Wet Food Rec's for Senior Cat Who's Allergic to Chicken & Losing Too Much Weight

chihuac · Mar 4, 2014

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the site for years but I finally joined because I'm at a loss for what to do for my dear kitty Pilsen, who's 14 years old and has grown incredibly picky over the years. I used to just stick to my guns about food until he'd eat it, but now that he's older, every uneaten meal means lost weight/nutrients, so I'm more concerned with giving him food that he will actually devour.

Nowadays, when I feed him, he'll only take a few bites. He's healthy but he's developed allergies and has been suffering from constant itchiness and dark brown crust in his eyes. I think I've figured out that it's an allergy to chicken (he and my other cat Twiggy have gone to the vet for an overgrowth of yeast in their ears) and it seems that switching them off the chicken has really helped. However, I'm at a loss for what to feed them now. Pilsen has consistently been 13 lbs (he's big-boned) for his whole life, and since he was switched off chicken he's now about 10-11 lbs. (This worries me because last year, Twiggy had a near-death incident with fatty liver disease after not eating for a few days, and we had to feed her through a tube in her neck to nurse her back to health).

Since he's been off chicken, the itchiness and crusty eyes has mostly stopped, but the problem is he won't eat anything except fish, which as you all know, is not good for cats in large quantities. So my question is, what food can I feed him that is allergen-free that will also help him gain weight? I haven't found any chicken-free kitten food. Raw homemade is impossible for me due to my schedule. Turkey seems to be also making him itchy; neither cats like duck or rabbit. I've just about exhausted every food in my pet store. Here's what we've been through in the last few years:

-Natural Balance Chicken- Swollen lip

-Nutro Chicken - Swollen lip

-Natural Balance LID Green Pea & Duck - refused to eat this

-Wellness Core- Swollen lip

-Fussy Cat- Won't eat

-Tiki Cat - Won't eat

-Weruva - Won't eat

-Merrick Turkey - Makes him itchy

-Merrick Salmon - Loves this but it's fish

-Avoderm salmon- Loves but it's fish

-Ziwi Peak Venison - He'll eat it, but not a lot

-Nature's Variety Instinct Duck - Won't eat & makes both cats vomit

-Nature's Variety Instinct Turkey - Makes him very itchy

-Call of the Wild Trout - Loves but it's fish

-Evo Chicken & Turkey - This helped him gain weight but made him itchy

I've also tried Nutrical (won't eat) and goat's milk, neither of which worked.

...so, as you can see, I'm at a loss! Any help before it's too late and he loses too much weight?

The vet had recommended salmon, but I was wondering why w/ all the anti-fish talk in the catsite.com community.

Is the risk of fish (neither cats have had any problems with it) worth it as long as he's eating and not suffering from allergies? Or is the itchiness and discomfort better than risking kidney problems?

Thank you!

chihuac · Mar 4, 2014

I should note that he'll devour a whole bowl if I occasionally treat him to junk food like Friskies, so I don't think it's just him losing his appetite due to his age. I just don't want to feed him anything as bad as Friskies.

(That being said, my childhood cat lived a healthy life to the age of 19 on a steady diet of junk food brands, until he had to be put to sleep for an injury).

oneandahalfcats · Mar 4, 2014

chihuac said:
Hi everyone,

I've been reading the site for years but I finally joined because I'm at a loss for what to do for my dear kitty Pilsen, who's 14 years old and has grown incredibly picky over the years. I used to just stick to my guns about food until he'd eat it, but now that he's older, every uneaten meal means lost weight/nutrients, so I'm more concerned with giving him food that he will actually devour.

Nowadays, when I feed him, he'll only take a few bites. He's healthy but he's developed allergies and has been suffering from constant itchiness and dark brown crust in his eyes. I think I've figured out that it's an allergy to chicken (he and my other cat Twiggy have gone to the vet for an overgrowth of yeast in their ears) and it seems that switching them off the chicken has really helped. However, I'm at a loss for what to feed them now. Pilsen has consistently been 13 lbs (he's big-boned) for his whole life, and since he was switched off chicken he's now about 10-11 lbs. (This worries me because last year, Twiggy had a near-death incident with fatty liver disease after not eating for a few days, and we had to feed her through a tube in her neck to nurse her back to health).

