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Old June 24th, 2008, 06:24 AM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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Question I need major help finding a new cat food!!

Hi all,

Thank you so much for the support!
I have just returned all of Nutro Max Cat Dry Roasted Chicken. My Birman loved it and ate a lot of it. He has/had loose stools, vomiting and kidney disease, probably brought on, I now realize from this cat food. He is 4 yrs. old. He eats small amounts of canned Hills Prescription Diet w/d w/chicken.
My cats have never been big canned food eaters. I do get them to eat both. My problem is that I need to find a new dry food for my male to go along with the above food. He's been hunched under the bed since there isn't his dry food out. I've tried a few Royal Canin varieties but he won't touch them. I've also tried dry k/d, and w/d, but he won't touch them. My female eats dry duck and pea formula by Royal Canin which is veterinary diet, but my male won't go near it.
My cats are big snackers and eat several small meals of dry food during the day with a 1/4 of a can of canned w/d in the a.m. and in the p.m.
HELP!! Does anyone have any suggestions? I have tried Evo, Innova and California Natural and my cats had horrible diarrhea from them. I think they are too rich for them. With my male having kidney problems, he can't eat foods too high in protein.
I'm truly at a loss. I need to find a dry food out there that smells like the Nutro Max cat so he will eat it. Your help is greatly appreciated!!!

Tryingtorelax
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Old June 24th, 2008, 06:40 AM
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We have two cat gurus, Sugarcatmom and Growler, that will be along to help you with the food.

Any cat who has kidney issues should really be on a low phosphorus canned, they need the water. I feed Puddles, who has permanent kidney damage since she has been 1, Wellness, grain free, canned, Turkey, Chicken, and Beef and Chicken, canned. She has been doing very, very well on it.

She gets Fromm's Four Starr as a treat.

It was very difficult to get her to change foods as she is a picky eater and was eating the same food for 11 years. I was frustrated to tears and it took months, but she finally ate it and now she has regressed back to a young adult, from a kitty that I thought was in her last years of life.

Many cat food companies spray a coating on kibble for palatability for cats so that is why it is very difficult to get them to change foods.
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Old June 24th, 2008, 06:49 AM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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Help with cat food

Thanks so much for your quick reply.

I'm cautious about Wellness but I am heading off to the pet store to check it out and buy a few cans. Both of my cats from their canned and dry foods got such bad diarrhea when they were a year old that I took them off of it and never went back. Maybe it's time to try it again. I will mix it with their canned w/d and see what happens.
I acccidently found this forum and I'm so excited about being able to get input from all of you.
Thanks so much!
T.
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Old June 24th, 2008, 06:50 AM
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Just read the ingredients (deleted the bottom half):

http://www.nutroproducts.com/mcdry-iarc.shtml
Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Wheat Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavors, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Rice Flour, Chicken, Tomato Pomace, Oat Fiber, Yeast Culture

IMO this food has too high of a carb content and not enough meat for cats. Cats are carnivores and need to get their protein from meat, not grains.
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Old June 24th, 2008, 06:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
Thanks so much for your quick reply.

I'm cautious about Wellness but I am heading off to the pet store to check it out and buy a few cans. Both of my cats from their canned and dry foods got such bad diarrhea when they were a year old that I took them off of it and never went back. Maybe it's time to try it again. I will mix it with their canned w/d and see what happens.
I acccidently found this forum and I'm so excited about being able to get input from all of you.
Thanks so much!
T.
Wait until you hear from Sugarcatmom and Growler, they know soooo much about cat nutrition and were such a great help for me when I was doing the transition.

I had to buy some freeze dried real food toppers, salmon, pulverize it and sprinkle it on top of Puddles' Wellness to get her to eat it. I think they have it in Chicken flavour too.
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Old June 24th, 2008, 07:12 AM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
Just read the ingredients (deleted the bottom half):

http://www.nutroproducts.com/mcdry-iarc.shtml
Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Wheat Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavors, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Rice Flour, Chicken, Tomato Pomace, Oat Fiber, Yeast Culture

IMO this food has too high of a carb content and not enough meat for cats. Cats are carnivores and need to get their protein from meat, not grains.
Actually, I didn't use the indoor cat food, I was using the following with the canned w/d.

Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Rice, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Ground Whole Wheat, Natural Flavors, Chicken, Yeast Culture, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Menhaden Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Dried Cranberry, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Inositol, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Potassium Iodide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Dried Blueberry, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite. 32% protein

The kidney stuff going on makes the protein part tricky.
But you are probably right about the protein coming from grains instead of meat. I'm worried about putting him into kidney failure if I up the protein. Yikes!
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Old June 24th, 2008, 07:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
The kidney stuff going on makes the protein part tricky.
But you are probably right about the protein coming from grains instead of meat. I'm worried about putting him into kidney failure if I up the protein. Yikes!
Just on my way to work so I gotta make this short, but I just wanted to point out that reduced protein diets for kidney-cats is old-school thinking. The most important thing is wet food, so if you can make the switch to that for ALL your cats, they would be much better off. Watching the phosphorus intake and feeding quality protein (ie muscle meat instead of grains and by-products) would be beneficial for your guy with kidney issues. That Nutro stuff is crap, as are pretty much all products sold out of a vet clinic (Hill's, Royal Canin, etc).

More info on why canned is better than dry: http://www.catinfo.org/
If you need help converting to wet, there are some tips here: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitionin...o_Canned_Food_
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Old June 24th, 2008, 11:37 AM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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Wellness cat food-HELP!

Sugarcatmom,

Thanks so much for your reply. I have used Wellness canned grain free before and my cats had chronic horrible diarrhea. My vet claimed that it was the rich diet of squash and sweet potatoes listed in the ingredients that probably caused the problem. What are your thought?
The only food that has cleared up their diarrhea is canned and dry w/d by Hills. I know by looking at the ingredients, that it isn't good at all in terms of what we know about what they should eat,........however..........now I'm at a total loss. I'm not home enough to start preparing raw meat. I read those websites and while the info. is fantastic, it's impossible for me. Other than Wellness, what other canned food do you recommend for a sensitive little guy with kidney disease and IBS with frequent vomiting?
Thanks again,
T.
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Old June 24th, 2008, 12:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
Sugarcatmom,

Thanks so much for your reply. I have used Wellness canned grain free before and my cats had chronic horrible diarrhea. My vet claimed that it was the rich diet of squash and sweet potatoes listed in the ingredients that probably caused the problem. What are your thought?
Not likely the squash or sweet potatoes, there really isn't that much in these foods to cause such a problem. How long were they on it for? How fast did you do the switchover?


Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
The only food that has cleared up their diarrhea is canned and dry w/d by Hills. I know by looking at the ingredients, that it isn't good at all in terms of what we know about what they should eat,........however..........now I'm at a total loss.
W/D is very high in fiber, and while cats typically don't need high fiber diets, it could be that for whatever reasons, your guys do better with more fiber for now. In which case, some possibilities are to feed a good canned and add in some extra fiber like pumpkin or squash, or maybe even psyllium husk (but use caution with this, it can end up causing constipation - if you need more info let me know). I would also suggest adding some probiotics to their diet during the transition to new foods, and possibly some slippery elm bark to help with loose stools.


Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
I'm not home enough to start preparing raw meat. I read those websites and while the info. is fantastic, it's impossible for me.
No worries, although just so you know there are pre-packaged frozen raw diets that you can get in some pet food stores that are as easy as opening a can (Nature's Variety medallions come to mind).


Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
Other than Wellness, what other canned food do you recommend for a sensitive little guy with kidney disease and IBS with frequent vomiting?
If you can find some Innova Evo 95% meat, one of the novel proteins like venison or duck might be a good option. Also Nature's Variety Instinct.
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Old June 24th, 2008, 02:48 PM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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[QUOTE=sugarcatmom;612221]Not likely the squash or sweet potatoes, there really isn't that much in these foods to cause such a problem. How long were they on it for? How fast did you do the switchover?

