The search for food continues - 10 year old cat, constipation and spondylosis

mayadot

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Hello all,

I have written a few posts recently about my 10 year old, indoor-only boy Nub, and what has been going on with his health. Primarily, he has had ongoing constipation for the last few months, with one bout of very-near obstipation (I think from too much Psyillium Husk).

Nub has been eating an almost entirely wet hypoallergenic diet for the last year or so (specifically Trovet Hypoallergenic Quail, ingredients and content here: http://trovet.nl/en/product_detail.html?groep=QRD&dier=cat). He also gets a tiny amount of the Hill's hypoallergenic dry food as a treat.

Due to his constipation (and the fact that the vet has suggested that the unique protein diets aren't meant for long term use because they're incomplete), I believe it is time to try a new food. His allergies seem to be environmental, and I don't think the allergy food did much for them anyway.

It should be noted that right now he's on 2-3ml of lactulose a day to manage his constipation, which is working a little but he is now pooping every 1-3 days and the poop is still rather hard (usually Type 2 on the Bristol stool chart). I plan to switch him to Miralax to see if that works better, but still would like to change the food. 

We live in the Netherlands so we don't have access to the commonly suggested US foods. We can get Applaws, Bozita, Almo Nature, and Yarrah here, which I have read are considered to be high quality brands, but elsewhere I have also read that since some of them (such as Yarrah) don't contain any additives like Taurine, that they can actually be damaging, and many of the foods state on the labels that they are meant to 'complement' a diet and other food needs to be eaten for a complete diet.

As I don't want to risk an incomplete diet, and it is very difficult to find reliable information about these European brands, and also due to the fact that we will most likely be moving to another country in the next 6 months (either Israel or the US, not sure yet), I think that it may be best for me to choose between Royal Canin and Hill's (so I don't have to switch brands again when we leave). 

I know that these brands are not ideal, but from the research I've done they do seem to be of at least a reasonable quality, and at least seem to ensure a complete nutritional balance. 

Royal Canin is available both in the US and in Israel, Hill's is only available in the US, so I'd prefer Royal Canin if possible.

The caveats are that: 

1. I want the food to be appropriate for Nub's constipation. I don't want a high fiber diet, but perhaps a little more than he's getting now (1.5%).

2. Nub has also been diagnosed with spondylosis in his back and  his stump tail last year, which showed up incidentally on an x-ray. I have not seen any effects of this in him (he still runs around and jumps on furniture), but the vet has suggested that maybe he should go on a joint diet. They did another x-ray this year and did not detect any change from last year, so it doesn't seem to be getting worse for the time being, and I'm not sure if this is a good route to go down (but if anyone has experience with spondylosis/arthritis and thinks otherwise, please let me know). The other thing is that Royal Canin only makes a dry version of their joint food, though Hill's does a wet and a dry.

3. Nub has a 10 year old sister, Squish, and it is extremely difficult to keep them out of each other's bowls, so whatever food he eats needs to be appropriate for her as well. 

As you can see, the scenario is quite complicated, and I need to figure out how to factor in the constipation, spondylosis, his age (he is 10 but still rather active for an indoor cat so I don't want to put him on a diet that will reduce his energy), and ideally within the Royal Canin or Hill's lines.

I don't really trust my vet's recommendations sadly, so can anyone recommend food types within these brands that sound best given the circumstances? Or does anyone have more information about the European brands that might be best and offer a complete diet? 

Any advice would be helpful and very much appreciated.
 
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mayadot

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I've spent some time looking at the websites and at what's available to me here, and I think the choices are as follows, unless others have specific recommendations, either with regards to these brands or European brands. 

Also, I have selected here the foods that are for 'mature' cats (seemingly for 7+), but please advise as to whether that's a good idea, or whether it's better to continue to feed regular adult food. I know the mature foods claim to have lower phosphorous for kidney health, not sure what else is the advantage

Royal Canin: 

Wet:

Instinctive 7+: http://www.royalcanin.us/products/products/cat-products/feline-health-nutrition-wet/instinctive-7

Spayed/Neutered: http://www.royalcanin.us/products/products/cat-products/feline-health-nutrition-wet/spayed-neutered

Dry:

Mobility: http://www.royalcanin.co.uk/product...s/feline-veterinary-diets/mobility-feline-dry

Indoor Mature 27: http://www.royalcanin.us/products/products/cat-products/feline-health-nutrition/indoor-mature-27

Hill's:

Wet:

Their whole line of Mature Adult, such as:

http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd...-turkey-entree-mature-adult-7plus-canned.html

http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd...homestyle-chcken-chunks-and-gravy-canned.html

http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd...-and-gravy-tuna-tender-dinner-can-canned.html

http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd...vity-savory-chicken-entree-minced-canned.html

http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd...gevity-gourmet-beef-entree-minced-canned.html

J/D Mobility: http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-jd-feline-mobility-canned.html

Dry: 

Mature Adult Indoor: http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-feline-mature-adult-indoor-dry.html

J/D Mobility: http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-jd-feline-mobility-dry.html

Thanks again. 
 

