Update on Smokie

mizmelzy

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Sorry, it's been a while since I posted an update. I've been a busy bee since then. Thought I'd give everyone an update on Smokie.

Well I had him down to half a can of cat food a day and he was not throwing up. I went away over night a week or so ago for the 4th and he didn't throw anything up. But I was gone less than 24 hours. This time I was gone for 36 and he was completely on dry for that time and he started to throw up again. When I came home I found throw up in one of the cat litter boxes. No blood so I wasn't really worried. This morning, I heard him yowling like when he is puking. When down there, and there was blood with it. So apparently he can not be on all dry. He has to at least have 1/2 a can of wet a day. It doesn't really make sense to me at all. Because if he was allergic to the food he'd be allergic eating 3/4 of it a day.

So, not sure. But at least it's more manageable on 1/2 a can a day with dry the rest of the time. 5 cans will last me 10 days.
 

farleyv

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Wow, this has certainly been a trial and error for you and Smokie.

Hope this will be the end of his troubles. You certainly take good care of the little one. Most people wouldn't be so diligent.
 
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mizmelzy

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I have a lot of patience when it comes to my cats. And I have a feeling it's more intolerance to the dry stuff since he had been on it so long and it had been irritating his stomach. So probably now if he has at least some wet in there he's good. Maybe his stomach just isn't totally healed yet. I'll keep him on wet for about 6 months or so and see how he fairs with that. If not then at least it's only 1/2 a can a day as opposed to 2 cans. That's easier for me to afford.

I just find it confusing as to why he can have so little wet and be fine, but without it, it irritates his stomach. Weird.
 

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I hope that solves it for you. Smokie will happy if it does as I am sure all that throwing up wasn't fun for him.

I wish you continued success with your feeding regimen.
 
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mizmelzy

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Okay had him on 1/2 a can yesterday and he still threw up again this morning. Good thing, no blood. So hopefully by reinstating 1/2 a can of wet in the morning it will work itself back out. Otherwise, I'll have to go to two cans a day and completely take out the dry until his system goes back to normal and then ween him back down. It could be that once his stomach is irritated he'll keep throwing up until you take what's upsetting it out of the picture. He had been fine on 1/2 a can a day. I'm really hoping to get back to that 1/2 a can a day as I can manage that better than 2 cans a day.

I'm just baffled. I know his intolerance isn't to grains because when he was on grain free he still had intolerance to it.

So I'm going over the ingredients in wet cat food and dry to see if there is something that just isn't in canned that's in dry that could be the culprit. Then I have to hope that it's not something that has to be used to make the dry.


Does anyone else have experience with cats who have food intolerance that my have some advice?
 
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mizmelzy

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I think I may have found it. I looked in the ingredients in the Eukanuba Weight control hairball formula. I noticed Dried Beet Pulp. This has been in the last three dry foods that I have been giving him. But it's NOT in canned cat food at all. When I give him all wet he's fine again. So I'm pretty sure that's gotta be the culprit. And When looking at common cat food allergies, Beet is one of the common ones. Since I just bought a new bag of cat food about a week and a half ago. I'm going to have to limit his dry food intake and start taking it up at night and only feeding the cats twice a day again until we can get new dry food again.
 
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mizmelzy

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I called Mounds Pet Food and asked if they would take the return even though it's been opened. They said they would! So, I promptly took it back and got a different brand that didn't contain any beets or beet pulp in it. I picked up a brand that was similar to Eukanuba but seemed to have better ingredients and was about $1.49 cheaper. So with the extra money I got them some more cat toys. I hope though that he's good on this stuff.

It's called Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. I put it in their bowl and smokie sat there and started eating away like he was starving. So he seemed to LOVE it. Now lets just hope his system loves it as well. I won't know until Tuesday or Wednesday morning if it's okay with his tummy because he's had the other food in his system since this morning. So, by Wednesday I'll know.

I'll need lots of and crossing my fingers that this works!
 
