Need help with cat food ideas

[Jem]

Back story on my cats...ages are estimated due to being rescues.
Current food is Orijen (fit and trim) dry and Fancy Feast or Whiskas wet foods, variety of flavors/proteins.

Bynx - ideal weight, great fur, energetic and playful, about 9/10 years old, eats a combination of wet and dry. Does have issues with hairballs. Has a wonderful disposition with no personality issues or fears...pretty chill happy cat
Chester - overweight, sheds quite a bit but nice soft fur, not quite as energetic as I think he should be but still playful, 5 years old, eats a combination of wet and dry. Used to regurgitate his food, but not anymore...with the food he eats now and with high bowls. Is shy with strangers and will hide but very gentle, loving and seeks attention from us.
Lily - ideal weight, great fur, energetic and playful, about 7, chronic soft stools and smelly farts (recently had anal gland abscess) does overgroom her belly, has symptoms of seasonal allergies. WILL NOT eat ANYTHING but kibble...like...NOTHING....we've tried all the tricks. Had a rough start to life, has overcome A LOT, now the sweetest, most loving creature but has had issues with separation anxiety, no issues with strangers, loves to be pet. And despite being less than half the size of the boys...is definitely queen bee in the house.
All the cats get along swimmingly, never any fighting...just play, grooming and cuddles.

My main concern at this time is finding a cat food kibble that will help Lily firm up her stools, especially considering her recent anal gland abscess. I also want to help address Bynx's hairball issues. It would also be great if Chester could loose a few pounds...

With three rescue cats who all free feed on kibble (going to a scheduled feeding is not possible) I need to find a food that they can all eat.

I'm not interested in "grain free" as it's mainly just a marketing ploy and they simply replace the grains with peas, potatoes and legumes...which can cause tummy issues...it's one of the reasons I went with the food I'm currently feeding as it's 85% animal protein...but it's obviously not good for Lily so here I go again on the search.

To anyone who has/had a kitty with loose/soft stools what food switch worked for you?

 

[Jem]

And yes, I'm open to foods that have corn/rice/oats...as long as the main ingredients are meat based. Corn gluten meal is obviously not ideal, but...at this point I need to find at least a decent food to help with current issues and we can always move on from there.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am probably not going to help much, but...
From all that you say, it really seems that Lily might be your only 'real' issue. Have you considered s. boulardii for her? I know that is a bit easier said than done with a cat who does not want to eat anything but kibble, but maybe you could try something like canned tuna or chicken in water, just as a treat in order to get her to eat it. A can of either can be split up into applicable portions, while the rest is frozen, perhaps in something like an ice cube tray, where each serving can be thawed as needed. I know you said she will eat nothing but dry food, so that means you have tried all the numerous lickable treats that are sold?

I only suggest something like this because it appears that your other cats do fine on the same dry food and trying s. boulardii for Lily would be the simplest solution. The only other thing to try is to look at all the ingredients in the Orijen to see if you could pinpoint some ingredients that you think might contribute to Lily's soft stools, and then look for others that do not contain the potentially suspect ingredients. There is a whole lot of lentil/pea/bean additions in that dry food, and that can sometimes trigger digestive issues in certain cats.

Since Chester and Bynx both eat some wet food, you could always try adding a drop or two of olive oil to see if that would help with the shedding and the hairballs, or perhaps some omega 3 fats.

If Chester is not eating excessive amounts of food, it will be hard to get him to lose some weight without increasing his activity level. Short of isolating him for his meals, which would mean free feeding would be impossible, focusing on getting him more active is your best bet.

Sorry, hope others have more helpful suggestions.

 

[lisahe]

My main concern at this time is finding a cat food kibble that will help Lily firm up her stools, especially considering her recent anal gland abscess. I also want to help address Bynx's hairball issues. It would also be great if Chester could loose a few pounds...

With three rescue cats who all free feed on kibble (going to a scheduled feeding is not possible) I need to find a food that they can all eat.

I'm not interested in "grain free" as it's mainly just a marketing ploy and they simply replace the grains with peas, potatoes and legumes...which can cause tummy issues...it's one of the reasons I went with the food I'm currently feeding as it's 85% animal protein...but it's obviously not good for Lily so here I go again on the search.

