Cat Food Allergy Question

[Olórin_Greyhame]

Hi! We believe our 7 year old kitty might have a food allergy. Her previous diet consisted of Tiki Cat Born Carnivore Chicken and Egg Recipe (dry food) and Tiki Cat wet food in various fish recipes. Eventually, this led to itching and ear issues (turned out to be an ear infection). We took her to a vet, and he literally did nothing and said she was probably fine. This caused everything to escalate into a bacterial skin infection.

She has been on 4 different antibiotics, and nothing has cleared her skin of bumps/sores, so we are currently waiting to get her to a dermatologist, but in the meantime we are trying our best to find a non-allergenic food that she will eat. She hasn't had an appetite since her infection showed up in June, so she has been very picky. We are currently trying Fussie Cat Quail and Duck Dry Food, but she doesn't seem to like it. Any suggestions or advice would be so, so greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!

 

[artiemom]

How about non feathered novel protein: Venison, rabbit, etc.. It may be all poultry.. and I would stay away from fish, for a bit.

 

[Astragal14]

Has your vet mentioned the possibility of a storage mite allergy? Storage mites develop in dry food, how long they take depends on how "open" the food container is (up to 30 days in a regular container, 3 months in an airtight container). Your cat may not be able to respond to treatment as long as she continues to ingest the allergens. One of my cats has a storage mite allergy; we keep dry food and treats in an airtight container for up to three months, extra is stored in the freezer. We steam clean our container every 3 months and wash it with soap and water. We also treat any flare ups with a few days of Zyrtec, but definitely check with your vet to determine if this is the right course of action for your cat and what is an appropriate dosage.

https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ALLERCEPT-TB-Allergen-Avoidance-0512-PR.pdf

Do not stockpile food; purchase only what is needed to maintain a 30-day supply.
Prior to purchase, check the food bag for tears or holes.
Store pet foods in airtight containers in a cool, dry environment.
Divide the bag of pet food into one-week portions and place in freezer safe storage containers. Keep the containers of food in a freezer until needed.
Wash food storage containers frequently with detergent and HOT water. Dry completely before refilling with food.
Clean pet food bowls daily with detergent and HOT water. Dry completely before filling with food.
Same control measures may be used for pet treats.

Some fish are high in histamines, so it's also possible that eating certain types of fish can exacerbate an active allergy reaction.
Histamine Toxicity Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Management

Certain kinds of fish are more prone to cause histamine toxicity. These include tuna, mackerel, mahi mahi, anchovy, herring, bluefish, amberjack and marlin.

 

[lisahe]

Some fish are high in histamines, so it's also possible that eating certain types of fish can exacerbate an active allergy reaction.
Histamine Toxicity Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Management

I agree with Astragal14 on both points but especially the fish -- we had a cat who most likely had issues with fish. She was a fish addict. As Astragal14 mentions, fish is high in histamines. That's one of the big reasons our vet is very anti-fish. Here's a vet-written piece about why it's not a good idea to feed a lot of fish: Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats | Little Big Cat

Taking the fish out of your cat's diet, Olórin_Greyhame , is (to my mind) the easiest first step in trying to figure out the source of her problem. I know that doesn't sound easy given that your cat sounds like she's a bit of a fish addict (as our previous cat was) but given the many problems that fish-based diets can bring, it feels like the best place to start. We didn't realize our cat's problem until she was nearing her end but we did taper her fish intake by switching her more to chicken/fish foods and then more meat-based foods.

Mites in dry food can definitely be an issue, too. Our vet has mentioned these sorts of problems, too!

Good luck!

 

[Olórin_Greyhame]

artiemom , Astragal14 , and lisahe thank you all so, so much for the advice! I really appreciate all the info!

I'm looking into venison, lamb, and rabbit. She seems to be doing okay with the quail/duck dry food and turkey wet food we've been giving her, but she doesn't like the kibble of the dry food, I think. I think it's too hard for her. I'm definitely looking into something different. She was on Instinct LID Rabbit food for a little bit. She loved it, but it turned her stools black and very smelly. Also, it's coated in freeze-dried raw, and I read that that can be more likely to have bacteria issues. I was worried about keeping her on that food for those reasons.

