Can Anyone Help Me?

My cat, Pitch, is 10 years old. About 8 years ago, he had a bout with bladder stones, which he was prescribed Hills Prescription CD for the rest of his life. Last winter, I noticed he started losing weight and was vomiting bile in the early morning hours every day. Early spring, he started having diarrhea every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day.

The vet checked him for worms, giardia, feline leukemia, everything, and can't find anything wrong. We even did an exploratory surgery last May and the vet said everything looked great inside. He changed Pitch to Royal Canin's version of the urinary diet, but Pitch wouldn't eat it.

In October, my pet sitter suggested a grain free food. I had done some research that said if Pitch were eating canned food, he may not have had issues with stones in the first place. I was nervous about switching him off the prescription food, but he wasn't getting any better.

I tried grain free canned food, and there was no change in the diarrhea and vomiting. I read about the raw diet and thought it couldn't hurt. This past January, I started him on Natures Variety Instinct Raw refrigerated medallions for dogs and cats (lamb flavor). He ate them and had solid poops and generally did very well on them. Since they were expensive, and hard to find (only 1 of 4 pet stores carried them) I tried my hand at home making raw food, using a recipe with ground chicken from an Internet veterinarian who had good results and explained the process thoroughly.

That was last weekend, and the diarrhea and vomiting started right back up again. I figured I'd put him back on the Nature's Variety, but of course when I get to the one place I can normally find it, they're sold out.

He also had the Natures Variety Raw beef dog food with decent results, but I didn't want to solely feed dog food. I ended up buying the raw chicken patties by Natures Instinct for dogs and cats. The diarrhea hasn't stopped!! It's really yellow (like the vitamin b from the homemade food, even though he's been off it for 3 days), odiferous, and runny.

I don't know what else to do. Have I ruined my cat with homemade raw food? Could he just have a sensitivity to chicken? Can I just get him the dog food and hope for the best again? Please, our noses can't take it anymore, and I'm worried about my boy. His appetite is great, his behavior is great, still on the thin side, though.

Does anyone know of an IBD-like (because Pitch fits the symptoms, though hasn't been formally diagnosed) condition that gets better and then worse with raw food? Any ideas about what else I can try? Thank you so much!

Halfpass4 said:

I tried grain free canned food, and there was no change in the diarrhea and vomiting. I read about the raw diet and thought it couldn't hurt. This past January, I started him on Natures Variety Instinct Raw refrigerated medallions for dogs and cats (lamb flavor). He ate them and had solid poops and generally did very well on them. Since they were expensive, and hard to find (only 1 of 4 pet stores carried them) I tried my hand at home making raw food, using a recipe with ground chicken from an Internet veterinarian who had good results and explained the process thoroughly.

That was last weekend, and the diarrhea and vomiting started right back up again. I figured I'd put him back on the Nature's Variety, but of course when I get to the one place I can normally find it, they're sold out.

He also had the Natures Variety Raw beef dog food with decent results, but I didn't want to solely feed dog food. I ended up buying the raw chicken patties by Natures Instinct for dogs and cats. The diarrhea hasn't stopped!! It's really yellow (like the vitamin b from the homemade food, even though he's been off it for 3 days), odiferous, and runny.

I don't know what else to do. Have I ruined my cat with homemade raw food? Could he just have a sensitivity to chicken? Can I just get him the dog food and hope for the best again?

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Have you seen the links at the top of the board? There's good info there on feeding raw.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263955/helpful-resources-raw-home-cooked-cat-food-forum

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264153/home-cooked-cat-food-resources

Nature's Variety Instinct recently came back out with raw medallions specifically for cats: http://www.instinctpetfood.com/instinct-raw-food-cats Only two formuls are available: chicken and rabbit. The food isn't widely available. At the pet stores I go to, the NV raw for cats is a special order item. Have you tried the Raw Bites for cats? Those are sold at most Petco stores.

