Any recs for foods to fatten up my IBD kitty?

[waddle]

Took her in for her annual and she has lost over three pounds since last year. We are going to increase her prednisolone and see if that helps, maybe try an appetite stimulant later. I think she is just not eating enough. She has never been one to get excited by food, and I never see her eat very much at one time. Her blood sugar, thyroid, kidney, and all other bloodwork was normal.

The Tiki fish has been her favorite so maybe I should put that out more often even though I know it’s not great to feed fish all the time. I try to avoid chicken which really limits the options. I don’t know for sure that it’s a problem but I know it often is for IBD kitties and I think my other cat might have an issue with it too. She did have a number of teeth removed last year so wet is probably better than kibble, which of course it generally is anyway. Since moving them to more wet food in their diet, neither kitty shows much interest in kibble anymore.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! In case you're not familiar with either of these I wanted to post them for you;
IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

Feline IBD

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

How bout DUCK? It's pretty fatty though, so might not be good. Or lamb? Or you could try adding in a raw egg yolk to her food a couple times a week. Just whip it up and stir it into any wet food. You might thin it out with a little water first. Just don't include any raw egg white if you do this. Or you could even scramble up an entire egg in a little butter and give it to her.

I also have a cat who has never been food driven, but I can usually get him to eat if I first have him an appetizer of something like Freeze Dried 100% meat only (purebites, Life Essentials, WholeLife, etc), then sprinkle the same item on top of his food. Then if he eats, I follow up his meal with dessert of the same. They are fairly calorie dense, and very high in protein as well.

 

[LTS3]

IBD cats often have low B12 levels which results in weight loss. Is your cat taking it? If not, ask the vet to do a B12 test to check levels. There is a specific test for B12. It is not included with regular blood work. If the levels are low, you will need to give B12 injections at home.

 

[waddle]

I have duck and lamb from Koha but neither cat likes them as well as tiki or the Dr Elsey turkey. I see dr elsey does make a duck too but chewy says it’s actually a little lower in calories and fat than the turkey which seems impossible! Turkey has the highest fat and pork the least?! I’m wondering if there are any higher calorie foods worth trying.

 

[maggie101]

Took her in for her annual and she has lost over three pounds since last year. We are going to increase her prednisolone and see if that helps, maybe try an appetite stimulant later. I think she is just not eating enough. She has never been one to get excited by food, and I never see her eat very much at one time. Her blood sugar, thyroid, kidney, and all other bloodwork was normal.

The Tiki fish has been her favorite so maybe I should put that out more often even though I know it’s not great to feed fish all the time. I try to avoid chicken which really limits the options. I don’t know for sure that it’s a problem but I know it often is for IBD kitties and I think my other cat might have an issue with it too. She did have a number of teeth removed last year so wet is probably better than kibble, which of course it generally is anyway. Since moving them to more wet food in their diet, neither kitty shows much interest in kibble anymore.

I was just searching on foods for my cat to loose some weight. Lots of the tiki are high protein low fat so In going to add that in her rotation. What is the fat content of the tiki she likes? It should be much higher so instinct,koha,dr elseys are just some suggestions

 

[daftcat75]

Having just lost my Krista to essentially IBD/lymphoma, a few thoughts are fresh in my regrets:

1. If her presenting symptoms of IBD (vomiting and/or diarrhea/constipation) are managed, do not use steroids as an appetite stimulant replacement. Please ask your vet about tapering back the steroids to the minimum dose needed (preferably an every other day dose and not daily) to keep the disease controlled. Long-term steroids use made my Krista weak. They never put weight on her.

2. Fish can be inflammatory for many cats. If you can avoid fish, I recommend it. Turns out the fish flakes I was wrapping her prednisilone pill every night were causing a reaction with her that prevented her from achieving remission until I finally had to discontinue the flakes and pills and switch to transdermal. As soon as I did, her poop nonsense cleared right up. Finally she enjoyed remission. I only wish I caught this sooner.

3. Long-term steroid use can cause weakness, diabetes, diabetes-like symptoms, and increased susceptibility to infections including UTIs. Antibiotic use can cause appetite issues and weight loss. If she’s having trouble gaining or maintaining weight, you’ll want to avoid things that might cause her to lose weight. But if she does get an infection, you absolutely need to treat it. So it’s best to taper her steroids to the lowest effective dose, with a vet’s guidance. That last part is the most important. Don’t change her pred dose without your vet’s guidance and consent.

4. Rawz pate food is expensive and difficult to find. But if you’re in the US or Canada, they can be essential for stabilizing an IBD kitty and regaining weight. There are many single protein foods in the pates that are also filler and gum free. They are also high in fat making it easier for a cat to gain weight.

5. If pred alone is not managing her IBD symptoms, consider the possibility that it might be lymphoma. Especially if she eats and eats and still loses weight. If she falls into this category, now or in the future, ask your vet about lymphoma and chemotherapy. Cats tolerate chemo very well. Most experience very mild, if any, side effects.

