Cat food halp!

jellybeans

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First off, if this is in the wrong thread, I apologize...

I'm really at such a huge loss when it comes to feeding my cats.

My cat has been struggling with IBD for a while, it seems.  She was officially diagnosed via endoscopy.  I'm trying to get her on a really good canned diet, because it's only mild IBD and I think it'd be totally controlled if I could get her on something special.  However, I am literally receiving zero assistance from vets.  My vets are quick to dismiss anything but science diet/royal canin, my specialist wants her on a veterinary exclusive brand, and he suggested me to try some at his clinic, every emergency clinic I call is tight lipped and tell me to continue with whatever my vet recommends.

I'm just so frustrated.  How can I hear from every body on here to put her on a grain-free, IBD-friendly diet, when all the vet's recommendations clearly have grains!

Obviously I feel like I'm being taken for a ride by these vets, but I have no one to guide me in my choices from this point because of it.  I feel like the only benefit to their food is high calorie, therefore less food intake for her digestive system to have to tackle.

Today I went shopping--completely misguided--and I bought Weruva Peking Ducken, because it's grain-free, no carrageenan, etc., but when I got home and compared calories to my cats current food, I'd have to DOUBLE their intake with the Weruva.  Totally an unacceptable choice for me, because my cat barely eats the food I give her now!

My next choice was Evo 95% Duck, which seems pretty legit apart from having carrageenan, and I'd have the added bonus of feeding my cat LESS quantity for MORE calorie, however,  when I read about the Wellness 95% brand, I explicitly read that Wellness 95 is in no way a sufficient meal, but rather a nutritional supplement to their CORE or Simple varieties.  Is this the same for Evo?  In Evo's case, I can't seem to find the same caution.

I know Hound & Gatos has overwhelmingly been the #1 recommendation by everyone here, but I just can't seem to find it anywhere in my city.  If anyone can help me find this, I'd love to give it a try!  But does it come in the medium 5.5oz cans??

I'm really just so lost.  My cats are only 2yrs old, and this is my first experience with cats, much less IBD cats!!
 

Kat0121

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First off, if this is in the wrong thread, I apologize...

I'm really at such a huge loss when it comes to feeding my cats.

My cat has been struggling with IBD for a while, it seems.  She was officially diagnosed via endoscopy.  I'm trying to get her on a really good canned diet, because it's only mild IBD and I think it'd be totally controlled if I could get her on something special.  However, I am literally receiving zero assistance from vets.  My vets are quick to dismiss anything but science diet/royal canin, my specialist wants her on a veterinary exclusive brand, and he suggested me to try some at his clinic, every emergency clinic I call is tight lipped and tell me to continue with whatever my vet recommends.

I'm just so frustrated.  How can I hear from every body on here to put her on a grain-free, IBD-friendly diet, when all the vet's recommendations clearly have grains!

Obviously I feel like I'm being taken for a ride by these vets, but I have no one to guide me in my choices from this point because of it.  I feel like the only benefit to their food is high calorie, therefore less food intake for her digestive system to have to tackle.

Today I went shopping--completely misguided--and I bought Weruva Peking Ducken, because it's grain-free, no carrageenan, etc., but when I got home and compared calories to my cats current food, I'd have to DOUBLE their intake with the Weruva.  Totally an unacceptable choice for me, because my cat barely eats the food I give her now!

My next choice was Evo 95% Duck, which seems pretty legit apart from having carrageenan, and I'd have the added bonus of feeding my cat LESS quantity for MORE calorie, however,  when I read about the Wellness 95% brand, I explicitly read that Wellness 95 is in no way a sufficient meal, but rather a nutritional supplement to their CORE or Simple varieties.  Is this the same for Evo?  In Evo's case, I can't seem to find the same caution.

I know Hound & Gatos has overwhelmingly been the #1 recommendation by everyone here, but I just can't seem to find it anywhere in my city.  If anyone can help me find this, I'd love to give it a try!  But does it come in the medium 5.5oz cans??

I'm really just so lost.  My cats are only 2yrs old, and this is my first experience with cats, much less IBD cats!!
I'm so sorry to hear that you're having so much trouble finding the right food for them. I feel your pain, though. I can't even get Weruva where I live. Petfooddirect sells Hound and Gatos. Here's a link for you: http://www.petfooddirect.com/Search/Hound-Gatos/Category/Cat

They have a deal now for 15% off orders of $49 or more. Good luck!! 
 

