Paté Makes Kitten Bloated, Meat Chunks In Gravy Does Not?? (friskies)

[jsmith125]

Hello! My 3 month old kitten recently got better after being sick for a few days. I decided to start feeding him the paté wet food (Friskies) for the higher calorie content over the meaty bits in gravy (Friskies as well); he also would eat so fast he would inhale the gravy up his nose so I figured this would be a better feeding option. However after the first day I noticed he would bloat up right after eating it! And after a couple of days he seems less and less interested in it; last night and just this morning I gave him the meaty gravy food again and he ate all of it, and no more stomach bloat! Is there any reason it is like this? Could it be the brand or the texture/consistency? And is there anyway to prevent him from getting food stuck up his nose when he eats? I would like to keep him on paté for the higher calorie content and avoid the gravy getting inhaled, but I don't like seeing him so round after each meal. He has also been dewormed as of last week and had a check up, so no current health issues either. Are their any brands that have caused bloating that anyone has experienced? Any advice would be great! Also right now do not have budget for high quality brand food from pet store, but will gladly take recommendations for a different brand I could find at Walmart. Thanks again!

 

[MissMolly08]

The Friskies pates do contain rice which with a quick glance over one of the meaty bits flavors, it appears they do NOT. The meaty bits foods really aren't the healthiest option though, as they do contain wheat gluten and are pretty high in carbs for a wet food.
Your cat may have an allergy/intolerance to rice though which could be causing the bloating.
There are tons of other brands of pate foods that do not contain rice. Fancy Feast can be found in most stores and their CLASSIC pate line is completely grain free.

 

[jsmith125]

Thank you! I was feeding him fancy feast at first but switched to Friskies since it was more food for less per can (49¢/5.5oz versus 65¢/3oz) however I will have to reconsider and pick some up to see if he responds better. Are there any other wet food brands that aren't high in carbs? I also try to give him Nutrical for Kittens once a day to make up for any nutrients his food might be lacking.

 

[MissMolly08]

Thank you! I was feeding him fancy feast at first but switched to Friskies since it was more food for less per can (49¢/5.5oz versus 65¢/3oz) however I will have to reconsider and pick some up to see if he responds better. Are there any other wet food brands that aren't high in carbs? I also try to give him Nutrical for Kittens once a day to make up for any nutrients his food might be lacking.

In general, most pate foods will be lower carb than the foods in gravy. Gravy requires some type of starchy ingredient to thicken it. There are some decent foods that come with gravy but they are usually the higher priced pet store foods. Most people here recommend sticking to the pate of grocery store/walmart foods.
This chart may be helpful for you...http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

It's best to stick to foods under 10% carbs. As you can see from that chart.... Fancy Feast CLASSICS are mostly between 0-3%, while their "gravy" varieties are 12-15%.

 

[jsmith125]

In general, most pate foods will be lower carb than the foods in gravy. Gravy requires some type of starchy ingredient to thicken it. There are some decent foods that come with gravy but they are usually the higher priced pet store foods. Most people here recommend sticking to the pate of grocery store/walmart foods.
This chart may be helpful for you...http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

It's best to stick to foods under 10% carbs. As you can see from that chart.... Fancy Feast CLASSICS are mostly between 0-3%, while their "gravy" varieties are 12-15%.

Okay, I will have to try out a few different ones and see what he responds to best. Thanks so much!!

 

[MissMolly08]

Okay, I will have to try out a few different ones and see what he responds to best. Thanks so much!!

You're welcome. Just be sure to read labels for the rice! Some brands use it in one flavor and not in another so you'll want to read every can you pick up, not just 1 flavor of a brand.

 

[jsmith125]

Believe we have partial success, picked up some Fancy Feast paté from the store and fed Lucifer, he only ate about half the can but no stomach bloat! Hopefully he will finish the rest soon, I feel like he still might be picky about the texture. But the fact that this paté did not cause him to bloat up like the Friskies leads me to believe he does have some sort of food allergy to the rice. Will look into this further. Thanks again!

 

[prairiepanda]

Since you mentioned you supplement with Nutri Cal, I'd like to point out that those supplements are intended primarily to give cats extra calories when they are very ill and not eating enough. It's mostly made of corn syrup, making it very calorie-dense, but not appropriate for a healthy pet. There are vitamins added to it, but it's far too high in sugar to be used as just a vitamin supplement.

Some supplements do exist that are just vitamins and flavoring, but I would consult a vet to determine if such supplements are necessary for your kitten. Some people also use kitten milk replacement powder as a supplement.

 

[jsmith125]

Update: Lucifer is eating normally now, no more pickiness either! Switched him over to Fancy Feast for good now and he's eating on average 3 cans a day. Also not giving him Nutrical anymore, since his appetite is back to normal; thank you prariepanda for that information I did not realize it was mostly corn syrup, and I did indeed get it for him when he was sick a couple weeks ago and I was having to syringe feed him in order to get something in his tummy as well as the proper nutrients. Appreciate everyone's feedback!