Foods for Cats with Allergies (scratching)

My Joon has been a scratcher for a long time, to the point where she'll just not stop scratching a spot until we say "JOON. Stop scratching please!!" and she had a bunch of scabs on her body. We'd tried a few different antihistamines but they didn't work.

Recent vet said food allergies. Vet would not endorse anything but Hill's z/d. I showed her other brands and the ingredients, like Natural Balance LID and Wysong Anergen. She said that they don't have quality control put into place to prove that there will never be proteins other than what is on the bag, so Joon could get sick again at any time.  I can't say I like the idea of the hydrolyzed proteins in Hill's z/d, it doesn't seem like "real food". The dry (what they're used to) is so hard that Joon won't eat it and Abii doesn't love it (Joon hoovers, Abii crunches). I moisten the dry food for Joon just to get her to eat but if it's "stale" and she doesn't eat all that I gave her right away, she won't touch it. I finally opened up the single can of it and she seemed to wolf that down, but the consistency is just WEIRD, it's like there's gelatin in it or something. I couldn't even get it off the spoon, lol.

Not to mention, with two cats with healthy appetites, z/d is gonna be expensive (and yes, what I feed one, I feed the other, that's just how we are doing it here).

Does anyone have good luck with brands OTHER than Hill's z/d? Is my vet just being overly cautious or reasonable? At this point I'd even consider Royal Canin if it's just as good, quality wise, as Hill's despite the price, if the texture/consistency/taste was more palatable to my girls.

The vet doesn't have to approve of what you feed to your cat. The vet can make suggestions but you don't necessarily have to feed those brands. It's ok to disagree with the vet about food. You CAN try commerical limited ingredient foods and see if those help your cat. A raw or home cooked diet may even help. If a non-prescription food helps your cat, then it clearly works.

I know there have been threads here on TCS about limited ingredient foods and raw and home cooked diets and how they can help with food allergies. Raw and home cooked are ideal because you have control over what goes into the food and can more easily eliminate ingredients one by one to see what exaclty your cat is allergic to.

Here's a coupon for the Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredients food if you want to give it a try: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/303181/natures-variety-instinct-limited-ingredients-coupon

Your vet is absolutely right that allergies need to be tackled with diet. However, there is nothing wrong with trying a different hypoallergenic food than the one your vet sells....especially if Joon doesn't like the Hill's. After all, it can't do any good from inside the bag!

It might be worth seeking a second option on how to tackle Joon's allergies. I personally am uncomfortable using a vet who is so rigid on food recommendations. At the very least, I'd expect them to be open to trying other brands of prescription diet.

I'm sorry to hear about the ordeal you've been going through with Joon's allergies. Food allergies can be very frustrating to deal with, I empathize, having dealt with this issue myself as well.

Our vet, or rather former vet, diagnosed both of our 4 year old cats with chicken protein allergies. The cats would scratch the center of their necks raw, to the point of removing fur. Four times we had to get them to a vet asap due to developing secondary infections, in Mikey's case, he developed a staph infection (kitties claws having bacteria in them and then opening a wound from scratching and licking).

The vet suggested the hydrolized chicken Rx diet. No way was I going to feed obligate carnivores that food. I tried Natural Balance LID canned venison, that helped somewhat but not entirely and they didn't like the food anyway. We did that for about six months, tried other venison options and then used Nature's Variety canned for awhile. I gradually switched them to commercial raw, as well as to another vet (who is very supportive of bio appropriate diets).

Long story short: after doing an experiment with commercial raw chicken, guess what? The cats have no problem with raw chicken, hence in our case it may be the denaturing of the chicken protein in cooked chicken they were reacting to, or maybe something else.

There are different theories regarding food allergies in pets, e.g., the denaturing of proteins, leaky gut syndrome, the adulteration of meat -- hormones, antibiotics, eggs used in vaccines, genetics, or -- not a protein allergy at all but rather the starch that is in the food. Dr. Jean Hofve, for e.g., recommends zero dry food for cats with allergies due to the high starch content, regardless of whether it is LID or Rx (although she does not favor dry in general for cats or dogs).

I agree with LTS3 and Columbine: there are other food options you can explore, as well as getting a second opinion from another vet, if possible.