I'm not sure I have any ideas for solving all your problems but, like FeebysOwner , I suspect there's a connection between "help Lily firm up her stools" and "legumes." I looked at the Orijen food particulars and found all these whole and partial legume ingredients: Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Whole Peas, Whole Navy Beans, Lentil Fiber, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Chickpeas, Pea Starch, Lentil Starch. The "whole" and "fiber" ingredients might well be contributing to her flatulence and loose stools. The starches could be, too: one of our cats gets very gassy if she eats any food with potato in it.

The only dry food I'd ever recommend is Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken, which has no starches or fillers. The carbs are very, very low. It's very calorie-dense, though some cats may find it filling for that reason.

As for hairballs, in our experience brushing is the most helpful thing to do. Hard-boiled egg yolk and Vaseline can help a cat pass the fur; we use both on our fluffier cat when she's shedding, which is always this spring/summer, with the many changes in the weather! She also gets a few drops of extra fish oil on two of her daily meals. Vet's Best anti-hairball tablets (which both our cats love!) also seem to help.

Good luck!

 

[Jem]

I know you said she will eat nothing but dry food, so that means you have tried all the numerous lickable treats that are sold?

Yeah....we've tried everything.

trying s. boulardii for Lily would be the simplest solution.

I've already tried this as well. I've sprinkled probiotic powders on the dry kibble...figuring it wouldn't hurt the other two, but of course dosage isn't very reliable and I noticed that they didn't really like it if I put a full dose...
I have considered getting it and putting it in a capsule and just pilling her...but haven't gone that route yet as it means quite a few capsules a day and although she's easy to pill, even though she hates it...I hate to put her thru that if I can just find a different food.

There is a whole lot of lentil/pea/bean additions in that dry food, and that can sometimes trigger digestive issues in certain cats.

I looked at the Orijen food particulars and found all these whole and partial legume ingredients

Yeah, I knew that when I bought it...even though I didn't want legumes in it, but I thought that perhaps because of the "85% protein from animals" it wouldn't be enough to trigger anything.
The next food I buy will be pea/legume/potato free...recommendations would be helpful if you have any ideas.

The only dry food I'd ever recommend is Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken

Well holy Batman!!! I've looked into getting Dr. Elsey's several times before and it's never been available here in Canada. They would only carry some of the litter options. I decided to look once again and PetSmart actually has it now!!!!!!!!!
I'm going to put this on the top of my list for possible foods!
One other thing I read though, is that sometimes if the food is very high in animal protein it can also be very high in fats which can also contribute to loose stools...

If anyone feeds their cat Dr. Elsey's...did you notice any soft stool issues?

 

[lisahe]

If anyone feeds their cat Dr. Elsey's...did you notice any soft stool issues?

Ireland, who eats a lot of Dr. Elsey's, has no soft stool issues. She tends toward constipation, which is controlled by the Vet's Best tablets I mentioned. She was on those before she decided she had to eat mostly Dr. Elsey's... and her litter box habits haven't changed. I hope you're able to buy that food in Canada, it's very good stuff. The company will send free samples: you could write to ask if they'll send to Canada.

Fingers crossed something will work out for you sooner rather than later so you can feed all your cats the same food. There are microchip feeders -- we have to use one for Ireland since only she can eat all that caloric dry food -- but they're expensive. Fortunately we only needed to buy one but some people buy multiple feeders for their cats and dogs.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I concur with giving Bynx the Vets Best Hairball Relief tablets. They work very well as long as you give them consistently. With one of mine, he will toss up a hairball when I give him the tablet if I don't give them regularly. Every single time That's how i know they work! But I also agree with regular brushing/combing. And the use of dried egg yolks. That is wonderful not only for hairballs, but also for their skin and coat. But too much of that can cause loose stool, so you've got to be careful with it if you give it to Lily.

 

[lisahe]

I concur with giving Bynx the Vets Best Hairball Relief tablets. They work very well as long as you give them consistently. With one of mine, he will toss up a hairball when I give him the tablet if I don't give them regularly. Every single time That's how i know they work! But I also agree with regular brushing/combing. And the use of dried egg yolks. That is wonderful not only for hairballs, but also for their skin and coat. But too much of that can cause loose stool, so you've got to be careful with it if you give it to Lily.

