Rescue With Terrible Diet That Stopped Scary Vomiting

[MargoLane]

Hi everyone! First time cat owner as of this weekend. I can't wait to pick her up! I've done a bunch of reading in advance and I'm really concerned about changing her food, but I don't want to feed dry. Sorry this is so long, but I'd really appreciate some advice from more experienced owners.

Background: Kitty was taken from a high-kill shelter to a rescue. After some vet checks and personality checks, she was deemed highly adoptable and put in a cage in a partner pet store. After about a week in the pet store she started vomiting a lot. They found blood in the vomit and she started losing weight. She was moved to a foster home and seen by a vet. In the foster home, she was able to keep her food down. The vet did blood tests for all the scary conditions associated with that and she came back with a clean bill of health. Vet decided that the blood was probably from a small tear from throwing up so much.

After a while at the foster, everything seemed to be under control, so they put her back in the pet store in hopes that she'd be adopted. The vomiting started again and again there was some blood, so they moved her back to the foster and the vet put her on Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric dry food. The vet said she had some food intolerances. Poor thing had lost about 2 pounds, and she's a little kitty, so this wasn't good. Once back in the foster and on this food, she kept everything down and gained back the weight she needed. The rescue didn't risk putting her back in the store and she's happily been at the foster every since.

So - the dilemma is this; the ingredients on this food seem terrible to me. Mostly soy protein. Ideally, I'd like to get to a raw diet, but I don't want to risk such a terrible episode again. I definitely won't do anything until she's good and settled in, because it seems to me like it could have actually been a stress reaction. The foster says she isn't very interested in food or treats in general. I thought I'd try offering her a bit of the wet formula for this food to see if she's even interested in wet, and how that sits in her stomach. Any ideas or advice? Will it just be trial and error? Is that even okay, given her previous reaction? Thanks!

 

[hell_storm2004]

Not sure, if its the food that they fed in the adoption place. No matter how fancy the labeling is, its all the same. I would think yes wet to raw is a good step. How old is he/she?

 

[duckpond]

I agree, give her a bit of time to settle in. Keep feeding what she is doing well on. Then slowly try introducing a bit of wet, or raw to see how she does. With cats slow is often best, a little at a time.

oh, and post photos when you get time

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I would find out what they were feeding in the pet store where she did the vomiting, so at least you can get an idea of the ingredients she might have an issue with. I'm guessing it was also a dry food. Then you could certainly try her out on some wet feed to see how she reacts to it, starting, as you say, with the wet version of the Gastroenteric food if they have it. Raw might be a way to go, but having gone that route myself, I will say my cats weren't all that receptive to it in the beginning. They all acted like I was trying to poison them .

Worst case scenario, you stick with what you know works, even though the ingredients aren't the best. Sometimes, with sensitive stomach cats, you just have to go with what works .

Congrats on your new furbaby, BTW. We love pix, so once you pick her up, we hope to see some

 

[imcf]

i would definitely try raw while she is still young and accepting to try new foods!
i started my kitty when she was around 10 weeks old, and no problems so far, other than her being super picky lol.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi and welcome!!
There's a current thread discussion about cat food that might interest you as well, along with the articles below if you haven't had a chance to look at them - they're not lengthy but they are packed with good info and some have additional embedded links to other useful articles.
Comparing Wet Foods

Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips
9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)
16 Experts Reveal The Most Common Litterbox Mistakes (and How To Avoid Them)
New Cat Checklist: What You Need To Get Before Bringing Kitty Home

18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members
Raw Feeding Cats: Types Of Raw Diets & Feeding Options
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat - Part 2
What Do I Need To Know About Feeding My Cat?

 

[Furballsmom]

and one more, I had to reread your first post to be sure;
Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade)

 

[MargoLane]

Not sure, if its the food that they fed in the adoption place. No matter how fancy the labeling is, its all the same. I would think yes wet to raw is a good step. How old is he/she?

She’s about 2. We don’t know much about her history before this rescue.

 

[MargoLane]

I would find out what they were feeding in the pet store where she did the vomiting, so at least you can get an idea of the ingredients she might have an issue with. I'm guessing it was also a dry food. Then you could certainly try her out on some wet feed to see how she reacts to it, starting, as you say, with the wet version of the Gastroenteric food if they have it. Raw might be a way to go, but having gone that route myself, I will say my cats weren't all that receptive to it in the beginning. They all acted like I was trying to poison them .

Worst case scenario, you stick with what you know works, even though the ingredients aren't the best. Sometimes, with sensitive stomach cats, you just have to go with what works .

Congrats on your new furbaby, BTW. We love pix, so once you pick her up, we hope to see some

Thank you! Great advice! Will definitely see if I can find out what they were feeding her at the store.

 

[MargoLane]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like I’m on the right track. The vet I ordered the food through also sells individual tins of the wet version. I’ll grab a few of those and see how she feels about them in a few weeks. I’ll cross my fingers she takes to wet or raw in time, but it’s reassuring to to know that there is something she can keep down. Even if it’s not the best nutrition, it’s better that she eats and doesn’t lose weight. I’ll definitely post pics after we pick her up!

 

[MargoLane]

Hi everyone! Here are pics - as requested! We brought Busy home on Saturday, and she's settling in so nicely. I had the safe room all set up, but she just got out and waltzed around and straight out of the safe room like it was no big deal. These photos are both from the first few hours she was home; she was playing, asking for pets, kneading and purring loudly. She's been eating, drinking and using her box just fine! We're really lucky; she's so awesome.

Being a first time pet owner, I'm still a bit nervous about her health; she's had a few soft stools, but no real diarrhea, and she threw up a tiny bit of bile. Plus, a bit of gas. But she's had all the blood tests for her previous vomiting symptoms, so I'm thinking it's just the change in environment? If it persists, I'll take her to the vet. Even though she seems happy to be in our home, it's still a big change for her. Thanks again for all of your advice!

 

[maggiedemi]

That's great that she adjusted to her new home so quickly! Did she like the wet food?

 

[MargoLane]

That's great that she adjusted to her new home so quickly! Did she like the wet food?

I haven't tried it yet! I'm really nervous to do anything that might upset her digestive system. She often seems to be gagging, but doesn't throw up. I see her throat wobble a few times and she tilts her head down, but after a few seconds is just fine. I did sprinkle a little dehydrated raw booster onto her food, and she liked it, but I stopped. Again, super nervous to disrupt something that worked for her!

 

[laughingduck]

What a cute kitty! I just wanted to say that every time I watch my moms cats for her, one throws up all the time. They stay on the same food, so it seems to be a stress thing. My guess is the cat was super stressed in the pet store in a cage, and it may have nothing to do with food at all. I recently took home a foster momma and she had the runs the first two days, also likely just a change of environment thing. Good luck!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

She's adorable ! So glad it's going well right off the bat!