Having worked in retail pet food stores for the past several years, I often have pet parents tell me their vet recommended Natural Balance LID or Nature's Variety LID (I personally prefer the latter since NV canned is carageenan and gum free as well as low carb.)

I know it can seem overwhelming and certainly allergies in pets is nothing trivial. I'm sure you will get this worked out with Joon, it may take a bit of trial and error and won't happen overnight but it will all work out.

One temporary fix you may want to consider: there is a waterless foam shampoo from Vet's Best for cats that you can apply topically - massage into Joon's fur, that may help alleviate some of the itching temporarily while you work on finding the food solution.

Sending positive wishes your way.

Edit: One thing I will agree with re: Hills Rx allergy formulas: they do apparently go to great lengths to avoid cross contamination of proteins on the production lines, however, that's not to say that other çompanies don't adhere to these standards as well. It's a matter of finding one you trust. And if you decide to stick with Hills Rx they do make an Rx other than the hydrolized chicken -- Hills d/d, venison formula or RC rabbit.

Nat has been having seizures over 3 years ago now, so shortly thereafter I began giving all my kitties grain free kibble.  It's been a challenge finding one they will eat.  But I've noticed since then that Oreo's seasonal "allergies" have cleared up and  he no longer over-grooms, and all those scabs on his back and body have disappeared!  Yay!  He's still overweight though, and his kibble is not low carb.  Now it's Harry that has a hot spot on his belly.  It's gotten smaller over the last few months, but it's still there.  I'd like to try the limited ingredient food and see how they do on that.  They absolutely would not touch Wellness dry food.  To be honest, it smelled like dried BM!  Maybe it was that one bag.  

I'm new to this forum, so first of all I'd like to say hello to everyone

I'm currently having a similar problem, since both my cats have been put on an hypoallergenic diet to ascertain whether Edhel's occasional vomiting can be related to food intolerance (the other one doesn't vomit as much, but she has a greasy coat with lot of dandruff, so I decided to feed her hypoallergenic as well, to see if it can help with her skin problems). After reading the analytical constituents of dozen of hypoallergenic cat biscuits and cans, I decided to use different dry products for each of my cats (one of them is Royal Canin Hypoallergenic, which is very likely to be found in the US too, the other one is an Italian brand and I'm afraid it's not sold oversea). The reason is that, while one is very lean and thin, the other one is rather plump and generally hypoallergenic food is high in fats. Then Edhel is very fussy about her food, so I had to find a brand I was sure she would eat not to waste my money. So, in conclusion, Hill's Z/D is a very good product in my opinion, but it's the cat that has to eat it: if it doesn't, you'd better find another hypoallergenic label.

To the other point, in my opinion hydrolized proteins are not natural food at all (they have little to do with a real chicken or turkey in the farm yard), but I guess this is what gives cats less allergies, so for sensitive subjects it might be better than a food with a high content of fresh meat. Personally, and this is once again my opinion, I'd stick to hypoallergenic food for some weeks and only after (and if, of course) his state has improved, I'd gradually switch to a grain free and/or monoprotein food: I'm scanning and skimming all types of food that are sold in Italy- where I live- to see if I can find any with both characteristics (monoprotein +grain free), but so far my search has been unsuccesful.

I'm really kind of confused as to what to get now.  Dry LID or wet LID.  It seems more economical to get the dry food and since my Oreo is a carbo-holic.  it makes sense to have stuff on hand that he will eat that is better for him (than what I'm currently giving him) than the best stuff that he won't eat at all.  He's not the only one to consider though.  

The cause of Nat's seizures have never been discovered even though the latest battery of tests  happened this past March.  I've told his vets over and over that 3 months before the seizures began, he had so much vomiting (green bile) and lethargy which ended up in his first ER visit where labs were done and an abdominal Xray was taken but no cause identified.  He slowly got a little bit better - how I do not know because I don't recall if I was given anything for him to treat it, but from that point on he was becoming a different kitty.  He never seemed to completely recover from this event; he was getting less energetic than usual and his usual beautiful silky coat was becoming dull and greasy.  Despite telling the vets this, they say with absolute certainty that this event had nothing to do with his seizures.  Yet at the same time they say they do not know what caused them.  I think this is a mistake on their part, ignoring such a huge clue.