Since he's been off chicken, the itchiness and crusty eyes has mostly stopped, but the problem is he won't eat anything except fish, which as you all know, is not good for cats in large quantities. So my question is, what food can I feed him that is allergen-free that will also help him gain weight? I haven't found any chicken-free kitten food. Raw homemade is impossible for me due to my schedule. Turkey seems to be also making him itchy; neither cats like duck or rabbit. I've just about exhausted every food in my pet store. Here's what we've been through in the last few years:

-Natural Balance Chicken- Swollen lip

-Nutro Chicken - Swollen lip

-Natural Balance LID Green Pea & Duck - refused to eat this

-Wellness Core- Swollen lip

-Fussy Cat- Won't eat

-Tiki Cat - Won't eat

-Weruva - Won't eat

-Merrick Turkey - Makes him itchy

-Merrick Salmon - Loves this but it's fish

-Avoderm salmon- Loves but it's fish

-Ziwi Peak Venison - He'll eat it, but not a lot

-Nature's Variety Instinct Duck - Won't eat & makes both cats vomit

-Nature's Variety Instinct Turkey - Makes him very itchy

-Call of the Wild Trout - Loves but it's fish

-Evo Chicken & Turkey - This helped him gain weight but made him itchy

I've also tried Nutrical (won't eat) and goat's milk, neither of which worked.

...so, as you can see, I'm at a loss! Any help before it's too late and he loses too much weight?

The vet had recommended salmon, but I was wondering why w/ all the anti-fish talk in the catsite.com community.

Is the risk of fish (neither cats have had any problems with it) worth it as long as he's eating and not suffering from allergies? Or is the itchiness and discomfort better than risking kidney problems?

Thank you!

Hi there,

Would you say that the majority of these foods that you have served, are pate varieties? If yes, could it be that your kitty prefers chunky/shredded/sliced diets? I have a little female who does not care for pates, even the high-end brands such as Wellness. What she will eat is the chunky varieties of FF, and a PC brand of Duck and Wild Rice that is available here in Canada only. Sometimes she will eat the high-end pates, but only if they have been warmed up.

There is a brand there in the states called Authority, which is very low grain and carageenan-free. They have a Lamb variety that also contains liver which your kitty might find appetizing. The Lamb would be a novel protein that you may not have tried yet, and would offer higher calories as well. Here is a link to this product : http://www.authoritypetnutrition.com/cat-products/adult/lamb-recipe.shtml

Here is the link to the Authority Beef variety : http://www.authoritypetnutrition.com/cat-products/adult/beef-recipe.shtml

The other suggestion I would make is to warm the food before serving. Again, my female definitely does not like wet food out of the fridge, whereas my two males will eat virtually anything, hot or cold.

Hope this helps ...

EDIT: Re. Fish protein versus fish oil .. Fish Oil such as Salmon Oil does not pose the same problem as fish protein in the potential for UTIs and as potential triggers for allergies. Salmon Oil might be very beneficial in helping your kitty to be less prone to reactions from different foods?

vball91 · Mar 4, 2014

It's a balance. Feeding a steady diet of fish is not good for a variety of reasons. Reasons here: http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/ BUT, it is imperative that a cat eat enough, especially an older cat losing weight already. High protein is also especially important for senior cats.

What I would do in your shoes is to try some other proteins (Hound & Gatos Beef, Lamb or Pork; Nature's Variety Pork, Beef, or Lamb). I would use the fish flavors that you know he likes and either mix it into the new food or put on top of the new food. At first it may be more of the old food, but you should be able to gradually increase the new food and decrease the old food. Alternatively, you can use fishy type "toppers" like bonito flakes or freeze-dried shrimp and fish treats to make the new food more tempting. A little goes a long way with these.

chihuac · Mar 4, 2014

@oneandahalfcats Thanks for the suggests! We feed them both pates & chunks, but since both tend to just lick up the gravy in chunky varieties and leave all the actual meat, we mainly stick to the pates.

Beef makes our other kitty Twiggy throw up, so we usually tend to avoid it. Plus Pilsen doesn't chow down on it either.

I do like the idea of changing the protein to lamb...I haven't seen Authority in my pet store, which tends to carry mostly grain free and/or organic or raw foods, but I will ask about it. And as for the fish oil v. fish protein - do you mean that it's ok if fish oil is included as an ingredient, as long as fish is not the main ingredient? (eg, salmon or tuna flavor)

@vball91 I'm wondering about the Nature's Variety Lamb since I do know they carry that. But laaawd they are getting so picky w/ that brand. They will eat Merrick turkey, eg, but hate Nature's Variety turkey. They'll eat Merrick and Avoderm salmon, but don't like the NV salmon. I've noticed that Ziwi Peak has lamb, maybe I'll try that (even though it is so pricey). Thanks!!

