American Journey Pate From Chewy?

[momof3b1g]

I decided to try the Bogo offer. Fed the first can of the chicken pate on Wed at 2 PM. 2 cats refused it. One threw up.
I have 2 still eating it in the morning. As I'm trying to get them off of friskies. (One of them went today, so I know its not her)
So yesterday I notice some of their poop is a bit soft again.
That kinda formed kind soft stuff. There is more then one pile. So its either the same cat or one cat going multiple times. So I have to see who it is.
But is 48 hours about right for what goes in comes out?
Has anyone else had that problem with AJ?
I need to see what chewys return policy is. And don't want to wait to long.

 

[Furballsmom]

HI!
Chewy has an amazing return policy

It's been a little while since I've seen @duckpond but unless I'm thinking of something else, that member liked AJ. Granted, they may have changed their recipe formula in the meantime.

The thing that always makes me wonder whether to wait and keep feeding is when it's slightly soft poo like you're describing and no vomit, is that it could possibly be from the transition from old to new, rather than from the food...

I don't know for sure, but 48 hours or less, I believe. Cats have short digestive tracts, so it doesn't really take very long.

 

[daftcat75]

Did you do a gradual transition or did you put a plate of food they’ve never seen before in front of them?

I don’t expect any cat to do well with a cold introduction of a new food. There are occasions where I have to do that (e.g. Krista won’t eat her old food.). But even then I start her with 1/4 or 1/3 of what I would normally give her.

Looking at the ingredients for this food:

• Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Guar Gum, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Cassia Gum, Xanthan Gum, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Choline Chloride, Fish Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Inulin, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sunflower Oil, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.

The bolded ones are the ones I have suspicions about. Flaxseed will provide fat and vitamin E. But if it’s there for the EFAs (omega-3’s), then it’s useless. The EFA’s in flax are in the wrong form and cats lack the enzyme to convert it. Thankfully there is also fish oil in this recipe so it’s got the EFA’s covered. However, too much flax can have a laxative effect. I had a friend who would mix up a flax smoothie whenever she needed a little extra help. She called it her “flaxative”. The gums, which are included to firm up pates, ironically can have a loosening effect on cat bowels. And the berries. Cats don’t have the enzymes to break plant cell walls and they don’t have the jaw motion to grind them open like we do. Depending on how whole the berries are in the food (and I have seen whole cranberries in cat food before), you could be seeing “berry in, berry out.”

You could try the transition slower by mixing it with their old food (2/3 old to 1/3 new.). I would keep it at this ratio to see if the vomiting and soft stools clear up. Then you could shift the ratio 1/3 old to 2/3 new and observe for a day or two to screen for vomiting and soft stools. And then finally all new. If the vomiting or the soft stools don’t clear up, then this food isn’t for them.

 

[momof3b1g]

Did you do a gradual transition or did you put a plate of food they’ve never seen before in front of them?

I don’t expect any cat to do well with a cold introduction of a new food. There are occasions where I have to do that (e.g. Krista won’t eat her old food.). But even then I start her with 1/4 or 1/3 of what I would normally give her.

Looking at the ingredients for this food:

• Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Guar Gum, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Cassia Gum, Xanthan Gum, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Choline Chloride, Fish Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Inulin, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sunflower Oil, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.

The bolded ones are the ones I have suspicions about. Flaxseed will provide fat and vitamin E. But if it’s there for the EFAs (omega-3’s), then it’s useless. The EFA’s in flax are in the wrong form and cats lack the enzyme to convert it. Thankfully there is also fish oil in this recipe so it’s got the EFA’s covered. However, too much flax can have a laxative effect. I had a friend who would mix up a flax smoothie whenever she needed a little extra help. She called it her “flaxative”. The gums, which are included to firm up pates, ironically can have a loosening effect on cat bowels. And the berries. Cats don’t have the enzymes to break plant cell walls and they don’t have the jaw motion to grind them open like we do. Depending on how whole the berries are in the food (and I have seen whole cranberries in cat food before), you could be seeing “berry in, berry out.”

You could try the transition slower by mixing it with their old food (2/3 old to 1/3 new.). I would keep it at this ratio to see if the vomiting and soft stools clear up. Then you could shift the ratio 1/3 old to 2/3 new and observe for a day or two to screen for vomiting and soft stools. And then finally all new. If the vomiting or the soft stools don’t clear up, then this food isn’t for them.

I never transition wet food. Never have I heard you need to transition wet food. Only dry. It's just something I'm trying to see about adding to the rotation.
The vomiting was my cat who has a problem with some canned foods. He threw up right away so I think it's more of the texture. He has a sensitive gag reflex.
The food is pate, so everything is ground up

 

[kittyluv387]

I find that it’s ok not to transition. But for high quality wet. American Journey is just ok so you might have to do it a little more gradually.

 

[Gizmobius]

I feed American Journey in both the chicken and turkey pate flavors and have never had an issue. Although the last time I bought some was back in September so my cans are probably a completely different batch.

 

[mizzely]

I just fed Turkey American Journey last night and my cat LOVES it. No issues with vomiting or loose stools though. Not all foods work for all cats.

Chewy will refund you if you let them know it doesn't work for your cat. They recently refunded me several cases of cat food I bought in June because Lydia decided she didn't like it anymore after Jasmine died.

 

[lalagimp]

We do minced chicken recipe in gravy and I haven't noticed any issues. They eat it pretty fast compared to some of their other wet foods. The only pate I know for certain that I will get them to eat well is the chicken nature's variety instinct.

 

[momof3b1g]

Thanks. I'm waiting to see if it clears before trying the turkey flavor. It's the only thing I can think of. But I'm seeing times when my cats have a mix of formed stool as well as soft in the same pile. I figured its because they get dry food, wet food, dry then wet at night.

 

[TobiDaDog]

I feed American Journey pate to my two for their breakfast meal with no issue. But I did a REALLY slow transition when moving to grain free/high quality off of dry Purina. I was so afraid I was going to hurt their tummies jarring them with such different foods.
Even when I add a new high quality food to the mix I always gradually introduce it. The one time I didn't was an emergency. I had run out of everything, I'd ordered late, and my Chewy order was delayed because of bad weather. I ran to the store and bought the best quality grain free I could find, but it wasn't in my cats' diet at all. Both had diarrhea that evening and the next day. I felt terrible.

 

[m3rma1d]

Tallulah and Alasdair enjoy the Minced!