I'm currently debating a few different brands to try next: Freely, Nulo, Pure Vita, or Farmina.

Also, the more I keep reading about fish related issues, the more I think that's the culprit. She didn't start having all her issues until she started eating a lot more fish in her diet.

As for mites, all the vets we have taken her to looked for signs of mites and didn't find any. I can bring that up at her dermatologist appointment, though! We usually buy the small bags (2lbs and under) cause she can tell when we've had the food for a while, and she stops eating it. We try to keep it as fresh as possible for her.

Again, thank you all so much for the advice!!

 

[lisahe]

Also, the more I keep reading about fish related issues, the more I think that's the culprit. She didn't start having all her issues until she started eating a lot more fish in her diet.

If the problems really started after her diet had more fish, I'd definitely start with taking the fish out of her diet. I think the odds are good that will be the culprit.

What is your cat's name, by the way?

Fingers crossed you can resolve this with one category of food...

 

[Olórin_Greyhame]

If the problems really started after her diet had more fish, I'd definitely start with taking the fish out of her diet. I think the odds are good that will be the culprit.

What is your cat's name, by the way?

Fingers crossed you can resolve this with one category of food...

Thank you so much, and I really appreciate all the advice! I really hope it helps, too! Her name is Revy

 

[Astragal14]

I'm currently debating a few different brands to try next: Freely, Nulo, Pure Vita, or Farmina.

These are all good brands! Our nutritionist said Nulo is one of the more palatable foods so I would try that first. My picky cat likes their pates, and that's saying a lot!

I also recommend adding omega 3's to her diet via fish oil if she's not already taking it. It takes about 6 weeks to start working and it will help her body to have less of a reaction to any allergens.


https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951475

Omega 3 Fatty Acid Supplements

These products are not analogous to adding dietary oil to the pet's food, such as olive oil, coconut oil, corn oil etc. Instead, these special fatty acids act as medications, disrupting the production of inflammatory chemicals within the skin. By using these supplements, it may be possible to postpone the need for steroids/cortisones or reduce the dose of steroid needed to control symptoms. It takes a good 6 weeks to build up enough omega 3 fatty acids in the body to see a difference.

And good luck Revy!! I hope you feel better soon!

 

[artiemom]

Great.. . . to Revvy!!

If you can find Hound & Gatos, that is a good food, also.. pricey... and there is RAWZ... expensive, but a good food. You can get individual cans from Incredible Pets, online store.. It takes me about a week for deliveries.

I would not try changing up the food too much.. Pick one, and focus on that one. Do not confuse the issue by adding other brands and proteins. Yes, I would stay away from fish..

Good Luck..

 

[lisahe]

I also recommend adding omega 3's to her diet via fish oil if she's not already taking it. It takes about 6 weeks to start working and it will help her body to have less of a reaction to any allergens.

Our vet is also very pro-fish oil. And in Revy's case, it would give some fish flavor to non-fish foods. That might be helpful if she doesn't want to let go of her fishy diet.

Great.. . . to Revvy!!

If you can find Hound & Gatos, that is a good food, also.. pricey... and there is RAWZ... expensive, but a good food. You can get individual cans from Incredible Pets, online store.. It takes me about a week for deliveries.

I would not try changing up the food too much.. Pick one, and focus on that one. Do not confuse the issue by adding other brands and proteins. Yes, I would stay away from fish..

Good Luck..

I particularly agree with artiemom here about picking one thing and focusing on it. It's less disruptive to a cat with allergies or GI troubles and it makes it easier for the cat's humans to figure out what's causing a problem. The simpler the better, both in terms of approach and ingredients.

