Food Recommendations For Thin Senior Cat With Constipation

[houseofnine]

Hi Friends,
Lucy, one of our 11 year olds has had issues with constipation. She's getting Laculose 1-2x a day. Backstory: She was getting both wet and dry food like the rest of our household (of 12 cats) until one of the boys got bladder blockage last October, so we took dry food away from all of them. She was a big fan of the Halo dry food, and we suspect she was eating mostly that. She has lost about 1-1.5 pounds, but seems overall healthy. She has had bloodwork done for thyroid and kidney issues. (all neg).
Looking for recommendations of good-quality wet and dry food for her. Trying to get her to gain weight--I am slightly concerned this might be something bad like GI lymphoma (I'm a worrier), but also know she eats slowly (teeth are fine tho) and gets edged out of her bowl by the younger, pushier cats. I might have to feed her in the bathroom or something.
Please give me any and all suggestions. We don't have human kids so the herd of cats is our main focus!
Thank you.

 

[Kieka]

For the constipation, I would try mixing a small amount of pumpkin puree in her food. Really you can mix a teaspoon in with everyone's food every other day without any harm. But it can help move things along for a cat who is having problems so that could help her out some.

Since she gets edged out and she likes her dry, you might need to feed her separately. You could also get a microchip feeder and put dry food in it so only she has access to it. The specifics of which food is harder because there are so many options and opinions. I currently feed Natures Variety but I am trying to find another limited ingredient non-poultry food for my guys. I've been looking at Nulo but the price point is a little high. There are also so many formula changes and new formulas coming out that it can be challenging. I do like how this site Best Cat Food of 2018 | Expert Reviews & Ratings | Reviews.com does their reviews, I just have a poultry problem that limits my options.

 

[houseofnine]

For the constipation, I would try mixing a small amount of pumpkin puree in her food. Really you can mix a teaspoon in with everyone's food every other day without any harm. But it can help move things along for a cat who is having problems so that could help her out some.

Since she gets edged out and she likes her dry, you might need to feed her separately. You could also get a microchip feeder and put dry food in it so only she has access to it. The specifics of which food is harder because there are so many options and opinions. I currently feed Natures Variety but I am trying to find another limited ingredient non-poultry food for my guys. I've been looking at Nulo but the price point is a little high. There are also so many formula changes and new formulas coming out that it can be challenging. I do like how this site Best Cat Food of 2018 | Expert Reviews & Ratings | Reviews.com does their reviews, I just have a poultry problem that limits my options.

Kieka, thank you!
Have you tried Natural Balance venison with peas? It can be a little hard to find but I've been able to get it online.
Instinct might have something too? I buy everything by the case from Amazon/Chewy. The UPS man either loves or hates us, not sure. =)

 

[Kieka]

Kieka, thank you!
Have you tried Natural Balance venison with peas? It can be a little hard to find but I've been able to get it online.
Instinct might have something too? I buy everything by the case from Amazon/Chewy. The UPS man either loves or hates us, not sure. =)

Thank you for the suggestion, IIhave looked but i have a minimum 30% portion threshold and Natural Balance is 27%. Just too picky for my own good sometimes. No poultry is required but I don't like grains, wants 30% protein, no cranberries and no menadione. That last one is the reason I am looking for a new option. I have three different foods at the house to try. Might just end up rotating or mixing them all for variety.

 

[duckpond]

I have two dry foods i feed, Dr. Elseys, they have a chicken and a salmon flavor, but it does have some chicken in it. I also feed Farmina. Farmina has a new line that has pumpkin, they have a venison it does not have chicken, but does have some chicken fat, my cats seem to like it quite a bit. Neither of these are low price, but i have found them to be fairly economical to feed. they are both high protein, and low carb, so even though the cats like them a lot they don't need to eat that much. I free feed Dr. Elseys and the 6 lb bag will last me 5 weeks or more with my 4, that is with also feeding wet food. Chewy also offers the 2 lb bag of Dr. elsey's to try. I don't free feed Farmina as it does have a small amount of peas, and i have a cat that has a problem with peas.

Against the Grain has a chicken and pumpkin wet food my cats like, and i like that the pumpkin is already mixed in