I switched them very slowly over 3 weeks mixed in with what my breeder was feeding them when I got them which was (I can see you cringing). Fancy Feast canned and Eukenuba dry. They were solid on Eukenuba and when I slowly switched them over to first California Natural and then Wellness over yet another 2 weeks, but as they both got progressively worse and we won't talk about the mess and stink, I stopped the food, took them to the vet and they have both been on prescription diet(s) since, for the last 3yrs. In that long episode they both began intermitent vomiting and that has never stopped. Once a month they both need to go in for Reglan, anti-nausea meds and IV fluids. Vet bills are horrendous. The sad thing is, is that my male was doing great on Nutro and hasn't vomited or been lose in 6 months, which is great for him.
So now I have a huge dilemna trying to find food for him to eat that won't bring all of this back again. I also don't want my other cat getting sick when I bring the new food in, cause she will eat it too. She has elevated liver enzymes. So much for my incredibly gorgeous, wonderfully sweet pedigree Birman cats. I'm soooooooo close to going back to the pet store and buying another bag of Nutro Max Cat and pray it is ok, then things will go back to being normal (for us) again
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Old June 24th, 2008, 04:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
I switched them very slowly over 3 weeks mixed in with what my breeder was feeding them when I got them which was (I can see you cringing). Fancy Feast canned and Eukenuba dry.
I actually don't have a big problem with Fancy Feast (some of the flavours - not all), and even feed it my guy on occasion. It's a middle-of-the-road kind of food with several grain-free varieties. What about going back to that for a while? As for dry, well, any dry makes me cringe, what can I say....

Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
Once a month they both need to go in for Reglan, anti-nausea meds and IV fluids. Vet bills are horrendous.
Something definitely isn't right with that picture. Diet really plays such a huge role in the overall health of cats and I think the goal should be to feed as close to what they would eat in nature as possible. There is no dry food that fits the bill.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
The sad thing is, is that my male was doing great on Nutro and hasn't vomited or been lose in 6 months, which is great for him.
But there may be other stuff going on that you don't see, or that won't manifest as a full-blown health problem for quite some time. Stuff like diabetes or kidney disease can take years to develop. It's great that his digestive issues subsided but ideally we can find a better food that also works for him in that department.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
So now I have a huge dilemna trying to find food for him to eat that won't bring all of this back again. I also don't want my other cat getting sick when I bring the new food in, cause she will eat it too. She has elevated liver enzymes.
Feeding cats can be a frustrating minefield to navigate, that's for sure. I hope you find a solution and if you need help along the way, someone here should be able to give you advice. Do consider either probiotics and/or slippery elm to help with any food transition.

As for your other cat's liver enzymes, is she taking anything for that? If not, ask your vet about something like Denamarin by Nutramax Labs. It contains SAMe and milk thistle derivatives that are proven to boost and regenerate liver function.
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Old June 24th, 2008, 05:17 PM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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Wellness CORE

Well,
I just got back from Pet Supplies Plus and bought Wellness CORE dry. My cat gave it good sniff, had a sneezing fit and coughed and walked away. This happened an hour ago. I put a little food down in his usual spot and he sniffed it again and kept going. He's in and out of my ankles, nipping at me, which he does when he's hungry. I offter these kibbles and he refuses to eat them. So I guess Wellness CORE is out of the question. The store told me that they have yet to get a bag back.... well guess what? My hope was to try this, get him used to it and then change the canned food over next. This is maddening! I know if I change over to Wellness canned they will get sick again. I can't bear to go through with what I've been through before.
How does one reason with a cat??
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Old June 24th, 2008, 06:49 PM
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When I was feeding my gang Fancy Feast, I'd get the kind that had no wheat gluten. It's mainly the pate kind and they ate it with no problem. That's not a terrible food and better than a lot of the other store brands IMO. I had also been buying for them a dry brand called Organix Feline Formula. I don't buy them dry anymore since I feed them only wet now.
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Old June 25th, 2008, 01:31 AM
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I take it he has been confirmed through recent blood & urine tests as having CRF - I mention this cuz 4 yrs is young for kidney failure. The vomiting is a common symptom of CRF generally it is from an excess of stomach acid leaving them with nausea & vomiting both of food & white foam. Raise the food & water dishes approx 2-4 inches off the floor to keep them above the stomach level, leaving the acid where it belongs.