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I am going to ask a couple of European members to help you with the European brands. jcat jcat irinasak irinasak

A couple of more general notes: 1) just because a food is a novel protein does not mean it is incomplete. There are plenty of novel protein foods that are nutritionally complete. 2) For a cat with constipation, I would not recommend feeding any dry food at all and definitely not the mature formulas which are generally way too high in carbs and too low in animal protein.

Www.felineconstipation.org is a good resource of info.
 

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A couple of more general notes: 1) just because a food is a novel protein does not mean it is incomplete. There are plenty of novel protein foods that are nutritionally complete. 2) For a cat with constipation, I would not recommend feeding any dry food at all and definitely not the mature formulas which are generally way too high in carbs and too low in animal protein.
:yeah:

It's difficult if you're looking for something that will be available in Israel or the U.S. should you move. irinasak irinasak has already posted a list of good complete European brands you could take a look at here They're available at zooplus.com or
zooplus.nl, among other places.

Many of the Catz (in English here) varieties sold by zooplus are single-protein, grain-free complete cat food that might be an option for you.

vball91 is correct in saying that there are nutritionally complete novel protein foods. The Trovet supposedly can be fed indefinitely, according to the website. Do you speak any German? There's a line of German hypoallergenic foods called Vet-Concept which is complete and offers a choice of proteins like kangaroo, reindeer, rabbit or goat. It's only sold through vets or the website, which is unfortunately in German only. They do ship to the Netherlands.
 
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abbyntim

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I am sorry I cannot offer a better opinion, except to agree that you should stay away from dry food with a constipated cat. I am dealing with a cat who has had a couple of severe blockages, among other issues, and I, too, am struggling to find an appropriate food. I would never go dry. And I am trying to stay low fiber and lower carbohydrate.

I had never heard of spondylosis until I read your post. Interesting there is a cat food formula for this condition! Can you supplement a wet food diet, instead of feeding a dry diet that supports this condition?
 

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Sorry to read about Nub's health issues. I have a cat prone to constipation so I know what a pain that can be.

6 months is a long time and Royal Canin and Hill's are NOT good options. I would consider feeding now best foods you can find and in 6 months you will see what is available where you move. With wet food the switch of food shouldn't be as complicated as it would be with dry.

Out of the food you mentioned, I am sorry to say I wouldn't recommend any because of Nub's hypoallergenic diet. Applaws is supplementary and the low fat can induce constipation. Bozita has too many types of proteins. Yarrah is really a low quality food, it has vegetables by-products and meat by-products. Hill's and Royal Canin are worse.

Catz has something between 0.5% - 3% fruits and vegetables, so I wouldn't really recommend it either for a cat with food allergies. If he can have that 3% veggies, it is a great food to try.

What I DO recommend, looking on http://www.zooplus.nl/:

Best food that has novel proteins is Grau. The mutton& spelt variety is really palatable, two of my cats like it. It is like a heavy pate in texture.

Granatapet is another good food, but all the flavors have 1% pomegranate. If your cat can tolerate it, I really think you should consider it. It is pate.

Other than that, it woud be useful to know what allergies he has. You say mostly environmental.  Can he have chicken? Thrive would be a great option. It is fillet. Can he tolerate an insignificant amount of fish? Kattovit (pate) would be another option, but it has some fish added in some of the flavors.

For the joint support, I would recommend Krill Oil, 500 mg/day, split between morning and evenings. There are some studies showing krill oil helps with arthritis, it might help with spondylosis. Of course, if he can tolerate it.

And last but not least, please consider Slippery Elm Bark for his constipation. It did wonders not only for my Sophie, but for a lot of other cats:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270597/slippery-elm-bark-wet-food-managing-constipation
 

abbyntim

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6 months is a long time and Royal Canin and Hill's are NOT good options. I would consider feeding now best foods you can find and in 6 months you will see what is available where you move. With wet food the switch of food shouldn't be as complicated as it would be with dry.
This is a really good point. It's not as difficult to switch wet food as dry. In fact, I am purposely switching wet brands with my constipation-prone cat because he has other issues and I don't want to lock him into a single brand. I agree with Irina that you should feed the best wet foods, for your cat's situation, that you can find now. Then see what is available when you move.
 