Willowy

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Evo 95% is a balanced diet. I have one who will only eat Evo 95% chicken/turkey, and she's fine. It is high in fat but it is a complete food.

Have you considered a home-prepared diet?
 
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jellybeans

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I'm so sorry to hear that you're having so much trouble finding the right food for them. I feel your pain, though. I can't even get Weruva where I live. Petfooddirect sells Hound and Gatos. Here's a link for you: http://www.petfooddirect.com/Search/Hound-Gatos/Category/Cat

They have a deal now for 15% off orders of $49 or more. Good luck!! 
Thank you for the link!!  I think I will try out a few of my local brands and if nothing works, definitely use this site to order a case of Hound & Gatos!  I have a very conveniently located Global Pet Foods right next door, so anything I can pick up on a whim would definitely be preferred  :p

This is where I found the Weruva, and there is also a pretty big assortment of other supposed IBD friendly brands for me to investigate!
Evo 95% is a balanced diet. I have one who will only eat Evo 95% chicken/turkey, and she's fine. It is high in fat but it is a complete food.

Have you considered a home-prepared diet?
She does alright on vet-exclusive brands if nothing else, and it's a mild IBD, so I'm not quite desperate enough to try home-cooked yet.  I don't even know how to cook for myself, much less another species :/

Besides, I know I would get absolutely ZERO help from my vets on how to prepare a home cooked meal for her.  I got into a kerfuffle with a vet tech at my clinic a few weeks ago when she refused to believe my cat was having difficulty swallowing even though I had video proof, told me that in "all her years experience she's never diagnosed a cat, much less a cat so young, with a pharyngeal disorder".  She was rude and told me I wasn't doing anything to help my poor girl but chase problems that weren't there...

Today I called for their advice between my 3 picks on grain-free food and they refused to give me any recommendations.  Just my luck, that vet tech is the one that returned my call  >.>

If I had the nerve I would have rubbed it in her face that my cat was just diagnosed with hyperplasia of the pharynx by an internal specialist.  But I didn't want to use such an unfortunate condition for bragging rights  :(

Anyways, my official top 3 picks of local brands are:

Evo 95% Duck

Natural Balance Duck & Green Peas

WellnessCORE Turkey & Duck

All these 3 choices are grain-free, high-cal, and I think coincide the best with the recommendations my vets HAVE laid out via their own brands.  Wellness seems to have the most protein, which is a ++ for her since she's having diarrhea.  Natural Balance has the most fibre, carrageenan is listed relatively far down the ingredients list, and it is the most well rounded for fat and protein.  Evo just slightly has the most calories per can, and claims to be energy dense, which I'm not sure but I think equates to high-digestibility?

Based on what I can understand, Natural Balance seems like my best, most well-rounded choice.  I'm just concerned because I'd never even heard of this brand until yesterday.  Is it a good brand?  Trusted?  Quality?  Does it have longevity?  (Will it be around for as long as my cat so chooses to eat it?)

I hear good things about Wellness and Evo, but I feel more familiar with the Evo brand.  I know I shouldn't base my decisions on brand names, but I guess that's what marketing is meant to influence!!

Of my 3 picks, which are most recommended here?
 

peaches08

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She does alright on vet-exclusive brands if nothing else, and it's a mild IBD, so I'm not quite desperate enough to try home-cooked yet.  I don't even know how to cook for myself, much less another species :/

Besides, I know I would get absolutely ZERO help from my vets on how to prepare a home cooked meal for her.  I got into a kerfuffle with a vet tech at my clinic a few weeks ago when she refused to believe my cat was having difficulty swallowing even though I had video proof, told me that in "all her years experience she's never diagnosed a cat, much less a cat so young, with a pharyngeal disorder".  She was rude and told me I wasn't doing anything to help my poor girl but chase problems that weren't there...

Today I called for their advice between my 3 picks on grain-free food and they refused to give me any recommendations.  Just my luck, that vet tech is the one that returned my call  >.>

If I had the nerve I would have rubbed it in her face that my cat was just diagnosed with hyperplasia of the pharynx by an internal specialist.  But I didn't want to use such an unfortunate condition for bragging rights  :(
If it comes down to it, we can help you with a homemade diet.  And that vet tech, I'd have at least said something to the vet about being put-off by her inadequate knowledge of animals and lack of people skills.  Actually, I'm not sure I'd want to stay with that practice.

Good on you for getting the cat the help he needs (the specialist)!
 

Willowy

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Nothing wrong with rotating among a few different brands, as long as they all agree with your kitty :D. The variation among different nutrients can be beneficial.

I'm only recommending a home-prepared diet because learning how to make a balanced homemade cat food can be less frustrating than trying to find a commercial food without the ingredients that cause a flare-up. You have full control over the ingredients, it has fewer additives, and it may be cheaper than some of the higher-quality canned foods. Just something to keep in mind for in case none of the commercial foods work.
 

cprcheetah

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So sorry you are going through this.  Unfortunately vets get most of their education from the big Vet exclusive brands on nutrition.  I have worked for vets my whole life, and my dad who is a vet admits I know more about nutrition than he does.  I have done extensive studies on it and I personally feed raw and grain free canned to my cats (3 of 5 are on raw).  Raw has REALLY made a difference in my IBD suspected kitty, although right now she is having a tough time because I just found out she is allergic to chicken and eggs and was using eggs for her hairball control issues.  So we are having a puke fest.  Most vets will not even consider other brands of food other than the big 3 (Eukanuba, Hill's Prescription Diet and Royal Canin).  The vet I work for now is actually considering carrying Blue Buffalo foods which are WAY better than the Science Diet crap.  Just don't call the vet for advice on food unless you want the recommendation for the prescription diets.  I know my husband is Diabetic and my Dr told him to consult a nutritionist for his diet, I wish there was the same for animals, but unfortunately there is not.  Grains are VERY difficult for cats to digest so going grain free will help your kitty.
 

raintyger

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Hi JellyBeans,

You've come to the right place for advice about diet. As @cprcheetah has pointed out, most traditional vets will know very little about nutrition, that is why you are getting stonewalled--because they don't know anything, but they aren't willing to admit that, either! Most vets will just reach for a bag of Hill's or Royal Canin and assume those companies have done their homework. If you want veterinary help with nutrition, you need to go to a holistic or integrative medicine vet. This is not a bad idea for an IBD kitty because these types of vets will work more with the patient/owner. It can takes lots of experimentation to find the right kind of food, and most traditional vets will want to simply hand out a bag of food rather than go through multiple food trials, experimentation with probiotics/digestive enzymes and nutritional counseling.

You should try to get simple food. Food without a lot of extras like cranberries or known possible allergens. Carrageenan is a possible allergen, but usually you start off by testing for proteins. This is where prescription foods have strength because prescription foods have standards for the food in that they don't manufacture the rabbit flavor food on equipment that hasn't been properly cleaned or that has even handled chicken flavor food. You'll have to decide which is more important--a better nutritional composition or hypoallergenic standards.

There are some links to companies in my signature that will sell single cans of food. You can try food in this manner without putting out for an entire case and then finding out kitty doesn't want to eat it. Hound and Gatos is a very good food, but there have been a higher amount of members that say their kitty doesn't accept it. Since I live in a large metropolitan area I can also obtain foods (some of them not available at the stores in my signature link) and mail them to you for reimbursement of food and postage. Also, check grooming parlors that also have pet boutiques. They tend to carry higher end foods.

Also, do not shy away from making your own food. TCS has an entire forum devoted to making homemade cooked or raw diets for kitties. The members there are very helpful and know way more in that area than your average vet.
 
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jellybeans

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Hi JellyBeans,

You've come to the right place for advice about diet. As @cprcheetah has pointed out, most traditional vets will know very little about nutrition, that is why you are getting stonewalled--because they don't know anything, but they aren't willing to admit that, either! Most vets will just reach for a bag of Hill's or Royal Canin and assume those companies have done their homework. If you want veterinary help with nutrition, you need to go to a holistic or integrative medicine vet. This is not a bad idea for an IBD kitty because these types of vets will work more with the patient/owner. It can takes lots of experimentation to find the right kind of food, and most traditional vets will want to simply hand out a bag of food rather than go through multiple food trials, experimentation with probiotics/digestive enzymes and nutritional counseling.