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mizmelzy

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Well so far this morning no puke! It could have just been that the old food has now left his system. He's still on 1/2 can of wet a day. He seems to like the new cat food very much. They all do. I filled their bowl yesterday and it was 1/2 gone by this morning.

So far so good. I think that by Friday I will be testing him on dry food for 48 hours to see if he's okay on the food.

Will need lots of !
 

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It can be hard work finding a diet that is right for a kitty. Kudos to you for sticking with it. Good detective work with the beet issue.

I was thinking there may be a binding agent in the dry food that is bothering Smokie.

However with them all eating all that Chicken Soup food, you may be seeing some diarrhea as sudden food changes like that can cause intestinal upset. You might want to start giving them a probiotic until they are adjusted to it.
 
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mizmelzy

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Well Smokie just threw up not more than 4 minutes ago twice. There was no blood in it but there was small wad of hair about the size of a dime. The second time he threw up in the cat litter box. I praised him for that, but spoke too soon as he apparently had something to get out. There was a little more that came up. A slight tinge of pink was there not a lot. So I'm not too concerned as of yet. He ate the old stuff until about noon yesterday so he has not been off of it for even 24 hours. If he's still throwing up tomorrow I may have to start him again on all wet and then slowly work in the dry when he stops throwing up. It may just be he is sensitive to the switch in food too. I did notice a cat did have loose bowels today. Not sure which one.

Hopefully I can get this nipped in the bud soon. All though I picked him up shortly before posting this and I did notice that his breath is a little stinky too. This could be from the stomach upset though too.

Hoping this is soon over.
 

otto

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Sorry to hear this, hope it was just him trying to get the rest of the hair out. Keep us posted.
 
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mizmelzy

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I called my vet and he said that if it was the beet ingredient that was causing him to throw up, that I should see it go away in a couple of days.

Hopefully he'll stop. I thought I had it under control. If not, the vet said I could try him on some of the prescription food to see if that works.
 
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mizmelzy

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Well good news I think he's stopped throwing up. There was a small amount in a litter box yesterday morning. But he has not thrown up since that time. I didn't see any food spots in the litter boxes or on the floor in the basement. The only spot was one that seemed mostly like fluid. It was a small amount and I have one cat that will throw that up before she has a hairball. There was no digested food in it. There was some hair few strands but that could have been from the floor. I hadn't vacuumed the basement floor in two weeks so it could just be some from the floor.

I have not heard him yowl like he does when he's about to throw up for several days. So I'm hoping by the end of the week I can try him on all dry again. If he starts throwing up, then I guess he'll have to be on 1/2 can a day. Otherwise he seems happy and loves his new furry ball I bought him. He seems to love the yellow one. Races all over the house with it.
 
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mizmelzy

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This morning I woke up to the sound of smokie yowling. He threw up this morning. He had been good since Wednesday. No throwing up. Now this morning he threw up. This time it was partially digested mush. I didn't see any hair in it. Just looked a little mushy and goopy.

Hopefully this is a one time thing. If he continues to throw up. Maybe he needs 1 can a day. I just am confused how he can stop throwing up when food is switched. He was okay for about 3 or 4 weeks and only started throwing up when I started giving him all dry again. I'm pretty sure this is a food issue. It may be that he is getting older and his system can't handle dry anymore.

The only thing I have noticed is that I can feel his back bones when I pet him and his back hip bones. I weighed him and he is 9lbs. But He's been playing more now since I got the new fuzzy balls. He'll chase those around the house for 30 minutes or more.

When cats age can you start to feel bones more? My friend has a cat who is probably 12 or so and when I pet her cat I can definitely feel the bones. On her back. But Sassy is about 12-13 years old and I can't feel the bones on her back at all. And she's 7lbs. So was just wondering about that. Smokey turned 9 in may so he is getting up there in age. Or should I be concerned that maybe even at 9-10lbs maybe he's underweight for his stature?
 
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