Alternative to Instinct Ltd Ingredient Turkey for cat with IBD?

Vets have told me that one of my cats may have IBD. Based on her history with vomiting and trying different foods to keep her from throwing up, it does seem likely. I know there has been a long running discussion about clay in NV Instinct foods. However, I don't want to feed carrageenan or guar gum. I cannot find any other canned turkey foods without those ingredients.
Lately, the consistency of the food has been watery and I have to feed more than usual. The ingredients haven't changed but I guess the moisture content has. I tried raw freeze deied foods before and she didn't tolerate them. I'd really like to find an alternative to Instinct. Any suggestions?

You may find some LID gum-free suggestions here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240335/canned-food-without-carrageenan-or-guar-gum

Does it have to be turkey? Can your cat eat other proteins?

I echo LTS3's question about turkey and other proteins.

I'd highly recommend Tiki Cat (particularly Gourmet Carnivore) though many/most of their foods have chicken. Our cats also love Feline Natural's new canned foods: they've only had the chicken/lamb but they also make chicken/venison.

She does seem to have a problem with fish. I think I tried chicken but I may have also been rotating in fish at the time, which coukd have been the problem. I just don't want to flare anything up by switching. Maybe I will try introducing some chicken gradually.

wannahelp said:

She does seem to have a problem with fish. I think I tried chicken but I may have also been rotating in fish at the time, which coukd have been the problem. I just don't want to flare anything up by switching. Maybe I will try introducing some chicken gradually.

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Some of Tiki's Gourmet Carnivore foods (they're here) have no chicken or limited chicken: the beef liver and chicken is a favorite for our cats and it's 20% chicken. I'm phasing out gums so am glad our cats like Tiki!

I was going to recommend Feline Natural's new canned line too. Ziwipeak is also often a good option for IBD cats. Ideally, you may want to move towards homecooked or raw. Here's a good site with more info on that. Be sure to join the FB group if you want more IBD support and suggestions. There are people on there that don't feed homecooked or raw too, and everyone is very nice and helpful.

rawfeedingforibdcats.org

LisaHE said:

 
I echo LTS3's question about turkey and other proteins.

I'd highly recommend Tiki Cat (particularly Gourmet Carnivore) though many/most of their foods have chicken. Our cats also love Feline Natural's new canned foods: they've only had the chicken/lamb but they also make chicken/venison.

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Feline Natural's told me Chewy is supposed to be carrying the canned line next week  I've been trying to get my hands on the canned food for weeks but no one in AZ is carrying it. I even looked in CA when i was there a few weeks ago and still couldn't find it.  I'm hoping it use it as a snack over Ziwipeak because mine LOVE venison. 

A novel protein diet may be helpful to a cat with IBD. Vension, rabbit, pork, even kangaroo canned foods are available. Here's a thread with suggestions: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306947/your-favorite-brands-of-novel-protein-canned-cat-food

I'm not sure if the kangaroo one is listed in that thread. Here's the web site: http://www.kohapet.com/cat-food/ There is a turkey LID canned food but it has agar agar. Is agar agar considered a gum? It's derived from algae so maybe not? It's typically used a thickener in canned pet foods.

I'm not sure about agar agar but I appreciate everyone's suggestions. He current food is so watered down now that it just isn't satisfying for my cat and she's constantly asking for more food.

I wonder if your cat has many food allergies and that the IBS is just a symptom of the allergies and not the actual end-point diagnosis. I say this, because your cat is already on a limited ingredient diet (LID) and is still experiencing IBS. In addition to feeding her a LID, you might have to go one step further and get her off of the typical cat protein sources, such as fish, turkey, chicken, etc., as it sounds like she may be allergic to them.

There are many brands of special LID diets that use protein and carb combinations that are not found in ancestral cats' diets. For instance, these brands will use duck, venison, or rabbit as the protein source and peas for the carb source. My vet told me that the idea behind this is that if a cat hasn't been exposed to the food source in its lineage/history, there is a good chance that they haven't yet developed an allergy to it.

I currently have my 15 year old female cat- who is allergic to just about everything- on Natural Balance LID food. She gets the canned venison version and the dry duck version. Over the years, I've had her on all of the various prescription LID food from the vet, and as long as the food used an unusual protein/carb combo, my girl did just fine (so the brand doesn't matter as much as what the protein/carb source is). When I initially fed her the food, her raging IBS and other allergy issues (such as overly waxy ears always prone to infection) cleared up within a week and never returned.

I like the Natural Balance LID foods I use for my cat, because I can purchase it online without a prescription, and it's slightly cheaper than prescription food from the vet. My vet thinks it's just fine, too. My girl has been IBS-free for more than 12 years now due to my cutting her off from normal protein/carb sources, and her latest blood work came back perfect.

Good luck with your girl. Hope she starts feeling better!

Originally Posted by littlepaw  

My girl has been IBS-free for more than 12 years now due to my cutting her off from normal protein/carb sources, and her latest blood work came back perfect.

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That's great to hear! And your points on novel protein sources are good: our cats have odd digestive systems so I'm "saving" meats like venison and rabbit for just in case, later on. They get a pretty good mix of pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb so I hope I don't have to use anything novel. But at least there will be options if need be!

It looks like your avatar cat is a snowshoe mix: we have one and she's the sweetest cat ever. (She also has a particularly finicky stomach: the cats really proved our vet right after she said that Siamese mixes tend to have GI issues!)

I tried feline naturals a while ago. I don't remember which flavor(s) I tried but it caused her to vomit. Nature's Logic has cottage cheese, which I don't think she can tolerate.