I know this will sound rude but I've seen this exact situation happen with medical doctors as well:  sometimes I wonder that IF I suggest a certain cause, that makes it more likely that the vet will say no and will not investigate it further even though what I suggested MAY WELL BE the cause because their pride is hurt and they wanted to be the one to arrive at that conclusion first.  That's a horrible thing to say but I know it happens with MD's as well.  Human nature can be despicable at times. My sister almost lost her youngest child in a situation just like this.  Thank goodness she kept seeking other opinions.

Now, my only option is to continue trying to find the food that Nat will eat that will keep him from throwing up as much and hopefully return him to his previous state, more energy, silky coat.  Changing their diet has helped Oreo's skin immensely.  Now If i can help Harry and Nat too and hopefully get Oreo to lose weight, that'd be awesome.  

serena77 If you're willing to feed canned,
MAC's Mono Sensitive might work, or Terra Faelis or Feringa.
There are a couple of other brands with one protein and no grain available on that website, but not all of them are complete foods

It seems impossible that I've thoroughly browsed Zooplus site over the last year and I've always missed the Mac's mono cans: thank you, Jcat. Anyway, while several brands of monoprotein and monocarbohydrate cans are available here in Italy, finding a monoprotein and grain free dry food with acceptable levels of calcium, sodium looks almost impossible.

@Ginny; what does LID stand for? Has your vet thought of hepatic encephalophaty? it's one disorder that would explain all the symptoms your cat had. And, if you want one of the kitties to lose weight, I'd definitely go for wet food if he/she likes it

serena77 said:

@Ginny; what does LID stand for? Has your vet thought of hepatic encephalophaty? it's one disorder that would explain all the symptoms your cat had. And, if you want one of the kitties to lose weight, I'd definitely go for wet food if he/she likes it

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Hi Serena!  It means Limited Ingredient Diet, which I've heard is recommended in pets with allergies; which is another thing that concerns me.  Is it also limited in the nutrients cats need, like Taurine and Thiamine?  There are so many options out there that it becomes so confusing.  

Going grain free with their dry food has definitely helped Oreo's scratching.  I'm giving them Purina Beyond dry and Friskies wet and Fancy Feast wet, which may well contain some grain.  Sigh.  They are bored with the wet food chicken, which is discouraged with allergies anyway.  So it's a good time right now to do a little experimentation.  With cats you have to go slowly introducing new food because of tummy upsets.  

I don't recall hepatic encephalopathy being mentioned.  Since he was vomiting green bile at the time, which resolved on it's own - and I don't recall if I changed their diet at that time or not - they must have assumed that it was a bug, not anything more serious like what you mentioned.  This all started in December 2011.  In March 2012 is when Nat's grand mal seizures started. 

But ever since then he has not fully recovered and his once beautiful silky fur is now dull and greasy.  He also started to pull out clumps of fur on his sides, he still does this today.  I was using Swheat scoop litter back in 2011 and I changed to plain unscented clumpable litter, per Dr. Lisa Pierson's recommendation.  (She is not my vet, she has her own website.)  Nat stopped sneezing after that!  And his right eye drains much less often now too.  Yay!  Baby steps.

 I so wish I had more time to help my sweet Gracie, Nat's mama (they are both in my avatar pic.)   Serena, please keep us informed on what helps your kitty Joon!  

Ok, so I'm just now back home from Petco.  I got a 5# bag of Natural Balance LID/grain free Green Pea and Duck formula.  It has canola oil which does cause concern; it is definitely not what I prefer given what human studies now say about the stuff.  But maybe if all the other ingredients are good it will cancel out the badness of the canola oil?  <sigh>  This is kinda frustrating. I hope this helps Harry's skin condition.  I'm going to see if he'll let me put a dab of either neosporin and/or a dab of natural virgin coconut oil (a little dab'l do ya) on the hot spot to see if it helps him too.  I'll have to catch him sound asleep, lol.  He grooms this area a lot so I know it itches.  

I also found some canned food by Canidae.  It's grain free Pure element chicken/turkey/lamb formula.  I bought the 13 ounce can because it's more cost-effective.  I sure hope the kitties like this stuff!  Like someone else said, it'll do no good in the bag/can.  

