Potential food allergy – need recommendations for a new food

[5CatDraw]

No fish wise, Rawz could be an option. And I love that they have all their analysis listed on their site. Wellness CORE Signature Selects Shredded Poultry has no fish but contains tapioca starch and guar gum... I don't have much luck in getting my cats to eat healthier either, the best I could do is to keep the phos lower and minimal seafood.

I've been eyeing Rawz and am tempted to try it. I too am a big fan of complete nutrient analysis being available online. Do your cats like Rawz? I'm afraid it will be one more futile attempt with something that sounds great to me, but gets no consideration at all from my cats.
Have you tried the Wellness Core Tiny Tasters? My cats like them better than the other Core foods. They have tapioca starch too, but evidently not much, as the carbs are low. As I'm sure you know, Wellness offers complete nutrient profiles online too.

 

[lisahe]

A Alldara theorized that the ingredients might be slightly different depending on which country they are manufactured in. That seems like a good possibility, and maybe there was a recipe change for the T&G and it is taking longer for some to see it than others. I’m in the US.

I'm in the US, too. The FF that we have in the kitchen arrived a month or two (or three?) ago and the label says fish so I'm late on this! I hadn't been feeding it regularly to both cats until very recently, though.

Our cats have never consistently liked Tiki Cat foods. They like Chewy's knock-off foods better but aren't thrilled about those, either. Beyond that, I cut tapioca for Edwina because she needs to lose weight and because I suspect it's not good for her gut. So many things aren't good for her gut! I'm also not sure about Edwina and xanthan gum, which has become a common thickener and is in Tiny Tasters. Ireland used to love Tiny Tasters but is no longer interested. Feeding cats is not easy!

One food our cats both like, though, is Nulo's chicken/duck pouch "mousse"! Ireland laps it up and Edwina eats it slowly. (This is good: Ireland's picky but Edwina generally eats too fast!) Tiny Tiger works for both of them. So does homemade, which I make with various combinations of cooked chicken tenders (which, inexplicably, they prefer over thighs or whole chicken breasts), turkey breast, and any cut of pork, though pork tenderloin is simply divine. Varying proportions of meats give the illusion of variety!

Like you, I find myself more and more irritated with commercial food options! There are lots of ingredients we simply can't feed these cats. The problem is in both wet (cooked) foods and commercial foods. We used to feed lots of commercial raw foods but Ireland got constipated from the high bone content in some of the foods both cats would eat, the bone-free frozen food the cats both loved is no longer available, and so on and so forth. At this point, I feel fortunate that the Tiny Tiger, Nulo, occasional Rawz, and constant homemade food are holding things together.

My latest game plan is to not make drastic food changes now, but to start setting the stage for elimination, in case it does come to that. As you know from our exchanges in my other post, I’m not at all convinced that Bailey does have food allergies, but want to be prepared in case I need to go that direction.

This is a good plan, particularly the "setting the stage" part. When food allergies and/or sensitivities are involved, you need to be ready. Good luck!

Given our cats' various preferences and issues, I think

 

[5CatDraw]

I'm in the US, too. The FF that we have in the kitchen arrived a month or two (or three?) ago and the label says fish so I'm late on this! I hadn't been feeding it regularly to both cats until very recently, though.

Our cats have never consistently liked Tiki Cat foods. They like Chewy's knock-off foods better but aren't thrilled about those, either. Beyond that, I cut tapioca for Edwina because she needs to lose weight and because I suspect it's not good for her gut. So many things aren't good for her gut! I'm also not sure about Edwina and xanthan gum, which has become a common thickener and is in Tiny Tasters. Ireland used to love Tiny Tasters but is no longer interested. Feeding cats is not easy!

One food our cats both like, though, is Nulo's chicken/duck pouch "mousse"! Ireland laps it up and Edwina eats it slowly. (This is good: Ireland's picky but Edwina generally eats too fast!) Tiny Tiger works for both of them. So does homemade, which I make with various combinations of cooked chicken tenders (which, inexplicably, they prefer over thighs or whole chicken breasts), turkey breast, and any cut of pork, though pork tenderloin is simply divine. Varying proportions of meats give the illusion of variety!

