Sensitive Stomach formulas?

My cousins just moved away, leaving their cat with my mom. The poor kitty has Issues. The main one is that he throws up, a LOT. He's always been this way. The only thing that keeps him from barfing constantly is using a Sensitive Stomach formula---usually Science Diet, Iams, or Purina ONE. They dropped off a bag of Purina ONE this time. He can't have any other kind of kibble or canned food without barfing.

So. . .what better brands could we try that might have the same effect as the Sensitive Stomach foods? What's in those formulas that keep him from barfing anyway? My mom's cats were on Chicken Soup Hairball/Senior the last time he was at her house, and that didn't work for him. She would prefer a kibble that all the younger cats could eat (the old cats are on all canned). I guess Purina ONE isn't too bad, but if there's a better one I'd rather point her in that direction. And is there an additive we could put in his canned food that would help? Poor barfy Boots.

Um, I know the Purina ONE has soy. . .I was reading the label earlier, let me find the websites. . .

Purina ONE Sensitive Systems:
Turkey, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, turkey by-product meal, oat meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), dried egg product, whole grain corn, animal liver flavor, soybean oil, phosphoric acid, calcium carbonate, caramel color, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, taurine, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, . . .etc.

Iams Digestive Care:
Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Chicken, Brewers Rice, Corn Grits, Dried Beet Pulp, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Fructooligosaccharides, Dried Egg Product, Sodium Bisulfate, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride. . .etc.

Science Diet Sensitive Stomach:
Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Pork Meal, Dried Egg Product, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken Liver Flavor, Oat Fiber, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Vitamin E Supplement, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, vitamins. . .etc. (ugh, this one's terrible. I won't consider this an option)

He's done fine on all of those. The foods he's tried while here (in the past) and did not do well on were:

Chicken Soup adult:
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Turkey meal, white rice, potatoes, oatmeal, millet, natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, ocean fish meal, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, egg product, methionine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate. . .etc.

Chicken Soup hairball/senior:
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, turkey meal, white rice, powdered cellulose, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, oatmeal, millet, natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, ocean fish meal, flaxseed, egg product, potassium chloride, methionine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate. . .etc.

And I think Nutro Max Cat Adult Salmon flavor:
Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Rice, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Ground Whole Wheat, Natural Flavors, Salmon Meal, Salmon Protein Concentrate, Yeast Culture, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Menhaden Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Dried Cranberry, Ferrous Sulfate. . .etc.

Hmm, yeah, Authority doesn't look too bad:
Turkey, Turkey Meal, Brewers Rice, Oat Groats, Salmon Meal, Poultry Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Rice Flour, Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Fructooligosaccharides, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamin Mononitrate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 supplement, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine.

I might recommend that one. I wonder if it comes in the big bags? Probably not (ETA: haha, nope. It's right on the website---only in 4-pound and 8-pound bags. Oh well).

It's not a big deal that the Authority doesn't come in the big bags. . .it's just more cost-effective that way so I was hoping. Authority is usually about the same price as the special formula Purina ONE in the smaller bags, so I'll probably grab a bag next time I'm at Petsmart and see how he does. But it doesn't have corn, do you really think that's a big factor? It also doesn't have wheat so if that's the problem it might work.

The ProPlan looks pretty similar to the ONE, but with lamb instead of turkey. I wonder how he'd do with lamb.

Do you think Purina Naturals would work? I know my cousin tried a few different foods before settling on the Sensitive formulas, but I don't know if that was one of them (she was living in a really small town and options were very limited). Might be worth a try, though if the ONE is working I don't know if there's a point in making a lateral switch.

Well, yeah, me too, but as sharky pointed out, it IS a common link between the foods he does well on, so maybe he needs corn so as not to throw up. He, of course, could stay on the ONE indefinitely (whatever works!), but I would rather have the other cats on something better, and it's best for that household if all the cats are on the same food. So I am going to try the Authority because it looks the best of the Sensitive formulas. Hopefully he'll do well on that.

Are there any canned foods with corn? LOL, probably not. I wonder if a tiny bit of grits mixed in would settle his tummy. Or oat bran or something like that.

Yeah, I thought of that. But it seems like he should get SOME canned food, ya know? He's not a healthy cat in general (he had a bad start in life), and it would be nice to keep him looking halfway decent (he's so skinny!). And I bet his kidneys aren't in great shape. Once he settles in I might take him in for bloodwork.

I don't know. . .I've never looked. I'll check the usual stores and their website. Is there a particular formula you had in mind?