I give up. broke buying all this food

[samus]

Samus, are you in the US? Most pet stores sell freeze dried treats of various brands. Sometimes you have to look in the dog aisle. Ordering online is always an option, but usually more expensivve bcause of shipping costs.



If your cat likes grass, try Barley Cat: http://www.greenfoods.com/store/p/53-Barley-Cat-3oz.aspx

I haven't seen any freeze dried cat treats locally, but I haven't checked the dog section yet, that's a good idea. Barley Cat looks good, too.

 

[LTS3]

Samus, here's another one: Whole Life Pet Easy Additions For Cats topper

 

[reba]

Oh Samus that's a great idea about mixing the fortiflora with the human probiotics!  My next step was trying the human pro-biotics, but I didn't want to give up the fact that the fortiflora will get the to eat.

I want to second whoever said above that sprinkling the fortiflora is all you need to do - in fact one of the few times my cat vomited is when I put the whole packet in.  I know it says "animal digest" but LIsa Pierson, DVM is very vigilant about the safety of pet food and I'm confident she would have raised it as an issue.  IMO if you can't relax without knowing your pet food (or probiotics) are "perfect", you'll be setting yourself up for a lot of for failure and a lot of unnecessary stress.  I decided my number one priority is to get him to eat and I'll refine it as best I can after that.  

Forgive me, I"m short on time so I haven't been able to thoroughly review the thread, but has anyone suggested the fancy feast classic?  Turkey and giblets is my latest experiment based on the advice of catwoman. 

It's such a pain in the neck trying to get them to eat.  As I said, try less fortiflora, just a sprinkle, then they eat a little and sprinkle a little more.  I also have to fluff of the pate with a fork, let him eat a little, fluff again, etc.

Speaking of which, my IBD kitty sill have specks of red blood in his stool - not a lot and the diarhea has been gone for months, but it's still worrisome.   Is that true for anyone else?

PS While I don't think the vet is trying to steer you wrong, I'd really stick with what works based on results and not speculation, professional or otherwise.  It sound like you are already there, but I'll just repeat that because it annoys me that your vet made the comment about the gut and the probiotic.  He gave you that advice based on what - a thorough review of the research  or because he thought about it for 15 seconds.

 

[samus]

 
Oh Samus that's a great idea about mixing the fortiflora with the human probiotics!  My next step was trying the human pro-biotics, but I didn't want to give up the fact that the fortiflora will get the to eat.

I want to second whoever said above that sprinkling the fortiflora is all you need to do - in fact one of the few times my cat vomited is when I put the whole packet in.  I know it says "animal digest" but LIsa Pierson, DVM is very vigilant about the safety of pet food and I'm confident she would have raised it as an issue.  IMO if you can't relax without knowing your pet food (or probiotics) are "perfect", you'll be setting yourself up for a lot of for failure and a lot of unnecessary stress.  I decided my number one priority is to get him to eat and I'll refine it as best I can after that.  

Forgive me, I"m short on time so I haven't been able to thoroughly review the thread, but has anyone suggested the fancy feast classic?  Turkey and giblets is my latest experiment based on the advice of catwoman. 

It's such a pain in the neck trying to get them to eat.  As I said, try less fortiflora, just a sprinkle, then they eat a little and sprinkle a little more.  I also have to fluff of the pate with a fork, let him eat a little, fluff again, etc.

Speaking of which, my IBD kitty sill have specks of red blood in his stool - not a lot and the diarhea has been gone for months, but it's still worrisome.   Is that true for anyone else?

PS While I don't think the vet is trying to steer you wrong, I'd really stick with what works based on results and not speculation, professional or otherwise.  It sound like you are already there, but I'll just repeat that because it annoys me that your vet made the comment about the gut and the probiotic.  He gave you that advice based on what - a thorough review of the research  or because he thought about it for 15 seconds.

I wonder if the reason he vomited from the whole packet of Fortiflora is he vacuumed it down too fast....

My cat has some blood on her stool occasionally, I think it's actually from her anal gland (which was blocked up and squeezed out a couple months ago). Does it look like a thick, mucousy streak only on the outside of part of the poop? Is it every time he poops? It might be worth trying to get his anal glands expressed (I read somewhere on here that someone found a groomer that would do it for cheaper than a vet, but it might be worth getting a vet to see if it looks infected).

And I have to do the mashing/fluffing, flipping chunks over to the unlicked side, adding water to the perfect consistency thing too.... and then she still leaves a lot of it uneaten.

 

[reba]

You know when you pet him and it gets down near the base of his tail he meows and bats at you.  Not all the time, but a lot of the time.  I read that was a symptom of that but dismissed it and the vet never  brought it up.

No mucousy streak, more like dots.or occassionally a little streak.

At any rate he's soooooo much better and it's all because of the exchange of information on TCS.  The vet had him on Purina EN and it did nothing. 

 

[greencateyes]

I know you are tired of buying and trying new food, if Jack IS having a problem with the food, or developed a sensitivity to it, Wellness (manufacturer) makes canned food (they have fish flavors) that are grain free, the first ingredient is: "chicken, turkey, fish, etc." depending on what flavor you buy.  They have no byproducts and despite being a little high in fat, have superior and healthier ingredients.  They might be a little more expensive that Friskies, but if you can find one that works for Jack, that would be great.  You will have to go to Petco would be the best place to go.  They have 3.5 oz, 5.5 oz and 12 oz. If you are able to buy a few of the 3.5oz and find that he likes one, then you can buy it online for much cheaper.  Best of luck. I hope you find a solution fast.