Like you, I find myself more and more irritated with commercial food options! There are lots of ingredients we simply can't feed these cats. The problem is in both wet (cooked) foods and commercial foods. We used to feed lots of commercial raw foods but Ireland got constipated from the high bone content in some of the foods both cats would eat, the bone-free frozen food the cats both loved is no longer available, and so on and so forth. At this point, I feel fortunate that the Tiny Tiger, Nulo, occasional Rawz, and constant homemade food are holding things together.


This is a good plan, particularly the "setting the stage" part. When food allergies and/or sensitivities are involved, you need to be ready. Good luck!

Given our cats' various preferences and issues, I think

How do you cook the meats? Do you sauté them in an oil? A couple of my cats will sometimes be interested in a few small pieces of raw turkey. But just a few bites and then they don’t want any more. Maybe lightly cooked would actually be more attractive to them if I feed it immediately after cooking it - while the aroma is still strong.

The Nulo Chicken & Duck Mousse looks good! I didn’t know about their mousse. Looks better than the cans. I’m definitely ordering some of that. Of course I need to brace myself for disappointment. Just because I think it looks good doesn’t mean my cats won’t just walk away.

I may try the Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Cravings Duck & Chicken in pouches too. It does contain tapioca, but the carbs are only 2% (dry matter). No gums. I think it’s going to take at least a little bit of carbs to get my cats to the table.

Something I’ve noticed about Tiny Tasters is that sometimes my cats eagerly eat it and sometimes they are not interested. Makes me worry a bit about quality control. Maybe there is inconsistency from pouch to pouch. Have you found that xanthan gum is worse than other gums?
I'm disappointed that I've had limited replies to my Cat Food Additives post. I'm trying to decide which additives are the worst and which to let go.

How do you quote only part of a thread, like you have done here? Being a Kitten, my posting skills are quite limited. Hope I’m not breaking any rules. Like ridiculously long posts?

 

[lisahe]

5CatDraw , you're not doing anything wrong at all! Your posts are great! I clearly did something wrong in my last post, though, truncating the last part. Hm.

I'll start with your last questions... To quote something, let's see, you need to 1) select the text you want to quote then 2) choose "quote" when a little box pops up and then 3) click "insert quotes" just below the window where you type your post. (I hope that makes sense!) I do know that Kittens don't have all the choices that older cats have but I'm not sure if that includes quoting.

I haven't seen your "Cat Food Additives" post but I'll find it and have a look. In our case, the cats dictate a lot of what's worse and what we let go. The easiest one is that we know agar-agar makes both cats barf. So it's out.

As for Tiny Tasters, interesting that your cats are also so-so on it. Xanthan gum is an ingredient that may (or may not?) bother Edwina's stomach. I have a "suspects" list for her of ingredients where there's circumstantial evidence that they bother her: fish (hence FFgate!), tapioca, xantham gun, and maltodextrin. Definite problems are agar-agar, potato (barfing and gas), and green-lipped mussels (barfing several hours after meals). There are others that I won't feed out of principle: carrageenan and legumes. The circumstantial list hasn't been tested fully since I cut too many ingredients at once to know which was causing the problem. I'm more adamant about avoiding the thickeners and maltodextrin than the fish, though, probably because the amount of fish in FF is probably pretty low. Even so, I really don't want to feed either cat fish.

The Nulo food is expensive but worth the money since both cats will eat it up!

As for cooking the meat for cat food, I put it in a Pyrex dish, add freeze-dried liver, pour in some water, cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake it at 375. I cook it thoroughly; the time varies depending on the size of the pieces and how much meat is in the dish. I usually make batches of somewhere between 1-2 pounds; that takes about 45 minutes, I think.

One final thing. Finding fish in Fancy Feast meant I needed to find something new for the cats' menu. I looked to see what's available at PetSmart... And found Merrick chicken and turkey pates. They used to have something I refused to feed (carrageenan, I think?) but now they just have guar gum. I already went to get four cans and cross my fingers the cats will eat it. No matter what the cats decide, this was a great reminder that the recipe changes can go both ways! I do check varous brands' ingredients periodically -- this time it paid off.

 

[maggie101]

I just ordered some of the Nulo freeze dried (turkey and duck). I may try one of the canned foods too. I like the fact that Nulo offers Nutrient Profiles online. Nice, professional looking ones too.
I'm still debating with myself over what ingredients to eliminate. Think I will start by eliminating fish protein but not necessarily fish oil. Then I have wondered if I should just focus on fish closely related to herring, since all of the Farmina recipes contain it and that is what my cats have been eating the most of. Or maybe just ocean fish. You mentioned deep divers. That's a good consideration, plus the size of the fish, when it comes to contaminants like mercury. I think tuna and mackerel are probably the worst. Halibut???