As mentioned in previous posts the low protein foods are not really the best for kidney failure cats, many vets will insist they eat the low protein prescription food however the latest studies have concluded that it is the quality of protein not the volume. Cats are carnivores they need muscle meat protein or their body will start taking protein from itself.
In my opinion the best food for any cat is a raw diet. My 17 yr old CRF grrl has been on a raw diet for the last 7 months & loving it.

It is true that most lower protein food will have lower phosphorus levels but there are also good high quality protein foods that have low phos.

The problem with reduced protein diets is they don't taste good to the cats nor do they smell appetizing. If the cat doesn't like the smell or it is not familiar they won't try it & if they won't eat the food it is no good to them.

Try to limit the fish foods especially tuna because often times they will refuse anything other than fish and tuna is not a balance meal. However if fish is all they will eat find the best available one, even better if it has chicken, turkey or duck meal in it to provide some varied nutrients.

Another trick to get him eating a good canned food is add a teaspoon of warm water to it this will help it smell better, some cats prefer the "gravy" - This also is a great way to give additional water. You can also sprinke with Real Food Toppers like L4H mentioned or cheese, my girl loves Cheerios, so sometimes if she's a bit picky I'll crush a Cheerio on top.

I'll give you some good lower phos dry foods I mentioned in another members' CRF thread

Wellness has a dry formula "Complete Health Chicken, Chicken Meal & Rice" that has a dry matter phos level of 1.12% and a dry formula "Salmon, Salmon Meal and Turkey" that has a dry matter phos level of 1.01% these are both good numbers - ideally you want something that has as close to 1% or less without sacrificing quality. Both these have grains, Wellness does have a grain free formula Wellness Core but the phos content 1.4% is higher than I would like for a CRF cat.

Eagle Pack Holistic Select Duck Meal & Oatmeal, Chicken Meal & Rice and Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal all have dry matter phos levels of 1% again all of these are with grains.

Innova Cat & Kitten Formula has a dry matter phos level of 1.15% this level not too bad there are lower, also with grains

There is a great Canadian grain-free food called Orijen but the dry matter phos level is 1.6% too high for my liking

Canned foods I like with lower phos levels include:

Wellness Chicken with a dry matter phos level of 1.15%
Wellness Chicken & Beef with a dry matter phos level of 1.17%
Wellness Turkey with a dry matter phos level of 1.05%
Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken dry matter phos level of 1.22%
NV Prarie Chicken dry matter phos level of 1.16%
Eagle Pack Holistic Select also makes canned however I don't have the nutrient analysis so I can't break down the phos levels for the individual flavours but based on the great numbers in their dry formulas I think the canned would be along the same levels
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Old June 25th, 2008, 08:53 AM
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When Puddles was on a cheaper grocery store food, she often vomited, including when she ate Fancy Feast, the grain free varieties. Since changing her food to Wellness she rarely ever vomits. It took months to get her to eat Wellness, and many days at the beginning of the transition she would go hungry.

I was hiding her old kibble, thinking "out of sight out of mind", but she could still smell it. I threw the bag out and then she started to eat Wellness with the help of "Real Food Toppers".

One day after being on the Wellness for a few months she had a bad day, I fed her Fancy Feast and she threw it up, that was the last time I fed her FF.

I guess what I am trying to say is not to give up, you have to do what is best for your kitties, just like a child, they prefer to eat what they know.
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Old June 25th, 2008, 12:51 PM
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I gave in!

Well after my cat stopped eating for a day and a half and hid under the bed, I made some phone calls and was assured that the food was fine. I tried the Wellness, but my cat refused to eat it. I bought freezed dried chicken crumbled it over the dry food, no dice!
I finally returned Wellness and brought home Nutro Max dry again, my cat came running as soon as I laid the bag on the kitchen table and has joined the family and is eating great again. I'm going to continue this and just watch him very carefully. I good friend of mine who works in a pet store, (not the one I used), assured me that Nutro was fine and I have to go with that.
The funny thing is that he eats small amounts of canned prescription diet w/d with chicken but won't eat any other wet cat food. I do saturate the food with room temperature purified water and he eats and drinks the "gravy' that develops from it. He's holding his own right now and will go with that.
I know that cats who don't get food or water, that this is also very hard on the kidneys and I don't want to contribute to this by messing around with his food. I continue to read and will watch closely.
Thanks so much from everybody!
T.
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Old June 25th, 2008, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
I finally returned Wellness and brought home Nutro Max dry again, my cat came running as soon as I laid the bag on the kitchen table and has joined the family and is eating great again. I'm going to continue this and just watch him very carefully. I good friend of mine who works in a pet store, (not the one I used), assured me that Nutro was fine and I have to go with that.