Thank you Ginny, but Joon isn't my cat (it's lasia's, who started the thread); my cats' names are Edhel and Chiquita and they were put on an hypoallergenic diet because Edhel uses to vomit occasionally, but from time to time her vomiting becomes more frequent up to two or three times a week and a month ago she threw up four times in half a day after eating a can of chicken and shrimps that she normally tolerates very well (and she loves too), so I took her to the vet.
She had a blood test and, before trying an abdominal ultrasound, the vet suggested to see if an hypoallergenic regime would help. The vomiting disappeared spontaneously after that, as it normally does, but, at the same time I was made aware that I shouldn't mix and alternate differend kinds of meat and fish as I do. This is easier said than done, because both my cats are very picky and get easily tired of their usual food (despite what the veterinarian says). I usually feed the both of them natural food brands with a high percentage of meat and/or fish (generally 50 or 75%); I think it's the most similar thing to a home made diet with the difference that meat and fish are steam cooked instead of raw and a few vitamins and minerals are added to make the food more complete. Anyway, the label clearly reports that it is a complementary food and that to give the cat a balanced nutrition it can't be used alone, thus I integrate it with dry food (mostly Royal Canin because it's what Edhel likes best. Before we started the diet, I gave her Hill's sensitive stomach and to my great surprise she loved it, so I'm thinking to use that, once she will be done with the diet, in combination with a grain free food). As for the wet food, I think I'll try one of the brands that Jcat linked above and I will keep my fingers crossed that Edhel approves them.
Chiquita seldom vomits, but has a very greasy hair and a lot of dandruff; she is also quite plump. The main reason I put her on diet too is that it's very difficult to separate them at mealtime and I didn't want Edhel to eat from Chiquita's bowl and viceversa. I also wanted to see if dandruff or greasiness would reduce with a diet and, although it's too soon to take stock, for now I've noticed that her hair is softer and shinier. I'm really undecided what dry food to give her, when the diet is over and if I'd better opt for a monoprotein or a grain free one. I am looking for a "light" food too because she's about 13,5 lb and I don't want her to gain any more weight. So far, the best maintenance food "candidate" is a not so widely known Czech brand- Brit Care-, but I wanted to listen to the opinions of people who have already tried hypoallergenic biscuits.

P.s. I don't think "limited" refers to Taurine, Arginine or other amino acids, minerals, vitamins, etc but simply to the protein source which should derive from one animal type (beef rather than pork or poultry); many if not all aliments to prevent allergic reactions are complete, so they should not lack anything

serena77 said:

 
Thank you Ginny, but Joon isn't my cat (it's lasia's, who started the thread);....

P.s. I don't think "limited" refers to Taurine, Arginine or other amino acids, minerals, vitamins, etc but simply to the protein source which should derive from one animal type (beef rather than pork or poultry); many if not all aliments to prevent allergic reactions are complete, so they should not lack anything

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I apologize.  You are right, I mean Edhel and Chiquita not Joon.  I just fed the kitties.  I put a small amount of the Canidae wet food in with their regular and I mixed it in with a small amount hoping they would at least give it a try.  So far only Harry is trying it.  The rest are acting like they aren't hungry for the moment.



I will keep trying!  I mixed in a tiny bit of the Natural Balance LID/grain free dry in with their old Purina Beyond grain free.  So far so good there!  We will just see.  This is a grain free as I can make their diet right now and I sure hope it helps.  I'm tired of Nat throwing up and I'm sure he is too.  By the way the Canidae is not LID like I thought, the NB is, but the Canidae is free of antibiotics/hormones/soy/wheat/corn/gluten/grain and fillers so that is an improvement over what they ate before.  I hope they learn to eat Duck.  They are bored with the chicken and turkey anyway right now.  

I'm glad your Edhel stopped throwing up on the hypoallergenic diet, and I am so hoping this happens for Nat too. I myself am on a high fat/low carb diet (with various degrees of adherence, lol) and have noticed that I lose  weight when I stick to high fat because fat curbs your appetite.  So does protein I've noticed.  I wouldn't put a cat on a high fat diet but surely high protein with help with satiation and curb their appetites.  That's what I'm hoping that Oreo will be more satisfied with a higher protein diet and will naturally lose weight.  He loves kibble and now his kibble is higher in protein than before!