I am so frustrated with my cats

[cat4554]

My male cat still has bouts of diarrhea even on Natures Variety chicken medallions.  He gets diarrhea with prescription canned cat food as well. 

Now he and my female are snubbing the medallions.  They liked it for the past 2 months. 

They used to eat one medallion each for breakfast and one for dinner.  Now they barely eat one for the entire day.  What is up with that ?

Do you have these issues ?  What is wrong with my cats ?

 

[sugarcatmom]

Perhaps they're bored of eating the same thing all the time? Have you tried offering them other raw flavours/brands? You might also want to consider trying a novel protein source for a while, like rabbit or venison, to see if that helps clear up your boy's diarrhea. Chicken often causes GI problems with cats because it's such a common (and often poor quality: factory-farmed, highly rendered) protein source in commercial pet foods. 

 

[carolina]

Perhaps they're bored of eating the same thing all the time? Have you tried offering them other raw flavours/brands? You might also want to consider trying a novel protein source for a while, like rabbit or venison, to see if that helps clear up your boy's diarrhea. Chicken often causes GI problems with cats because it's such a common (and often poor quality: factory-farmed, highly rendered) protein source in commercial pet foods. 

Have you tried other brands? Also, are they taking a good probiotic? Make sure they are!! I give this one: Natural Factors Probiotic
Do you have Rad Cat available in a store near you?

Also, please make sure your cat eats a proper amount of food..... Having the food intake fall into 1/2 all of the sudden is dangerous
You might want to consider adding a third meal to ensure he is getting proper nutrition......
Can you feed them 3 meals instead of 2?

Cats should eats a much variety as possible - different brands, different flavors - just introduce the new meat slowly, almost like you introduce kibbles - mixing a bit of the new food into the old food.... a bit more every day until all you are feeding is the new food to prevent tummy upsets. I know we tend to think of raw as wet, but every time I introduced a protein too fast, I ran into trouble. Once you have introduced the new meats, you can just alternate the meals as much as you want - they won't get bored this way :nod:

 

[cat4554]

Never heard of Rad Cat.   I have tried the other flavors of the raw frozen medallions only for them to snub it.   Doing all this is very expensive.  Can't return to the store once it is opened. 

Working FT is difficult to feed 3x a day.  

I substitute sometimes with my lunch meat, Boars Head OvenGold Turkey Breast.

Over the years, I have tried soo many brands, flavors.   I try to buy grain free, high protein, etc.   Only the best for these cats.  Lately,  they don't want to eat dry food as a supplement.

 

[otto]

It's good that they don't want the dry food, they don't need it and it's bad for them.

Rad Cat is a wonderful raw food. I LOVE it! and so do my cats, which of course is most important. It doesn't have any useless fruits and veggies in it, which is the main reason I turned to Rad Cat, but secondly, it also doesn't have bone (I have one cat who can't handle bone)

Try adding garnishes to their meals. PureBites freeze dried treats are pure meat, single source proteins.

A little dusting of that may spark their interest.

I (and many others here) also sometimes use Forti Flora (but I have only one who likes it) and I have success with Vets-Best hair ball relief tablets crumbled into dust, all my cats LOVE that stuff.

Like yours, my cats are on a combination raw/"premium" canned diet.

Many of us work 8 hours a day, but still feed three meals a day. Morning, after work and before bed. It's really better for them.

Some cats, like my Queen Eva, completely lose their appetite and refuse to eat at all, if they go too long without food.

Other cats, like my Mazy cat, will get nauseous and regurgitate when they do finally eat, if they go too long without food.

Then there are cats like my Jennie-Jennie, who will eat any thing, any time. :lol3:

Welcome to TCS!

 

[carolina]

Never heard of Rad Cat.   I have tried the other flavors of the raw frozen medallions only for them to snub it.   Doing all this is very expensive.  Can't return to the store once it is opened. Yes, you can - Nature's Variety will take back open packages.

Working FT is difficult to feed 3x a day. Most of all work full time, and feed 3 times around our schedules..... In the morning before work, early evening, upon retuning from work, and late at night before going to bed.....

I substitute sometimes with my lunch meat, Boars Head OvenGold Turkey Breast.

Over the years, I have tried soo many brands, flavors.   I try to buy grain free, high protein, etc.   Only the best for these cats.  Lately,  they don't want to eat dry food as a supplement. Good for them :nod:

 

[cat4554]

I HIGHLY doubt that the private pet store will take back the Nature's Variety medallions once opened.  

Thanks for all your help / suggestions.  I am still frustrated as to why they are snubbing the medallions.
 

 

[cat4554]

What premium canned cat food does your cat like?

I guess I am also frustrated by the diarrhea issue that comes & goes.  He hasn't lost weight, acts normal and this has been going on for a couple of years.  Vets can NEVER find anything wrong with him.

 

[otto]

I HIGHLY doubt that the private pet store will take back the Nature's Variety medallions once opened.  

Thanks for all your help / suggestions.  I am still frustrated as to why they are snubbing the medallions.


 

from the Nature's Variety website:

http://www.naturesvariety.com/about/story

We stand behind our products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

What this means is they will reimburse or replace any Nature's Variety product you or your cats are unhappy with. You can contact them on line, or call them, and ask how to handle it, or bring the food back to the store. The store will not lose any money, they will be reimbursed by Nature's Variety.

As for why your cats aren't eating it, that is just the nature of cats. They sometimes change their minds or need a change. Give them something else for a while, and re-introduce the NV after a period of time.

It's also possible there is simply something about that particular batch or even just that bag, that your cats don't like. In that case, returning the food and purchasing a product with a different code and date may be all that's needed.

For example: I recently had trouble with a bag of Stella&Chewy's. As soon as I opened it I could tell there was something different about it, the color and the smell was not as fresh, it was like a bag that had been opened fro several weeks already. Queen Eva flat out refused to eat it.

I contacted the seller, and Stella and Chewy's. The seller offered to replace the product but suggested I contact Stella&Chewy's (though I already had) Stella&Chewy's asked me to send the bag to them, and sent me replacement product, enough to more than cover the postage and packaging expense on my end. And the new bags are just fine, Queen Eva is happy again.

You have options.

 

[carolina]

I HIGHLY doubt that the private pet store will take back the Nature's Variety medallions once opened.  

Thanks for all your help / suggestions.  I am still frustrated as to why they are snubbing the medallions.

 

Hum..... I would ask..... Because they do. Alsways did at my store.
As far as snobbing the medallions.... Variety is a good place to start.... With brands and flavors - I don't know what is available at your store, so I am not sure of what to suggest you :dk:
Have you tried toppers? adding another meal, as we said IMHO is a good idea.....

 

[carolina]

What premium canned cat food does your cat like?

I guess I am also frustrated by the diarrhea issue that comes & goes.  He hasn't lost weight, acts normal and this has been going on for a couple of years.  Vets can NEVER find anything wrong with him.

None, my cats are fed raw.....

 

[cat4554]

OK, thanks for sharing this info.   At the moment,  I don't know what to feed them.  
 

 

[otto]

How long have they been eating the NV chicken? Some cats have an intolerance to chicken. Have you ever tried any of the other NV proteins?

I prefer to feed my cats a variety of proteins, and a variety of brands, of canned and raw. If you like the Nature's Variety company you could pick up a few cans of Nature's Variety and have them for back up, or to add to the rotation.

For your boy with diarrhea I suggest two things. Stop giving him chicken anything, and add a probiotic. Read ingredient labels carefully, to be sure there is no chicken at all, including things like "poultry by-product".