I really don't want to alarm you but I think you should read the information in the link to the consumer affairs website....

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....d=1#post612756
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Old June 25th, 2008, 03:12 PM
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Can you get a sample bag of Wellness, or maybe something like Solid Gold Indigo Moon or Nature's Variety Instinct dry, and very very gradually start mixing some in to his Nutro? Say, starting with one kibble at a time, and slowly increasing until there's no more Nutro. Cats can be very set in their ways about what they consider food, but this CAN be overcome with patience. It's certainly never a good idea to starve a cat into submission as that usually backfires. However, once a cat gets used to the smell of a new food, I firmly believe that every single cat can eventually be switched.

You can do the same thing with the canned. Give him his usual W/D, but put a miniscule amount of something better in with it. Over weeks, or even months if that's what it takes, increase the proportion of good stuff to bad. Or pulverize his beloved dry and sprinkle it on top of the canned you want him try. Mix the canned with something irresistable like plain meat baby food (no onions). This is all very do-able, just may take some time.
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Old June 25th, 2008, 09:09 PM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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[QUOTE=sugarcatmom;612805]Can you get a sample bag of Wellness, or maybe something like Solid Gold Indigo Moon or Nature's Variety Instinct dry, and very very gradually start mixing some in to his Nutro? Say, starting with one kibble at a time, and slowly increasing until there's no more Nutro. Cats can be very set in their ways about what they consider food, but this CAN be overcome with patience. It's certainly never a good idea to starve a cat into submission as that usually backfires. However, once a cat gets used to the smell of a new food, I firmly believe that every single cat can eventually be switched.

Well, I was back to the pet store today cause he vomited up his current dry food and while is stool was solid, it stunk. The pet store sold me "Plant Enzymes and Probiotics Supplement for Cats and Dogs made by Animal Essentials. The website is animalessentials.com Have any of you ever used it? Does it work? He told me because it is all natural that it would take 2 weeks before I saw results. On the back of the bottle it says:

"Contains a source of live (viable) naturally occuring microorganisms. Replenishes beneficial bacteria (probiotic) that support digestive flora and enzymes that assist with the breakdown of starches, proteins,triglycerides and fats, and cellulose (plant materials and fiber) in the diet. Contains no lactose, sugars or preservatives.

Ingredients: Calcium sulfate, dried fermentation products of Aderma spergillus oryzae var, Asperguillus niger, var, Bacillus subtilus var, Trichoderma, longbrachiatum, pineapple, Bacilus coagulans
(Alpha and Beta Amylase, Protease, Lipase,Cellulase, Hemicellulase, Bromelain(pineapple)

What do ya think? The good thing is is that I mixed a 1/4 tsp. in the canned w/d and my boy ate it. To me it has a putrid smell but he ate it. He told me to do this for 2 weeks before even considering changing foods, perhaps just to give a little less dry food.
It has been a hour and no more vomiting so we will see. I'd appreciate any input.
Thanks again!!
T.
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  #20  
Old June 28th, 2008, 08:17 AM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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Still trying to find a food my cats will eat

Good morning,

What do you guys think about Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance, namely, canned grain-free, limited ingredients- ultra premium duck and pea formula?
They do not list the phosphorus level. I'd appreciate it if you'd check out the website for this particualar one and I'd love your thoughts!

www.naturalbalance.net

My cats went nuts when I opened a fresh can and licked the plate clean, but when I took it out this morning, I added warm water to it to try to bring it to room temperature and they ate very little of it. I think the secret is to be able to open a fresh can every time.

Thanks so much! Are you guys sick of my constant questions yet? I apologize, just trying to find a food that they will both eat.

