Need opinions on food for young cat with issues

soupyhorses

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Hi! This is my first post on here-what a great site!  I have three cats, two colorpoints (Siamese mixes) one male and the other female, and a female dsh tabby.  The youngest (male, Anders) has issues and is just over a year old.  We've had him since he was about 7 weeks old or so (adopted all three from shelters). When he eats kibble (it seems ANY brand) he has liquid poops that you can smell from 100 feet away and blood leaking out of his rear end. Doing some research it seems he may be allergic and/or his digestive track can't handle many of the common ingredients in dry kibble. So I switched to Raw Instinct medallions.

It cleared up the problems immediately and I kept him on it for about 6 months however it is a pain to feed and I can't feed it when on vacation etc. Since then he has been on The Honest Kitchen Prowl and has no bowl issues however it seems he has developed either pica or has a compulsion disorder which ether way drives me crazy.

We can't have ANY food out anywhere in the house. Just last week he ate through a banana (peel and all) that was on the counter and stole a tomato half out of the sink disposal and ate it. He will chew through any kind of box, bag etc. that houses food and has since learned how to open pantry doors to get at food as well.  He has even chewed through a 20lb bag of cat litter and dumped it on the floor.  Last week he ate through a pink leather bag (about 4 inches of leather was just gone) and has destroyed about 3 memory foam cat beds.  He comes to work (in an office) with me once a week and is now knocking over trash cans and pulling trash into my office. Today it was a 1 foot section of bubble wrap which he started to consume and is hounding my co-workers for their snacks/lunches. I have asked them not to give into him so as not to escalate the problem.  At home he needs to be watch constantly. He will try to eat my winter coat, the dog's memory foam bed and the throws on my couch.  Also, when he can he will try to get into our rabbit's hutch and eat her hay and her hay pellets. Now she has to be shut in her hutch so he doesn't eat her food.  Is there a kind of kibble made with different ingredients that I'm not aware of? Or should I continue THK dehydrated food but add something to it? I really don't know what to do with this cat and he is making myself and my family angry. He has to be separated from the other two cats when fed also because he will eat their food.  We feed twice a day and sometimes a snack.  Here is a list of current food and previous food we have tried:

Previous food:

Pro Plan Indoor kibble (current for other two cats)

Blue Buffalo Indoor

Blue Buffalo Wilderness

Wellness Core

Raw Instinct Medallions (Duck, Venison and Chicken)

The Honest Kitchen Prowl dehydrated food  (current for Anders)

Cat food I am interested in:

Taste of the Wild (this is what our puppy eats)

Royal Canin

Eagle Pack

Does anyone know of a specific ingredient common to kibble that would cause the bloody stool? I am hoping to move him back to a kibble (very gradually) if at all possible. I cannot buy my Taste of the Wild locally and I buy both that (dog) and THK from Amazon so it doesn't have to be a commonly available cat food.  Any ideas would be helpful! Thanks!
 

ritz

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Wow, that is one determined cat!
Honestly, this does not seem like a food/nutrition problem, it seems like a behavorial/medical (OCD) problem. Cats do have OCD; Prozac may very well help this kitty out of its misery. Has Andres been to the vets for a check up and some blood work?
I'm also thinking he is just plain bored, though with the other cats (and dogs) around, I would think he wouldn't lack for company or entertainment/play mates.
Meanwhile I'd stick with THK or raw food, no dry food since it doesn't agree with him, and is less nutritious than wet food.
 
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soupyhorses

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I've heard of using Prozac (for cats) but never tried it.  I use Feliway collars for the other colorpoint female (who has stress issues) and it will only work for her.  Anders will play occasionally with a jingle ball and a laser but he no longer shows interest for wand-type toys.  He is agressive towards the two female cats and bites them, pounces on them etc. (he is neutered).  He was just to the vet and they couldn't find anything medically wrong with him. The interesting thing is although he has always stolen the other cat's food if he can get to it-he only started the pica-like symptoms after starting THK food.  And yes, he is very determined! 
 

denice

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Given the wide range of things he is chewing I too think it's behavioral in nature.  The only medical thing that causes pica is anemia and there is usually one thing that they are eating, quite often it's litter.
 

mservant

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This sounds really hard with the range of things he's eating and is so persistent with.  It does sound more behavioural, and with indication of Siamese family history there may be some genetic predisposition as well.  The things he is eating will not help his general digestive health and probably make it difficult to determine what is food related and what is potentially from pica.  He could also be at risk of blockages if he ingests things like clay litter, or strings / plastic.  Have you spoken with your vet about the extent of this behaviour and have they given you any suggestions of what to try?

I have attached a link on pica from International Cat Care which gives some additional information and things to check out, plus a thread from last year which particularly towards the end has some useful information on trying to live with this behaviour.  I hope they are of some help.

http://www.icatcare.org/advice/problem-behaviour/pica-cats

http://www.icatcare.org/advice/problem-behaviour/pica-cats
 

varmint

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please google Chats du Quercy cat rescue and rehoming centre, and look under parasite, worm &flea control. a neighbors cat had severe tapeworm i saw that cat try eating everything in sight.i thought the cat was bonkers.he died from the infestation sadly.bloody poop, starving all the time, the stinky squirts etc.***I AM A STONE COLD ROOKIE***so pls dont think im playing that role.im just saying its worth you looking it up and comparing what you see with the symptoms thats listed.just trying to be helpful.hope your kitty is going to be ok. PS...I HOPE I SPELLED THAT CHATS DU QUERCY CORRECTLY.
 
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soupyhorses

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Thanks for all the information! I will check out the links! He has not been losing weight though and all my cats are indoors ONLY so I couldn't imagine him being able to get a tapeworm.  I had read that Siamese are more prone to eating disorders
 

varmint

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just trying to be helpful.i know next to nothing about cats.siamese or otherwise.i do know it takes just one flea to make a tapeworm, my ex wife and i are now housemates and dear friends, we are country folk and live in a dumping site for critters.we take care of them, get em healthy and find good homes for them.i learn as i go, and tapeworm is a big problem with outside cats eating rodents etc.pls dont think that im trying to come off like a pro.were it horses...thats a different story.lol
 

oneandahalfcats

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Based on your descriptions, this does sound like it could be a behavioural problem rather than one of lack of nutrition.

I have a young tuxedo boy who has been very active since day one. He is still very active, going into waste baskets and pulling out items to chew on. Tearing up my rolls of paper towels (his favourite activity). He gets fed very well and is a good weight so I chalk this up to just being a very active young cat who will soon move into his teen years and so I need to get busy in channeling his energy in a more positive way. I suspect that this is what you may need to do as well. Cat toys, cat tree for climbing, one on one play. From what I recall, siamese are very intelligent and active but can also be willful as are tuxedos and need a high level of mental stimulation in their environment.

You asked about dry food. I dont like to advocate for dry food as its not what cats need, but there are two grain-free foods that you might want to check out : Origen and Acana. Both made in Canada but available in the states. Hope this helps, and good luck.
 
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mservant

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Thanks for all the information! I will check out the links! He has not been losing weight though and all my cats are indoors ONLY so I couldn't imagine him being able to get a tapeworm.  I had read that Siamese are more prone to eating disorders
For any servants to indoor cats:  both my girls were indoor only and when they were about 4 years old I had the horrible experience of finding a tapeworm segment on one of their rear ends one time. 
  I have no idea how she managed to get it but it was most definitely there.  I couldn't get the pair of them to the vet fast enough to get that deworming dealt with!
 
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