Leo has had IBD since last fall, and has been on steroids since March. He was seven pounds, and got down to five. I decided to give him better food, Hounds and Gato chicken, he ate it for awhile, gained almost a pound last time he was checked, and his insides no longer felt like rope, according to the vet. He no longer had loose stools also. Then he refused to eat it any more, I ended up with two cases that none of my cats would eat. I gradually put him on Natures Variety Instinct, and he liked that for maybe three weeks. He now refuses to eat that, and won't even let me mix it with another food to switch to. He probably weighs four pounds now. Last night, after he had gone 24 hours and wouldn't eat, I boiled some chicken, and he loved it. Today I bought some pouches of Instinct Healthy Cravings and poured it on his food, and he walked away. I again gave him boiled chicken, and he devoured it. I called the vet, and wanted to find out if boiled chicken would be okay to feed him from now on because I don't think trying new foods daily is good for his stomach. The receptionist asked the vet, and called me back and said the vet says no boiled chicken, no raw diet, stay on good canned food, and to try her Hills d/d. I had tried that last fall, and he hated it, but will try again. I wasn't able to talk to vet, and am wondering how can I keep him on good canned food if he won't eat it, and why can't he eat boiled chicken, even if I supplement it with dry food, (which he loves) so he can get extra nutrients?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Feeding A Cat Cooked Chicken
- Thread starter leo12
- Start Date
I’ve never heard of not feeding a cat boiled chicken as a treat or supplement. We used to do that for our boy Trin all the time, and we put it on top of foods that we wanted him to try. We only stopped because he also has suspected IBD and Chicken seemed to make it worse.
Unless you Vet calls back and says there is a medical reason not to feed the chicken (or you can call another vet for a second opinion) you can try and top foods he didn’t seem to like anymore with it and see if that helps. Also I have a kitty that starts to cool off on previous favorites if I feed he same thing in a row. But she has an iron stomach and seems fine with switching food every meal.
Also there are Applaws pouches that are simply chicken broth and chicken. Our cats love them. They are not complete meals so you couldn’t feed that exclusively but maybe mixing it in could provide variety without upsetting his stomach. Good luck!
Unless you Vet calls back and says there is a medical reason not to feed the chicken (or you can call another vet for a second opinion) you can try and top foods he didn’t seem to like anymore with it and see if that helps. Also I have a kitty that starts to cool off on previous favorites if I feed he same thing in a row. But she has an iron stomach and seems fine with switching food every meal.
Also there are Applaws pouches that are simply chicken broth and chicken. Our cats love them. They are not complete meals so you couldn’t feed that exclusively but maybe mixing it in could provide variety without upsetting his stomach. Good luck!
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2017
- Messages
- 3,905
- Purraise
- 4,346
Maybe the vet thought boiled chicken was all you were going to feed? as a supplement to a regular diet i think its a good treat. Its just not a balanced diet, so you want most of their calories to come from a balanced cat food.
Or check out the raw forum? many people feed raw, or home cooked food to their cats, but it must be done right. The vitamins and minerals they need must be added to the raw or cooked food. You may want to research this? There is a sub forum in the nutrition forum that is all about raw and home cooked foods for cats. If this is something you are leaning to. I dont feed this way, i use a mix of wet food and dry food for my guys.
Or check out the raw forum? many people feed raw, or home cooked food to their cats, but it must be done right. The vitamins and minerals they need must be added to the raw or cooked food. You may want to research this? There is a sub forum in the nutrition forum that is all about raw and home cooked foods for cats. If this is something you are leaning to. I dont feed this way, i use a mix of wet food and dry food for my guys.
Last edited:
I think your Vet is way off base. When your cat is starving to death you need to get him to eat no matter what. They need cat food also to get the nutrients and vitamins. I use cooked chicken and gerber baby chicken (no garlic/onions) but he also gets some kibble for the vitamins and nutrients.
Request a sample of EZComplete online. It's $1 via PayPal. You can mix that in with boiled chicken to make it complete.
My vet is fine with me feeding a raw homemade diet. He asked me a few questions to make sure I knew what I was doing and said sounds good; his tech was feeding raw as well.
My vet is fine with me feeding a raw homemade diet. He asked me a few questions to make sure I knew what I was doing and said sounds good; his tech was feeding raw as well.