T.
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  #21  
Old June 28th, 2008, 11:12 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
The pet store sold me "Plant Enzymes and Probiotics Supplement for Cats and Dogs made by Animal Essentials.
Probably won't hurt to use it, although they don't list the number of probiotic organisms in it so it's hard to say if it's actually potent enough. Also, is this kept in the fridge? Cause if not, the bacteria may not be all that viable. It's probably more useful for it's enzyme properties than probiotic ones, but that's just my perspective.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
What do you guys think about Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance, namely, canned grain-free, limited ingredients- ultra premium duck and pea formula?
They do not list the phosphorus level.
Generally it's not a bad food, but you might have a problem with the phosphorus level. I say "might" because this company is very cagey about providing their "as fed" values for their foods (which are different from the "guaranteed analysis" on the side of the can/bag). In the past, they've claimed that their entire product line has the exact same numbers, which is impossible. So if we believe them , then the phosphorus of the Duck and Pea is 392 mg per 100 Kcal, as is every other flavour of NB. Too high for a kidney cat. Perhaps you can fire off an email to them pleading your case and see if you can get a more accurate response (ask for the "as fed" values for protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber and phosphorus). Here is a link to a more thorough explanation and some charts listing the breakdown of lots of other foods: http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/foodfaq.html


Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
My cats went nuts when I opened a fresh can and licked the plate clean, but when I took it out this morning, I added warm water to it to try to bring it to room temperature and they ate very little of it. I think the secret is to be able to open a fresh can every time.
My cat used to be the same way. I started only buying the little 3 oz cans cause he never wanted to eat it after it was refrigerated, even if it was warmed up. Holy fussypants! But he has since modified his picky preferences and now even likes it cold out of the fridge.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
Thanks so much! Are you guys sick of my constant questions yet? I apologize, just trying to find a food that they will both eat.
Oh gosh, don't apologize! Ask all the questions you need to. I hope you can find something that satisfies all your kitty's requirements.
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Old June 28th, 2008, 11:18 AM
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Winston Winston is offline
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I just wanted to pop in to this thread (although I have not read the whole thing) and tell you that I have 2 really fussy cats at home that I have tried every canned food on earth available and they wont eat canned...didnt matter the flavor or brand...and they have always eaten dry kibble..Long story short on the advice of Sugarcatmom I tried the Dick Van Pattens Venison and Green Pea and BOTH of my cats devour this one! its the only one ever! my little girl drives me absolutely nuts for it! she is 6.2 lbs and I have been gradually increasing what I give her for about a month now and I think she has put on a little weight! no problem cause shes sooo small....THEY LOVE IT! I have never ever seen them exicted about food....I have been gradually reducing the kibble and increasing the canned!

Cindy
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Old June 28th, 2008, 11:39 AM
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I've recently tried all the natures variety instinct formulas for the cats, Rabbit, duck, chicken they especially all like, that's all 4 cats plus all the strays (who aren't too likely to be picky anyway).
Fancy feast pate formulas they do get, but not all the time.
None of my 4 like the wellness at all.
They've all like the go natural ones I've tried as well.

Cindy
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  #24  
Old June 28th, 2008, 06:21 PM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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I'm at my wits end with finding the right cat food!

Hi all,

Well, my cats love both canned and dry Nature's Balance Duck and Green Pea formula. They eat W/D with chicken but not much and it is 0.97% phophorus. Nature's balance is 1.60% phophorus. This is high! What to do. I know IBS interfers with elevated creatintane levels and can clear that up with this the Nature's Balance but the phosphorus levels are high. I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. What would you do? My cats won't eat anything else. I've brought them all home and my male won't touch anything except Duck and Green Pea. I think my only course of action is to go back to the w/d with chicken and not worry about grains. This is maddening. I won't want his kidneys to get worsel
Sugarcatmom, and everyone your info. has been invaluable to me. Looking forward to hearing from you.
T.
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Old June 28th, 2008, 08:39 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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My opinion, and this is without knowing what your CRF cat's lab values are, is that it's better to feed a higher quality food like the NB and add a phosphorus binder if necessary, rather than feed the low quality W/D. Maybe a binder is something you could talk to your vet about (although they probably think W/D is a great food - in which case you could just say that your cat doesn't like it anymore).