Halibut is a white fish. They are the largest flat fish so that will be fed to her only occasionally It's not her main meal. I bought wellness minced turkey she liked and did not vommit but wellness brand is too expensive

 

[5CatDraw]

lisahe – thanks so much for taking the time to share info with me. I was about to place an order for some more new foods and I’m glad I read this first, because I may need to reconsider some of them. You have obviously done a lot of trial and error on ingredients and I’m glad to be able to learn from what you have found. Even though my cats might not react the same, things you have found to bother your cats is a good place to start.

I have a "suspects" list for her of ingredients where there's circumstantial evidence that they bother her: fish (hence FFgate!), tapioca, xantham gun, and maltodextrin. Definite problems are agar-agar, potato (barfing and gas), and green-lipped mussels (barfing several hours after meals). There are others that I won't feed out of principle: carrageenan and legumes.

It really got my attention that you have found green-lipped mussel to be a problem. My recent cat food additions were several varieties of freeze dried and canned from Feline Natural and Ziwi Peak. They all contain green-lipped mussel, and probably quite a bit of it. I had convinced myself that there was a good chance that even IF Bailey does have a fish allergy, that GLM wouldn’t necessarily bother her. But what I have experienced is that 3 of my cats were initially very interested in the canned (2 wouldn’t even consider), but then the next meal wanted nothing to do with it. Then I tried again in a couple days and even fewer cats would try it, then wouldn’t at all next meal.
When that happens I can’t help but think that it probably upset their stomach. Darn it!!! And I had come to think Feline Natural was a really good food. I feed my dogs K9 Natural (mostly as a treat because it is so expensive) and they love it and do well on it.

Think I mentioned that I recently bought Hound & Gatos Gamebird, and I was extremely disappointed when none of the cats would eat it. A couple took a bite or two, but then that was it. It has Agar-Agar in it and I bought it before deciding that this was an ingredient to probably avoid. Now, given your experience - it will be something to definitely avoid. Expensive lessons learned . . .

You mentioned in a previous post that you feed Rawz occasionally. Do your cats like it and do ok with it? I was a little unsure about the fenugreek seed.

Glad you mentioned Merrick. It was on my list as something to consider, but had fallen to the bottom. It was the “natural flavor” ingredient that bothered me, but I’ve decided I probably need to let that slide.

Wanted to correct a mistake in my last reply to you. The dry matter carbs for the Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Cravings Duck & Chicken is 13% per the S&C nutritional info sheet (I had said 2%). I had misread the sheet and thought they were providing it as dry matter.

I hope Ireland has completely recovered from the herpes flare. Bailey’s eye it still not back to normal, but I don’t think it is getting any worse. I stopped the Apoquel 3 days ago. Probably too early to draw a conclusion just yet.

Thanks again for all of the info you have shared – and for helping a lowly kitten improve her posting skills. I think I did successfully quote part of your post. But then I won’t know for sure until I press Post.

 

[lisahe]

Thanks again for all of the info you have shared – and for helping a lowly kitten improve her posting skills. I think I did successfully quote part of your post. But then I won’t know for sure until I press Post.

You're now a young cat!!!


More later (I'm too hungry to write much!) but I'll say for now that cat food is definitely a "your mileage may vary" kind of thing since every cat is different. It seems like lots of cats eat agar-agar, for example, with no problems whatsoever. On the other hand, lots of these thickeners are relatively new to cat food so it's hard to say what the long-term effects might be.

Merrick, by the way, is on the menu for later this afternoon. I'd love for it to alternate with Rawz, which (since you asked) the cats are on-and-off about. Sometimes they absolutely love it, sometimes they don't really want it. I wish I knew how to answer your question about fenugreek, which simply puzzles me.

 

[maggie101]

lisahe – thanks so much for taking the time to share info with me. I was about to place an order for some more new foods and I’m glad I read this first, because I may need to reconsider some of them. You have obviously done a lot of trial and error on ingredients and I’m glad to be able to learn from what you have found. Even though my cats might not react the same, things you have found to bother your cats is a good place to start.



