hmmm... allergies?

Well, this may be... Awkward... Hecate has started sneezing after eating her wet meals. And I noticed her eyes are a bit more watery than usual. She didn't eat her breakfast this morning (Iams tuna-topia) but she's mowing down on the Whiskas chicken entree now. I think that the sneezing is most pronounced with the tuna flavors. I think the sardines flavor is okay, but I'll give her some for dinner to find out. Could she actually be allergic to tuna? Would she have figured it out before I did and might that be why she doesn't want it? Mind you, I don't think it's anything severe, but the new food is the only real change we've made. To think, we started feeding wet food to keep her healthy!

You should avoid feeding tuna and/or fish based foods regularly. They should be a treat only. I would get other protein sources in her diet ASAP. Here's more info.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/

I don't really think cats know instinctively what they're allergic to. The sneezing and goopy eyes point more towards a URI. I'd have him tested for that.

But like @missmimz  said, I would add in some other protein sources. Chicken, turkey, duck, beef, etc.

She doesn't seem to like it as much either way. So, I'll find her something else when I get paid at the end of the month. The sneezing and watery eyes is mild and only seems to happen with the fish flavored foods. About three hours after a meal, her eyes are dry and she seems fine.

So, essentially, after fighting all day with our little princess, it's been decided to discontinue the Iams fish flavors altogether. She likes the Whiskas Purrfectly Chicken anyhow. I know... Wheat gluten. But, it and maybe the modified corn starch seems to be the only really questionable ingredients. Pray, let me know if I'm mistaken:

Chicken entree: Water, chicken, liver, soy oil, corn starch-modified, wheat gluten, natural flavor, guar gum, sodium tripolyphoshate, taurine, salt, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [vitamin E], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], riboflavin supplement, folic acid), disodium EDTA, caramel coloring, sodium nitrite (for color retention), minerals (manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate), BHA/BHT

chicken and beef entree: Water, chicken, beef, soy oil, corn starch-modified, wheat gluten, guar gum, sodium tripolyphoshate, taurine, caramel coloring, salt, iron oxide, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [vitamin E], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], riboflavin supplement, folic acid), disodium EDTA, sodium nitrite (for color retention), minerals (manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate), BHA/BHT

Chicken and duck entree: Water, chicken, duck, liver, soy oil, corn starch-modified, wheat gluten, natural flavor, guar gum, sodium tripolyphoshate, taurine, salt, iron oxide, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [vitamin E], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], riboflavin supplement, folic acid), disodium EDTA, caramel coloring, sodium nitrite (for color retention), minerals (manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate), BHA/BHT

Hatchytt said:

So, essentially, after fighting all day with our little princess, it's been decided to discontinue the Iams fish flavors altogether. She likes the Whiskas Purrfectly Chicken anyhow. I know... Wheat gluten. But, it and maybe the modified corn starch seems to be the only really questionable ingredients. Pray, let me know if I'm mistaken:

Chicken entree: Water, chicken, liver, soy oil, corn starch-modified, wheat gluten, natural flavor, guar gum, sodium tripolyphoshate, taurine, salt, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [vitamin E], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], riboflavin supplement, folic acid), disodium EDTA, caramel coloring, sodium nitrite (for color retention), minerals (manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate), BHA/BHT

chicken and beef entree: Water, chicken, beef, soy oil, corn starch-modified, wheat gluten, guar gum, sodium tripolyphoshate, taurine, caramel coloring, salt, iron oxide, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [vitamin E], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], riboflavin supplement, folic acid), disodium EDTA, sodium nitrite (for color retention), minerals (manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate), BHA/BHT

Chicken and duck entree: Water, chicken, duck, liver, soy oil, corn starch-modified, wheat gluten, natural flavor, guar gum, sodium tripolyphoshate, taurine, salt, iron oxide, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [vitamin E], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], riboflavin supplement, folic acid), disodium EDTA, caramel coloring, sodium nitrite (for color retention), minerals (manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate), BHA/BHT

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I personally wouldn't feed that brand exclusively. I'm guessing it's a gravy food? Have you looked into higher end foods that don't have those fillers like perhaps Nutro Natural choice sliced varieties or Weruva/Soulistic? Ideally you shouldn't feed only grocery store foods. Changing food takes time and patients so add new foods slowly and keep giving her what works until you can phase them out. 

