Alternate Protein Foods

Let me give a little history before I ask about the food. Charlotte is going be four years old this summer and for the past year her fur has been getting thin on the belly but has always grown back fully. Recently, not only has the hair on her belly thinned again, but the hair on her tail, and palm sized patch above her right back leg. The fur has always grown back until this latest episode (I don't what other word to use). Nothing showed up on any previous tests my vet did. I did ask her today about Charlotte and she wonders if it might be a food allergy since most of the food the cats have been getting are chicken or beef based. I use Chicken Soup or Nutro, but I've also fed them store brands when in a pinch.

Now, onto the food. My veterinarian said to switch to a different source of protein (such as rabbit) for the next three months and see how that goes. She recommended Wellness and Innova but all I could find at Complete Petmart that didn't have chicken or beef was the Wellness Salmon (dry), so I bought that. I was looking online at the Wellness site and saw they had a number of canned and pouch food that wasn't chicken or beef (Turkey, Turkey & Salmon, Salmon & Trout, Sardine, Shrimp & Crab, Turkey & Duck, Duck & Shrimp, Tuna, Salmon & Tuna). If the switch in food doesn't help, she has a dermatologist that I can take Charlotte to and get her tested for allergies.

Has anyone dealt with anything like this?
Any suggestions or recommendations for food would be appreciated.

Most common cat allergies

Wheat , SOY , Fish


chicken , lamb, beef and corn are in the top ten

It is $$$$ to test and the tests are not IMHO the most reliable ...

What is Charlotte eating now? Forgive me if I missed it

Originally Posted by sharky

Most common cat allergies

Wheat , SOY , Fish


chicken , lamb, beef and corn are in the top ten

It is $$$$ to test and the tests are not IMHO the most reliable ...

What is Charlotte eating now? Forgive me if I missed it

Click to expand...

They (Charlotte and Everest) are usually fed Chicken Soup or Nutro. Right now they have a small bag of Meow Mix because I forgot to stop by the pet store on my way to work two nights ago.

Fish? So, maybe I shouldn't have bought the bag of Wellness Salmon?

chicken soup and nutro both have LOTS of rice... chicken soup has barley( wheats cousin) and nutro now has wheat ...

MM is not one to even talk about SO MANY issues in it


Where can you shop?

I'm not proud of buying the MM.

There is a small mom-and-pop store right down the street which is where I picked up the Nutro and Chicken Soup. The other options are Complete Petmart (which is where I bought the Wellness but they don't have a big selection of it), Petsmart, and a Jack's Aquarium & Pets. Those are the places I know of around me.

Which nutro have you been using?

does the mom and pop store have Natural balance? Solid Gold ( idago moon)? wellness simple recipe( something like that )

Nutro Max Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor. They had Wellness Simple Solutions for dogs, but I didn't see any for cats. I also didn't see Solid Gold. I have to check on Natural Balance but I want to say yes.