IBD cat success!

All- Wanted to share!! Worked on a 3year old IBD cat with a vet for a year! Prescription food @58.00 for 7lbs, steroids, meds, etc....nothing worked. Given an ultimatum by my significant other- afterall- no one should live with cat feces all over the home no matter how little-, couldn't get the vet on the phone to help me, started seriously researching other possibilities on my own and fast. I found a vet site about raw diets, I tried Raw - and it worked IMMEDIATELY. The cat jumped on the food like he was wild- his stomach settled IMMEDIATELY!!! No More runny butt, no bloating and a clean house. Contacted my vet and let her know we were having success. She found me a diet she was most confortable with. We get chicken quarters at Walmart for .56 per LB!, salmon oil at Walmart, vitiamins at the drugstore. I cut up the chicken and store in rubbermaid babyfood plastic jars in the freezer. I prep once a month. I get 10-12 jar from 4 chicken leg quarters at 5-6 oz a jar. I am actually cutting him back to 4oz a day (oh- got the weight scale at Walmart too- cheap and easy to use and clean). I have added other chicken parts like gizzard, heart. And chicken liver instead of liver powder. Some folks use liver powder but my cat loves the raw liver.

It IS possible to fix some of these little guys. As long as it is just irritation and not some physical defect, don't be afraid to test this option. Afterall- they are little meat eaters. My outdoor cats ate 90% raw meat they caught and 10% dry cat food so this indoor guy is just doing what comes naturally!

I had to share because I was absolutely at wits end trying to help this absolutely Wonderful cat- he is SO cool, so well behaved, so friendly- Nap buddy, Greeter, doesn't claw anything, Super cute little guy we got from a kill shelter. No doubt someone else was also frustrated.

This is the Vet recipe we use- it is online on the vet's site. Note- I do not use eggs- they make Bo throw up. He is Strictly a cooked fish and raw or cooked chicken cat.  

Use the following ingredients - in amounts listed - per 3 pounds of raw meat/bones/skin. (calletina note: I use 4 chicken leg quarters in a single batch)

1 cup water (or, preferably, more if your cat will eat it with more water)

2 eggs - use the yolk raw but lightly cook the white

2000 mg (minimum) wild salmon or fish oil (a good source of essential fatty acids - I often use 4,000 - 6,000 mg) (calletina note- I use the pump bottle and use 4-6 squirts in 4 leg quarters -or just squirt some on the food when you serve)

400 IU (268 mg) Vitamin E (powdered E in capsules is the easiest to use) (calletina note-each capsule is 400 UI when you buy them at your local grocery store Easy to find)

50mg Vitamin B-complex (capsules or tablets) (calltina note- each capsule is 50mg when you buy them at your loca grocery store)

2,000 mg taurine (use powdered - either in capsules or loose) (I have to get these at a Whole Foods Grocery that has a specialty vitamin area- but you can find them any place that has a large variety of vitmains. Use 4 capsules when you guys the 500mg caps)

3/4 tsp Morton Lite salt with iodine when using chicken parts - see below**

(Contains potassium and sodium. Make sure that it contains iodine.)

Liver -

add 4 ounces of chicken livers per 3 lb of meat/bones/skin.

Also note- you can microwave the catfood for 2-3 seconds to partially cook it if your cat won't take straight to raw. I have one cat that won't eat raw at all. But she will eat it cooked. So just don't OVer Cook- ruins the nutrients.

And we feel cooked chicken with no seasoning as treats. Just keep em in the ****!

I hope you guys have good luck.

Here is the vet reference to help you with your research: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood  

Her name is Lisa Pierson, DVM

Don't they need some kind of calcium or ground bones? What do you do with the meat? Do you just cut it up in small pieces or do you grind it somehow? How much should an average size cat eat per day (in weight)?

I'm definitely going to try this for my IBD cat. I just hope she likes it.

Ziggy'smom said:

Don't they need some kind of calcium or ground bones? What do you do with the meat? Do you just cut it up in small pieces or do you grind it somehow? How much should an average size cat eat per day (in weight)?

I'm definitely going to try this for my IBD cat. I just hope she likes it.

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Dr Pierson's recipe calls for grinding bone-in chicken thighs. 

Calletina - I'm glad your boys IBD cleared up with raw. That is one of the most common ailments that raw feeding helps with. You might want to take a look at the Resources sticky at the top of this forum. It contains a lot of good information for new raw feeders:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240809/raw-feeding-resource-thread

Hi
I had the very same experience with my IBD kitty Bugsy...... After 14 months of daily diarrhea (caused by a course of Clavamox ofr an UTI) and trying EVERYTHING under the sun....... IMMEDIATE results with raw. And I am not joking when I say immediate - I did a slow introduction, but the day he got to 100% raw (day 8), he had solid, firm poop, tons of energy, and a whole new attitude. He is completely off meds and supplements - only on one probiotic

Raw is the BEST thing for IBD - no question about it - Good job :bigthumb:

SO glad you've had such wonderful success with using diet to help your IBD kitty!!!! Thank you for sharing!