It really got my attention that you have found green-lipped mussel to be a problem. My recent cat food additions were several varieties of freeze dried and canned from Feline Natural and Ziwi Peak. They all contain green-lipped mussel, and probably quite a bit of it. I had convinced myself that there was a good chance that even IF Bailey does have a fish allergy, that GLM wouldn’t necessarily bother her. But what I have experienced is that 3 of my cats were initially very interested in the canned (2 wouldn’t even consider), but then the next meal wanted nothing to do with it. Then I tried again in a couple days and even fewer cats would try it, then wouldn’t at all next meal.
When that happens I can’t help but think that it probably upset their stomach. Darn it!!! And I had come to think Feline Natural was a really good food. I feed my dogs K9 Natural (mostly as a treat because it is so expensive) and they love it and do well on it.

Think I mentioned that I recently bought Hound & Gatos Gamebird, and I was extremely disappointed when none of the cats would eat it. A couple took a bite or two, but then that was it. It has Agar-Agar in it and I bought it before deciding that this was an ingredient to probably avoid. Now, given your experience - it will be something to definitely avoid. Expensive lessons learned . . .

You mentioned in a previous post that you feed Rawz occasionally. Do your cats like it and do ok with it? I was a little unsure about the fenugreek seed.

Glad you mentioned Merrick. It was on my list as something to consider, but had fallen to the bottom. It was the “natural flavor” ingredient that bothered me, but I’ve decided I probably need to let that slide.

Wanted to correct a mistake in my last reply to you. The dry matter carbs for the Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Cravings Duck & Chicken is 13% per the S&C nutritional info sheet (I had said 2%). I had misread the sheet and thought they were providing it as dry matter.

I hope Ireland has completely recovered from the herpes flare. Bailey’s eye it still not back to normal, but I don’t think it is getting any worse. I stopped the Apoquel 3 days ago. Probably too early to draw a conclusion just yet.

Thanks again for all of the info you have shared – and for helping a lowly kitten improve her posting skills. I think I did successfully quote part of your post. But then I won’t know for sure until I press Post.

I did at one time cook meat and add ezcomplete and put it in a container. My fridge is tiny so I stopped doing it. Plus I have no way to get to a store

 

[Alldara]

You're now a young cat!!!


More later (I'm too hungry to write much!) but I'll say for now that cat food is definitely a "your mileage may vary" kind of thing since every cat is different. It seems like lots of cats eat agar-agar, for example, with no problems whatsoever. On the other hand, lots of these thickeners are relatively new to cat food so it's hard to say what the long-term effects might be.

Merrick, by the way, is on the menu for later this afternoon. I'd love for it to alternate with Rawz, which (since you asked) the cats are on-and-off about. Sometimes they absolutely love it, sometimes they don't really want it. I wish I knew how to answer your question about fenugreek, which simply puzzles me.

I gave up on Merrick once I found a peice of plastic? in the food. My friend did too, same city so I know it was likely a batch issue and could happen to any brand even people food but now I'm so nervous. I do add water and mix up any food they eat every time.

Lots of cats do well on Merrick and it used to be part of my rotation. Lily was on one of their LIDs for awhile.

 

[lisahe]

Okay, a few more things!

It really got my attention that you have found green-lipped mussel to be a problem. My recent cat food additions were several varieties of freeze dried and canned from Feline Natural and Ziwi Peak. They all contain green-lipped mussel, and probably quite a bit of it. I had convinced myself that there was a good chance that even IF Bailey does have a fish allergy, that GLM wouldn’t necessarily bother her. But what I have experienced is that 3 of my cats were initially very interested in the canned (2 wouldn’t even consider), but then the next meal wanted nothing to do with it. Then I tried again in a couple days and even fewer cats would try it, then wouldn’t at all next meal.
When that happens I can’t help but think that it probably upset their stomach. Darn it!!! And I had come to think Feline Natural was a really good food. I feed my dogs K9 Natural (mostly as a treat because it is so expensive) and they love it and do well on it.

Feline Natural is very decent food. We used to feed both raw and canned. This was pre-pandemic, so some years ago, and I don't remember if it had GLM then or not. I also don't remember particulars about bone but seem to recall that they didn't provide much information about ingredients. Bone is a concern for us because Ireland gets constipated if she eats too much of it. Maybe your cats got constipated? Ireland gets very finicky (and cranky!) when she's a little constipated.