I'd also particularly recommend Rawz food, which is definitely worth the money, thanks to great ingredients and high calories. Incredible Pets also sells Mouser, which is high-calorie and contains mouse meat but no thickeners. Our cats have been enjoying it and do well with it, though tomato paste is an unusual cat food ingredient that might not work for everybody! I'm less enthusiastic about Hound & Gatos since neither of our two cats can eat it -- agar-agar has the rare quality of making both of them barf! -- but it apparently works really well for some cats. I guess my point here is that cat diets are very individual and it often requires considerable trial and error to find a good combination of foods.

Good luck with Revy's diet changes!

 

[cejhome]

Instinct does have an LID canned Rabbit both 3 oz and 5.5 oz. Chewy has it, as well as Amazon and Petco. I use that for our kitty, Buddy. He is allergic to chicken so far as we can tell. We have had him since mid-July, and he started scratching his ears about 3 weeks after we adopted him - I switched him to chicken with minimal extra ingredients - Weruva/Soulistic. He ate cheap canned and dry at the rescue. Nothing with "real" meat in it. He came to us very constipated and had ear infections in both ears and yeast as well in one. We have had cats with food allergies in the past, so I switched him asap off the chicken I was feeding him. His scratching started subsiding within a few days. I am also giving him Soulistic (Petco only) canned lamb (it does have tuna in it as the 3rd ingredient) as a topping, since he doesn't "love" the rabbit. I found a cat food with only lamb - Meaty Mates brand (Chewy has it). He is starting to get bored with the lamb/rabbit, so I decided to gamble on trying to add duck. Natural balance has a duck canned LID food (it does have pea/pea protein in it). Soulistic has a duck w/tuna canned. I have ordered Lotus venision canned and their duck canned to give those a try as well. Since we know to watch for ear scratching, if I see him starting to scratch, I will take out the duck and the 2 foods with tuna in them immediately and go back to rabbit and lamb only. I am hoping he will love the venison and the plain duck so I can eliminate the Soulistic lamb and duck that both have tuna in them.

After the ear scratching stopped completely and his ears were healing and growing back fur, buddy started scratching the base of the ear and his chest. Turns out Buddy does have environmental allergies as well. The dermatologist vet we went to said ear only scratching (not the base of the ear - behind the ear, but the ear itself) and ear infections are hallmarks of food allergies. Environmental allergies usually involve scratching at the base of the ear (behind and below the ear), neck, chest, belly, legs, feet, etc. Luckily we got him in quickly and had him tested. He has various grass allergies and other pollens (not allergic to fleas, thank goodness). We are doing the allergy desensitizing shots as he is only 2 and don't want to have to do steroids except for in extreme circumstances if needed. Luckily, it seams his environmental allergies are seasonal, so hopefully after Fall pollen season is over we are good til next year. However, we live close to a nature conservancy area, so we have lots and lots and lots of pollen. Ugh! I am having to take allergy meds myself this Fall.

The dermatologist says food allergies need to be worked through with eliminating common allergen foods and trying "novel" protein foods). If its severe, then he advised going to Hypoallergenic hydrolyzed protein prescription for a while then working on novel proteins. He thinks with us immediately stopping the chicken food and then seeing Buddy's ears stop itching, we are probably good with the food allergies at this point. Buddy's ear fur is all grown back and the skin is healthy light pink. It might have been the pumpkin and not the chicken, but chicken and fish are very common allergens, so its easiest to start with eliminating those. I have limited access to novel protein foods locally, so I picked up the Soulistic Lamb & tuna as well as the Instinct LID Rabbit just in case he wouldn't eat the rabbit. He will only eat the rabbit if I add lamb to it. It took a while to find a lamb only he would eat that I could order on-line. He hated the Hounds and Gatos and Feline Natural brands.

You have to read the ingredients carefully. There will be brands that say Venison LID and then you read the ingredients and it has turkey in it. I have seen Duck LID foods that have chicken broth in them.

Sorry if this is a big long ramble. Trying to get back to work and keep Buddy off my keyboard at the same time!