Hypoallergenic cat food recommendations?

[skygem]

Hey guys, so I took Rayleigh for an ultrasound the other day and it turns out he has inflammatory bowel disease.

The vet gave me a month supply of medication and also suggested switching to hypoallergenic prescription food for him, and I was wondering what y'all recommend?

He doesn't have many teeth, so he's on a 100% wet food diet

 

[BluOnyx]

One of my cats has food sensitivities and I have found minimal ingredients or LID is good. I can't make any medical recommendations on your cat's diagnosis but it is something you can look into. Most LID foods are expensive though.

 

[LTS3]

Prescription food isn't necessary for IBD. Vets don't really know much about nutrition so recommend prescription food that has junky ingredients.

My IBD cat eats a raw diet but he has been eating raw his entire life.

Try these commercially available novel protein foods:

100% Rendered Free Cat Food | RAWZ
BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Grain Free Wet Recipes - NutriSource Pet Foods (not exactly an LID food but some of the canned are novel protein)

Two good web sites:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Feline IBD

 

[skygem]

Prescription food isn't necessary for IBD. Vets don't really know much about nutrition so recommend prescription food that has junky ingredients.

My IBD cat eats a raw diet but he has been eating raw his entire life.

Try these commercially available novel protein foods:

100% Rendered Free Cat Food | RAWZ
BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Grain Free Wet Recipes - NutriSource Pet Foods (not exactly an LID food but some of the canned are novel protein)

Two good web sites:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Feline IBD

Thank you so so much for the resources! I'll definitely be checking out those links.

Feeding raw is something I've looked into in the past, but my kitty is already on the older side and hasn't been fed raw before, so I feel like switching it up at this point would be too stressful to be worth it for him. He's absolutely crazy about his regular wet food anyways

Does it matter what kind of LID food I give him? The brand I usually feed him has LID options, and I'd like to stick to the same brand if at all possible, since it's worked well until now.

 

[Talien]

Thank you so so much for the resources! I'll definitely be checking out those links.

Feeding raw is something I've looked into in the past, but my kitty is already on the older side and hasn't been fed raw before, so I feel like switching it up at this point would be too stressful to be worth it for him. He's absolutely crazy about his regular wet food anyways

Does it matter what kind of LID food I give him? The brand I usually feed him has LID options, and I'd like to stick to the same brand if at all possible, since it's worked well until now.

Switching to raw is actually less stressful than you would think for most Cats. They may need longer to transition to a raw diet if they're older and have been eating junk food their entire life, but it's just a matter of how long it will take and not if they will be able to switch. Raw is not for everyone though, it's a chore even if you are using commercially prepared raw because you still have to thaw (or surface cook if you are worried about bacteria), then portion out, and watch them eat so you can pick up anything they leave in their bowl and put in the fridge so it doesn't sit out too long and have to be thrown away.

LID foods can be almost as good as raw, but the limited ingredient label can be misleading. You have to look at the ingredients because they can still contain things like gums, carageenan, or agar, and those are more and more being identified as causes of IBD and chronic vomiting. Yes, IBD is often caused by improper diet, which can include feeding exclusively one source of protein. If you switch to a raw or LID diet you should consider rotating varieties to keep him from building an intolerance to one specific protein source.

 

[LTS3]

A home cooked diet may be an option. Just want to throw that in there if you want to give that a try There's a forum here on TCS with more info on that.

Does it matter what kind of LID food I give him? The brand I usually feed him has LID options, and I'd like to stick to the same brand if at all possible, since it's worked well until now.

No, it doesn't matter. If you stick with the same brand, it might be best to still do a food transition to avoid upsetting the tummy even more.

Rawz is often suggested for IBD cats because it has few fillers and junk. The brand is pricey and not sold in many places. You can check the Rawz web site for a store locator and a few authorized online retailers.