HELP cat food allergies

Crazycatwmn

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Hello 👋 I apologize in advance this will be a very long post and I have a tendency to ramble.

I’m loosing my mind. I’ve been working on this for 1 1/2 years. Possibly June 2019 I noticed my cat was loosing weight then started throwing up some food then foam and bile. Then she stopped eating. I was never so afraid in my life. Vet said to try to give chicken baby food. My cat has never liked wet food, like never. Surprise she actually liked it and this is when it all started.
She got blood work August 2019 she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She was 6 lbs. So we started with methimazole. I found out that wet food is the best for cats in general, and puts weight on. Let me tell you I went to the pet store bought all different flavors and brands I think I walked out with 15 different items. (When she was maybe 6 I bought a fish based dry food and she ended up scratching herself to bleed. Went to vet said was Fish allergy, took antibiotics it went away.) I also read fish is bad for thyroid because of iodine. Same night I got wet food I got her pill. For 3 days she started hiding behind the bookcase and had no spunkish life in her. She also started this scratching under her neck and from her eyebrows back to just before her ears. I was convinced it was the pill. My vet said food allergies, but I was so ignorant to thinking my cat cant have allergies and I was convinced she really wasnt hyperthyroid. So we stopped the pill, she was borderline hyperthyroid we just wanted to get a start on it. I can’t remember if she got a cortisone shot that time, but it seemed to stop for a tiny bit.

About October 2019 she started this scratching crap again. So I got cameras to watch her. (She was still eating some wet food and mostly wasting it) Told the vet she said food allergy. She was 6.6 lbs now. So I started eliminating the different foods. She scratched so bad her whole neck was raw. I put that blow up life vest thingy on her and it kept coming off. So I figured when it comes off I’ll let her itch for a few seconds and put it back on and it kept getting worse. I put her collar threw the loops and it never came off then. So I took it off to scratch her neck for her then I’d let her walk around for a bit and lick herself. I was only making her worse. Then she learned how to twist her body all these different ways to lick everywhere so I didn’t take it off anymore. She ended up needing a cortisone shot then she was fine. I finalized her wet food with the brand Crave no fish. This whole time she was on Blue Wilderness Senior - Chicken. I never bought her any lower quality food because I thought she might get sick Not saying it’s the best. I would research every single brand and food everyday and I still do.

Ok so she didn’t get Wet food everyday because she would waste It. From May to September I ended up living with my dad because he got lung cancer and that’s a whole other story, but she stayed with my bf. So maybe late October 2020 I decided I’d add some different food I wanted to get more weight on her. She was 7.4 lbs then. she started doing this running away from the food with a twitchy flip with her tail and ears On the Crave wet food. I stopped it and I started adding limited ingredient wet food, it was still happening. I came to a realization it was maybe the dry food, but she’s been on it forever so maybe she was allergic to chicken And turkey by that’s what the crave was So I stopped all wet and tried different dry Rabbit, duck, lamb etc. Well it didn’t help still freaking twitchy itchy scratchy crap, and running. Then it happened when she would drink water. I tried the raw food she didn’t want the frozen ones but liked the little nibs that were rabbit where the bag was $30 and shed get maybe 4 days from it, but she still kept scratching. She was on instinct limited ingredient rabbit she loved it her poop was so big and smelled like death I took her off of it she was also scratching twitchy crap. I put her on Essence ranch and meadow because it had no turkey or chicken. At this is I was under the impression she was allergic to chicken turkey fish peas and a few others.

December 2020 I got her a cortisone shot then she started drinking so much water like a camel. Next day The vet did blood work the next day and she came up positive for hyperthyroidism. I started the pill again. The cortisone shot lasted maybe 4 days. So I got her a blood allergy test I tried all my options. I got the results Friday. I was wrong about Chicken and Fish.
Alfalfa-Apple-Carrot-Corn-Green Peas-Pumpkin-Spinach-Sweet Potato-Tomato-Bean Mix-Berry Mix-Broccoli-Coconu-Guar-Rosemary-Soybean-Squash Mix-Sunflower. Aside From all different grasses weeds trees fungi epidermal indoor and staph. The company has a website when they put all the allergies in and have certain commercial foods that don’t contain those items. Well 80% are low quality 70% are fish and the other percent she doesn’t like or this is why I’m writing this long story she’s twitching on Vital chicken patties and lamb treats. I think it’s the d-alpha tocopherol which is derived from soybeans. She is Limited to so little and I can’t mentally by her lower quality food or fish bc it’s going to make her sicker. I know if I didn’t do the test I’d probably commit myself countless hours on the iPad and watching the camera to see her reactions Now I am so lost and scared.
I apologize once again. Sorry that I rambled.Thank you
 
