grain free dry food without peas or potato?

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Do you have any research pointing to potatoes/peas being common allergens?  My cat has a food allergy and we can't figure it out because I've always rotated the proteins in his diet BUT I also always noticed that the whole peas in some of the canned foods gave him diarrhea...now he is on a limited ingredient rabbit/pea food and I'm not seeing much improvement, plus he has loose stool.  However, my vet insists that peas are not an allergen and all of the other limited ingredient diets that I can find all have peas...

Tried them originally...he can't eat peas.  Terrible diarrhea. 

...  And don't be fooled - companies fill their foods with peas because they are cheap.  Cats aren't meant to eat peas. 

Peas are what is known as an insoluble fiber. Insoluble fibers help with constipation... hence, they give some cats diarrhea, esp. if the peas are listed high in the list of Ingredients on the label.

If your cat is reactive to insoluble fibers, I would research them and use only cat foods that list them lower in the Ingredient list (meaning there is less of them than if the ingredient is placed near the beginning of an ingredient list).

It may not be an allergy at all (with peas) -- just that your cat is getting too much of a certain type of fiber.

 

[spotmenow]

Peas are what is known as an insoluble fiber. Insoluble fibers help with constipation... hence, they give some cats diarrhea, esp. if the peas are listed high in the list of Ingredients on the label.

If your cat is reactive to insoluble fibers, I would research them and use only cat foods that list them lower in the Ingredient list (meaning there is less of them than if the ingredient is placed near the beginning of an ingredient list).

It may not be an allergy at all (with peas) -- just that your cat is getting too much of a certain type of fiber.

Peas aren't the allergen for him, but he does have a "sensitivity" to them...meaning, the peas didn't cause the itching, but did cause the diarrhea.  I'm done with peas for him.

Most of the limited ingredient foods list a protein first and then peas, pea fiber, pea flour, split peas, pea protein...some foods have multiple forms of peas in the same food!  Sorry, but to me that is the company cheaping out on ingredients. 

 

[foxxycat]

I was told that in order for the kibble to stick together they have to use carbs in it. Whether it's corn, peas, potatoes etc. You won't be able to find hard kibble without these items. The only thing you can try is wet high protein foods.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Peas aren't the allergen for him, but he does have a "sensitivity" to them...meaning, the peas didn't cause the itching, but did cause the diarrhea. I'm done with peas for him.

Most of the limited ingredient foods list a protein first and then peas, pea fiber, pea flour, split peas, pea protein...some foods have multiple forms of peas in the same food! Sorry, but to me that is the company cheaping out on ingredients.

I totally agree with you on fillers in cat food, I was just bringing up that aspect of peas.

Personally, it's my view that too much fiber for cats is not a good thing. Commercial cat foods have way too much fiber in them.

 

[lisahe]

 
Peas aren't the allergen for him, but he does have a "sensitivity" to them...meaning, the peas didn't cause the itching, but did cause the diarrhea.  I'm done with peas for him.

Most of the limited ingredient foods list a protein first and then peas, pea fiber, pea flour, split peas, pea protein...some foods have multiple forms of peas in the same food!  Sorry, but to me that is the company cheaping out on ingredients. 

I couldn't agree with you more about the peas! I refuse to feed foods with peas in any form. One of our cats has a potato sensitivity (she vomits) so potatoes are off the menu, too, along with any other carby or caloric vegetables like lentils and chickpeas. (The only vegetable exemption I make is Primal's raw foods, which have non-carby veg ingredients like kale to fulfill nutrient requirements, but I'm about to replace those, too, albeit for another reason.)

 

[abyeb]

Garbanzo beans are occasionally used as a replacement for carrageenan, to thicken the food. It is still better to find a food without grains, peas, potato, meat by-products, ash, carrageenan, and garbanzo beans, but some high-quality foods like Ziwi contain garbanzo beans instead of carrageenan... it is the lesser of two evils.