You should try to get simple food. Food without a lot of extras like cranberries or known possible allergens. Carrageenan is a possible allergen, but usually you start off by testing for proteins. This is where prescription foods have strength because prescription foods have standards for the food in that they don't manufacture the rabbit flavor food on equipment that hasn't been properly cleaned or that has even handled chicken flavor food. You'll have to decide which is more important--a better nutritional composition or hypoallergenic standards.

There are some links to companies in my signature that will sell single cans of food. You can try food in this manner without putting out for an entire case and then finding out kitty doesn't want to eat it. Hound and Gatos is a very good food, but there have been a higher amount of members that say their kitty doesn't accept it. Since I live in a large metropolitan area I can also obtain foods (some of them not available at the stores in my signature link) and mail them to you for reimbursement of food and postage. Also, check grooming parlors that also have pet boutiques. They tend to carry higher end foods.

Also, do not shy away from making your own food. TCS has an entire forum devoted to making homemade cooked or raw diets for kitties. The members there are very helpful and know way more in that area than your average vet.
Today I was actually at my Global Pet Foods, and the lady working there told me that she is studying veterinary nutrition from California or something.  She was very adamant that I try Nature's Variety, even though I went in asking for advice on Evo!  I'd tried mixing some Natural Balance in, and they didn't mind it, but then I read some reviews about bladder infections and peeing blood and panicked and returned the rest haha.

Anyways, she has me fairly convinced Nature's Variety is pretty good quality, and I mixed 1/8 can into 1/3 can of her usual food, and she ate it right up, almost as fast as her sister, without any help from me (apart from adding another teaspoon of water when I noticed her starting to struggle swallowing).  (--She was diagnosed with pharyngeal hyperplasia via the same endoscopy she was diagnosed with IBD.  I can't remember if I mentioned her throat troubles here or in another thread)

She told me to make sure I come back and let her know how they like it and/or react to it, and if things go well she said she'd love to help me pick out additives and probiotics to help things along further!

I am so, so, relieved to have someone willing to help me, and also relieved that (thus far) the girls seem to like the NV food, I'm just a little worried about all the montmorillonite clay hype.  She assured me that it's beneficial and harmless and not to worry, but I don't know.  If I can't even trust a licensed veterinarian at this point, I don't know how I can trust anyone else!

*Also, for anyone interested, I'm delighted to say she's had two days of formed stool!  Still a little more soft than I'd like, but at least they're maintaining shape!*
 
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raintyger

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Nature's Variety is a really good brand. The clay does seem weird, but it's supposed to be something that removes toxins. It is high fiber for canned food, so it would not be good if your kitty has constipation as a consequence of IBD. (Don't know how much you know about constipation, but new theory is that cats don't do well on fiber, so go low fiber for constipation/megacolon!)

Global Pet Foods, hmmmm. I think they're in Torrance, California, right?
 

thehistorian

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I will point out some issues I have with foods like Hounds and Gatos and Evo. Cats are supposed to have a high protein, moderate fat, and low carbohydrate diet; however, sadly, foods such as Hounds and Gatos and Evo that would be awesome are not awesome because their fat content is so much higher than their protein content. Check out Dr. Pierson's nutritional composition chart for canned foods:

 http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Hounds and Gatos and Evo are on there. The fat content of both are way too high in comparison to protein content. Look at the Beef cans for example. The protein calorie content is 31%, while the fat is 60%. Now, this might not be an issue for your cat or cats if they do not suffer from weight issues like mine does, but it is something to take into consideration. Other than that one gripe - I love the look of the foods, but sadly can not use the food for my chunky monkey. 

The Weruva cans are more ideal if you want a more balanced protein and fat content, but stay away from the Truluxe cans. The calories are way too low. Weruva has another line of cans that are a considerable amount higher in calories: Weruva Cats in the Kitchen. If you went that route you would be better off buying the 6 oz cans.

Again, this is based on my experience. Hounds and Gatos my work perfectly well for your kitty. I'd still encourage you to give it a shot if your cat has no weight concerns.
 
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