Also, it's funny, they used to like bonito flakes but ever since the brush with fatty liver syndrome where we were trying to convince them to eat, they've turned up their noses at it.

chihuac · Mar 4, 2014

I've also seen people recommend feeding kitten food to a cat who needs to lose weight...what do you guys think? are there any kitten foods brands that would fit into these categories I've mentioned?

oneandahalfcats · Mar 4, 2014

chihuac said:
@oneandahalfcats Thanks for the suggests! We feed them both pates & chunks, but since both tend to just lick up the gravy in chunky varieties and leave all the actual meat, we mainly stick to the pates.

Beef makes our other kitty Twiggy throw up, so we usually tend to avoid it. Plus Pilsen doesn't chow down on it either.

I do like the idea of changing the protein to lamb...I haven't seen Authority in my pet store, which tends to carry mostly grain free and/or organic or raw foods, but I will ask about it. And as for the fish oil v. fish protein - do you mean that it's ok if fish oil is included as an ingredient, as long as fish is not the main ingredient? (eg, salmon or tuna flavor)

@vball91 I'm wondering about the Nature's Variety Lamb since I do know they carry that. But laaawd they are getting so picky w/ that brand. They will eat Merrick turkey, eg, but hate Nature's Variety turkey. They'll eat Merrick and Avoderm salmon, but don't like the NV salmon. I've noticed that Ziwi Peak has lamb, maybe I'll try that (even though it is so pricey). Thanks!!

Also, it's funny, they used to like bonito flakes but ever since the brush with fatty liver syndrome where we were trying to convince them to eat, they've turned up their noses at it.

You're welcome .. I have never fed my cats any of the beef diets and tend to avoid as well but thought I would offer the link just in case.

Yes, fish oil ingredients in food or supplementing with a good wild alaskan salmon or cod liver oil pose no problem. Allergies tend to be on account of meat protein. As fish contains the protein 'histamine', it is thought that this can trigger allergies in some cats. Salmon Oil might be the better choice if you are looking to improve the skin condition in your cats, although if you can get Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil in your area, this is one of the better sources of this. As with anything new that is to be consumed by your cat, its always best to start with small amounts to see how this is tolerated and avoid potential stomach upset initially.

raintyger · Mar 4, 2014

I've noticed that some of the duck and turkey flavors make him itchy. Is he allergic to anything with wings?

I would try to pick higher calorie foods like Hound and Gatos. And try to migrate to other foods by either mixing or using fish toppers like vball91 suggested.

chihuac · Mar 5, 2014

Thanks @Raintyger . I'm not sure my store stocks Hound and Gatos but they are pretty good about ordering stuff if they don't havae it. Are there any other high calorie foods you guys can think of? EVO has worked, but now that it seems they are sourcing their meat in China and after that last recall, I'm a little hesitant about it. (plus they seem to only have poultry flavors stocked)

I have heard that some cats are allergic to ALL poultry -- chicken, duck, and turkey - and I am now just putting the pieces together. I'm stopping by the pet store today to try lamb and buy toppers.

raintyger · Mar 5, 2014

chihuac,

There are stores in my signature that sell single cans of cat food. You can order there for trial purposes.

If there are other flavors of Wellness/Wellness Core that won't cause problems, it is higher calorie. Wild Calling! has higher calories in at least some of their flavors (I didn't research all of them), and has some different options like rabbit or buffalo. I heard that Wild Calling! is moving away from Evanger's as a manufacturer (their one bad point), too. Dave's is another high calorie option, but I think a lot of their foods have chicken or poultry. You had a good idea looking at kitten food, but I think a lot of them are chicken based. Will try to think of more later.

raintyger · Mar 5, 2014

A few more options:

Nature's Variety - They have lamb, rabbit, and venison flavors, all in the 200-220/5.5 can range.

Newman's Own - I would only buy the grain-free versions, which are hard to find. I found some in a Gelson's Market, but otherwise I'd have to mail order, and I live in a big city. Turkey, beef, liver, or turkey+liver and beef+liver flavors.

