Nutrition Frustration

maggiedemi said:

Do you want grain-free? Crave and Purina Beyond are bigger kibbles. So is Untamed from Tractor Supply.

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duckpond said:

If she is eating to fast that may be part of the problem? With my scarf and barf cat i have found i cannot put out a bowl of kibble. I must use a plate, and keep it to only one layer deep. slows him way down, and has basically done away with the barfing.

also, lots of brushing. If i fall behind on keeping everyone brushed then we get the hairballs

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lisahe said:

We deal with all of this, too! We feed five wet meals a day to avoid the scarf-and-barf and this summer has been brutal for fur-related vomiting so we've been brushing a lot. Daily. I kind of wish I knew what, exactly--the brushing, the egg yolk powder I add to the food, or the pumpkin I add to the food--has kept Edwina from yacking for over a week now (knock wood and all that) but I'll take it!

As far as food ingredients go, Canadiangirl , Edwina also barfs if she eats food with potato in it. That's not a common sensitivity but there are other Cat Site members whose cats also can't handle it. Cats also have a tendency not to chew a lot (here's a vet confirmation on that!) so I'm not sure I'd focus on the size of the pieces of food.

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CalliopeUno said:

Ps when doing my obsessive research I remember that Crave was one of the best you could get at a still relatively reasonable price. Much healthier ingredients, fewer recalls,etc than more expensive brands like Royal Canin and Hill's for example. Crave does have potato tho if that's a problem

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maggiedemi said:

Crave is on Chewy and at Walmart.com, if you're in Canada though, not sure if they have it there.

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CalliopeUno said:

I feed my cat little handfuls throughout the day to avoid the scarf and have after learning the hard way. If you're gone most of the day obviously that won't work but you could spread it thru the evening. I did a ton of research online before adopting and had picked a few grain-free brands I wanted to try. I use dry food mainly for ecological reasons, and leave water out but he prefers to drink from bathroom faucet when I'm available. I shook together some "Nulo" and some "I and Love and You" along with the small sample-size bag of Hill's Science Diet they sent him with from the shelter. Also added in a brand called "Shenandoah" carried at my local pet store that has amazingly good ingredients if you can find that, mostly meat, with cranberries and blueberries in there for urinary health- probably the best but expensive. All of my research said Hill's is not so hot but that's what he'd been used to eating so I added it in with everything else. Now of course I don't have a clue which he likes best but he's eating happily and all are good but pricey products. The 'I and Love and You' (really dumb name) I ordered from Chewy's in small bags and have on auto delivery. I think it has lentil and peas but no potatoes. The Nulo has similar ingredients, that one I think I ordered on Amazon. I was looking for high protein and relatively high fat as kitty was seriously undernourished when I got him. He's gained a couple pounds,coat very shiny, looks and acts healthy. Will cut back on the little handfuls throughout the day if he starts to get chubby but I think he's a lean mean machine. Svelte Siamese.

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Ajames1028 said:

Just about a tablespoon in the evening as a treat. Should I do more wet food?

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lisahe said:

I'd try feeding more wet food, not just because there's a chance it would be less likely to make him vomit but also because he probably needs a lot more food than he's getting.

It also might be a little easier to slow down his eating with wet food: you can try spreading it out over a plate so he has to work for it. That, along with raising our cat's dish, has helped reduce our cat's scarf-and-barf behavior.

Is your cat a rescue who was underfed, Ajames1028? I'm fairly certain that's part of what's at the root of our cat's problem. That and that our vet says Siamese cats are particularly prone to digestive issues. That's another reason why wet food might be helpful for your cat: our vet recommends a wet-only diet that's grain-free and low-carb (no potatoes, peas, etc.) for all cats, but particularly for Siamese (and mixes) since it's meat, not vegetables, that cats' digestive tracts are built to eat.

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Ajames1028 said:

Yes he was a rescue. He wasn’t too skinny, but you could feel his backbone. Now you can’t since he’s been with us. My husband fed him about 1/8 cup this morning and he didn’t barf! Yay! I’m going to give him a little more before I leave for work. Do you have a certain wet food brand that you prefer?

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lisahe said:

I'm glad to hear he didn't barf this morning! Some rescues do seem to hold on to their food insecurities for a long time. It's been nearly five years for Edwina, who still eats too fast and has to be separated from her sister so she won't steal her food.

As for wet food, well, it depends on your cat! I'd probably try a pate with a simple recipe first. Our cats love Nutro Natural Choice, Fancy Feast Classics, Fromm duck/turkey (I think? it's the green label), and Wellness Core kitten food (even though they're adults)... there are lots to try, I'd just suggest staying away from anything with wheat, corn, rice, potato, peas, or other vegetable matter if at all possible, just in case an ingredient like that is an irritant, too.

I suggest starting with a pate because it's easier to spread out on a plate than a chunkier food. For example, Edwina has a horrible history of vomiting Nutro Natural Choice minced chicken, which she can slurp up very quickly because it's in little chunks. They're small but still large enough to eat faster than she can lap up a thin layer of pate.

I hope the second feeding goes well! Maybe he's starting to slow his eating down? What's your kitten's name, by the way?

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