Hi everyone,
I've been reading the site for years but I finally joined because I'm at a loss for what to do for my dear kitty Pilsen, who's 14 years old and has grown incredibly picky over the years. I used to just stick to my guns about food until he'd eat it, but now that he's older, every uneaten meal means lost weight/nutrients, so I'm more concerned with giving him food that he will actually devour.
Nowadays, when I feed him, he'll only take a few bites. He's healthy but he's developed allergies and has been suffering from constant itchiness and dark brown crust in his eyes. I think I've figured out that it's an allergy to chicken (he and my other cat Twiggy have gone to the vet for an overgrowth of yeast in their ears) and it seems that switching them off the chicken has really helped. However, I'm at a loss for what to feed them now. Pilsen has consistently been 13 lbs (he's big-boned) for his whole life, and since he was switched off chicken he's now about 10-11 lbs. (This worries me because last year, Twiggy had a near-death incident with fatty liver disease after not eating for a few days, and we had to feed her through a tube in her neck to nurse her back to health).
Since he's been off chicken, the itchiness and crusty eyes has mostly stopped, but the problem is he won't eat anything except fish, which as you all know, is not good for cats in large quantities. So my question is, what food can I feed him that is allergen-free that will also help him gain weight? I haven't found any chicken-free kitten food. Raw homemade is impossible for me due to my schedule. Turkey seems to be also making him itchy; neither cats like duck or rabbit. I've just about exhausted every food in my pet store. Here's what we've been through in the last few years:
-Natural Balance Chicken- Swollen lip
-Nutro Chicken - Swollen lip
-Natural Balance LID Green Pea & Duck - refused to eat this
-Wellness Core- Swollen lip
-Fussy Cat- Won't eat
-Tiki Cat - Won't eat
-Weruva - Won't eat
-Merrick Turkey - Makes him itchy
-Merrick Salmon - Loves this but it's fish
-Avoderm salmon- Loves but it's fish
-Ziwi Peak Venison - He'll eat it, but not a lot
-Nature's Variety Instinct Duck - Won't eat & makes both cats vomit
-Nature's Variety Instinct Turkey - Makes him very itchy
-Call of the Wild Trout - Loves but it's fish
-Evo Chicken & Turkey - This helped him gain weight but made him itchy
I've also tried Nutrical (won't eat) and goat's milk, neither of which worked.
...so, as you can see, I'm at a loss! Any help before it's too late and he loses too much weight?
The vet had recommended salmon, but I was wondering why w/ all the anti-fish talk in the catsite.com community.
Is the risk of fish (neither cats have had any problems with it) worth it as long as he's eating and not suffering from allergies? Or is the itchiness and discomfort better than risking kidney problems?
Thank you!
I've been reading the site for years but I finally joined because I'm at a loss for what to do for my dear kitty Pilsen, who's 14 years old and has grown incredibly picky over the years. I used to just stick to my guns about food until he'd eat it, but now that he's older, every uneaten meal means lost weight/nutrients, so I'm more concerned with giving him food that he will actually devour.
Nowadays, when I feed him, he'll only take a few bites. He's healthy but he's developed allergies and has been suffering from constant itchiness and dark brown crust in his eyes. I think I've figured out that it's an allergy to chicken (he and my other cat Twiggy have gone to the vet for an overgrowth of yeast in their ears) and it seems that switching them off the chicken has really helped. However, I'm at a loss for what to feed them now. Pilsen has consistently been 13 lbs (he's big-boned) for his whole life, and since he was switched off chicken he's now about 10-11 lbs. (This worries me because last year, Twiggy had a near-death incident with fatty liver disease after not eating for a few days, and we had to feed her through a tube in her neck to nurse her back to health).
Since he's been off chicken, the itchiness and crusty eyes has mostly stopped, but the problem is he won't eat anything except fish, which as you all know, is not good for cats in large quantities. So my question is, what food can I feed him that is allergen-free that will also help him gain weight? I haven't found any chicken-free kitten food. Raw homemade is impossible for me due to my schedule. Turkey seems to be also making him itchy; neither cats like duck or rabbit. I've just about exhausted every food in my pet store. Here's what we've been through in the last few years:
-Natural Balance Chicken- Swollen lip
-Nutro Chicken - Swollen lip
-Natural Balance LID Green Pea & Duck - refused to eat this
-Wellness Core- Swollen lip
-Fussy Cat- Won't eat
-Tiki Cat - Won't eat
-Weruva - Won't eat
-Merrick Turkey - Makes him itchy
-Merrick Salmon - Loves this but it's fish
-Avoderm salmon- Loves but it's fish
-Ziwi Peak Venison - He'll eat it, but not a lot
-Nature's Variety Instinct Duck - Won't eat & makes both cats vomit
-Nature's Variety Instinct Turkey - Makes him very itchy
-Call of the Wild Trout - Loves but it's fish
-Evo Chicken & Turkey - This helped him gain weight but made him itchy
I've also tried Nutrical (won't eat) and goat's milk, neither of which worked.
...so, as you can see, I'm at a loss! Any help before it's too late and he loses too much weight?
The vet had recommended salmon, but I was wondering why w/ all the anti-fish talk in the catsite.com community.
Is the risk of fish (neither cats have had any problems with it) worth it as long as he's eating and not suffering from allergies? Or is the itchiness and discomfort better than risking kidney problems?
Thank you!