I am so happy for you!!! I really really want my baby to be on raw too!

What kind of raw did you use?  I am worried since my cat is also prone to urinary tract infections.  Can I leave it out while working a long day?  Any tips on how to feed for working parents?

Someone posted about how they have a bowl with an integrated ice pack ring so they could leave food out longer. Other ideas are freezing chunks and the cat will eat as it thaws. Haven't tried either yet because I need to find a recipe for my cat's allergies and kidney issues, and make sonnet freezer space.

I used Dr. Pierson's recipe and I have also used Feline Pride rabbit (expensive and not dependable to get it before it thaws out). I never had to worry about leaving it out all day. Once mine started eating it, they would eat that first and have the canned food later in the day. I left mine out all day. The days I worked from home, I watched their schedules. They waited for the food to get to room temperature, then they would eat half. Then later in the day, they would come eat the rest before I would normally be arriving home. So when I got home the dishes were clean. I put down the evening feed of raw...same through the night. I always washed and thoroughly rinsed the dishes before each feeding. I used this diet for 5 years. 

Dr. Pierson's website offers all the information you need about your cat's special health issues. Always work with your vet. If your vet isn't helping, get a new vet. Some aren't good cat vets. The ones I have are Cat Vets- they get it. Raw was fine. 

Read and learn. Note- I did NOT grind my food up. I cut it into small chunks. They chewed and it cleaned their teeth. And I also used organic bone meal from Amazon. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

Water water water. And check your water is not higher PH than 7.0. Cats really need 6.5 I have read.  My vets said their bodies will bring it down to 6.5 themselves. Just avoid Ionized water, Softened water etc. The higher alkaline will mess em up. Again Work with your vet. Good luck. 

jaffacat said:

 
What kind of raw did you use?  I am worried since my cat is also prone to urinary tract infections.  Can I leave it out while working a long day?  Any tips on how to feed for working parents?

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See this thread for suggestions: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/310371/leaving-raw-food-out

There's a forum for raw diets here on TCS if you need more info: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-amp-home-cooked-cat-food

Calletina said:

...
Water water water. And check your water is not higher PH than 7.0. Cats really need 6.5 I have read.  My vets said their bodies will bring it down to 6.5 themselves. Just avoid Ionized water, Softened water etc. The higher alkaline will mess em up. Again Work with your vet. Good luck. 

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My water here is very, very hard and a bit over 7.0. Probably nothing I can do about that but put vinegar in it... and what cat would want to drink that?

If it were me and this is just me and my mode of operation, I'd get my water tested and talk to the vet to see if any of that is contributing to my cat's health issues. I had reef tanks for a while which tuned me to water quality. I learned that distilled water isn't that great for cats because there are no minerals in it. So I use the carbon filtered tap water from the fridge door. Water here tests to 6.5-7.0 and has some mineral content. There have been medical trials where the testing was done to see if hard water was a contributor to cardiovascular disease in men- it came back inconclusive. In general, the body tries to balance itself. I've experienced my share of bladder stones-both types, megacolon and severe arthritis in my cats. Luckily my current 3 guys are all sound right now. Bo was not. He could not tolerate any carbs in his food - hence raw diet. Bladder failure was what finally took him out this past Feb. But he lived 5 years with me after a rescue got him. He was comfortable and had some happy days on canned pumpkin, raw diet and plenty of water.

Here's an article that talks about IDB, Kidney and Urinary Tract Infection in cats and water. Again- a good vet and good food, should be good. Good luck!

http://feline-nutrition.org/health/diet-kidney-disease-and-the-urinary-tract

Water filters (like a brita pitcher) use ion exchange resins that exchange calcium (the mineral generally causing hardness, also raises pH) for sodium, which is also potentially not good. Carbon doesn't really do much for the hardness or pH as far as I know, just removes some other contaminants (certain types of metals and chemicals, if your water is unlucky enough to have them). The way to get really clean water is reverse ionized, but that's a lot more expensive.

Where did you get the information that cats need water of about pH 6.5? And that distilled/deionized water is bad for cats? There's plenty of ions in whatever the cat's eating to balance that out.

Good points- thanks for the info on the Brita and such- good to know. As I mentioned- I already have 7.0-6.5 ph water so I only use the fridge door carbon filter.

Here's an article about distilled. She says as long as there is a balanced diet being fed, then distilled is fine. 

http://blog.halopets.com/2010/04/05/is-distilled-or-spring-water-best-for-out-cats/

My history with PH is the result of a kitten getting bladder stones. Struvite bladder stones result when the ph of the urine is above 7.0. And Oxalate stones occur when the urine is below 6.0. My tapwater was 7.5 at that home, so I switched him to springwater. It tuned me to what PH I use on my cat's water. The alkaline urinary PH is also a kidney stone factor. Worth examining if you deal with those.

