Since eliminating carrageenan from her diet

Mazy and Queen Eva haven't had any carrageenan foods in over a year, as they clearly showed an intolerance for it, Queen Eva with diarrhea, Mazy with regurgitation. Jennie however seemed to "be okay" with it, so I decided to continue to feed her the foods already purchased that contain it, until they are gone, but I did drop them to less than 3 days a week.

I started to notice a difference between when she had gone three days without any, and when she did have a can with carrageenan (takes about 2 days to eat a whole can).

So I finally decided to just donate the rest of the carrageenan containing foods, and take her off it completely.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! Jennie is playing Solitary Games for the first time in her life. (she has been here 6 1/2 years) She has never played with toys before, but she has now adopted a toy that has gone unused for almost 8 years, as her own. She carries it around in her mouth singing (you know that unearthly yeowl they make when they do that) she chases it all over, she throws it up in the air and catches it.

It is a toy for Solitaire Games only, I am not allowed to touch it. She also has stopped scooting. She runs more. She seems to be licking her Pink Triangle less. Wouldn't it be something if she allowed that fur to grow in!

It's just one more example of how we can think our cats are "fine", and then discover after making a change for the better, how much more than "fine" they can be.

PS Jennie eats a partial PMR diet, but canned food is still about 2/3 of her daily intake.

Great news!  That is so cool that she is feeling so spunky!

That is awesome news! I really wish more foods (cat and human) were carrageenan free. I found it in one of my favorite yogurt varieties the other day.

Carrageenan in yogurt. Ugh. I avoid most ice cream now, because of the carrageenan in it. I couldn't figure out why I would feel so poorly after eating ice cream, sometimes feeling bad for several days. It didn't seem to matter what flavor or brand. Then I discovered a common ingredient in all of them but "Bryers Natural" brand. Carrageenan.

It's one of those ubiquitous ingredients like modified corn starch. Once you start looking for it, it's amazing (and discouraging) just how many products it's in.
That's great that Jennie has found a new lease on life!
What does the PMR stand for?

pushylady said:

It's one of those ubiquitous ingredients like modified corn starch. Once you start looking for it, it's amazing (and discouraging) just how many products it's in.
That's great that Jennie has found a new lease on life!
What does the PMR stand for?

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Thank you! Yes, and high frutcose corn syrup.

PMR= Prey Model Raw

Gail, that's fabulous news!

what cat food are you feeding?

They eat Stella&Chewy's freeze dried raw (chicken, duck&goose) Rad Cat frozen raw (chicken, turkey, lamb), homemade raw and By Nature Organic canned.

otto said:

It's just one more example of how we can think our cats are "fine", and then discover after making a change for the better, how much more than "fine" they can be.

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A point worth quoting!!!! I am trying to help the people who sold us the house we now just moved into with their persian/ragdoll mix. They moved to Florida and we email almost everyday. I am certain that her troubles are diet related. It is so tricky, is it not?!! It could be just one ingredient wrecking havoc on their systems. Can be a daunting task and take some detective work in finding the culprit but yes, SO worth the effort for our babies!! :rub:

There's more! Jennie's Pink Triangle is GONE!!!!!

She used to habitually lick a spot bare on her abdomen, and was in fact starting to branch out and make the spot even larger. This picture shows the Pink Triangle in it's milder form, sometimes she would get it down to bare skin and the wounds would start:


took this one yesterday!

Incredible!  What is her diet now?  Is she still eating some canned food, or is she entirely on raw?  Sorry, I can't keep up with every one

She is just so darn cute - look at that face! :lovegrin2:

Gail, that is just amazing, wonderful news!

Thanks you guys. Sally, Jennie gets By Nature Organics canned, and prey model raw. A couple times a week she gets a Stella&Chewy's meal. But that licking her pink triangle bare didn't stop until I took her completely off foods containing carrageenan (merrick before grain and by nature 95%)

Even getting them once or twice a week (I was trying not to waste the many cases of food I had left, for $ reasons), wasn't enough, so I finally just donated the cases of food I had left, and just stopped any carrageenan at all.

I continue to research other canned foods, in hopes to add something to the canned part of the rotation, always aware that manufacturers discontinue or change products without warning, but everything has something wrong with it. If it's not carrageenan it's something else, and at the prices these "specialty" foods are going for, I just can't bring myself to pay it.

The By Nature organics isn't perfect either, but Mazy can eat it, and that of course is of great importance. But I would feel better with a couple more canned foods. I used to have such a wide rotation.

That is awesome news! Have you tried Hound & Gatos? It's one of the few canned foods I found without carrageenan plus the cans are BPA free. Also, Tiki Cat is coming out with more non-fish varieties in the fall, and I am hoping those will also be carrageenan free liked their chicken varieties.

Thanks! Hound&Gatos uses xanthnan gum. Tiki cat has not been completely ruled out in my mind but so far I refuse to buy it because it is too expensive, I refuse to pay that much for canned food. It's pure gouging in my opinion and the names are so stupid it takes forever to figure out what is what. Why not just call it chicken?

LOL. I so agree about Tiki's names.

What's the issue with xanthan gum? I know it's a thickening agent, but beyond that, ???

vball91 said:

LOL. I so agree about Tiki's names.

What's the issue with xanthan gum? I know it's a thickening agent, but beyond that, ???

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It is made from corn.

Hounds&Gatos is loaded with gums. Not only Xanthan Gum, but Guar Gum, and Cassia Gum. I don't have an issue with guar, really, but three is a bit much, and they are all in the top 10 ingredients. Why does that food need so much thickening?

Yeah, I can't get on board with whacko titles in cat food. Makes me think they are trying to hide something, the distraction technique, you know? Call it what it is. Geesh.

i didn't know xathium gum is corn anywho what about nature variety LID turkey?

and congrates on changing her diet she is looking good )

Thank you !

Jennie used to get some Nature's Variety instinct in her rotation (the other two wouldn't eat it) but it is so high in calories I had to cut her intake back so much on those days it just wasn't worth it so when the food was used up I never bought more.