Cat food help/possible IBS

[tracyb92]

I’m needing some advice on what to feed my Marley with possible IBS. She’s 1 year old as of November and has had about 5 bouts of explosive diarrhea (2 of those times I know she ate something that bothered her). I know she has a very sensitive stomach because I caught her chewing on a dead bug, then boom, an hour later she’s having diarrhea and she didn’t even ingest the bug. The vet says it’s possible it’s IBS but I didn’t have the money at the time to do all the specialized labs/tests to confirm so we decided to change her diet and get her on B12 and probiotics for now. I have changed her dry food from Purina Cat Chow Gentle to Tiki Cat Essentials with no issue. The issue I’m having is with her wet food. As a kitten she was on Fancy Feast Kitten so when she turned 1 I started giving her Fancy Feast for all ages which she loved. The vet said this is basically junk food so for the past 3 weeks I have gone through canned wet food from Tiki Cat, Soulstice, Pro Plan, Nulo, Solid Gold, and Science Diet. The ONLY one she will kind of eat if I spoon feed her is the mousses from Tiki Cat. I’m struggling to get her to eat anything from these brands but she found some Fancy Feast left over from feeding my other cat and chowed it down yesterday.

So I’m wondering if it’s okay to keep her on Fancy Feast since that’s the only way to make sure she’s eating the B12 and probiotic? Is the food more important or the fact that she’s ingesting the supplements?

 

[verna davies]

Beautiful cat.

Maybe she is allergic to one of the ingredients, chicken is the most cause. Try a limited ingredient food such as rabbit if she will eat it. It may be trial and error for a while. For the diarrhoea try s boulardii, half a capsule twice a day for 3/5 days should help.

 

[Assar]

My two kittens had the same problem before and I thought it was a food issue since I changed their food until I realized that they are chewing on toxic plants, I recommend to around especially if she has access outdoors. I had a video call with the vet and she recommended:
1. Cut off all the food and only give a GI food for two weeks (Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal)
2. prokolin or canikur two times per day
3. After two weeks I start to add the new food gradually
I added the following natural remedies myself:
Start to add two teaspoons of ground psyllium husk to their wet food (you mix it with some hot water first)
Finally, they are both doing well now

 

[Alldara]

Check all houseplants for toxicity is also the first thing I suggest. Some are non-toxic but can still make digestive upset.

Note: intestinal problems are not usually from what something just ate a moment ago. It can be from something up to 24 hours beforehand. An instant problem would likely cause vomiting, not diarrhea. It takes time for things to move through the digestive tract.

I would go with a prescription wet food for a time. Purina EN helped Magnus get sorted. Then we moved to Purina Chicken and Rice from the store.

Something plain, and limited in ingredients. It will have to be fed for 3 weeks or so before you'll know for sure if the food is causing issues or not.

You could do the plainer Fancy Feast. One of the ones with a single protein and it can be only that one. For example the Beef pate one and only the beef pate one for 3-6 weeks. If there's still issues, it's likely the beef and you try chicken and then so on. If you try a few proteins and there's no change its likely she's injesting something else around the house.

Also ensure that cabinets are babyproofed that contains any cleaners or items containing essential oils.

 

[catlikesbusiness]

I dont know how about cats, but in humans it is recommended to follow a LOW FODMAP diet, check it out. Also IBS is often linked to psychological stress.

 

[lisahe]

What kind of bugs does Marley eat? Some, particularly crickets, can carry parasites. As A Alldara mentions, though, it's highly unlikely that Marley would vomit immediately after eating a bug. Houseplants are definitely something to watch for, even small dried leaves that drop... we have a cat who used to vomit from eating those. We had to get rid of our plants after she got very sick from eating one. And I'd checked to be sure none were toxic -- Alldara is very right about that, too!

It sounds like Marley's diarrhea is under control now, is that right? What are the things you know "bothered" her in the past?

In terms of food, I again agree with Alldara: the simpler the better. If I were to choose a Fancy Feast to feed, though, it would be turkey and giblets pate (Fancy Feast Classic Pate) since it doesn't have fish. Fish is a common problem for cats, so that would be one of the first things I'd try cutting out of a cat's diet. Sometimes it's dumb luck that solves the problem: one of our cats had stinky breath and gas when we first adopted her, plus she occasionally vomited after meals. By chance we realized that potato was a problem. She started smelling fresher as soon as it was out of her diet. Cats aren't meant to eat a high-carb diet, so the lower in potatoes, peas, grains, and other carbs, the better.

Sorting this stuff isn't easy but keeping a journal and tracking meals, symptoms, and episodes can help you figure out what's causing problems. Good luck!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Fancy Feast Classic Pate (called Gourmet in Europe) are not really junk, but the grills, in gravy, Florentine, etc. are, IMHO. And as mentioned above, now even some of the Classics have fish in them, even though that's not mentioned in the name, ie Chicken Feast Classic Pate contains fish , so you really have to read the ingredients. I would definitely try to find a food that limits the proteins, as mentioned above. And stick with the FF pates. I think that kind of limits you to Beef or Turkey and Giblets.

As to your question about feeding her FF or giving her supplements, I think the answer to that is - how is she doing with feeding her the supplements in the FF? If ok, then I'd say continue. If not, then if you are not feeding FF pate, try adding the supplements to that and see what happens. Or try a Sheba pate. It's a little better than FF because Sheba doesn't contain artificial flavors, has a tiny bit more Taurine and a little less ash. (they do contain fish oil, but that is different from fish)

 

[lisahe]

Or try a Sheba pate. It's a little better than FF because Sheba doesn't contain artificial flavors, has a tiny bit more Taurine and a little less ash. (they do contain fish oil, but that is different from fish)

Sheba pates are a good thought, they're definitely a little better than Fancy Feast. Our cats love Sheba as well as Iams and Nutro Perfect Portions foods, which look and smell very, very similar. (The ingredient lists are very similar, too.)