Hound & Gatos has always been risky! I forget what they used to use as a thickener but whatever it was, I tried several times to feed the stuff... and the cats just never quite liked it. Which might be just as well given that they later started adding agar-agar. (I think that's the only ingredient that has ever made both cats barf!)

Wanted to correct a mistake in my last reply to you. The dry matter carbs for the Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Cravings Duck & Chicken is 13% per the S&C nutritional info sheet (I had said 2%). I had misread the sheet and thought they were providing it as dry matter.

I thought 2% sounded low for tapioca, then again Sheba and some similar foods are allegedly in the 4-5% (I think it is?) range. It's so easy to get mixed up in all these numbers!

I hope Ireland has completely recovered from the herpes flare. Bailey’s eye it still not back to normal, but I don’t think it is getting any worse. I stopped the Apoquel 3 days ago. Probably too early to draw a conclusion just yet.

Well, not getting any worse is better than getting worse! I'm glad to hear Bailey's at least staying steady. Thank you for asking after Ireland. She's not totally back to normal though I think the L-lysine is helping. She's very energetic, active, and hungry, with no yucky purulent gunk, so I'm taking all that as positive. Yesterday I also started using her "Rich's MSM water" eye drops that the vet gave (well, sold!) us last year when Ireland's eyes were far worse than they've been this year. Ireland hates eye drops so it's a struggle; I'd hoped not to have to use them. But they really work! So for both her and Bailey to keep feeling better.

I gave up on Merrick once I found a peice of plastic? in the food. My friend did too, same city so I know it was likely a batch issue and could happen to any brand even people food but now I'm so nervous. I do add water and mix up any food they eat every time.

Lots of cats do well on Merrick and it used to be part of my rotation. Lily was on one of their LIDs for awhile.

I do recall seeing a post about plastic in food, maybe that was you? I've also found some weird stuff in food a couple times, yet another reason why I also add water, mix, and kind of inspect the food before serving. Our cats absolutely loved Merrick Whole Earth Farms LID until the addition of peas! Thank you for reminding me about that, I'll definitely look carefully before feeding though, as you say, this is the sort of thing that does tend to happen in mass-produced food for pets and people.

P.S. for 5CatDraw : Now that you've grown out of your kitten stage, you may be able to edit posts, too.

 

[Alldara]

Oh no I think that was another poster. I don't remember if I posted on here about it.

 

[lisahe]

Oh no I think that was another poster. I don't remember if I posted on here about it.

It's not an uncommon occurrence!

 

[maggie101]

Done it

 

[5CatDraw]

lisahe - I’m a Young Cat already!? I’m aging so fast! But hey, any title with “young” in it sounds good to me. Editing posts – that sounds intriguing. Probably only my own though.

Well I just placed another order for cat food. Feel like I have developed a bad gambling habit. “Maybe I will get lucky and they will eat this one.”
Got the Nulo Mousse, Merrick Duck Bistro, Instinct Rabbit, and Tiny Tiger Turkey. Shotgun approach in hopes something will work. Thank goodness I have dogs that can eat what the cats won’t, a little bit at a time.
I’m particularly hopeful about the Nulo Mousse. Every time I read/type mousse I think of chocolate mousse. They have to like it!!!

Good to have a heads up about others finding plastic pieces in Merrick. I have read about that happening with other seemingly good brands too. I guess it is unavoidable with commercial foods.

I noticed that the Merrick recipes vary quite a bit regarding undesirable ingredients. The Turkey LID looks good as do the Duck, Chicken and Turkey Bistros, but the Duck LID has pea protein, and the Rabbit Bistro is a mess with Agar-Agar, Locust Bean Gum, and Xanthan Gum (in addition to Guar Gum).
It’s good to have found an LID (Turkey) that has acceptable ingredients, and I will buy that next if they eat the Duck Bistro.

When I first considered Merrick I was looking at their Backcountry recipes and they were a firm No because they contain potato starch, as well as rosemary - which one of my dogs can’t have, so I avoid it in cat foods too. I’m glad neither of those ingredients are in the LIDs or the Bistros, and glad you mentioned Merrick so I looked more closely at everything.

