NV 95% Beef or Just Juicy Pork Stew for an IBD cat?

[goholistic]

 
Tabby had a bad day yesterday. I opened both of canned foods, Beef and Lamb, but she just ate a half of her plate. I bought NV 95% Salmon, so I'll try this morning. Some people don't like giving fish to their kitties, but I'll try. Glad to know @GoHolistic uses salmon!

 
I hope Tabby doesn’t having a flare, but I’m worried. I emailed my vet and told her fussiness. If my vet wants to check her, I’ll take her…

poor Tabby,,, she really hates visiting the vet… 

I'm sorry that Tabby is not herself.  

  I know every cat is different. Sebastian was a good eater (when he felt good), and I just knew that when he would turn his nose up to every food I offered, then that meant he wasn't feeling well. I do not recommend fish on a regular basis, if you can help it. And if it is going to be offered, I suggest going with a good brand that can attest to the quality of the fish. Even then, there is still the risk of contaminates. Sebastian's case was very difficult and it got to a point where we strongly suspected intestinal lymphoma (we did not pursue a biopsy). My tactics became more aimed at quality of life versus quantity. I refrained from giving him fish-based foods up until the last 8 months or so of his life. When I did introduce salmon, it acted as a novel protein and worked decently enough for him for those last months. He sure was happy to be getting fish!  

  His liver and kidney values were still normal up until the end, so it did not affect him in that regard. But, again, every cat is different. 

Sending lots of vibes for Tabby...

 

[mommytabby]

 
I wonder if Tabby just doesn't like the NVI food very much: our cats (not IBD cats but with picky stomachs and palates) had similar reactions to it. They'd eat some but not very enthusiastically after the first few bites, and rarely would they ever finish even a small can. I gave up on it because it's expensive and I was always picking out the peas and carrots anyway!

Hi LisaHE,
Yeah, that’s what I’m wondering about… Tabby is a picky eater since she was a little. I spoiled her so much, you know she has IBD… I wish there are more of cat canned foods that she can eat, but NV is the best option for her. She used to like NV LID lamb, though. 

Haha, I always pick out the peas and carrots, too!!

 

[mommytabby]

 
Are there other beef or lamb foods available to you, without carageen or guar gum?

Hi Artiemom,
Aww Artie is so cute!! Thanks for sharing his story and a picture!!

Tabby never had a flare-up, If you don’t mind, could you tell me how was Artie’s flare? and how did he come out of the flare?

So too much fish is not good for cats… Hmm… so I shouldn’t keep giving her salmon… 

Yes, there are other pork available to us without carageen or guar gum. Which is Lotus Just Juicy Pork. I bought a few canned of it, but I haven’t tried it because, it has Agar-Agar… 

Also, nature’s Logic has beef, but I cannot find it at my local stores. I can buy a case online though… 

 

[mommytabby]

 
I'm sorry that Tabby is not herself.  

  I know every cat is different. Sebastian was a good eater (when he felt good), and I just knew that when he would turn his nose up to every food I offered, then that meant he wasn't feeling well. I do not recommend fish on a regular basis, if you can help it. And if it is going to be offered, I suggest going with a good brand that can attest to the quality of the fish. Even then, there is still the risk of contaminates. Sebastian's case was very difficult and it got to a point where we strongly suspected intestinal lymphoma (we did not pursue a biopsy). My tactics became more aimed at quality of life versus quantity. I refrained from giving him fish-based foods up until the last 8 months or so of his life. When I did introduce salmon, it acted as a novel protein and worked decently enough for him for those last months. He sure was happy to be getting fish!  

  His liver and kidney values were still normal up until the end, so it did not affect him in that regard. But, again, every cat is different. 

Sending lots of vibes for Tabby...

Good morning GoHolistic!

Thank you so much for sharing Sebastian’s story,and your thoughtful words. I'm so sorry for your loss… Sebastian must had a wonderful life, because of you! 

 

[mommytabby]

So this morning, she didn’t want to eat at all…

I opened three different canned foods, even Lotus Just Juicy Pork for the first time, but she didn’t want to eat… 

I called and made an appointment with our vet… The earliest appointment available was tomorrow morning. I’ll try to feed her, maybe tuna… I’ll go to a local pet store!

Thank you everyone so much for your advice and kind words!!

 

[artiemom]

@MommyTabby, What I consider a 'flare' is when my guy refuses to eat. You can tell he wants to eat, but is so sick that he cannot. He just lies around, sleeping a lot, is not interested in much of anything, looks at me with his sad eyes and says: 'Help"....

It is sometimes hard to distinguish it from fussiness, that is why I use the tuna 'trick'.....

Is your baby on a steroid, prendisolone? I think it helps a lot with inflammation. 

Good luck at the Vets today...

When Artie had his biopsy, the endoscopic one, the Vet could only sample a small area of his stomach. For some reason she could not get the scope any further. He was sick for about 10 days after it; so the thought of an open (surgical) biopsy was never discussed. Just wondering if he has a lot worse of this disease further down his colon which is making him have these all too often flares...  It could even be lymphoma, but nothing has shown up on his blood work. He will have more drawn next month. 

 

[lisahe]

 
So this morning, she didn’t want to eat at all…

I opened three different canned foods, even Lotus Just Juicy Pork for the first time, but she didn’t want to eat… 

I called and made an appointment with our vet… The earliest appointment available was tomorrow morning. I’ll try to feed her, maybe tuna… I’ll go to a local pet store!

