Food Issues

[padfootandmoony]

So, My little one has been on a rotation of Nature's Recipe Grain Free Salmon and Potato and Halo Whitefish and Salmon Grain Free for the whole 3 years we have had her (aside from trying a few others which she turned her nose up at and the few months where she was on Pro Plan). She gets about 3 ox of wet grain free food about once every third day but seems to drink plenty of water.

This week the fiance and I noticed she was throwing up shortly after being fed and it was of course whole pieces of kibble. My fiance thought it might be stale food so he wet a bit of it down and let her eat it, to which she threw that up too. I decided to grab a bag of the other food but could not find any so I grabbed a bag of a new food which was fairly similar to her Nature's Recipe, Under the Sun. I took it home, she ate a few pieces of it and I left a little out since I had fed her wet food so I knew she wasn't too hungry.

Woke up the next morning and the kibble was gone and she had not thrown it up so I gave her a serving and left for work. I get home and it doesn't look like she has touched it much and now she is acting like she hasn't seen a human in a week and needs all the attention.

I don't know if she is eating and I am worried about it. I am considering going to a mostly wet diet but I know I cant afford to feed her only wet and I would hate for her to refuse dry food if I end up not being able to afford only feeding wet.

Any advice on what might be happening/ What I could do?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Vega's Dad]

A kibble kitty probably wouldn't say no to kibbles after being fed wet. Transition to wet, however, may take some effort.

 

[MissMolly08]

My cat has times of throwing up whole pieces of kibble when she eats too quickly. It could also be the start of an allergy though. The foods you were feeding seem like a lot of fish which really isn't good for cats. Many here recommend sticking to poultry or small animal flavors like rabbit. Fish is not a natural food for cats, contrary to popular belief. It can also be high in mercury which can cause health problems over time. Feeding the same protein every single day can also cause a cat to develop an allergy to it which is why many here recommend rotational diets with different types of protein.

As far as the all wet, it is better for them and if it's something you would like to do, it doesn't have to be super expensive. Do you have a monthly budget for your kitty?
My cat was on kibble for 9 years and I thought there was no way I could afford wet food either but I have found some decent options here for cheap. Friskies is not a bad food if you stick to the pate and you can buy a month's worth for about $15. There is a brand of food called Dave's which can be bought by the case on Chewy.com for around $24 so about $1/day.

 

[lisahe]

My cat has times of throwing up whole pieces of kibble when she eats too quickly. It could also be the start of an allergy though. The foods you were feeding seem like a lot of fish which really isn't good for cats. Many here recommend sticking to poultry or small animal flavors like rabbit. Fish is not a natural food for cats, contrary to popular belief. It can also be high in mercury which can cause health problems over time. Feeding the same protein every single day can also cause a cat to develop an allergy to it which is why many here recommend rotational diets with different types of protein.

As far as the all wet, it is better for them and if it's something you would like to do, it doesn't have to be super expensive. Do you have a monthly budget for your kitty?
My cat was on kibble for 9 years and I thought there was no way I could afford wet food either but I have found some decent options here for cheap. Friskies is not a bad food if you stick to the pate and you can buy a month's worth for about $15. There is a brand of food called Dave's which can be bought by the case on Chewy.com for around $24 so about $1/day.

There are lots of good points in this post: I would also suggest getting away from all the fish, which can cause food sensitivities/allergies and other problems, and looking into reasonably priced wet foods. Most dry food contains a lot of carby fillers, like potatoes and peas (both are in the Nature's Recipe food you're feeding) that cats don't digest well: one of our cats, for example, vomits if she eats foods with potato. Just because a food is labelled "grain free" doesn't mean it's also free of ingredients that aren't optimal for cats and their digestive systems.

At this point, the most important thing is to keep your cat eating without vomiting -- cats can get very sick with fatty liver disease if they don't eat enough -- so I'd suggest feeding her something you know she likes and can keep down. I'd look for the simplest canned recipe possible, meaning as much meat and as few fillers as possible on the ingredient list. Canned food would also help restore her fluids after the vomiting. A visit to the vet might well be in order, too, particularly if your cat just won't eat and isn't young.

Good luck -- these eating and food issues can be difficult and very stressful!

 

[padfootandmoony]

Thank you both for responding!

I do understand the issues with fish based foods, which is why almost all if not all of the wet food she gets in poultry based. She refuses to eat dry food that is not fish flavored thus I try to make everything else she consumes not fish based.

I am going to probably go with trying to get her on a good wet food. She loves Sheba and I have a bit of that in the pantry but it is not well priced now that they don't sell it canned so I will be looking for something else that works. Is the Friskies option I have been hearing about really a decent food brand for her? I have mixed feelings about it as a main food source. It seems like it wouldn't be the best because of its price but I may of course be completely wrong haha.

Also for reference she is 4 and 9 lbs (always been small). Any thoughts on how much she would need to be fed? I am hearing from other threads about 5-6 oz is common but it depends on their activity levels and such, which she is all indoor and not the most active of kitties.

 

[MissMolly08]

Thank you both for responding!

