I have a cat that I took in after my neighbors moved away and left her. She refuses to be an indoor only cat. I recently bought a bag of purina one hairball formula and after eating for a day, both my cats started vomiting at least once a day. Felix, the cat in question, developed scabs on her ears and head. Since she is an outside cat but comes in to eat, I thought it could be a combination of allergies to food (since my other cat also has been getting sick) and environmental issues outside. I mixed in taste of the wild food a few days ago but when I noticed her scabs last night, I dumped all the food and bought a new bag of taste of the wild. Also bought a new flea med, advantage. Any ideas? If it doesn't subside in a few days after feeding only the new food, I'm taking her to my vet.
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Possible food allergy
- Thread starter keeksdw
- Start Date
It takes awhile for food allergies / sensitivities to subside, maybe a few weeks at least. It usually takes longer than that because one has to figure out exactly what is causing the allergy. For some cats, it's a particular protein. For others it might be grains or some filler.
I think the vet can test for food allergies. The vet will probably recommend a prescription food for food allergies but you don't really need it. There are several brands of commercial limited ingredient diets you can buy: Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredients, Blue Buffalo Basics, Merrick Limited Ingredient, Natural Balance Pea and Duck. Here are some threads that discuss limited ingredient foods and novel proteins:
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/286882/...ted-ingredient-diet-cat-food-do-you-recommend
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306947/your-favorite-brands-of-novel-protein-canned-cat-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247426/limited-ingredient-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/296736/all-pork-limited-ingredient-cat-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/181578/good-dry-limited-ingredient-diets
Scabs can also be caused by an allergy to something in the environment. With an outdoor cat it's hard to figure out what is causing the scabs.
I think the vet can test for food allergies. The vet will probably recommend a prescription food for food allergies but you don't really need it. There are several brands of commercial limited ingredient diets you can buy: Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredients, Blue Buffalo Basics, Merrick Limited Ingredient, Natural Balance Pea and Duck. Here are some threads that discuss limited ingredient foods and novel proteins:
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/286882/...ted-ingredient-diet-cat-food-do-you-recommend
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306947/your-favorite-brands-of-novel-protein-canned-cat-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247426/limited-ingredient-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/296736/all-pork-limited-ingredient-cat-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/181578/good-dry-limited-ingredient-diets
Scabs can also be caused by an allergy to something in the environment. With an outdoor cat it's hard to figure out what is causing the scabs.
I like the Merrick LID canned foods, too: our cats love the turkey and duck. I agree with missmimz about wet food over kibble--simple recipes are less likely to have ingredients like grains or even peas and potatoes that can cause issues for cats. (The Purina One has both corn and wheat.)
I always think it's a good idea to have an animal checked out when there are new issues.
With that said, if an allergy, it could be environmental (pollen, mold, mildew, grasses, insects, bugs, etc...) or food (corn, wheat, soy, chicken, beef and fish are the top 6 food allergies, but it could be others.)
The allergy tests for *environmental* allergies is very good. The test for food allergies is *not*. An elimination diet is required for this.
With her being outdoors, it will be difficult to determine a food allergy, if there is one, as you cannot monitor everything she eats. I know the veterinary dermatologists I have worked with ask clients to keep cats indoors during a food trial and dogs need to be kept on leash and supervised when outside (I suppose a cat could be walked on a leash as well.)
The only non-prescription foods I trust for a food trial are Nature's Variety Instinct and Wild Calling as I have very high confidence in their processing and there is very little chance for cross contamination of other proteins.
The Merrick Limited Ingredient canned formulas contain more than one protein due to the addition of egg product. I have to assume the egg is from chickens. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
With that said, if an allergy, it could be environmental (pollen, mold, mildew, grasses, insects, bugs, etc...) or food (corn, wheat, soy, chicken, beef and fish are the top 6 food allergies, but it could be others.)
The allergy tests for *environmental* allergies is very good. The test for food allergies is *not*. An elimination diet is required for this.
With her being outdoors, it will be difficult to determine a food allergy, if there is one, as you cannot monitor everything she eats. I know the veterinary dermatologists I have worked with ask clients to keep cats indoors during a food trial and dogs need to be kept on leash and supervised when outside (I suppose a cat could be walked on a leash as well.)
The only non-prescription foods I trust for a food trial are Nature's Variety Instinct and Wild Calling as I have very high confidence in their processing and there is very little chance for cross contamination of other proteins.
The Merrick Limited Ingredient canned formulas contain more than one protein due to the addition of egg product. I have to assume the egg is from chickens. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