Yes, that's a good point on egg yolk potentially causing loose stool! I give Edwina about 1/8 of a yolk per day.

Here's a very good page about hairballs that includes information about egg yolk. How Best to Manage Hairballs

 

[Alldara]

Jem I don't know if this will work for you, but I put a human probiotic into a Churu for Ghost and that works well.

You could try Royal Canin's kitten food for spayed/neutered kittens. It contains pre and pro biotics.

Personally, I like Purina Pro Plan's new formulas. (Except that Magnus developed a beef allergy and can't have it). They have a sensitive stomach one that might work well, or perhaps their lamb formula. I recommend the hairball version for my sister and she swears by it for her longhaired cat. Way less vomiting.


Nobel was always overweight on Origin/Fromm etc. And he developed FLUTD on those diets. Not a fan anymore. Magnus Arcana for a bit but he won't eat it anymore.

 

[msserena]

The only dry food I'd ever recommend is Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken, which has no starches or fillers. The carbs are very, very low. It's very calorie-dense, though some cats may find it filling for that reason.

Have you ever researched or looked up Young Again? Their Zero kibble is less than 1% carbs. It also has high fiber which helps my constipated girl. I give as a treat, I won't feed any kibble 24/7 anymore.

 

[lisahe]

Have you ever researched or looked up Young Again? Their Zero kibble is less than 1% carbs. It also has high fiber which helps my constipated girl. I give as a treat, I won't feed any kibble 24/7 anymore.

I have, msserena , but unfortunately there are a few ingredients that I either can't feed or prefer not to feed; herring meal rules it out. With the low carbs and psyllium husk and fish oil and various fermentation products, though, I can imagine that it works very, very well for lots of cats.

It's great to hear that the Zero food helps your cat's constipation! Fortunately, our constipated cat does really well on Vet's Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid tablets, which also contain psyllium husk.

 

[FurryMonsters]

Hi Jem
One of my cats also had chronic loose bowel movements on Orijen (which was quite disappointing ) and also on another good quality grain-free dry. Changing him over to Royal Canin Sensible fixed that quite quickly. I've never been able to get Dr. Elsey's where I live, so can't comment on that, but it looks really good, so definitely try that first. I am not saying that RC Sensible is a good food (is any dry food good?), but I can say that none of my cats have ever had any soft stool issues on it. And I agree with you on the grain-free dry food issue.

 

[Jem]

I decided to just try Performatrin Prime for Sensitive Skin and Stomach. It's a chicken and oatmeal formula and considered a good quality cat food. It does have potato protein in it but not "potatoes" so I'm hoping it will be digested easily. It also does contain corn products but the chicken, chicken meal and oatmeal do come first in the ingredient list.
All I can do is try right? And if it doesn't work I'll try another.

I don't know if this will work for you, but I put a human probiotic into a Churu for Ghost and that works well.

I have tried a probiotic, but sprinkling it on dry kibble makes it difficult for them to get a proper dose and when I put a full dose on the kibble, it tends to turn them off eating it. Lily will not eat anything but kibble...I've tried everything under the sun for years...it's a hard no. I still have some and may just add a smidge as I move forward...an itty bitty dose is better than none I guess. But I'll see what happens with just the food for now.

 

[Alldara]

I decided to just try Performatrin Prime for Sensitive Skin and Stomach. It's a chicken and oatmeal formula and considered a good quality cat food. It does have potato protein in it but not "potatoes" so I'm hoping it will be digested easily. It also does contain corn products but the chicken, chicken meal and oatmeal do come first in the ingredient list.
All I can do is try right? And if it doesn't work I'll try another.

I have tried a probiotic, but sprinkling it on dry kibble makes it difficult for them to get a proper dose and when I put a full dose on the kibble, it tends to turn them off eating it. Lily will not eat anything but kibble...I've tried everything under the sun for years...it's a hard no. I still have some and may just add a smidge as I move forward...an itty bitty dose is better than none I guess. But I'll see what happens with just the food for now.

Darn, I know even some dry food addicts will have a bit of Churu!