Two Cats... two different problems

Hello again,

I posted a few weeks ago with great results. For anyone who remembers me I had a 14 yr old kittie named Squiggies that wasn't squatting and peeing OVER the litter box. After many tests at the vet we found that she had signs of Diabetes and her Gall Stones (yep, I did say Gall stones) have returned. She is on the road to recovery... it's slow but going.

So now that I have her on Purina DM for her diabetes I'm worried about her brother, Lenny. (Yep, that's Lenny and Squiggie for all you Laverne and Shirley fans!) Anyways... Lenny has IBD and could only tolerate Max Cat and did well on it.

Now that I've switched their food to the Purina DM I'm noticing that Lenny is vomiting. I'm wondering if that food is not going to be compatible with his IBD problem.

I need to find a food that will work for both cats. They are used to "grazing" on hard food all day and I'm not sure what to do! Please help!

~Maurine

I don't want to discourage you, but there probably isn't a prescription food (for diabetes) that Lenny will be able to tolerate. Our male has IBD and the lowest quality food he can eat is Nutro Natural Choice.

I want to add a disclaimer that I do not know much about diabetes. However, I do know that they need to have a low level of carbs and very little grain. Is it possible to feed diabetic cats a wet diet of high quality food? Or is there something else in the prescription food that helps the diabetic cat? I know that Nutro still have grains in their wet food, but brands like Wellness, Innova, Nature's Variety, and Wysong (100% meat) have great wet foods without grains. Alternatively, Innova has just come out with a no-grain dry food, called EVO. More information can be found at http://www.naturapet.com. If they are used to grazing, this might be a good option.

You have to feed prescription food, and just like with people, prescriptions shouldn't be shared. You should feed your cats in separate rooms, feed them what they each need, and not look to what is convenient or cheaper for you in the long run. Prescription diet foods are generally short term- depending on the ailment, but whatever food you are feeding you need to introduce them to it slowly or there will be stomach upset. Provide your vomiting cat with cat grass, or you can give 1/3 tab of pepcid to the cat that is vomiting. Elevate the food bowl, feed small amounts, but give each cat the food they need, not both of them the same thing.

I have the same problem here. I have one cat on a special diet because of obesity, another cat who is very food sensitive is on another feed, and the rest have their own food- sigh...It gets confusing, sometimes expensive, but knock on wood, all the cats are doing well. I also only leave the food down for 20 minutes instead of all day, and the cats get fed small amounts 4 times a day-

Thanks for the clarification, hissy.

I have a similar issue. One of our cats had struvite stones last year and is on a urine acidifier mixed with her wet food. She has to have it every night so we feed our male at the same time. Of course, they always think that the other's food tastes better. I have to supervise their feeding, otherwise, they'll switch dishes.

As an aside, I have had success giving a daily acidophilus supplement to our IBD cat.