I'm on an extremely limited budget. So, the high end foods are simply outside my budget constraints. It's bad enough I had to give $15 worth of food away to the neighbor across the hall because Hecate doesn't react well to it. Either way, I can't possibly afford super high end foods.

Hatchytt said:

I'm on an extremely limited budget. So, the high end foods are simply outside my budget constraints. It's bad enough I had to give $15 worth of food away to the neighbor across the hall because Hecate doesn't react well to it. Either way, I can't possibly afford super high end foods.

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Not all foods you can buy at a pet store are expensive. Nutro, for example, is very affordable. If she's not reacting well to certain foods you may end up with an expensive vet bill down the road so sometimes its worth shifting things around to buy a little better food. In terms of cheaper foods, Fancy Feast Classic is much better than any of the gravy foods, so you might look at those. FF classic chicken is a popular choice. 

I'm not sure if you have a Tractor Supply store by you, but 4Health has a grain free food that is around the same price as wet grocery store brands. I don't have experience with it, but I've seen @Crazy4Strays  post about it on previous threads. I think it's around .60 cents for a 5.5 oz can? 

Here is a great thread: Very Inexpensive Grain Free Canned  Make sure you check the ingredients on the back of cans. Some inexpensive brands only make certain flavors that are grain free. 

So, I've started a new food, still cheap, still has some starches, but so far she hasn't had any real issues with the starch and she loves gravy. Here's the ingredients list.

SLICED TURKEY DINNER

WATER SUFFICIENT FOR PROCESSING, TURKEY, LIVER, MEAT BY-PRODUCTS, WHEAT GLUTEN, CHICKEN, CORN STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, POTATO STARCH, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, DL-METHIONINE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, VITAMINS (VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, BIOTIN, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID), MINERALS (FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC OXIDE, COPPER PROTEINATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, MANGANESE SULFATE, SODIUM SELENITE), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, GUAR GUM, TAURINE, XANTHAN GUM.

SLICED CHICKEN HEARTS & LIVER

WATER SUFFICIENT FOR PROCESSING, CHICKEN HEARTS, CHICKEN LIVERS, TURKEY, MEAT BY-PRODUCTS, WHEAT GLUTEN, CHICKEN, LIVER, POTATO STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, GUAR GUM, CORN STARCH, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, DL-METHIONINE, VITAMINS (VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, BIOTIN, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID), MINERALS (FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC OXIDE, COPPER PROTEINATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, MANGANESE SULFATE, SODIUM SELENITE), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, TAURINE, ADDED COLOR.

SLICED BEEF FEAST

WATER SUFFICIENT FOR PROCESSING, BEEF, LIVER, POULTRY, MEAT BY-PRODUCTS, WHEAT GLUTEN, POTATO STARCH, CORN STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, FISH, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, ADDED COLOR, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, DL-METHIONINE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, VITAMINS (VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, BIOTIN, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID), MINERALS (FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC OXIDE, COPPER PROTEINATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, MANGANESE SULFATE, SODIUM SELENITE), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, TAURINE, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM.

I'll be feeding the beef in moderation, because of the fish, though she doesn't seem to be reacting to it... Weird.

Hatchytt said:

I'm on an extremely limited budget. So, the high end foods are simply outside my budget constraints. It's bad enough I had to give $15 worth of food away to the neighbor across the hall because Hecate doesn't react well to it. Either way, I can't possibly afford super high end foods.

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I understand being on a limited budget - and I empathize sincerely I do, however, before discontinuing certain proteins (other than fish which can be highly antigenic) any foods with corn or wheat ideally need to be eliminated as they are common culprits in instigating allergic reactions in cats.

The Iams she started on was grain free. But, it had the fish, and appears to be the only kind carried in grocery stores here. She was doing fine on the Whiskas purrfectly chicken, but now she won't eat the other Whiskas flavors I got her or the cat food I listed the ingredients to above. Picky little bigger...

Have you tried Friskies canned food? It's not that bad if you stick with the pate ones. I live on a very tight budget and I feed 6 feral cats and one indoor cat. They have all done very well on the Friskies.

I would give it a try, it comes in many different flavors but stick to the pate ones.

Good luck, I know all about picky eaters.

I'm not sure she'd like pate. She seems to like the gravy covered meat best.

The big, huge plus for Friskies pates is that they are super-stinky in a way that cats love. I suspect that, the fact that it's very decent food, and the price, are why they feed it at the shelter where we adopted our cats!