 

[lisahe]

@Abyeb, yes, chickpeas are sometimes used as a thickener... but I refuse to feed either chickpeas or carrageenan because I don't believe either of them belongs in cat food. As far as lesser evils go for thickening, I think the gums are less bad than either carrageenan or vegetable matter. But we all choose our own sets of what we will and won't feed. (And although I don't feed foods with "byproducts" listed on the label, I'd far sooner feed byproducts than foods with carrageenan, potato, or peas: lots of ingredients on the "byproduct" list are very good for cats and used in plenty of foods as individual ingredients, such as liver and even bone, albeit in moderation. I agree with Dr. Pierson's reasoning on Catinfo.org. But, as I said, we all pick and choose what we find acceptable!) 

[Edited to change a bit about bone, which can cause constipation in some cats.]

 

[sa5150]

Nature's Variety Limited ingredients (LID) have no veggies other then peas have very low carbs and high quality protien , this is what I feed my cat , Yes the other types and there Pride brand has a lot of veggies and fruit .  Peas are better to feed then gaur gum , xanath gum, agar agar, cassia gum , potato starch , list goes on for thickening agents . Don'y be fooled by anyone that is based out of Thailand claiming how great there chicken and seafood is over there , Tiki,weruva,soulistic even wellness now and many more that are outsourcing will claim being great.  Just because it smells good to us does not mean it's good for the cat . 

 

[cortneylee]

Found two by this company! Natural & Healthy Dry Cat Food Recipes | Open Farm

my siamese oriental shorthair has lots of tummy issues, but also has feline herpes so has lots of problems with itching, pulling out hair etc. We think that symptoms are exacerbated by food allergies as well which is why ive been looking for a single source protein food that doesn't contain peas(which i know give her gas) or nightshades or chicken

We just tried Stella and Chewy's Raw Rabbit, but she currently wants nothing to do with it. Do you think the Wild Calling Rabbit has a more appealing smell then Stella and Chewy's? There's also a Duck one, has anyone tried that? Do you all feel like rabbit, duck, and venison are the proteins to try if you have a sensitive tummy cat? Am struggling so much with trying to find options!! And yes dry food options are just loaded with peas, potatoes, or garbanzo beans which id prefer to avoid. I feel like i want to just do a hardcore elimination with her and go raw, but dont feel like i have the time and resources to accomplish that. Has anyone found new options in the single protein/grain free/pea and nightshade free realm?

 

[duckpond]

I don't feed wild calling wet food as it has agar-agar in it, which is basically carageenan, in my opinion. If you feed Dr. Dr. Elsey's, what i currently feed my cats, the chicken formula, has none of the ingredients you list, i also feed Farmina, the pumpkin line ocasionally. My cats all like it a lot. Wet food i have a bit of a harder time with. Weruva, Tiki cat, some of the Earthborn, some of the Fussie cat super premimum line, and Against the grain make up the majority of my rotation.

 

[Ljaswe]

Found two by this company! Natural & Healthy Dry Cat Food Recipes | Open Farm

Actually, their food has fruits and vegetables in it. I don’t want any of that if poss. Cats shouldn’t have fruits and vegetables and I wish I could find a wet food w/o those ingredients. Also, good protein , low carbs. Just when you think you’ve found a good one, something else is wrong with it.

 

[purrsnickety]

Actually, their food has fruits and vegetables in it. I don’t want any of that if poss. Cats shouldn’t have fruits and vegetables and I wish I could find a wet food w/o those ingredients. Also, good protein , low carbs. Just when you think you’ve found a good one, something else is wrong with it.

Cats are not made to have some ingredients placed in many cat foods. But many of them are considered not harmful, including some fruits and vegetables. Confirmed yesterday with my vet—feline specialty with his own accredited practice and nine other vets on staff.

Also very important to note that just because some foods contain these ingredients it does not mean they are LOADED with them. If you suspect any kind of allergies at all, stay away from “natural flavor”. This was also part of our discussion. Also, the articles written that are constantly referenced on the subject are not saying to load up your cats with carbs, they are saying a few are for the most part ok.

For many canned products, a few veggies are indeed the lesser of the two evils.

 

[jen]

This thread is ancient but just feed canned/wet food if you are this concerned about carbs. You are absolutely right, cats don't need carbs, and no dry food is going to be carb free. Grain free is a scam as it is just one carb replaced with another. Many canned foods have ZERO or under 10% carbs which is excellent. Check here: https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf