BLUE Basics Grain Free Formula Cat Food Sensitive Stomach--opinions?

I tried a board search and couldn't find anything about this food.  I have three cats, all of them pukers.  I have been feeding Hill's i/d but I don't think it has really reduced the vomiting, and my boy cat is almost overweight so the vet would like to see him on a lower calorie food.

I have a 7 yo male, 7 yo female, 3 yo Siamese female.  In addition to the puking, which all of them do at times, (and really I think 90% or more of it is from eating too fast b/c most of the time it looks like they threw up right after eating,) my 7 yo female may have some allergies (a couple small sores in her ears, which could be from fighting/playing with the others, and some thinned hair on her ears).  She could gain a little weight too.  No issues with my 3 yo Siamese.

Vet set me home with Royal Canin adult HP but after searching here I don't want to feed that.  She recommended avoiding fish and beef as she said these are the more common allergens.  I found this Blue Basics grain free sensitive stomach formula and am wondering what the more knowledgeable folks here think?  I did order some of those raised food bowls as well.

• Contains no corn, wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, artificial ingredients or chicken or poultry by-products

• Ingredients: deboned turkey, turkey meal, pea starch, pea protein, potatoes, pea fiber, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), peas, natural turkey flavor, flaxseed (source of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids), whole carrots, cranberries, blueberries, barley grass, dried parsley, alfalfa meal, dried kelp, taurine, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, L-lysine, turmeric, oil of rosemary, dried chicory root, beta carotene, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), d-calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), biotin (vitamin B7), folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin B12 supplement, calcium ascorbate (source of vitamin C), vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, choline chloride, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, salt, caramel, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, dried yeast (source of saccharomyces cerevisiae), dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bacillus subtilis fermentation product and dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product
• Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 30.0%, Crude Fat (min) 12.0%, Crude Fiber (max) 7.0%, Moisture (max) 10.0%, Magnesium (min) 0.1%, Taurine (min) 0.2%, Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.6%, Omega-6 Fatty Acids (min) 3.0%

Forgot to mention, neither of my 7 yo old cats will touch wet food so that's not really an option.  They've turned their noses up at it for years and don't even lick up gravy anymore when I put it out for my Siamese cat.

Hmm, too bad they won't eat canned. My cousin's kitty threw up ALL THE TIME, and even though Sensitive Stomach dry formulas helped a little bit, he still barfed a lot. Then she switched him to all canned food (not even anything good--just Special Kitty) and he doesn't barf anymore. I think dry food is a bit hard on the digestion.

Have you tried different flavors/textures of wet food?

Yes I have put out a lot of different wet foods over the years.  Even the Siamese that does eat it will only eat certain kinds.  None of them has any interest in pate.  The older two used to eat least lick up some gravy but they don't even do that anymore.  They turn down treats sometimes too, but strangely enough have seemed willing to eat any kind of dry kibble I have tried.

Hmmm... sounds like a real problem.  I have 4 cats and I found a balance for all 4 of them and I stick to it religiously.  Really too bad they won't do wet food.  It sounds like you've tried the entire gamut of wet foods too.  I think maybe a high end grain free dry might fit the bill for you. My company has yet to put out a gf cat food but there are several choices out there.   Have you considered a raw diet?  If you could convert them to raw at least you could control what is in the food.  The more I read this forum and others I belong to, the more I realize how extremely lucky I have been with my 4.  I'm subscribing to this thread to read what others say and hoping you find a good solution.
 

I'm not a fan of it, but that is because a friend of mine recently switched to the blue stuff and his cat seems to have had an allergic reaction (started to lose hair), and yes, took his baby to a Vet and found nothing. *shrugs* Now have switched to Wellness Brand Wet, and Nature's Variety Raw Medallions 2x's a week for a supplement, and getting ready to try the Wellness Blue Bag soaked w/warm water...or more raw if I can convert him. *smiles*...she started eating the Wellness and Nature's Variety Medallions and she seems like she is doing better now. Time will tell. When it comes to non-raw diets, I fed my youngest who was bottle fed, Wellness (blue bag, NOT Core, my cats won't touch that). When I transitioned my youngest Stilpho was weaned off bottled milk onto Wellness's Blue Bag (used to be Super mix). I just soaked the food in warm water until it was mushy enough, and mixed it with some milk and started him on that, slowly decreasing the amount of water, until he could chew and crunch the dry. When you say your cats won't eat wet food, have you tried putting the dry food in warm water (take a handful of dry food, put it in a bowl), after running water until warm, add enough water until about approximately 1/3 to 1/4th water, wait to serve until the food has soaked up enough water to swell and soften. You can decrease or increase the amount of water, which makes the dry food go from hard to mushy softer or harder but not fully crunchy, depending on an animal's preference. Another trick is to add tuna juice, a Vet told me garlic, or bonito flakes (dry fish flakes).I have noticed that my oldest cat has an aversion to anything with salmon in it (and even pure salmon from fillets). He will get sick/throw up after eating it. He is also sensitive to foods with higher levels of taurine in it. So, He gets no food with salmon or salmon oil and he only gets food with low or taurine levels. I am also conscious of other additives, anything with a lot of sulfur gets cut out of their diets. Because he now has issues with his kidney, I am starting him on a raw diet (once my hare-today order arrives). I feel that a raw diet might help clear up their food vomiting issues, all together. We'll see soon enough.The vomiting can often come from a cat's inability to break down the keratine (like their own hair, or prey hair) inside their stomachs. I give my boys Laxatone Catnip Flavor (to help them pass it). It isn't the best product answer, but it is better than other some options on the market. The goal always being to break down those keratine items that may be causing the cat to vomit, or have constipation. Along that vein, I have heard of feeding cats fresh/not canned teaspoon of pineapple juice (no way my cat would eat that willingly), pumpkin (maybe), or even olive oil (as a coating and then laxative). I'm still trying to figure this one out myself. Hence, my trying to move to a raw ground diet regime, in hopes that makes it easier for them to process.Good Luck! And I hope that you are able to find an answer that fits your household. My votes are: raw if you can, wellness brand blue bag, for canned (I do feed mine canned, but I don't like any of them); however, my cats will eat frisky's in slices or shreded just no pate, Fancy Feast, again no pate, Newman's Own Turkey (and that is a pate, but they eat less of it). I have tried everything canned out there from: IAMS, OLD Mother Hubbard, Science Diet, Fancy Feast, Friskey's, Winsong, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Newman's Own, KPG, etc.etc. Pretty much everything I could try. And I don't like any of them. My cats will eat some (friskey's, Fancey Feast, Newman's Own), but I still don't like them.Good Luck!

I would first have your vet look at the 7yr old female to determine if it IS allergies or not. If it is, you'll need to look for a food with limited ingredients in order to keep those under control.


Okay, now that I've said that, as far as a dry food goes, yes this is an okay food. It has nicely named protein sources first, but probably is also pretty high in carbs. For your fat cat, you don't want to feed a lower calorie Food, you just want to feed less calories. (aka give less food)

Have you ever tried sprinkling dry pieces on top of wet food? As others have mentioned, feeding wet might actually solve all 3 of your issues: puking, fat cat and skinny cat.