As a comparison, here are the main ingredients in the W/D with Chicken:
Quote:
Water, Pork Liver, Pork By-Products, Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Starch, Oat Fiber, ....
And here is the NB Duck and Pea:
Quote:
Duck, Duck Broth, Duck Liver, Pea Flour, Duck Meal, Pea Protein, Salmon Oil, ....
Basically, you want the first ingredient of a cat food to be a muscle meat, not by-products or liver. And then there's all that species-inappropriate filler in the W/D (powdered cellulose, which is basically wood pulp, corn starch and oat fiber). If you want to read more on choosing a good commercial canned food, check this link: http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm
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  #26  
Old June 28th, 2008, 10:00 PM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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My cat is not himself at all-re:food

Today he is so quiet, not eating at all, now refusing the Nature's Balance canned and dry and lays in one spot and doesn't move. When I pick him up he is so docile, which normally isn't him at all. He has no life in him. I hand fed him w/d with chicken and some Nutro and he did eat a little. When I hand fed him NB, he refused. My vet is very pro veterihary diets and since he will eat w/d, with added water. I'm going to go with what works for him. This is really too pathetic and I can't bear to see him like this. I came so close to taking him to the emergency vet tonight but I did get him to eat his usual food.
He has slept literally all last night, today and all evening. This just isn't my cat. I gave it my best shot and I'm going to live with how he is on his current food and just keep my eyes and ears open. This is too frustrating/painful for me and for him. I know this cat so well. You guys probably think that I am nuts.
Take care and thank you for everything.
T.
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  #27  
Old June 28th, 2008, 10:04 PM
tryingtorelax tryingtorelax is offline
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Creatinine levels

His creatinine level is 4.6 and has been going up .2 every 6 months.

T.
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  #28  
Old June 28th, 2008, 10:56 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
His creatinine level is 4.6 and has been going up .2 every 6 months.
What about his other numbers, like BUN, phosphorus, calcium, USG (urine specific gravity). How is his blood pressure? Is he taking any meds?

His lethargy and lack of appetite are worrisome and might be worth mentioning to your vet. It's possible he needs more aggressive treatment for his CRF if you haven't started down that path yet. There are lots of different options, everything from subQ fluids and appetite stimulants to blood pressure meds, potassium supplements, calcitriol, and as previously mentioned, phosphorus binders.

Not sure if you've seen these sites before, but they're absolutely worth reading and re-reading for all things CRF:
http://www.felinecrf.com/index.htm
http://www.felinecrf.org/
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  #29  
Old June 28th, 2008, 11:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tryingtorelax View Post
His creatinine level is 4.6 and has been going up .2 every 6 months.

T.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
What about his other numbers, like BUN, phosphorus, calcium, USG (urine specific gravity). How is his blood pressure? Is he taking any meds?

His lethargy and lack of appetite are worrisome and might be worth mentioning to your vet. It's possible he needs more aggressive treatment for his CRF if you haven't started down that path yet. There are lots of different options, everything from subQ fluids and appetite stimulants to blood pressure meds, potassium supplements, calcitriol, and as previously mentioned, phosphorus binders.

Not sure if you've seen these sites before, but they're absolutely worth reading and re-reading for all things CRF:
http://www.felinecrf.com/index.htm
http://www.felinecrf.org/
I second everything SCM has stated here. Creatinine of 4.6 is too high not to be treated with sub-q fluids and/or other available options

Have you tried sprinkling a little catnip on his canned food? Sounds a little weird I know, but it is an appetite stimulant - I have used it to get my grrl to eat in the past & it does work.

At this point with the lethargy, lack of appetite and constant sleeping, since your cat is not eating other foods, go with what he will eat right now - no matter how bad it is he must eat. I don't like that there is pork in the w/d (pork is a bit hard for cats to digest) but if he will eat it, give him as much as he will take until you can get him on some additional supportive treatment.

Here is another site with links to more info
http://www.felineoutreach.org/links.html#Kidney
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