I have to say it is impressive how many brands you have already tried and how in tune you are with the ingredients that don’t agree with your cats. Edwina in particular, with all of her sensitivities, is one very lucky kitty to have ended up with you – probably one of the few people in the world willing to go to great lengths to figure out what bothers and what doesn’t.

I need to start taking a more scientific approach to figuring out which ingredients might be bothering my various cats. But it’s hard with 5 of them. I frequently hear barfing going on somewhere in the house and I often don’t even know who it was.

 

[5CatDraw]

I gave up on Merrick once I found a peice of plastic? in the food. My friend did too, same city so I know it was likely a batch issue and could happen to any brand even people food but now I'm so nervous. I do add water and mix up any food they eat every time.

Lots of cats do well on Merrick and it used to be part of my rotation. Lily was on one of their LIDs for awhile.

Thanks for mentioning the plastic. I did order some Merrick, but will now be vigilant about mashing and inspecting it.

 

[maggie101]

I would like to put a monitor in to watch my senior cats. That way I'd know who did what!

 

[LadyLondonderry]

Good to see I’m not the only one who has added Merrick LID to their cat’s rotation! Sylvie has had some digestive issues recently, on the heels of antibiotic treatment for first a UTI and then an eye infection, and I decided to resume my never-ending search for better foods for her. She can’t tolerate chicken in any amount, reacts badly to agar-agar, and doesn’t like peas.

Yesterday I went to a local pet supply shop that has a great selection and filled my basket with cans of six or seven different brands/varieties of non-chicken foods. Then I scrutinized the labels more carefully and ended up buying just three: the Merrick LID turkey, Fancy Feast turkey, and one can each of Rawz rabbit and Rawz rabbit & pumpkin. Sylvie did well on Rawz rabbit for quite some time but then went off it; I’m going to test a bit to see if she likes it and tolerates it well.

So far the Merrick is a hit with her, though of course if it’s been sitting out for a while I have to “freshen” it with a bit of warm water and add a little more food from the can.

 

[lisahe]

Good to see I’m not the only one who has added Merrick LID to their cat’s rotation! Sylvie has had some digestive issues recently, on the heels of antibiotic treatment for first a UTI and then an eye infection, and I decided to resume my never-ending search for better foods for her. She can’t tolerate chicken in any amount, reacts badly to agar-agar, and doesn’t like peas.

Yesterday I went to a local pet supply shop that has a great selection and filled my basket with cans of six or seven different brands/varieties of non-chicken foods. Then I scrutinized the labels more carefully and ended up buying just three: the Merrick LID turkey, Fancy Feast turkey, and one can each of Rawz rabbit and Rawz rabbit & pumpkin. Sylvie did well on Rawz rabbit for quite some time but then went off it; I’m going to test a bit to see if she likes it and tolerates it well.

So far the Merrick is a hit with her, though of course if it’s been sitting out for a while I have to “freshen” it with a bit of warm water and add a little more food from the can.

LadyLondonderry , Sylvie is so much like our cats, though I hope ours never get to the point that they can't eat any chicken. I don't know what I'd feed them. I'm glad Sylvie's on the mend after the infections. And I'm glad she'll eat the Merrick food: Ireland doesn't like it but (as with most food!) Edwina will eat it if I put enough freeze-dried chicken on top. I hope Sylvie will eat the Rawz food again: it's very good food but lots of cats don't seem to like it consistently.

Got the Nulo Mousse, Merrick Duck Bistro, Instinct Rabbit, and Tiny Tiger Turkey. Shotgun approach in hopes something will work. Thank goodness I have dogs that can eat what the cats won’t, a little bit at a time.
I’m particularly hopeful about the Nulo Mousse. Every time I read/type mousse I think of chocolate mousse. They have to like it!!!

I hope these will all work for someone! Especially the Nulo since it's not cheap! Thank goodness for that stuff, though, it's one of the few wet foods that Ireland will consistently eat. Other than, of course, the now-fishy Fancy Feast turkey...

I have to say it is impressive how many brands you have already tried and how in tune you are with the ingredients that don’t agree with your cats. Edwina in particular, with all of her sensitivities, is one very lucky kitty to have ended up with you – probably one of the few people in the world willing to go to great lengths to figure out what bothers and what doesn’t.