Finally, have you thought about homemade raw or cooked? You have to learn a lot and it's labor intensive, but since Pilsen has allergies to some of the most common proteins used, it could be worth it.

chihuac · Mar 7, 2014

Thanks @Raintyger! So i bought some Nature's Variety rabbit and venison-- he wouldn't touch it (athough Twiggy gobbled it up).

I finally decided to venture into raw - so I bought some Rad cat raw lamb - and Pilsen gobbled it up! Only thing was, he didn't finish it...he seemed to enjoy it, but only ate a few bites, definitely not enough to sustain him. Twiggy turned up her nose entirely at it. So I ended up feeding the regular canned to Twiggy, and of course Pilsen was all up in her business (even having just finished the Rad Cat).

That being said, is it ok to feed BOTH raw AND canned? I think if I can even just supplement Pilsen's meals with some raw appetizers, this would hopefully get him to gain weight!

raintyger · Mar 7, 2014

chihuac said:
Thanks @Raintyger! So i bought some Nature's Variety rabbit and venison-- he wouldn't touch it (athough Twiggy gobbled it up).

I finally decided to venture into raw - so I bought some Rad cat raw lamb - and Pilsen gobbled it up! Only thing was, he didn't finish it...he seemed to enjoy it, but only ate a few bites, definitely not enough to sustain him. Twiggy turned up her nose entirely at it. So I ended up feeding the regular canned to Twiggy, and of course Pilsen was all up in her business (even having just finished the Rad Cat).

That being said, is it ok to feed BOTH raw AND canned? I think if I can even just supplement Pilsen's meals with some raw appetizers, this would hopefully get him to gain weight!

Yes. There are several forum members who feed both canned and raw on purpose. A typical reason is that if the owner goes on vacation, they want something simpler and more familiar for the cat sitter. With raw you have to make sure the food is handled within sanitary guidelines. What you don't want to do is feed raw and dry. (Well, you don't want to feed dry, period...) The problem with this is that the dry food will slow down the digestion of the raw, upping the chances of bacterial infection.

TCS has a whole forum for raw feeding, you should head over there! The members who hang out there are very helpful and extremely knowledgeable!

zirkel · Mar 7, 2014

Have you considered baby food? Seriously, my vet recommended this as a SHORT TERM solution to get my cat to eat and gain weight after she had her teeth removed. You can easily find organic baby food in a beef flavor at your local supermarket. And you can mix with your cats regular food.

I'm dealing with similar issues possibly related to "bird" allergies, and am planning on trying Primal frozen raw (venison and rabbit) this weekend.

cheddi · Mar 21, 2014

I wouldn't worry about the fish. And I've read Nestle and Nesheim's book, FEED YOUR PET RIGHT, along with just about everything else I can find about feline nutrition, and am pretty well convinced we're been marketed into an extreme frame of mind. People are now paranoid about "by products," but the reality is that all cat food meats are by products of meats prepared for human consumption. They're the meats urban Western folks are too picky to eat, many of which I used to buy to feed my cats -- lamb kidneys and hearts, chicken necks for e.g. They're fine protein and feeding them to animals means they don't go to waste. Canned fish prepared as cat food is not the same as just plain fish -- it has the missing taurine added, for example. I've been reading a lot on a support forum for people with cats with kidney disease. Fish does not cause kidney disease. We don't know what does, but it's not fish.

Cheri

cheddi · Mar 21, 2014

I forgot to mention that I have a young cat now who will not eat canned food (yet -- one day we'll get there), and seems to be allergic to chicken. Her vet said she needed to switch to a Limited Ingredient Diet -- there are none I can find which does not have chicken it it. Most are chicken and peas. Right now, while I keep searching, she's eating Purina Pro Plan Focus for Sensitive Skin and Stomach, dry food. Lamb is the primary protein, and chicken meal is way down the list at #7, meaning there's not much chicken in it. She's still scratching somtimes, but not nearly as much as she was on chicken based food.

A swollen lip is a sign the allergy to that food is so severe, his throat could swell closed. I would give him what he will eat so he eats enough to keep his weight normal, and avoid foods he's allergic to now. If he likes and will eat some dry food, I would give the Focus to him.

The itching and scratching is not a minor consideration. My Rosie scratched until she was scabby and her skin was infected. She needed an antibiotic and prednisone to get past that.

When you have to cater to special needs, some other human preferences gotta go.

Cheri

Wet Food Rec's for Senior Cat Who's Allergic to Chicken & Losing Too Much Weight

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