Cat food and problems

I have some questions about cat food. I have two cats and feed them purine one urinary tract food because my one cat had issues when he was a kitten. I did try switching once recently to a more expensive natural food and he ended up getting a uti. Therefore I am never switching his food again. I also had to add in a can of wet food daily because he is old and throws up a lot and looks like he doesn't chew the dry food well. The canned and dry seems to be working well So I started giving the cats one can of wet each day. Unfortunately it looks like my other cat must be allergic or something because ever since I added a can in, he startedto get bare spots on his back. THE vet had no idea why said he may be allergic to something and the only thing I can think of is the canned food. I've tried switching brands and I can't figure it out. So I started researching and am wondering if instead of the canned food I could give them meat and broth? This would be in addition to the dry food. Any thoughts?

to TCS!

Have you tried any type of limited ingredient canned food? That usually consists of a single protein, often something unique like rabbit or kangaroo, plus one carbohydrate source like potatoes or peas. You'll find threads on Limited Ingredient Diets here.

Meat and broth wouldn't be a balanced diet, even when given in addition to dry food. However, many people do follow recipes to give their cats balanced homecooked food. We have a subforum, Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food, that deals with the subject. Home-Cooked Cat Food Resources would be the best place for you to start, and then you can post questions and ask for guidance in that forum.

Which Canned food did you try? Some ingredients such as carrageenan can make some cats sick.

thanks!  I've tried Friskies and Buju and Ziggie which is a store around here's brand.  I don't see that ingredient on the list on the can.   Ugh this is so frustrating since I am not exactly sure why his hair fell out.

Friskies cans have carrageenan. I'm not sure about Buju and ziggy. I personally don't buy store brands. Maybe your cat needs more good quality protein? You might want to try Nature's Variety Instinct.

I heard that dry food is hard on kidneys, because cats get dehydrated. I found some articles about the issue.

http://feline-nutrition.org/health/diet-kidney-disease-and-the-urinary-tract

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/08/06/kidney-disease-in-cats.aspx

The natures variety is really expensive! Is there anything that's better than say, friskie's but a little more affordable?

I an understand your concern because my cat was going through same phase. Apart from everything else, I like to cook my cat's food at home because canned food is extremely stinky and I feel as if its rotten (even if its not, still it looks disgusting). Secondly, I want to feed my cat something that I am sure about. Chicken or beef, still I know what my cat is eating.

you can also simply feed your cat with semi-boiled boneless chicken. If you keep it moist then it is totally fine.

Nature's Variety Instinct and Nature's Logic are only brands that I found without suspicious ingredient, made in USA and I can get them easily in my area. Also, I heard that Fancy Feast Classic is ok because it's low carb but I believe they have guar gum and vitamin K. Some commercial raw are cheaper than NVI and home made diet much cheaper. You can get recipes in the resources threads at  http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food. I also like this list http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/.

If your cat is grooming too much, it may be caused by stress, then Feliway may help? 

So you think I could just feed them chicken and chicken broth (home made) in addition to the dry cat food?

I have never seen him grooming that area which is why it's so weird. Not to say he may not be, but I am thinking that if he is it's because he is itchy for some reason, and that has to be due to something in the canned cat food. Ugh I've looked up home made recipes and I don't have the time or the money to put it all together so that's why I came here for advice.

I'm not a vet or nutritionist, so I can't say if chicken and broth are ok. I know that just chicken meat is not enough for cats lacking taurine and other stuff. I've been struggling with my cats' problems, and have done some research. I wanted to switch to all canned first before exploring raw and home made, and ended up with these two brands which are the only ones working. I didn't have much choice. Now I'm transitioning to raw and home made to save money. So, I don't know if any other brands that might work for your cat. Hopefully someone else has an answer. Good luck.   

Sweetness14445 said:

So you think I could just feed them chicken and chicken broth (home made) in addition to the dry cat food?

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Chicken and chicken broth are not balanced meals. It would only be acceptable if it were a snack. You need organ meatas and other nutrients such as calcium. If you're interested in homecooked meals, go to this site's Raw and Homecooked forum.

I wasn't trying to replace their dry food with canned, more like just add it to. Both cats still eat the dry food, I just notice when my older cat eats a lot of it, he tends to throw up (and not chew it). He doesn't really eat the wet food either though, he mostly just licks the gravy.

I bought some taste of the wild canned cat food to try, wondering if the grain free will help the cat with hair loss.