I need to start taking a more scientific approach to figuring out which ingredients might be bothering my various cats. But it’s hard with 5 of them. I frequently hear barfing going on somewhere in the house and I often don’t even know who it was.

Thank you for your kind words about Edwina and her sensitivities. It means a lot. Sometimes I get very frustrated because it all seems so illogical and I can't figure anything out. (Thank goodness I heard a holistic vet mention how weather can affect cats -- lots of our cats' problems track to low barometric pressure. I had no idea this could happen!) We had a bit of a head start on Edwina's issues because our previous cat mostly likely had IBD and lymphoma so I was already familiar with just about every wet food and commercial raw food that was available in local stores in late 2013. We had a full cart of food in the kitchen when she died so there was a lot to try out on Edwina and Ireland. That's how I figured out Edwina can't eat potato.

As for the scientific approach, it's really hard, isn't it!? I sometimes find that I make worse decisions when I decide to be more scientific: I usually start by eliminating what I think is the most likely source of a problem. But the most likely source of a problem isn't always the source of a problem. And I tend to favor a food or ingredient that I think is beyond reproach; but nothing is beyond reproach until it's "tested". That's why it took me so long to figure out the green-lipped mussel problem. And then when I did, poof, the problem was gone in a few days. And so of late I've cut multiple ingredients simultaneously, which certainly seems to solve problems faster, even if I'm not absolutely sure about tapioca, xanthan gum, and maltodextrin. They not big losses, though, since I don't think they belong in cat food anyway.

We sometimes have the same "who barfed?" questions, too. Somebody barfed yesterday morning -- empty stomach, acid, not the worst-case kind of barf at all -- but we'll never know whodunit. Edwina's always the prime candidate but she seemed too cheerful yesterday to have barfed. Ireland doesn't barf much but she's still a little bit out of sorts because of the herpes flare, plus she does have that tendency toward mild constipation that can suppress her appetite. And then there's the fact that just a little added stress -- like their never-ending "who's the alpha now?" rivalry -- can be a deciding factor. But of course we don't see all that, especially at night...

Here's to a good week for cats and humans!

 

[5CatDraw]

Good to see I’m not the only one who has added Merrick LID to their cat’s rotation! Sylvie has had some digestive issues recently, on the heels of antibiotic treatment for first a UTI and then an eye infection, and I decided to resume my never-ending search for better foods for her. She can’t tolerate chicken in any amount, reacts badly to agar-agar, and doesn’t like peas.

Yesterday I went to a local pet supply shop that has a great selection and filled my basket with cans of six or seven different brands/varieties of non-chicken foods. Then I scrutinized the labels more carefully and ended up buying just three: the Merrick LID turkey, Fancy Feast turkey, and one can each of Rawz rabbit and Rawz rabbit & pumpkin. Sylvie did well on Rawz rabbit for quite some time but then went off it; I’m going to test a bit to see if she likes it and tolerates it well.

So far the Merrick is a hit with her, though of course if it’s been sitting out for a while I have to “freshen” it with a bit of warm water and add a little more food from the can.

Thanks for the reply. Good to know that Sylvie approves of the Merrick. I sure hope it is a hit with my cats. I’m getting weary.

You mentioned Rawz rabbit. I’ve been agonizing over whether to try it. There is a local store that carries Rawz, but a very limited selection and they don’t have the pates, which is definitely what I would want. So I would have to order a case. I’ve been reading reviews on Amazon and there are some red flags. Quite a few customers reviewing in late 2022 and all through 2023 reported that they had been feeding it and their cats loved it, but then the last time they purchased it their cats started refusing to eat it and they noticed a change in the consistency of the food, and the smell.
Also, quite a few people reported (going back to 2020) that when they bought a case, some of the cans were only half full (or less) and/or there was a big difference from can to can regarding moisture content. And some reported that cans had obviously gone bad, from the smell.
So. . . even though the majority of reviews were positive, there were enough of the bad ones that it has me a little nervous about quality control. I will be interested to hear what your findings are.

Hope Sylvie is completely over the UTI and eye infection now. Those are nasty. And of course antibiotics . . . You will probably be dealing with the effects of those for a while.

 

[5CatDraw]

I would like to put a monitor in to watch my senior cats. That way I'd know who did what!

I laughed at first, but you know what, I’m going to do that. I have a couple wildlife cameras that I will put out. I won’t catch all of the barfing, but maybe some of it.