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Definitely steer away from Hill's and Royal Canin if you can.  I have a cat with Megacolon which causes constipation.  She is well regulated on Miralax (1/4 teaspoon twice a daY) and Prey Model Raw Diet.  From my research low fiber diet is best for constipation staying under 1.5% fiber if you can.  Also grains/carbohydrates can cause inflammation of the joints so if I were you I would steer away from those too, which is one reason I switched my girl to raw as she has pretty severe arthritis. 
 
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mayadot

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I am going to ask a couple of European members to help you with the European brands. @jcat @IrinaSaK

A couple of more general notes: 1) just because a food is a novel protein does not mean it is incomplete. There are plenty of novel protein foods that are nutritionally complete. 2) For a cat with constipation, I would not recommend feeding any dry food at all and definitely not the mature formulas which are generally way too high in carbs and too low in animal protein.

Www.felineconstipation.org is a good resource of info.
That's good to know that it's not incomplete. I thought I was feeding a high quality food since it's just quail and rice, but the vet made me scared that I may have been feeding something bad for nearly a year now. 

With regards to the wet food, he eats a 95-97%% wet diet, mixed with a lot of water, but he just gets a few pieces of dry because his sister has a hard time giving it up (she's at about 70% wet/30% dry) and so he doesn't feel left out and try to eat her food. That's good to know that the mature formula is more carb heavy though, I'll stick to a different one then. 
 
I am sorry I cannot offer a better opinion, except to agree that you should stay away from dry food with a constipated cat. I am dealing with a cat who has had a couple of severe blockages, among other issues, and I, too, am struggling to find an appropriate food. I would never go dry. And I am trying to stay low fiber and lower carbohydrate.

I had never heard of spondylosis until I read your post. Interesting there is a cat food formula for this condition! Can you supplement a wet food diet, instead of feeding a dry diet that supports this condition?
Sorry to hear about your constipated kitty, @AbbyNTim. It's been really frustrating for me so I can empathize.

Spondylosis is I guess a form of osteoarthritis, so the specialized food is arthritis food (for joints/mobility). I know that this has added glucosamine, and a few other things. I guess since I haven't seen anything that indicates that Nub is having pain, I wonder whether it's a good move to go on this food now as a preventative measure, or whether I should wait to see if he exhibits symptoms and then switch him.

It is possible to add supplements but the vet suggested that this is quite difficult (several supplements need to be added and he said it would be a lot of trial and error to try to find a good balance) so he recommended that it would be better to give a joint food if I think the spondylosis needs to be addressed.
 
Sorry to read about Nub's health issues. I have a cat prone to constipation so I know what a pain that can be.

6 months is a long time and Royal Canin and Hill's are NOT good options. I would consider feeding now best foods you can find and in 6 months you will see what is available where you move. With wet food the switch of food shouldn't be as complicated as it would be with dry.

Out of the food you mentioned, I am sorry to say I wouldn't recommend any because of Nub's hypoallergenic diet. Applaws  is supplementary and the low fat can induce constipation. Bozita  has too many types of proteins. Yarrah  is really a low quality food, it has vegetables by-products and meat by-products. Hill's  and Royal Canin  are worse.

Catz  has something between 0.5% - 3% fruits and vegetables, so I wouldn't really recommend it either for a cat with food allergies. If he can have that 3% veggies, it is a great food to try.

What I DO  recommend, looking on http://www.zooplus.nl/:

Best food that has novel proteins is Grau. The mutton& spelt variety is really palatable, two of my cats like it. It is like a heavy pate in texture.

Granatapet  is another good food, but all the flavors have 1% pomegranate. If your cat can tolerate it, I really think you should consider it. It is pate.

Other than that, it woud be useful to know what allergies he has. You say mostly environmental.  Can he have chicken? Thrive  would be a great option. It is fillet. Can he tolerate an insignificant amount of fish? Kattovit  (pate) would be another option, but it has some fish added in some of the flavors.

For the joint support, I would recommend Krill Oil, 500 mg/day, split between morning and evenings. There are some studies showing krill oil helps with arthritis, it might help with spondylosis. Of course, if he can tolerate it.

And last but not least, please consider Slippery Elm Bark for his constipation. It did wonders not only for my Sophie, but for a lot of other cats:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270597/slippery-elm-bark-wet-food-managing-constipation
Sorry about your cat too, @IrinaSaK. And sorry if I was not clear enough, but I don't think Nub needs to be on an allergy or novelty protein food anymore. We tried it for a long time to see if it made a difference in his allergies, but I don't think it's really did. Given this, that his allergies started when we moved to the Netherlands, and that his sister shows some symptoms too (though less severe), I am pretty certain that the allergies are only environmental and he can eat any food.

