Help - Behavior Change & Itchy with change to wet food??

Hello All!!

I have been reading like crazy, and I think now it is time to post!!  I am very thankful to have found this site, I must say!!

Quick introduction - (feel free to skip it and go right to my question below if I ramble too much :-)

I am the proud mom of twins (both humans and cats...although I know it is not the same with cats ;-)

My wonderful cats are Ringo and Jazmine (Jazzy).  Rescue mom thinks they  were dumped by a notorious Siamese breeder, likely because the littler was not pure (as demonstrated by Ringo, a gray tabby ;-)   Also, funny note...Ringo was a boy...or so we thought...until she came home from the vet with a spay and not a neuter :-O  That was a fun one to explain to the kids!!!  That is why "she" has a boy's name.

Any-which-way, we are so happy they came in to our lives!!!

So, here is where I need help, please.

Jazzy had a major intestinal attack 2 months ago (uncontrolled vomiting, etc) which landed her with an overnight at the vet for fluids and testing.  I am now highly suspecting it was a bad batch of Blue Buffalo (multi cat dry).  Ringo had also had a UTI on the same food - not sure if it was related.

Jazzy recovered fairly well, and came home from the vet on Hills Gastrointestional prescription formula dry (which Ringo shared). 

That was the point I found this website.  I knew I couldn't keep them on the GI formula forever and I wanted them to be as healthy as possible.

So, I switched them to wet food on October 16, 2013.

I did as many have suggested here and purchased a variety of mostly "premium" brands.  We got down to them only really liking a few brands and flavors, with the very favorite being Trader Joes Turkey and Giblets.

I also purchased the Primal raw started pack and would give them each half a cube in the morning about 4 days a week.

Other than the pickiness, things went great for the first 3ish weeks...I totally noticed the difference in energy, especially with Jazzy who is much bigger and lazier than Ringo.  She has been sooo frisky!!  It has been great to watch!!

MY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS:

In the last few days, I have noticed a LOT of itching, and some behavior changes.

Jazzy has been licking a lot, especially her bum.  She itched it so much (even dragging it on the carpet like a dog...funny, but not!!) that it was bleeding on Thursday :-(

Then, on Saturday 10/19, Ringo started acting REALLY weird.  She is almost literally 'bouncing off the walls".  Yesterday she seemed totally "OCD", following patterns of pacing the halls, jumping up on things (including me!!) and talking WAY more than usual.

She is also twitching and itching, especially shaking and biting at her paws.

I have not changed anything in the house, so I suspect that it is food related.

I have read many of the posts about eliminating and charting, but I need help.

My dad just passed away last week (sorry to throw that in, but it is relevant to show that I need take care of my cats while keeping my focus on those matters and family right now).

So, I need advice on the simplest way to get them feeling better again quickly so I can re-visit the re-introduction game later and more thoroughly.

Do you think it is food??  The only food I can think of that the timing is closely related to introduction is the Primal raw, frozen beef and salmon.

I wasn't paying total attention to the dates due to the difficulty of last week...but I do know that that was the flavor I introduced last, and I THINK the timing is right with the beginning of the behavior.

But, I haven't given it since at least Friday (3ish days ago)...

What do I do next and how long to I let Ringo act like she's jumping out of her skin??

Since yesterday, I have only offered the Trader Joes since I know they had that since the first week with seeminly no problems.

I really have a strong feeling my vet won't know much about the food advice...he is a big Hills "pusher".  So, thanks so much in advance for any comments and advice!!!

Is she only scratching at her bum? Anywhere else on her body?

She could be in need of an anal expressed.. a vet can do that for you. I am thinking this because of the scooting behavior.. does she have a nasty smell from her bum?

I do suggest Trader Joe's food.. its what I feed my cats and the price is great for the quality of food. Though I don't think feeding raw would cause such an issue.. I am not knowledgable on raw food so hopefully someone can chime in on that one.

Did you change out the food slowly, to give his digestive system time to adjust?

Jazzy = Itching mostly on her bum, with more grooming-like licking and itching than what I recall to be usual for her.  Every time she goes to groom/lick, she goes back to focusing on her bum.  I have not noticed any more bleeding since the end of last week, but it still looks a little irritated.

Ringo = Twitching fur (like you are pulling at a since long hair and making her twitch), stopping abuptly to lick and then starts running (like she is trying to run away from the itch...so smart ;-) ,  and really licking and biting at the paws.  No noticeable bum itching on her. 

Oops, forgot to answer.



No, I did not transition very slowly (less than a week) because I was out of the prescription food after vacation (since it was supposed to be a one-timer), and my readings here suggested that it was okay to switch quickly with wet food, just not with dry.



Wondering why the first 3 weeks were okay, and now the changes??

silly question, but did you check for fleas? Have you bathed them recently?

I would find it odd for BOTH cats to have food allergies, but I guess it is possible. If you believe your vet isn't knowledgable on food (being a hill's pusher), try a different vet.

I'm confused about the timeline. You say you switched them over to wet food Oct. 16th but mention being okay for 3 weeks? That's 5 days?

When was the raw food introduced? While the switch to wet can generally be done quickly, a switch to raw is sometimes better done slowly since the digestive system needs to some time adjust to raw. The scooting and licking at her bum do sound like either anal gland issues or constipation. Have you noticed any straining in the box or hard little pebbles of poop? I can't remember the bone percentage of Primal, but a lot of the commercial raw foods do have a high bone percentage which can cause constipation in some cats. If they were both doing well on the canned, I would go back to that now and see if the symptoms go away.

Since this happened after you switched food, I'm going to say it's the food.  I would put them back on what you were feeding them and see if you notice that the itching stops.  If you want to try a limited ingredient food, I'd recommend Natural Balance Duck & Pea.  Also, you can try a higher quality grain free such as Innova EVO or Taste of the Wild.

Thanks so much for trying to help me figure this out!!  I will try to be more careful about my responses (as I mentioned, I'm being torn in many directions right now, but I don't want to neglect my kitties just because I'm busy).

I did make a mistake on typing the start date of the wet food.  That should be SEPTEMBER 16th.

I think it was about 1 week in to the switch to canned that I bought the Primal variety pack and started giving them just a little (half of a frozen cube) a few times a week.

Jazzy seems to be dealing with her bum okay.  I have seem no signs of straining or unusual consistencies in the sandbox.  But, I have always had a hard time catching them "in the act".  The seem to do most of their "eliminating" when I'm not around, for some reason!!

I do not see any signs of any fleas or anything else visible, but it is, indeed, weird that they are both itchy.

My primary concern right now is Ringo's behavior.  She is so bothered...it seems to be mentally too.  She cannot sit still.  She goes from room to room, ledge to ledge, with an occassional rest under the bed (not for long).  She is not usually an under-bed sleeper either...she likes to be on her kitty perch watching birds, or on the kids' beds in the sunshine.

I could try another vet, but I have had very bad luck in our area...tried 3 local vets with my old-lady cats  (no longer with us), and we tend to get very little service here for a very high price.

I have been asking for referrals ever since, but no one seems to be too thrilled with their vet nearby.

I travel 20 miles to the vet that works with the rescue shelter I used.  He at least seems caring (and less expensive)...I just need caring and KNOWLEDGEABLE+++++