NOTE: This is all just informational. We each have to consider what we want for our pets.

http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-the-importance-of-urine-ph

This article talks about the various stones and what causes them relating to mineral content and ph: 

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2142&aid=2729

Excerpt : Feeding methods:  It is recommended that cats who are at risk for developing struvite crystals or stones should be fed ad libitum. After eating a large meal, the pH of the urine usually becomes more alkaline. By eating small meals throughout the day, the urine pH will stay more acidic.

And if you read on- you'll see the Opposite for Too acidic a PH- Oxalate. 

Here's an article about Feline Struvite that talks about PH http://www.2ndchance.info/dxme-StruviteCryst.htm

All in all, I've personally done best with the vet's advice- 6.5-7.0ph water with average mineral content. Maybe Water test if you aren't sure. And do work with your local vet who knows what is going on in the area. 

Here's a good one on the various water types and why ph above 8 can do as much damage as acidic water. Balanced water ph is key for many reasons. I would guess that based on our acidic diets, having high ph water can be a benefit.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/11/alkaline-water-interview.aspx

If my feed program is balanced with wet and dry protein sources with little carb and ash content, I seem to get the best results. Most cats do fine with just routine stuff.

Bo did not. Big water drinker but needed pumpkin and raw to stay out of the IDB woods. 

calletina , you make really good points and the links are good. As you say, it is up to each of us, consulting with our vets, to make the best choice we can.

Question:  Considered making own raw, but don't own a grinder and don't really want to buy one.

Can you really just cut the raw food into chunks?

Reba said:

 
Question:  Considered making own raw, but don't own a grinder and don't really want to buy one.

Can you really just cut the raw food into chunks?

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Some of the independently owned pet stores sell ground meat that is frozen, all you would need to add is the supplements.

I used to watch my cat Merlin catch, kill and chew a whole rabbit once. Cats can actually chew and will. lol...Bo preferred small thumbnail sized chunks. Peep liked hers a little smaller but she never missed a meal. The vet said their teeth were very clean for being 9 and 5 years old respectively. Mine did NOT like the ground up stuff- it didn't sit out well and got kind of gooey once the skin and fat was ground in with it. So I just cut up the amount of skin, used organic bonemeal and chicken meat chunks. Dr. Pierson's cats like ground and she partially cooks hers too. Mine wouldn't touch it partially cooked or completely cooked. You will certainly be experimenting. Good luck!

My benny always had tummy issues. It wasnt diagnosed but basically he always had diarrhea. So far 100% raw seems to be working. When i did 60% raw and 40% high quality canned he still got some mushy stools. Raw is the answer to mysterious tummy issues.

I started my IBD cat on raw last Sunday, about 8 days ago. When I adopted the cat, he had bloody diarrhea his night at home. The rescue place had been feeding him dry and supposedly nobody notice anything was wrong with him at the foster home or at the pet store.. it would be pretty hard to miss. After diagnosis, we changed him to a diet of Royal Canin prescription wet food and it has kept that issue under control. His stool was never ideal (but I wouldn't classify it as diarrhea) and he had a somewhat normal bathroom schedule.

His main issue moving forward was that he would throw up a little clear liquid, sometimes with large amounts of hair in it, or sometimes a brown liquid which looked like liquified wet food. 99% of the time, this occurs when I am at work. The only thing that helped was a Prednisone type shot that would last about 6 weeks (right now I am around the 6 week mark). During that time, he would re-gain any weight he had lost and he would stop shedding. It kind of seemed like the doctor's long-term plan was to keep giving him the shot every quarter for the rest of his life and to keep him on the same food. I inquired about a raw food diet when I adopted the boy but the doctor kind of changed the subject back to the prescription food.

When the shot would wear off, the vomiting would come back and he would shed more. I figured that sticking to the diet for one year was sufficient time to tell if that food was working for him. I didn't feel it was right to continue in this direction, so I decided to switch to Natures Variety raw medallion to see if raw would help.

The boy liked the food mostly right off the bat. I have been giving it to him every day since then. After 5 days, he did throw up clear liquid... then again today, both times while I was at work. Other than that, his shedding fur stopped falling out. His coat does seem shinier and healthier. He has more energy than before (though he was pretty good on energy even when sick). His prominent backbone seems to be not as prominent and he is filling out a little. I can just tell that he is different.

I have read so many posts about the amazing turn around people's cats have made so quickly after switching to raw. I am worried that my cats continued vomiting means it is not going to work for him. So my question is, has anyone switched their IBD cat to raw but only saw improvement over time? Also, our cat is used to small meals throughout the day on the weekend rather than being fed 2x per day only. This may be why he vomits only during the week and not on the weekend.  Is it possible that his stomach is being upset by acid when food is not readily available? Also thought of separation anxiety (he is very needy), but the doctor said that he has never seen a cat have separation anxiety. 

Any advice or related experiences would be greatly appreciated since I don't have a doctor to consult on this.