I would not feed the NV raw dog food, medallions or patties. The dog food does not contain taurine. In theory you could add a taurine supplement to the dog food but I'm not sure how much you would need to add.

I think there are a few members ho feed their IBD and sensitive tummy cats raw food. They can better advise on how raw food could help.

Thanks so much! I'll have a look at the threads you suggested. Maybe I'll look into the specialty (non-chain) pet stores too.

Sorry your kitty is having problems with the food issues. From what you have described, it seems like your kitty might have issues with CHICKEN. I see a lot of people throughout this site and other sites say that their cats can't tolerate chicken. You also said that kitty had better luck with beef and lamb. You might try turkey as an alternative. I have been trying to feed my cats a better diet. I have fed Rad Kats raw, the turkey and the lamb and they liked it very much! You might try a couple of small frozen tubs to see if that brand might work out. It is a frozen, raw "slop" for lack of better description. Check their website, the way they process seems very sanitary.

Yes, I'm wondering if it could be an issue with chicken.

Any suggestions to help him gain weight back that would be acceptable for a raw diet? I read about Nutri-Cal; has anyone had luck with this? If not, have you tried something else?

Pitch and his brother are in my avatar; his brother is kind of overweight, but Pitch is pretty underweight.

I just looked at the Petco website regarding Nutri Cal appears to have corn syrup as first ingredient,etc. check it out. I would also look at various web sites that discuss allergies in cats, IBD groups etc. I think my vet gave me something called pet tinic for vitamin supplement. That Nutri Cal might be for weight gain or appetite stimulant? Maybe a probiotic or even a live type yogurt from a health food store or even Whole Foods* market. I have read things where cats really have problems with certain ingredients that really cause havoc to their digestive systems, and why people switch over to raw to combat and know what cat is eating. I see that chicken allergy so many times when I go over to the Chewy's web site to lookat ingredients. People that review often say that their cat is allergic to chicken.

Nutri Cal is a high calorie supplement for sick cats who may not be eating much or cats who need a lot of calories daily, like lactacting females. I fed it to my Aby because he lost some weight for awhile (my fault for not feeding him enough ) but he didn't seem to care for it.

Here are some web sites with info on IBD cats and diets:

http://www.ibdkitties.net/

http://feline-nutrition.org/health/feline-inflammatory-bowel-disease-nature-and-treatment

You can eliminate chicken from the diet for a few months to see if that helps the diarrhea and vomiting. Maybe you can go back to the homemade raw diet recipie and instead of using chicken use rabbit or duck or some other protein instead.

hello,  I have a few cats and I've had my share of vet visits.  Recently the heart thumping kind.  Vet mentioned FIPs and then another didn't know.  But in all this it comes to your baby not eating and irregular bowl deposits..

I keep a/d critical care canned food on my shelf.  Two of my babies were on 1 ml 2 x's a day of Clindamycin (Zydaclin) they both got a little better but were having NO APPETITE..  The NUTRICAL seemed to choke them because I had to force them to take the honey gel substance.   Then I just got a little bowl and put an inch of the gel out and with clean finger rubbed it in 3 ml of warm water and syringed that into both of them gently and they both took to this (making sure their not choking of course.)  I found a comfortable way for both of us, with my one hand holding their side mouth open and the plastic syringe so as to administer)  Aside from the water...  The reason I tell you this, appetite loss can lead to weakness and then A LOT of other undesirable, emotional twists of unnecessary fates.

The a/d critical care canned cat food can be syringed and I store the remaining in a plastic Tupperware and add just a tiny few drops of water to keep it from getting too thick.  (Nothing like a freshly opened can, but after refrigeration..)

But my cats after the last visit were given Covenia for 15 pound cats and Demamethasone injections.  With Subcutaneous Fluid Therapy and as I drove home thinking I had 72 hours to see positive results or I would have to think of the other option...  So as I approached home I decided to take pictures in the car with my smart phone of us and the frozen Lake Geneva behind us.  And thought I need to this since I have been neglectful of taking those UNIQUE photo ops.  when they had come before.

