Am I making the right choice?

After going through several different foods (Iams, Royal Canin Gastrointestinal, and Hill's W/D Gastrointestinal), my cat continued to have problems with vomiting after eating. After doing some research, I finally figured out that it could be the chicken or the corn, common allergens, found in all three foods. I brought this up to the vet. She suggested that I try Blue Buffalo food both for my cat and my kitten (who needs to stop eating the low calorie Hill's food now that his previous loose stools are normal). There were so many different formulas to choose from. She told me to get a food that did not contain any chicken, beef, corn, wheat, soy, dairy, or eggs. Ironically, at least four of those items were in the last two foods that she prescribed! She also told me to go ahead and avoid turkey because it was poultry, and similar to chicken, I guess (?). I was left with duck and fish (there was no lamb option available). I actually called the vet from Petsmart and asked which one to get. She told me to get the fish instead of the duck because it would be more palatable. So, I bought the Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Fish and Potato dry food. When I started feeding it to my cat and my kitten, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my cat's vomiting completely stopped. She has not vomited one time since I started feeding it to her. My kitten's stools have remained normal too. I think I want to start supplementing his (the kitten's) diet with Blue Buffalo canned kitten food as well, but I am afraid that the loose stools will return. I have thought about giving my adult cat canned as well, but with her sensitive stomach, I am afraid that she will not keep it down, and she has been doing so well on this new dry food so far. Although I am happy that my cat is doing better, I have been doing some more research and have found some very scary complaints about this food on the consumer affairs website. There do not seem to be any complaints specifically about Blue BASICS food (mostly about Blue WILDERNESS), but this still worries me. Also, I am not sure if giving my cat and kitten fish as their only protein source is good for them, even if it is what the vet said to do. I have heard that fish can be too high in magnesium and lead to UTI in male cats (I have a male kitten), but I am not sure if this is true. Has anyone had any negative experiences with feeding their cat Blue Buffalo food or fish flavored food? By the way, the first five ingredients are deboned whitefish, whole ground brown rice, peas, oatmeal, and Menhaden fish meal. Yes, I know it has rice and rice is a grain but they seem to tolerate it well. Anyway, any thoughts or advice that you have in my food choice are welcome.

The main problem with a high fish diet is the mercury and other toxins fish contain. The farther up the food chain, the more mercury they concentrate in their bodies. The kitten will be more at risk, due to being young and growing.

I just had the kitten back at the vet because his diarrhea has returned. Both vets at the clinic keep insisting that Blue Buffalo is a good food, and they don't believe that it is causing the loose stools. They told me to keep feeding him this food, and they gave me a couple different medications to give him. I did mention that every food that I have given him has had rice and asked if I should buy the grain-free food instead of the Basics. They said that the rice should not be an issue because it is not a common allergen like corn, wheat, and soy ( not found in Blue Buffalo). I got the feeling that one of them was getting annoyed with all of my questions about food. This nutrition thing is getting very frustrating!

Normally, I'd recommend the boiled chicken and rice diet for a day or two or three and see if the diarrhea clears up.  But you seem to think rice might be a problem.  I'd still consider it--if your cat still has diarrhea then it is probably due to the rice.

Has your cat been tested for worms or parasites.  Is she strictly indoors?

PS:  the boiled chicken and rice diet is:  boil chicken in plain water till tender.  Use the same water to boil the rice.

I might try the chicken and rice if all else fails, but the vet said that she does not want me to change anything about his diet until she sees him again in a week, to give the medications time to work. She does not seem to share the opinion that fish is bad and wants me to keep giving him the fish and potato formula. There are so many differing opinions! She also does not want me to try canned yet either and said no to turkey and duck as well. She is really stuck on the fish. Actually both of the vets at the clinic feel the same way. I am not sure if they are totally clueless about nutrition or the vets that give the online advice are.

By the way, he is an indoor only cat and does not have parasites. He did have and was treated for coccidiosis when I first got him but does not any more. A stool sample was sent away to a lab after his treatment was completed the last time, and there were no parasites present. He has not been exposed to any other cat except for my other indoor cat, who has normal stools. The vet seems very adamant about diet not being the cause of his problems, and thinks that he just has not fully recovered from the effects of the coccidia parasites. She also said that "shelter cats" can have weakened immune systems from being exposed to so much. I got him from a foster home, but both she and the other vet seem to have negative feelings about cats that come from any group setting.

