more. If this one cat cannot have something, I will have to work with that.
Since they were on FF when it started, I have also questioned the artificial color in the Fancy Feast Chicken. I did not think the chicken did, but I read the label again and see "added color." I am guessing if it was natural, it would say natural color. The Beef and Turkey do not list "added color" but have artificial flavors. Of course, the beef has sodium nitrite--yuck.
Whatever I do, I want any trial to be slow. I tend to get frustrated and want to try a new can of food and then, if the loose stools are there in 24 hours, I discount that new food. In research, I had a time finding a dry food with no grains and no potatoes. It looks like Innava Nature's Table Chicken and Turkey actually has no potatoes. Anybody have any experience with this food? It is pretty high in protein, so I would definitely have to do a slow introduction mixing with RC 33. I was planning on sending DH to the store today, so I am trying to decide what to buy.
All suggestions are welcome. Sorry for the novel. I get wordy. I do appreciate any feedback!
I have been trying to solve a mystery of my cat's loose stools for a while now. I posted on another thread, but I wanted to get some opinions on potato and potato starch in foods and whether, over time, they could possibly be the culprit. I have 3 cats. The other two have had no issues, other than constipation when I tried to give them the Iams low-residue and Royal Canin Special 33 I was trying with the cat with the loose stools (they eat mostly wet and just a bit of the dry to carry them in between wet feedings and they are not free fed that kibble--it is hand fed a few at a time).
The cat has been to the vet and was dewormed, just in case, as they sample was not that great. A round of Flagyl with some Fortiflora helped, but only until it was out of his system. The vet said to change nothing in the diet in order to evaluate. The canned I was using before we went to the vet was Fancy Feast Classic Chicken, Fancy Feast Classic Turkey, Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken, and Weruva Quick and Quirky. However, before we ever went to the vet, I did try to do some trials with other wet foods. I thought he might have had better stools (they were never pure diarrhea, just pudding/soft) on duck (think I was trying Blue Wilderness canned), but to be honest, it was hard for me to believe it was a protein intolerance, since I fed nothing but boiled chicken for a day, and there was no diarrhea. When this all started, the small amount of dry was Blue Basics Grain Free Turkey and Potato.
So, his diarrhea is better (nearly to the point of constipation) with the Iams low-residue or the Royal Canin 33. I think he has less constipation on the RC 33, but I am wondering if that is just because the grains, especially the corn, are just drying--which is not the answer to the problem, just a Band-Aid, in my opinion.
Anyway, the loose stool seems to come and go now. I confess to adding a few kibbles of his old turkey and potato to the RC 33 to try to mitigate the constipation and get regular stools. I only did that one day, though. I am just thinking of how the Weruva has potato starch and the Blue Basics has like a lot of potato.
Has anyone here has ever had a cat sensitive to potato and potato starch? So many people here have found that switching proteins really helped, but again, boiled chicken seems fine to this cat. When I took him to the vet, I actually had him on only Weruva Paw Lickin Chicken, since it has such limited ingredients, and of course, he had loose stools at that time. I can't help but wonder if the potato could be an issue, but a search here did not bring up a ton of threads even mentioning potato sensitivity. They have been on the Blue Basic with the Turkey and Potato for about 2 years, and they are all 4. I am guessing they probably split 1/4 cup amongst the three of them in a day. They actually were on only Fancy Feast Classics (chicken, turkey, and beef) with the Blue Basics when I discovered the loose stools. The Weruva came out of some trials, and it was the only other food all cats would eat that I tried (and I tried a ton). At this point, I am not so worried about them all eating the same thing any more. If this one cat cannot have something, I will have to work with that.
Since they were on FF when it started, I have also questioned the artificial color in the Fancy Feast Chicken. I did not think the chicken did, but I read the label again and see "added color." I am guessing if it was natural, it would say natural color. The Beef and Turkey do not list "added color" but have artificial flavors. Of course, the beef has sodium nitrite--yuck.
Whatever I do, I want any trial to be slow. I tend to get frustrated and want to try a new can of food and then, if the loose stools are there in 24 hours, I discount that new food. In research, I had a time finding a dry food with no grains and no potatoes. It looks like Innava Nature's Table Chicken and Turkey actually has no potatoes. Anybody have any experience with this food? It is pretty high in protein, so I would definitely have to do a slow introduction mixing with RC 33. I was planning on sending DH to the store today, so I am trying to decide what to buy.
All suggestions are welcome. Sorry for the novel. I get wordy. I do appreciate any feedback!