Do you have recommendations that aren't novel proteins from zooplus.nl? I have read recommendations about Bonita but I struggled to find a breakdown of their foods in terms of ingredients/protein/carbs/, etc. Or do you think Thrive is best? 

I guess I also am still a little unclear as to why Hill's/Royal Canin are so bad. The vets claim that they're the most tested foods and that they pay a lot of attention to a balance of ingredients. I get that the vets are trained by these companies, and that the food contains grains, but the vets have also insisted that grains aren't harmful, and from a lot of the varieties I've looked at (especially Royal Canin) it seems that the first several ingredients are animal proteins, and that the protein to carb ratio is pretty good (30-40% protein). Can someone please explain why these foods are considered so bad, and point me to any studies about this if they exist? I have seen a lot of conflicting information in my web research. 
 

With regards to the slippery elm, I did see that many users have found it useful, but I'm still a bit nervous about the long term effects. I will try Miralax for now and see how that goes, and if we need a different approach then slippery elm is next on my list. 

In general, based on these suggestions, I guess I'm questioning whether I should even switch from the Trovet?

The reasons I was considering switching were:

1. I was concerned that it was incomplete or not an ideal balance (but maybe that's not the case?)

2. I thought that it might be contributing to the constipation (but maybe others don't think this is related?)

3. I thought that Nub might benefit from a joint/mobility food (but maybe this isn't necessary?)

4. I thought that both cats might benefit from a more 'mature' profile food (but maybe that food is actually worse?)

Any comments are helpful and sorry for all the questions. Thanks again everyone for the comments and support.
 

irinasak

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 Sorry about your cat too, @IrinaSaK. And sorry if I was not clear enough, but I don't think Nub needs to be on an allergy or novelty protein food anymore. We tried it for a long time to see if it made a difference in his allergies, but I don't think it's really did. Given this, that his allergies started when we moved to the Netherlands, and that his sister shows some symptoms too (though less severe), I am pretty certain that the allergies are only environmental and he can eat any food.
Do you have recommendations that aren't novel proteins from zooplus.nl? I have read recommendations about Bonita but I struggled to find a breakdown of their foods in terms of ingredients/protein/carbs/, etc. Or do you think Thrive is best? 

I guess I also am still a little unclear as to why Hill's/Royal Canin are so bad. The vets claim that they're the most tested foods and that they pay a lot of attention to a balance of ingredients. I get that the vets are trained by these companies, and that the food contains grains, but the vets have also insisted that grains aren't harmful, and from a lot of the varieties I've looked at (especially Royal Canin) it seems that the first several ingredients are animal proteins, and that the protein to carb ratio is pretty good (30-40% protein). Can someone please explain why these foods are considered so bad, and point me to any studies about this if they exist? I have seen a lot of conflicting information in my web research. 
 

With regards to the slippery elm, I did see that many users have found it useful, but I'm still a bit nervous about the long term effects. I will try Miralax for now and see how that goes, and if we need a different approach then slippery elm is next on my list. 

In general, based on these suggestions, I guess I'm questioning whether I should even switch from the Trovet?

The reasons I was considering switching were:

1. I was concerned that it was incomplete or not an ideal balance (but maybe that's not the case?)

2. I thought that it might be contributing to the constipation (but maybe others don't think this is related?)

3. I thought that Nub might benefit from a joint/mobility food (but maybe this isn't necessary?)

4. I thought that both cats might benefit from a more 'mature' profile food (but maybe that food is actually worse?)

Any comments are helpful and sorry for all the questions. Thanks again everyone for the comments and support.
If we disregard the novel protein foods, my top choices (from zooplus) would be: Grau, GranataPet, Catz Finefood, Bozita, Thrive and maybe Animonda Carny. There is no such thing as a perfect food. One has rice, other has too much carbs, other too little fat, other too many by-products or offals. By rotating multiple foods we ensure that what one food is missing, you can find in the next or that we are not feeding to many byproducts, for example. I feed all these and a lot more - Schmusy, Kattovit, Applaws, Cosma, but for different reasons, as I have a very picky eater.

Here is Bozita: Rich in Chicken:
Chicken (50%), pork, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%). proteins 8.5%, fat 4.5%, fibre 0.5% http://www.zooplus.com/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/bozita/300460

Thrive is a very expensive food. I don't really believe in their impressive marketing, but the fact that Sophie eats it is good enough for me (Sophie is a very thin picky cat).