But I would say the number one predictor of how long you will have your IBD kitty around is how well she can maintain a healthy weight. If she’s not maintaining, figure that out. If you can afford an internal medicine specialist, that’s where I’d go to make sure her IBD meds are being managed responsibility for a long-term sustainability.

 

[maggie101]

So sorry for your kitty! The rawz Turkey will have to be her second fav to duck. It is low in fiber. So I am mixing the 2 in Hopes she will crave the duck.thanks for the heads up on steroids. Right now just b12 shots.

 

[daftcat75]

So sorry for your kitty! The rawz Turkey will have to be her second fav to duck. It is low in fiber. So I am mixing the 2 in Hopes she will crave the duck.thanks for the heads up on steroids. Right now just b12 shots.

Rawz Duck has salmon oil in it. If you’re having trouble selling her on turkey, try adding a pump of salmon oil to the turkey can. Salmon oil is fat. What I said about fish being inflammatory, I was referring to fish proteins. Fish oil is good. But it can cause loose stools. That’s why I put a pump in a 5.5 oz can, stir, and serve from that can rather than trying to add oil to every serving.

 

[maggie101]

Rawz Duck has salmon oil in it. If you’re having trouble selling her on turkey, try adding a pump of salmon oil to the turkey can. Salmon oil is fat. What I said about fish being inflammatory, I was referring to fish proteins. Fish oil is good. But it can cause loose stools. That’s why I put a pump in a 5.5 oz can, stir, and serve from that can rather than trying to add oil to every serving.

I forgot the duck has salmon oil. That is probably why she doesnt like duck unless I mix in Turkey.

 

[maggie101]

I wish there were some other brand as good as rawz that's not more expensive. She throws up her food 3x a week unless she is given b12. Loose stools she does not have. It is not allergies

 

[daftcat75]

Have you tried the rabbit with her? It’s not easier on cost or availability but it’s what Krista finally stabilized on. I wish I had the chance to retry turkey with her once she had achieved remission. She loved turkey! But at the beginning of this year, when trying to stabilize her lymphoma, it seemed rabbit treated her better.

 

[daftcat75]

Does she throw up the duck? Sometimes that happens too. Salmon oil is rich and can cause a reaction at either end. If she does better on turkey, let her have that and possibly shelve the duck as a “not ideal.”

 

[maggie101]

Have you tried the rabbit with her? It’s not easier on cost or availability but it’s what Krista finally stabilized on. I wish I had the chance to retry turkey with her once she had achieved remission. She loved turkey! But at the beginning of this year, when trying to stabilize her lymphoma, it seemed rabbit treated her better.

I bought a bunch and she turned her nose up on it. Any food she throws up. Some mornings she feels to lethargic to eat. Numerous testing has been done and she is healthy. B12 gets rid of it

 

[daftcat75]

I bought a bunch and she turned her nose up on it. Any food she throws up. Some mornings she feels to lethargic to eat. Numerous testing has been done and she is healthy. B12 gets rid of it

That’s unfortunate. Have you tried a vet school or an internal medicine specialist? If B12 controls it, do that. But if she’s taking pred and still barfing that doesn’t sound controlled. You should discuss that with a specialist (or vet school) if your regular vet isn’t helping here. Are you giving any treats? As I learned with the fish flakes, it doesn’t take much of an irritant/trigger food to prevent a remission.

 

[maggie101]

That’s unfortunate. Have you tried a vet school or an internal medicine specialist? If B12 controls it, do that. But if she’s taking pred and still barfing that doesn’t sound controlled. You should discuss that with a specialist (or vet school) if your regular vet isn’t helping here. Are you giving any treats? As I learned with the fish flakes, it doesn’t take much of an irritant/trigger food to prevent a remission.

No treats. I am extra careful about ingredients in canned food. I have been taking her to a new vet. If it happens again which it will I will talk to him about it. He is from Cuba. When he says duck it sounds like dog. Took me a sec to get that

 

[waddle]

Daftcat75, what do you think of the Dr. Elsey turkey formula? I can get that easily and both my cats like it. The Rawz is not sold anywhere near me, and I might spend a fortune on it without having any idea of whether they’ll eat it. I attached a screenshot of the info on the Dr. Elsey.

My cat was on 2.5 mg prednisolone daily. After her appointment last year, we changed it to every other day, but now she has lost all this weight. We increased it to 5 mg twice daily to see if that helps her gain some back, and the plan is to lower it again in the future.

re tiki I am only giving her the fish formulas as everything else has chicken in it. If it’s bad for her I won’t buy it again, but she does eat it enthusiastically.

The vet did not mention B12 so I will ask her about that. We did discuss the possibility of lymphoma.

We have had minimal throwing up recently which is probably due to adjusting to more wet food in the diet. Before that it had been rare. There have been a few instances of pooping outside the box, but I am not sure which cat. Also a little diarrhea, which seems to be gone now, but I think that is the other cat, again adjusting and she has always had much softer stools than my IBD kitty.

 

[waddle]

Would the Stella and Chewy’s raw in the turkey and/or rabbit be a good option? Seems like it should be? I can pick that up locally to see if she likes it.