Need Info on Thickened Small Intestine Causes

I need information before scheduling a follow-up visit with the vet about this issue.

Is a thickened small intestine always indicative of IBD and/or cancer, or can it be from something else? For example, could it be from bad food? Like if the food had bacteria (I'm thinking of the bad food from that Purina plant)? Or could it be from high levels of stress?

And what if a cat has a thickened small intestine that is noticeable on palpation, but 2 weeks later it isn't noticeable? Is that significant?

Basically, my cat is not liking (won't eat) this elimination diet and I'm not totally convinced it's food related IBD. I'm seeing other things that don't make sense. Based on what I've seen since November, it appears stress has played a huge part in things. I'm not denying that my cat could have IBD or cancer, I just think everything needs to be looked at incliuding her history rather than just focusing all the attention on the food.

There can be acute episodes caused by many things including viral or bacterial.  If it is a long standing issue then it is some form of IBD.  IBD can and often does flare which means the thickening would also wax and wane.  IBD is usually food related but not always.  My kitty has IBD which started when he was only 18 months old.  I never did find a dietary trigger.  He would go as long as 8 months without a flare and then flare with no dietary changes.  He would have the severe type flares, anorexia, vomiting bile, and constipation which always required vet care including two hospitalizations.  Never did figure out a trigger for it other than an intolerance of beef. 

Crohn's disease is a human condition that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The cat version is a rare inflammatory bowel disease called granulomatous regional enteritis. This mouthful essentially means your cat's small bowel thickens and narrows due to inflammation of the surrounding cells.

Although the kitty version of Crohn's disease is one of the least common forms of IBD, its cause isn't as rare. All forms of IBD are caused by a malfunctioning immune system that classifies a certain food, bacteria or parasite as more dangerous than it really is and goes into overdrive in defense. Each version of IBD involves a different inflammatory cell, and granulomatous regional enteritis is caused by a collection of inflamed eosinophils (a type of white blood cells) around your kitty's small intestine.

I just posted about a similar problem.  My baby is only 5 months old.