Because meat doesn't have the necessary nutrients for a cat. Plain meat should be no more than 10% of the diet. If you wish to feed it as a larger part of the diet, you need to supplement it. There are pre-mixes for cooked meat such as EZComplete (Food Fur Life - EZ Homemade raw food for pets!).
IBD cats are often sensitive to chicken so be aware of that.
I feed my IBD cat Nature's Variety frozen raw rabbit. The vet would prefer that I feed Hills Z/D canned junk but is ok with the raw food since my cat is doing well on it.
You do not need the vet's permission to feed your cat a non-prescription food. Try novel protein canned foods such as a rabbit, venison, kangaroo, etc. Many IBD cats do well on novel protein diets.
Do you give your cat B12 injections? IBD cats often have low B12 levels which affects how well nutrients are absorbed.
Adding probiotics and a digestive enzyme can be helpful.
These web sites are helpful:
IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Raw Feeding for IBD Cats
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
I was wondering if maybe giving just boiled chicken wasn't enough nutrients, after reading the comments I guess that's probably why my vet said no. I picked up the Hills d/d that she recommended, and as of right now Leo is eating it. I'm sure he will be sick from transitioning too quick, but if I mixed it with his old food he wouldn't eat it. I will keep him on it as long as he will eat it, which probably won't be more than two weeks, hope I'm wrong. If he does stop, and will only eat the boiled chicken, if I mix the EZ complete with the chicken, does that give him the proper nutrients? Would giving him grain free dry food along with the chicken give him sufficient nutrients? I want to have a back up plan for if and when he refuses the Hills. The vet hasn't recommended B12 injections, I wish she would because he is so very thin and needs all the help he can get.
Yes, the EZComplete will turn any meat into a proper nutritionally balanced meal. There are other similar products such as TC Feline and UStew.
If you feed dry food, the chicken has to be no more than 10% of the diet. A few pieces daily is plenty.
Is your cat ok with chicken? Mine gets a IBD flare up with any form of chicken
Commercial LID novel protein canned food is a good back up for prescription food. Here are some brands:
Blue Buffalo Basics
Merrick Limited Ingredients
Koha Limited Ingredient
Natural Balance LID
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Your favorite brands of "novel protein" canned cat food
Single Novel Protein Grain Free Wet (not Raw) Food? Help!
The vet would have to test your cat's B12 levels to determine if injections are needed. Many IBD cats do need injections.
If you don't feel that the vet is addressing your cat's IBD issues, seek out another vet. An internal medicine vet is often helpful.
If you feed dry food, the chicken has to be no more than 10% of the diet. A few pieces daily is plenty.
Is your cat ok with chicken? Mine gets a IBD flare up with any form of chicken
Commercial LID novel protein canned food is a good back up for prescription food. Here are some brands:
Blue Buffalo Basics
Merrick Limited Ingredients
Koha Limited Ingredient
Natural Balance LID
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Your favorite brands of "novel protein" canned cat food
Single Novel Protein Grain Free Wet (not Raw) Food? Help!
The vet would have to test your cat's B12 levels to determine if injections are needed. Many IBD cats do need injections.
If you don't feel that the vet is addressing your cat's IBD issues, seek out another vet. An internal medicine vet is often helpful.
Yes, the EZ Complete will make boiled chicken complete and balanced for him.
I specifically asked for sub-Q fluids and a B-12 injection a couple months ago when my cat had an eye infection from a cat scratch and had stopped eating. Both helped to get his appetite back. The vet didn't recommend them...I had them on a list of things to ask while we were there. Soon as I asked, he said, "Oh, yes. We can do that." Sometimes you just have to tell the vet what you want.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to have your vet set you up with fluids and B-12 that you could administer at home.
I specifically asked for sub-Q fluids and a B-12 injection a couple months ago when my cat had an eye infection from a cat scratch and had stopped eating. Both helped to get his appetite back. The vet didn't recommend them...I had them on a list of things to ask while we were there. Soon as I asked, he said, "Oh, yes. We can do that." Sometimes you just have to tell the vet what you want.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to have your vet set you up with fluids and B-12 that you could administer at home.
I didn’t realize how common that was. We always thought Trin just had a sensitive stomach until we tried switching to wet food, and chicken being his favorite thing got all chicken flavors and topped them with cooked chicken so he would eat themIs your cat ok with chicken? Mine gets a IBD flare up with any form of chicken
. At least it caused us to investigate and diagnose the issue. Now it’s no treats, monthly B-12 stabbing and Instinct LID rabbit for him!- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
I had him on Instinct Grain Free Chicken, and Hounds and Gato chicken, not knowing chicken wasn't good for IBD. He actually started gaining weight and his insides improved. Now he refuses both foods, and has lost weight. So far he is eating the Hills d/d, not really thrilled, but eating it. One of my other allergic cats is on Natural Balance, and I know Leo hates it, so I will try Blue Buffalo, not chicken next. It is good to know I can do chicken as a last resort if I use the EZ Complete, I don't want him going 24 hrs anymore without eating, he is so thin, and needs his teeth done but the vet won't do them until he gains. I have no idea how old he is, but I'm pretty sure hes way over 13. Thank you guys so much for the info, I get to the point I have no clue what to do with him next and its so frustrating. I left a message for vet to see if maybe he should be taken off steroids, I don't think she will say yes, but I will find out about the b12 shots then, I think they are a very good idea.
Steroids are needed to control the GI inflammation in IBD cats. Steroids are always tapered off slowly, never stopped cold turkey. My IBD cat is about to go off steroids next week. He's on 2 mg once a day every other day right now, down from 4 mg twice a day 6 months ago. Next week we're going to try to stop it completely
EZComplete and other pre-mixes can be used with any meat. Try turkey or duck or rabbit. Whatever you can find in the supermarket or butcher shop is fine as long as the meat has not been enhanced with broth or flavorings or other stuff.
Take a look at the two IBD web sites I linked above. Both have very good information on treatment for IBD and diet options.
EZComplete and other pre-mixes can be used with any meat. Try turkey or duck or rabbit. Whatever you can find in the supermarket or butcher shop is fine as long as the meat has not been enhanced with broth or flavorings or other stuff.
Take a look at the two IBD web sites I linked above. Both have very good information on treatment for IBD and diet options.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
How long was your cat on steroids? Since my vet said Leos intestines no longer felt ropey, I was hoping she would agree to try stopping the steroids. . What made your vet decide to get your cat off of them? That one site gives you a lot of options for food, if Leo stops eating the Hills d/d I'm going to have to just switch him to something on that list and not worry about "slow transitioning" Thank you
Leroy has been on steroids since January. The vet gradually reduced the dose and frequency based on IBD symptoms. Leroy hasn't had a flare up in months (no vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, etc) so the vet feels that we can try to stop the pred next week.
These published articles have good info:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.864.4840&rep=rep1&type=pdf
http://www.dvm360storage.com/cvc/pr...al Medicine/Webb/Webb, Craig_IBD_Lymphoma.pdf
These published articles have good info:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.864.4840&rep=rep1&type=pdf
http://www.dvm360storage.com/cvc/pr...al Medicine/Webb/Webb, Craig_IBD_Lymphoma.pdf
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #15
Both articles were good, and even my brain could understand them. To me, after reading the one article, it looks like Leo is on too high a dose of steroids, 4mg twice a day, and for too long. I love the one part where it tells that the only way to find out if the old food you were feeding your cat caused the IBD is to put him back on it and see if the new carpet gets ruined.
Lol
Leroy was on 4 mg of pred twice a day for 4 months before the vet reduced it to once a day for a month and then to 2 mg once a day for a month, then to 2 mg once a day every other day for a month. So far so good
Leroy was on 4 mg of pred twice a day for 4 months before the vet reduced it to once a day for a month and then to 2 mg once a day for a month, then to 2 mg once a day every other day for a month. So far so good
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #17
Glad to hear that, the article talked about 2mg, and I felt since Leo only weighs about 5 lbs 4mg might be too high. But if yours was on that dose, then must be okay. Leroy hasn't had any flare ups since tapering? Appetite still the same?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #18
Today Leo is refusing to eat the prescription Hills d/d canned food. He only shows an interest in dry food, or human food, and I'm not able to get dry in the Hills prescription food until my vet open up on Monday because Chewy won't send without vets okay. I went to pet store and now have him on Natural Balance Duck dry food. We'll see how long that lasts
Leroy normally weighs 10 lbs but was at 9 lbs when he was diagnosed. Since treatment, his weight has gone back up. Maybe a little too much... I weigh him weekly and sometimes hes 11 lbs and a few ounces
His appetite has always been good. Leroy has not had any flare ups since the vet slowly tapered off the pred His flare ups are just diarrhea and nausea.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #20
