People swear that a raw diet helps tremendously with chronic gastrointestinal disorders in cats, whether it be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), pancreatitis, triaditis, etc. After hearing their stories and journeys transitioning to raw, I believe it! However, there are still a lot of us not ready to take that step, or who are still carefully researching and working our way towards a raw diet very slowly.
What commercial/prescription diets have helped your cat with an intestinal disorder?
All three of my senior boys suffer in some way - Boo has chronic constipation, Caesar has IBS, IBD, or intestinal lymphoma (not confirmed), and Sebastian recently had idiopathic pancreatitis and still shows signs of gastric distress. They currently eat both dry and wet food, and I am working towards transitioning them off the dry, but it is difficult when Caesar and Sebastian have occasional anorexia and I need them to eat whatever they'll eat.
Sebastian was eating the Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient Duck dry food, but he stopped eating it for some reason, even before he got sick. Why do cats do that? I ended up buying the Merrick Purrfect Bistro Adult Chicken dry food because he likes it, but I was told by a vet recently that he should really be on a novel protein diet, like rabbit. So, now I'm thinking of slowly transitioning him over to the NV Limited Ingredient Rabbit dry food as a start, but I don't like that the protein is so low. Why is it so low? Boo and Caesar are eating the NV Limited Ingredient Turkey, and they are doing okay on that.
My cats eat a variety of brands/flavors of wet food, but most of the ones they like have rice or brown rice in them. If I eliminate those, I'm left with very few. I keep trying different brands of novel proteins, but they are finicky. I'm ripping my hair out trying to find foods that meet all the criteria: 1) high protein, 2) low carb, 3) grain free, 4) fish free, 5) novel protein (how important is this really?), and 6) something they'll actually eat.
I came across some really interesting options in pet food, and I also want to know if anyone has tried these.
Great Life Cat Food
www.doctorsfinest.com/category_s/55.htm
Their Grain & Potato Free Chicken dry food is kind of interesting, but it's not a novel protein. They also have a few canned cat foods. Apparently their ingredients are both sourced from, and manufactured in, the U.S.
Rayne Clinical Nutrition (by prescription only)
www.raynenutrition.com
They have a Rabbit & Sweet Potato dry food and a variety of novel protein canned foods, such as Rabbit & Squash and Kangaroo & Squash.
Onesta Organics (treats only)
www.onestaorganics.com/cat_food.php
They have certified organic cat treats made from chicken/turkey hearts, gizzards, or liver.
I look forward to hearing from everyone! I'm really struggling here!
What commercial/prescription diets have helped your cat with an intestinal disorder?
All three of my senior boys suffer in some way - Boo has chronic constipation, Caesar has IBS, IBD, or intestinal lymphoma (not confirmed), and Sebastian recently had idiopathic pancreatitis and still shows signs of gastric distress. They currently eat both dry and wet food, and I am working towards transitioning them off the dry, but it is difficult when Caesar and Sebastian have occasional anorexia and I need them to eat whatever they'll eat.
Sebastian was eating the Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient Duck dry food, but he stopped eating it for some reason, even before he got sick. Why do cats do that? I ended up buying the Merrick Purrfect Bistro Adult Chicken dry food because he likes it, but I was told by a vet recently that he should really be on a novel protein diet, like rabbit. So, now I'm thinking of slowly transitioning him over to the NV Limited Ingredient Rabbit dry food as a start, but I don't like that the protein is so low. Why is it so low? Boo and Caesar are eating the NV Limited Ingredient Turkey, and they are doing okay on that.
My cats eat a variety of brands/flavors of wet food, but most of the ones they like have rice or brown rice in them. If I eliminate those, I'm left with very few. I keep trying different brands of novel proteins, but they are finicky. I'm ripping my hair out trying to find foods that meet all the criteria: 1) high protein, 2) low carb, 3) grain free, 4) fish free, 5) novel protein (how important is this really?), and 6) something they'll actually eat.
I came across some really interesting options in pet food, and I also want to know if anyone has tried these.
Great Life Cat Food
www.doctorsfinest.com/category_s/55.htm
Their Grain & Potato Free Chicken dry food is kind of interesting, but it's not a novel protein. They also have a few canned cat foods. Apparently their ingredients are both sourced from, and manufactured in, the U.S.
Rayne Clinical Nutrition (by prescription only)
www.raynenutrition.com
They have a Rabbit & Sweet Potato dry food and a variety of novel protein canned foods, such as Rabbit & Squash and Kangaroo & Squash.
Onesta Organics (treats only)
www.onestaorganics.com/cat_food.php
They have certified organic cat treats made from chicken/turkey hearts, gizzards, or liver.
I look forward to hearing from everyone! I'm really struggling here!