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Hi there!
Recently, all three sibling cats developed mushy, smelly stools and then two of them decided they no longer would eat the food I have fed for a couple of years. I was increasing the pate to try to combat constipation in one of the two males (Little One), and a couple of months after increasing to half and half, the mushy, smelly poop began and Junie and Tigger started walking away from not only the pate but the Just Juicy. They only eat wet food, and I feed three times a day. I had increased the pate to half pate and half Just Juicy when this started, with some help for Little One's constipation at first and then the mushy, smelly poop for all three, including him.
They were on Lotus Just Juicy Chicken and Lotus pork pate, duck pate, and turkey pate. Because it is easier to do food trials when they all eat the same thing (in hopes of them all being able to tolerate and like the new food tried), I stopped the Lotus pate in order to keep the food with higher protein and used the Just Juicy Chicken as a way to slowing try other food.
Oddly, something good started happening to Little One when I stopped the pate. He greatly reduced his overgrooming, and the quality of his fur got softer, fluffier. His overgrooming started at Christmastime a couple of years ago, and I blamed it on stress. In addition to the usual holiday changes around the house, my daughter got a bonus and wanted me to go shopping for gifts with her. We were out for hours several days in a row, and since I work from home and don't leave and stay gone for hours for days in a row, I thought Little One was stressing over my absence. When the overgrooming and pulling out hair and chewing continued after the holidays, I thought it was a habit (which I have read can be hard to break). His balding and chewing, pulling is over both hips (but started on one side till he was too bald there and started on the other), backs of legs/ankles, lower back on both sides, and stomach. It has taken like two years for him to work his way to all of the areas (so when I thought he was no longer licking and chewing one area, he was getting started on a new area, I think).
However, when I stopped the Lotus pate, I suddenly realized he was grooming less and spending more time in my lap. I thought maybe he felt like more lap time due to less digestive stuff, but he is definitely licking and chewing much less.
So, I want to make sure I am avoiding the most common item that could have been causing him problems while eating the pate. I am thinking I should avoid peas and fish. After him being better for about a week, I did a test and gave a meal of the Lotus turkey pate, though, and he literally licked, chewed, and ripped out the fur on his ankles for hours the next day. The pork and duck pate both contain white fish (5th on the label - even though the pork does not list fish on the ingredients on Chewy or the Lotus website, it is there when you click the label on the Lotus website and on my cans). The turkey does not list the fish, but ALL THREE contain peas in 4th or 5th position.
The food I have been trying is BFF Play Pate in the Chicken based only (chicken, chicken and turkey, and also chicken, duck, and turkey. There is no fish or peas in these foods.
I know there are a lot of people here who have dealt with food allergies, so I am hoping for guidance. I am actually lucky on this because they were only on the Just Juicy Chicken and these three Lotus pates, so the Just Juicy Chicken is not causing problems.
Is pea allergy common in cats? Most websites about food allergy in cats mention chicken, fish, beef. I was just thinking that there was no fish in the turkey, and he still reacted badly to one meal of it. Does fish allergy also include shellfish? All three of those Lotus pates contain New Zealand Green Mussels and also clams. I have been studying cat food (tired of reading ingredient lists online), as I would like to find several foods for them that work, especially to keep constipation in check.
Thank you for your time! I know this is a long post. On the plus side, they all love the BFF chicken-based pate, so they are eating.
Recently, all three sibling cats developed mushy, smelly stools and then two of them decided they no longer would eat the food I have fed for a couple of years. I was increasing the pate to try to combat constipation in one of the two males (Little One), and a couple of months after increasing to half and half, the mushy, smelly poop began and Junie and Tigger started walking away from not only the pate but the Just Juicy. They only eat wet food, and I feed three times a day. I had increased the pate to half pate and half Just Juicy when this started, with some help for Little One's constipation at first and then the mushy, smelly poop for all three, including him.
They were on Lotus Just Juicy Chicken and Lotus pork pate, duck pate, and turkey pate. Because it is easier to do food trials when they all eat the same thing (in hopes of them all being able to tolerate and like the new food tried), I stopped the Lotus pate in order to keep the food with higher protein and used the Just Juicy Chicken as a way to slowing try other food.
Oddly, something good started happening to Little One when I stopped the pate. He greatly reduced his overgrooming, and the quality of his fur got softer, fluffier. His overgrooming started at Christmastime a couple of years ago, and I blamed it on stress. In addition to the usual holiday changes around the house, my daughter got a bonus and wanted me to go shopping for gifts with her. We were out for hours several days in a row, and since I work from home and don't leave and stay gone for hours for days in a row, I thought Little One was stressing over my absence. When the overgrooming and pulling out hair and chewing continued after the holidays, I thought it was a habit (which I have read can be hard to break). His balding and chewing, pulling is over both hips (but started on one side till he was too bald there and started on the other), backs of legs/ankles, lower back on both sides, and stomach. It has taken like two years for him to work his way to all of the areas (so when I thought he was no longer licking and chewing one area, he was getting started on a new area, I think).
However, when I stopped the Lotus pate, I suddenly realized he was grooming less and spending more time in my lap. I thought maybe he felt like more lap time due to less digestive stuff, but he is definitely licking and chewing much less.
So, I want to make sure I am avoiding the most common item that could have been causing him problems while eating the pate. I am thinking I should avoid peas and fish. After him being better for about a week, I did a test and gave a meal of the Lotus turkey pate, though, and he literally licked, chewed, and ripped out the fur on his ankles for hours the next day. The pork and duck pate both contain white fish (5th on the label - even though the pork does not list fish on the ingredients on Chewy or the Lotus website, it is there when you click the label on the Lotus website and on my cans). The turkey does not list the fish, but ALL THREE contain peas in 4th or 5th position.
The food I have been trying is BFF Play Pate in the Chicken based only (chicken, chicken and turkey, and also chicken, duck, and turkey. There is no fish or peas in these foods.
I know there are a lot of people here who have dealt with food allergies, so I am hoping for guidance. I am actually lucky on this because they were only on the Just Juicy Chicken and these three Lotus pates, so the Just Juicy Chicken is not causing problems.
Is pea allergy common in cats? Most websites about food allergy in cats mention chicken, fish, beef. I was just thinking that there was no fish in the turkey, and he still reacted badly to one meal of it. Does fish allergy also include shellfish? All three of those Lotus pates contain New Zealand Green Mussels and also clams. I have been studying cat food (tired of reading ingredient lists online), as I would like to find several foods for them that work, especially to keep constipation in check.
Thank you for your time! I know this is a long post. On the plus side, they all love the BFF chicken-based pate, so they are eating.