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Furballsmom

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Hi!
Just to mention, my boy eats fancy feast as part of his diet menu, which also has a more expensive food.

This spreadsheet may be of help, and my point is; don't eliminate any brands until you find something she can live with, and possible multiple somethings - having a variety for her can be very helpful.

Check This Out.... Chart For Cat Food Ingredients
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. You might want to consider raw and/or home cooked food. You can then control what goes in the food you feed her. You could take a look at the Nutrition section of this site, where there is a sub-section on raw and home cooked foods. Maybe even post another thread on that sub-section for help with going down the raw food path? In addition to that, I know that there are supposed to be non-soy bean forms of Vitamin E that have emerged for humans, - the question is: can they be given to cats? Might be a question for a cat dietitian, should you contemplate making your cat's food.
 
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Crazycatwmn

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Hi!
Just to mention, my boy eats fancy feast as part of his diet menu, which also has a more expensive food.

This spreadsheet may be of help, and my point is; don't eliminate any brands until you find something she can live with, and possible multiple somethings - having a variety for her can be very helpful.

Check This Out.... Chart For Cat Food Ingredients
You are completely correct and I do apologize for sounding like a stuck up b**** I always assumed the food from grocery stores was horrible and only had ‘by-products‘ in them. I’m wrong. My cats 13 when I first started buying her food there wasn’t as many options as there are today.
 

Furballsmom

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when I first started buying her food there wasn’t as many options as there are today.
It's gotten nuts - it's like going down a rabbit hole trying to work things out for our furry babies LOL

No worries - we're all in this together for them ;):thumbsup:
 

GoldyCat

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It would be a good idea to address the environmental allergies at the same time you're trying to find the best food. My cat had severe allergies which I initially thought were food allergies. When I finally got the blood tests done it turned out she had almost no food allergies but extreme reactions to grasses, trees, pollen, and several kinds of mites. I did a thorough house-cleaning, washed all her beds and blankets, got rid of the carpet, and got rid of the "natural" litter that apparently had mites living in it. She stopped scratching almost immediately, but it took some time for all the wounds to heal and her fur to grow back.
 
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Crazycatwmn

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It would be a good idea to address the environmental allergies at the same time you're trying to find the best food. My cat had severe allergies which I initially thought were food allergies. When I finally got the blood tests done it turned out she had almost no food allergies but extreme reactions to grasses, trees, pollen, and several kinds of mites. I did a thorough house-cleaning, washed all her beds and blankets, got rid of the carpet, and got rid of the "natural" litter that apparently had mites living in it. She stopped scratching almost immediately, but it took some time for all the wounds to heal and her fur to grow back.
Only reason I think it’s food is the twitching right after she eats. I am going to do a deep clean. Thank you
 

Peachiekitty

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It would be a good idea to address the environmental allergies at the same time you're trying to find the best food. My cat had severe allergies which I initially thought were food allergies. When I finally got the blood tests done it turned out she had almost no food allergies but extreme reactions to grasses, trees, pollen, and several kinds of mites. I did a thorough house-cleaning, washed all her beds and blankets, got rid of the carpet, and got rid of the "natural" litter that apparently had mites living in it. She stopped scratching almost immediately, but it took some time for all the wounds to heal and her fur to grow back.
Hi Goldycat,

I think mycat is having environmental allergies as well. I e tried everything, been to the vet many times. I have t done a blood allergy test. The nearest derm vet is a few hours away.
Can you tell me more about how you got rid of allergens in your house? I’m about to tear out the carpet, but I want to do everything I can!

thanks,
Lindsey
 
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