I do understand the issues with fish based foods, which is why almost all if not all of the wet food she gets in poultry based. She refuses to eat dry food that is not fish flavored thus I try to make everything else she consumes not fish based.

I am going to probably go with trying to get her on a good wet food. She loves Sheba and I have a bit of that in the pantry but it is not well priced now that they don't sell it canned so I will be looking for something else that works. Is the Friskies option I have been hearing about really a decent food brand for her? I have mixed feelings about it as a main food source. It seems like it wouldn't be the best because of its price but I may of course be completely wrong haha.

Also for reference she is 4 and 9 lbs (always been small). Any thoughts on how much she would need to be fed? I am hearing from other threads about 5-6 oz is common but it depends on their activity levels and such, which she is all indoor and not the most active of kitties.

I have seen comments from people with cats on 100% Friskies and thriving. The general consensus is that ANY wet food is better than dry food because cats need the moisture. The classic Friskies pates are actually low carb and high protein. This may make you feel better about it...Commercial Cat Foods
I was a little iffy on doing 100% Friskies too though, not necessarily because it is cheap but just because as mentioned, rotation is better. All foods, even high end, have some good things and bad things about them, as you can see from that article ^^. Rotating helps to make sure kitty gets a balanced diet.
I am still using up the last bit of kibble I have and waiting on some food samples to come in to see what my cat likes. I am hoping to do a rotation of Fancy Feast, Friskies and Dave's though for around $25 a month.

The rule I have seen for calories is 20-25 calories per pound (with 20 being for less active cats and 25 being active). For a 9lb cat, that would be around 180 cal/day. How many ounces of food that would be depends on which food you decide to go with. Calories vary by brand. Most of the Friskies pates I have used have right around that amount, ranging from like 175-195/can so your kitty would probably eat 1 can a day.

 

[lisahe]

You're welcome, padfootandmoony ! I think it's great that you're going to try to switch your cat -- what's her name, by the way? -- over to wet food. I agree with M MissMolly08 about Friskies: I also think it's definitely a better choice than even high-quality dry food. (As does Dr. Pierson, the vet who wrote the article that MissMolly08 linked to. There's tons of good information on her site, it's really worth reading.)

It does sound like your cat would probably eat about one six-ounce can of Friskies a day. Plus or minus. And, like MissMolly 08 said, there's nothing wrong with rotating various foods. Fancy Feast Classics are very decent food, too, and so is Dave's. Some grocery store brands are very good as well: I think Kroger has some especially good canned cat foods. We don't have Kroger where I live but I remember reading someone's post about their food.

Good luck!

 

[padfootandmoony]

You're welcome, padfootandmoony ! I think it's great that you're going to try to switch your cat -- what's her name, by the way? -- over to wet food. I agree with M MissMolly08 about Friskies: I also think it's definitely a better choice than even high-quality dry food. (As does Dr. Pierson, the vet who wrote the article that MissMolly08 linked to. There's tons of good information on her site, it's really worth reading.)

It does sound like your cat would probably eat about one six-ounce can of Friskies a day. Plus or minus. And, like MissMolly 08 said, there's nothing wrong with rotating various foods. Fancy Feast Classics are very decent food, too, and so is Dave's. Some grocery store brands are very good as well: I think Kroger has some especially good canned cat foods. We don't have Kroger where I live but I remember reading someone's post about their food.

Good luck!

Her name is Hazel! I can't believe I haven't introduced her yet haha. She has expensive tastes too lol. I have given her Pride minced rabbit and she LOVES it and of course it's one of the more pricy ones but I think I can just put it in like a few times a month rotation. I have a specialty shop up here that carries Dave's and Weruva and such so I am trying her on a few and will likely have her on something more stable by the end of the week! Thanks again yall!

 

[lisahe]

Hazel is a great name for a cat! And yes, many of our cats have expensive taste... it's another point in favor of rotating foods!

Weruva is a good brand: I think their Cats in the Kitchen foods (the canned ones, not the pouches, which are carby and often fishy, too) are their best value. Our cats really like all their chicken-based recipes. And really love some of the chicken/fish ones that I give as occasional treats.

 

[padfootandmoony]

Hazel is a great name for a cat! And yes, many of our cats have expensive taste... it's another point in favor of rotating foods!

Weruva is a good brand: I think their Cats in the Kitchen foods (the canned ones, not the pouches, which are carby and often fishy, too) are their best value. Our cats really like all their chicken-based recipes. And really love some of the chicken/fish ones that I give as occasional treats.

She won't even try the shredded chicken type of foods. She is picky with pate's and minced but has eaten most of the other options, including Dave's! I am so excited that she is willing to eat the stuff that won't break the bank lol.

 

[lisahe]

She won't even try the shredded chicken type of foods. She is picky with pate's and minced but has eaten most of the other options, including Dave's! I am so excited that she is willing to eat the stuff that won't break the bank lol.

Got it! Our cats are more on the shred side but will eat pates, too. Cats are so funny about these things! I think there's only Cats in the Kitchen food that's not shreds: the lamb burgini, which is lamb and tuna.

I'm glad Hazel will eat the Dave's food, that's very good to hear!