And now, regarding cereals and carbs:

http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/your-cats-nutritional-needs-the-basics

http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/banr/miscellaneous/cat_nutrition_final.pdf

catinfo.org

Cats are obligate carnivors, which means they do not need carbs in their diet. "Even the National Research Council's Subcommittee on Cat Nutrition states that "…no known dietary carbohydrate requirement exists for the cat…" That doesn't mean that they can't have any, it means that they have no direct benefit from it and too much can harm them. Unfortunately, nutrition is not a fit for all glove, as it isn't for humans either. Some humans can be thin and eat mcdonald's and still have an okeish health, others get fat if they eat too many lettuce. However, the ingredients in both Hills and Royal Canin is outrageous. It is worse than mcdonalds.

Royal CaninInstinctive pouches: Ingredients
Meat and animal derivatives, fish and fish derivatives, cereals, vegetable protein extracts, derivatives of vegetable origin, minerals, sugar.

I've marked with red unnecessary, harmful or weird ingredients. Meat and animal derivates are things unsuited for human consumption, road kills and other gross stuff. You should be able to read in the ingredient list how much is meat, hoe much is offal and how much are the by-products. In the links you provided the wet food has both guargum and carageenan, both dangerous ingredients http://www.thecatsite.com/t/246168/the-truth-about-carrageenan

And the dry:

Royal Canin Indoor (on the zooplus site)

Ingredients:
Corn, poultry meal, rice, vegetable, wheat, animal fat, animal protein (hydrolyzed), lignocellulose, Minerlalstoffe, beet pulp, soya oil, fructo-oligosaccharides, yeast, fish oil. Among others, it appears to be a direct link between soya and hyperthyroidism http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felinehyperthyroidism

And now, your questions:

1. I was concerned that it was incomplete or not an ideal balance (but maybe that's not the case?)

The food seems complete, but I would always advise for variety. Only cats that need to be on an exclusive diet should eat just one food.

2. I thought that it might be contributing to the constipation (but maybe others don't think this is related?)

Food is the number one cause for constipation for most cats. Of course genetics are also a big factor, but food can be a cause and a treatment. Most recent studies prove that a low fiber diet is more efficient for cats suffering of constipation.

3. I thought that Nub might benefit from a joint/mobility food (but maybe this isn't necessary?)

There is a lot of marketing in these type of foods. Foods designed for siameze cats, or for indoor cats, or for senior cats. There usually is an active ingredient in them that you can feed by itself and benefit more. Your vet's recommendation on not feeding supplements seems weird. There are a lot of members here that have a lot of success with supplements.

4. I thought that both cats might benefit from a more 'mature' profile food (but maybe that food is actually worse?)

Both cats will benefit from a healthier food. Unfortunately, as I said, there is no perfect food.
 
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mayadot

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Thank you for all of that information, @IrinaSaK! It is very helpful, though the more I learn the more complicated the decision becomes in some ways. 

Unfortunately, Nub does have a rather sensitive stomach to food changes (he gets diarrhea), so they need to be done very slowly and gradually. For this reason, and because I need to try to regulate his stool with the chronic constipation, I don't think that I can alternate foods, but would be better off sticking with a single brand. 

Of the brands you suggested, would you recommend one as being the most complete/nutritionally sound? I have read in some places that Bozita was tested to be incomplete, and I'm not sure how I feel about the pomegranate in GranataPet, so maybe it's between Grau and Catz Finefood? Unless there's another you feel is better?

From what I've read, offal and by-products do not really concern me, so those don't really need to be factors. I am most concerned with having an adequate protein to carbohydrate ratio, a low or relatively low fiber content, not high phosphorous levels, and a complete amount of taurine and other vitamins/minerals/necessary enzymes. 

Also with regards to my question #2 and the food potentially causing the constipation, the food he has been eating (the Trovet) is low fiber (1.5%), so I'm not sure it's the fiber content alone that's the cause. Could there be other food-related factors related to the constipation, or would it just be fiber that would be the culprit?
 
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irinasak

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I've read about Bozita, but the source didn't seem reliable. Someone wrote to them about this and they replied it is complete and balanced. It has another problem, in my opinion: almost all the flavors have beef and pig, possible allergens.I would go with all of them, but if I were to choose one, it would be Grau, but only because I have been feeding it for a while and two out of three really like it. Then Catz, then Granatapet.All my recommendations were about complete foods. I also feed supplementery foods like Applaws, Cosma, Porta 21, but they're a different story and should not be more than 15% of a cat's diet.Regarding the constipation, it is not only about fibre. It could also be about fat, calcium (bone content,actually) and ingredients that can cause constipation. Of course, the cat's predisposition is another factor, so some are more sensitive than others and should be fed accordingly. It is a matter of trial and error and finding something that works.
 
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