Dry Food In A Raw Food Household

[1 bruce 1]

Many of you know that our asthmatic cat with bad digestive problems has been taken off raw and dry completely. He's eating canned food but I can't get more than 2 or 2 1-2 cans down him a day. He's doing alright with this but has lost some weight and I'm not happy about that.
We are considering getting a dry food for him to leave out. He has his own space that is unavailable to the others and if we had some dry food for him to nibble at, this might put weight on. We think, or hope.
We're aware that dry food isn't the best and is bad for inflammation and stuff like that, but right now his health is a close second to his health AND happiness as one.
Years ago he was eating Natural Balance chicken and green pea (I think). He did OK with it.
Worth a try?

 

[m3rma1d]

Do it!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Do it!

Maybe as a trial run thing?
I don't want to make his problems worse and with both things being inflammatory in nature we get a little jumpy. But he really needs to gain some.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Oh, the challenges with weight with some of out kitties .

Would you want to try adding moisture in the kibble? I am unfamiliar with how dry food exacerbates inflammation...

What about kitten glop?, it's good for adult felines too.
There are these;

Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines.

 

[Tobermory]

Years ago he was eating Natural Balance chicken and green pea (I think). He did OK with it.
Worth a try?

Absolutely! I’d try it. The Natural Balance, though, isn’t very high in fat. What about Dr. Elsey’s or Tiki Cat dry? They’re higher in fat (and higher in protein and lower in carbs).

 

[GalaxyGirl]

Sounds like me. I have 3 kittens. I have to run a fineline of raw, wet and dry so they don’t lose weight and get sick. Ugh. I’ve tried all kinds of food. The Dr. Elsey’s is worth a try. It’s high in protein and low in carbs. I’d measure out and see how much your kitty can have before they have issues. For me it’s about 1/8 cup per cat. Helps them gain weight and not be sick. I’m sending love!!

 

[1 bruce 1]

I'm going to check the stores this week, I don't know what I can get locally but there's got to be something out there.
My concern is how stupid his intestinal tract acts over pretty much nothing. Things you'd think would be helpful like goat milk is anything but, and things you think would be irritating (like a gravy style food) aren't.

 

[Willowy]

2 or 2 1/2 cans (I assume you mean 3-oz cans) should be enough for most cats. What kind? How big is he?

I'm not sure I'd want to risk the possible problems in an inflammatory kitty. Have you ever tried Ziwipeak, or a freeze-dried food? He may tolerate those better than normal kibble.

 

[1 bruce 1]

2 or 2 1/2 cans (I assume you mean 3-oz cans) should be enough for most cats. What kind? How big is he?

I'm not sure I'd want to risk the possible problems in an inflammatory kitty. Have you ever tried Ziwipeak, or a freeze-dried food? He may tolerate those better than normal kibble.

We tried (I think) Primal freeze dried, and dehydrated and good things didn't follow. (Actually, nothing followed. Constipation joke, or a crappy attempt at one. And I did it again!)
It's the 3 oz. Fancy Feast Classics.

 

[Willowy]

Is he particularly large? A can of FF Classics usually has around 90 calories. So 2 1/2 cans should be enough (at 18-22 kcal per lb) for a 10-12 pound cat. I mean, every cat is different but if he's losing excessive weight on that amount there might be an underlying problem.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Is he particularly large? A can of FF Classics usually has around 90 calories. So 2 1/2 cans should be enough (at 18-22 kcal per lb) for a 10-12 pound cat. I mean, every cat is different but if he's losing excessive weight on that amount there might be an underlying problem.

He's got a vet that suspects some kind of bigger problem (cancer isn't out), but diagnosing this would include a 2 hour drive one way, and 10 minutes into travel he starts breathing with his mouth open. To be honest, we don't want to put him through it. We all agreed we're just making him comfortable. (He started in with IBD stuff over 5 years ago and was diagnosed with asthma 13 months ago.)
Last time I called to renew his prescription the vets office actually sounded kind of surprised. I think they assumed he had died by now. We had talked about the possibility of intestinal lymphoma and I think they thought he wouldn't be around much longer.
Due to his asthma he's not an active guy, he hangs around a lot and doesn't spend much time playing but seems perky, alert, and happy. He purrs a lot, rolls and flops around, but doesn't spend a lot of time on his feet or being active. I wonder if he's losing muscle from not moving around and this is what we're seeing. He's a normal sized cat, maybe a little bigger.

 

[RajaNMizu]

I'd more than happily recommend the Tiki Cat Dry Chicken and Fish luau. The girls have been eating it since about Spring and we use it to offer them something to snack on during the workday. It's 104 calories an ounce. Tiki Cat Born Carnivore Chicken & Fish Luau Cat Food Review

 

[1 bruce 1]

Well, my wife suggested we get the smallest bags or pouches of some of the suggestions and see what he likes and let him decide. Some of the stores have samples.
He's always been an easy keeper/good eater so I'm not concerned too much about him going off a wet diet and favoring dry food only. He's eating, he's just not eating enough to make me happy.
Probably will grab some cans of that gravy lovers, too.
When did I get to be a softie?

 

[Willowy]

Haha, cats! They have some kind of control over us .

Gravy Lovers is generally a big hit around here. However, it's really low in calories (~67 calories per can). So if he fills up on that he might not eat enough of the other kind. On the other hand, eating it is better than not eating anything. Sometimes it's hard to know what's best!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Just in case --not that you don't know this , but if getting the weight stable/increasing proves elusive, try my post above, or this;
Kitten-Rescue.com