Anyway, sorry about the long rant. Has anyone had a bad experience with Blue Buffalo or with a cat that had never ending loose stools?

I fed Blue Buffalo in the spring. My kitty rejected the food and had stool that was almost black. I started a thread about this and another member reported the almost black stools. LDG said that another member had her cat die of kidney failure, and that she was on one of the Blue lines. There was also a link to some of the reports that you probably read.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/258997/blue-buffalo

I think that your vet probably does not know much about nutrition and that is why she seems annoyed at your questions. To dismiss diet summarily as not having anything to do with diarrhea is ludicrous. Has she not considered IBD, which very commonly has symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea? I would really consider another vet, if only for a second opinion. FYI, a lot of vets have trouble diagnosing IBD. If you take her to another vet, make sure they're good. Poppy does have IBD, and the vets I were going to were good, but were making slow progress. When I took her to her current vet he immediately sent her for an ultrasound and talked about the possibility of steroids and double-checking for lymphoma (which IBD can lead to).

Yes, fish food has higher mineral content that can cause problems with urinary tract diseases, especially in male cats.

There are other proteins to consider if testing for allergies like rabbit or venison. There are some prescription foods available. Normally I don't like prescription food, but these are supposed to be made with stricter controls and limited ingredients. Otherwise, I would consider a simple food like Hound and Gatos.

I'm guessing you're feeding kibble vs canned, right?  Have you looked at Natural Balance Limited Ingredient food?  It comes in both canned and kibble, and one of the flavors is Salmon and Pea.  Here is their website:  http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/pr...LID+Limited+Ingredient+Diets+Dry+Cat+Formulas.

BTW, just my observation, but usually when a cat has an allergy to chicken, they are still able to eat turkey and/or duck just fine. 

So, I'm getting confused as to which cat has which symptoms.  Older cat throws up, kitten has diarrhea or lose stools?  Can you clarify for me (I have a hard time with giant paragraphs....I get lost in them )
 

I did look at Natural Balance, but it does not have a meat ingredient listed first. I thought that was something to look for. Also, I have heard that too many peas can cause digestive upset. I know that the Blue food has them too, but the Natural Balance has them listed as the first ingredient.
The adult cat is the one that kept throwing up after she ate, but she has not done this since I started feeding Blue Buffalo. I am the one who had done the reading and suggested that corn could be an issue. The vet had never really considered this. She then told me to buy Blue Buffalo because it does not have the common allergens of corn, wheat, and soy. She had told me to avoid a chicken based food because every food that she has vomited (Iams, Royal Canin Gastrointestinal, and Hills W/D) have all had chicken in them. She added eggs, beef, and dairy to the list of foods to avoid too. I have eliminated so many things that I am not 100% sure what ingredient was giving her trouble. It could be that she does not have a chicken intolerance and that it is the corn. She did not say that I could not feed duck, just that it would not be as palatable and the cats probably would not eat it as readily as the fish.
The kitten is the one that has been having the loose stools but has never had an issue with vomiting. He has had this problem since I got him 4 months ago and before that in his foster home. He is 7 months old now. His foster mom had been feeding him Purina and then Iams kitten and I've mentioned the other foods he has eaten (the same as the adult cat--has not been on "kitten" food since I got him at 3 months old). The only time that I have ever seen normal stools from him was after I gave him the the Sulfasalazine medication for 10 days. The Amforal, Metronidazole, and food changes did absolutely nothing for him. His stools were normal for about 2 1/2 weeks and have turned back to "mush" within the past 4-5 days. I have been feeding the Blue Buffalo for the past 3 weeks, so his stools did not become abnormal right away on this food. That is why she does not think it is his diet and is something else. I am not sure what to think. Oh, and I failed to mention, Raintyger, that she has suggested that it could be IBD, but there is no firm diagnosis yet. She wants to keep monitoring him, and has given me some more Sulfasalazine to try. Meanwhile, I am really worried that Blue Buffalo food could hurt my cats, but I am not sure what else to do.

If I were you I'd be confused too!

I'd get a second opinion, and one from a vet who specializes in cats, if one is available where you live.

Good luck.

PS:  I know your vet said not to change his food, but perhaps you can consider this after the vet says the effects of the coccidia parasites have worn off,   One of Carolina's cats  Bugsby had loose stools and other problems for MONTHS; within a few days of switching to raw, it cleared up.  (There is a long thread about this in the Raw and Home Cooked forum but well worth skimming at the least.)