The reason for the above info. is a vet said these two drugs are used to treat Menageries...    what cats get this... and I thought HOW.. and can this cause appetite problems and blah blah.  THIS IS WHAT I dealt with and have seen 100 percent improvement in all areas for my babies.  Appetite and solid STOOLS and everything going good since Feb, 11, 2015.

......................................

Aside from the a/d critical care cat food.  I NO longer use vet approved or any flea and tic that goes on the skin. 

If your interested their are apple cider vinegar and Baking soda recipes online that I use and they work.  Put on the shoulder blades like the other meds applied.  And I USE the liquid dewormer for tummy sensitive cats this has helped eliminate RUNNY BOWELS in my other babies.  Sometimes the immune system gets a little weaker and what they normally could tolerate is NO LONGER able to..

Good luck and sorry to ramble so long,  Gesseppe

halfpass4 can you please post the ingredients and amounts of what was used in your homemade diet?

It was Dr. Lisa Pierson's recipe on her website. http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

I followed her recipe to the letter, using chicken thighs instead of turkey or rabbit. I also used bone meal instead of grinding fresh bone, and I left out the eggs per her suggestion for a cat with allergies. I also doubled the recipe.

Halfpass...dressage rider?

Have you tried fresh bone?  Three of my cats had raging diarrhea on low carb canned, but cleared up within 24 hours of starting raw.  The worst of the 3 took off with a chicken thigh bone and ate all but the distal end.  I'm not advising that you give thigh bones whole, just saying what happened.  In about a week of letting them eat bones from chicken wings, I was dealing with a new problem of constipation.  Once I balanced their diet (was waiting on a grinder and supplements), the constipation leveled out.  Also it's worth noting that I was giving a LOT of bone that week trying to clear this mess up.  I only fed unbalanced raw for about a week, and that was out of sheer desperation.

Now, if chicken is indeed a problem for your cat, check out the Hare Today grinds with bone.  Beef and pork bones are too hard for a lot of the grinders that we buy.  If bone is simply not an option, I'd go with eggshell powder.  If you get the Hare Today grinds, either get Alnutrin without calcium or use the supplement recipe from Dr. P's.  Only the rabbit grind do I NOT add lite salt with iodine.

peaches08 said:

Halfpass...dressage rider?

Have you tried fresh bone?  Three of my cats had raging diarrhea on low carb canned, but cleared up within 24 hours of starting raw.  The worst of the 3 took off with a chicken thigh bone and ate all but the distal end.  I'm not advising that you give thigh bones whole, just saying what happened.  In about a week of letting them eat bones from chicken wings, I was dealing with a new problem of constipation.  Once I balanced their diet (was waiting on a grinder and supplements), the constipation leveled out.  Also it's worth noting that I was giving a LOT of bone that week trying to clear this mess up.  I only fed unbalanced raw for about a week, and that was out of sheer desperation.

Now, if chicken is indeed a problem for your cat, check out the Hare Today grinds with bone.  Beef and pork bones are too hard for a lot of the grinders that we buy.  If bone is simply not an option, I'd go with eggshell powder.  If you get the Hare Today grinds, either get Alnutrin without calcium or use the supplement recipe from Dr. P's.  Only the rabbit grind do I NOT add lite salt with iodine.

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Haha, budding dressage rider!

Thanks for the tips. Pitch went to vet to get some SQ fluids and a steroid shot for probable inflammation in his GI tract. The feet wants to try a novel protein diet, so he prescribed Royal Canin PV. It's made with venison, so I didn't think there would be a reaction, but Pitch still had a little diarrhea the last two days.

I found a clinic that sells commercial raw rabbit and pheasant foods for cats. I may try those if this doesn't work. I'm concerned about bladder stones coming back, but we've got to try to treat the diarrhea first since he's losing weight. The vet recommended wetting down the kibble also if it works.

Thanks for all the responses!