Thank you everyone so much for your advice and kind words!!

I'm sorry to hear she's not interested in her food this morning. Maybe later?

For whenever, I remembered another food that doesn't have poultry, carrageenan, or gums: Bravo's beef fricassee, though it does have agar-agar. Our cats love the Bravo turkey fricassee.

Fingers crossed that Tabby will decide to eat! If you need to resort to fish, Weruva might be have something. There are some Cats in the Kitchen pouches that are just fish, no poultry, that have only xanthan gum. Those got our previous cat eating when she was very sick (she was a very senior cat who had IBD, among other ailments). Soulistic, sold only at Petco, is made by Weruva and they make a lot of foods with fish, though the gums might be an issue. Soulistic foods were helpful for us, too.

Good luck!

 

[mommytabby]

 
@MommyTabby, What I consider a 'flare' is when my guy refuses to eat. You can tell he wants to eat, but is so sick that he cannot. He just lies around, sleeping a lot, is not interested in much of anything, looks at me with his sad eyes and says: 'Help"....

It is sometimes hard to distinguish it from fussiness, that is why I use the tuna 'trick'.....

Is your baby on a steroid, prendisolone? I think it helps a lot with inflammation. 

Good luck at the Vets today...

When Artie had his biopsy, the endoscopic one, the Vet could only sample a small area of his stomach. For some reason she could not get the scope any further. He was sick for about 10 days after it; so the thought of an open (surgical) biopsy was never discussed. Just wondering if he has a lot worse of this disease further down his colon which is making him have these all too often flares...  It could even be lymphoma, but nothing has shown up on his blood work. He will have more drawn next month. 

Thank you Artiemom for sharing the Artie’s story and your kind words! 

So, no vomiting nor diarrhea when he had a flare up? Tabby’s main symptom was vomiting, and she lost a lot of weight. Very fortunately, she’s been well this year. I finally could stop giving her Prednisolone in March! 

Even though she refused to eat breakfast this morning, she played her toy, and meowing me want to eat! She ate okay lunch and dinner.

I’ll take her to the vet to find out whether she has a flare-up or she just gets tired of her food… 

Good luck to Artie!!

 

[mommytabby]

 
I'm sorry to hear she's not interested in her food this morning. Maybe later?

For whenever, I remembered another food that doesn't have poultry, carrageenan, or gums: Bravo's beef fricassee, though it does have agar-agar. Our cats love the Bravo turkey fricassee.

Fingers crossed that Tabby will decide to eat! If you need to resort to fish, Weruva might be have something. There are some Cats in the Kitchen pouches that are just fish, no poultry, that have only xanthan gum. Those got our previous cat eating when she was very sick (she was a very senior cat who had IBD, among other ailments). Soulistic, sold only at Petco, is made by Weruva and they make a lot of foods with fish, though the gums might be an issue. Soulistic foods were helpful for us, too.

Good luck!

Hi LisaHE,
Thank you so much for your kind words!

YES!! She ATE her lunch and dinner!!! She couldn’t finish it, but she ate more than a half of the plate! I was going to give her tuna, but she was fine eating NV 95% beef!I really hope her fussiness is just she doesn’t want to eat NV… not a flare up… Anyway, I’ll take her to the vet tomorrow and find out! Poor Tabby… 

Thanks so much for the info!  Bravo's beef fricassee looks really good!! I’ve never seen the package before, hopefully my local pet stores have it!! I know a local store sells Weruna, but not sure if they have the Cats in the Kitchen. I don’t like they have xanthan gum though, but like this morning, she refused to eat, I want to buy and keep many options for her. 

Thank you so much again

 

[artiemom]

I forget if your cat is a diabetic. I was wondering if that is not the case, could you ask about increasing the dosage of the steroid. I think that would help a lot with inflammation.

 

[lisahe]

 
Hi LisaHE,
Thank you so much for your kind words!

YES!! She ATE her lunch and dinner!!! She couldn’t finish it, but she ate more than a half of the plate! I was going to give her tuna, but she was fine eating NV 95% beef!I really hope her fussiness is just she doesn’t want to eat NV… not a flare up… Anyway, I’ll take her to the vet tomorrow and find out! Poor Tabby… 

Thanks so much for the info!  Bravo's beef fricassee looks really good!! I’ve never seen the package before, hopefully my local pet stores have it!! I know a local store sells Weruna, but not sure if they have the Cats in the Kitchen. I don’t like they have xanthan gum though, but like this morning, she refused to eat, I want to buy and keep many options for her. 

Thank you so much again

You're so welcome! I know how hard it is to feed a cat who doesn't want to eat.

I'm glad Tabby decided to eat, that's very good, particularly since you didn't have to resort to the tuna! The Bravo foods are good, though their canned foods are fairly new so you might need to have an independent store order them for you. One of our local stores happened to have them -- our cats especially love the turkey fricassee, though I'm not thrilled about the agar-agar. A triple yes to what you say about having food on hand as options: that's what we did when Brooksie was so sick. I learned a lot about cat foods then!

Let us know how the vet appointment goes! Fingers crossed!

 

[mommytabby]

 
I forget if your cat is a diabetic. I was wondering if that is not the case, could you ask about increasing the dosage of the steroid. I think that would help a lot with inflammation.

Hi Artiemom, No Tabby is not a diabetic. She already stopped taking a steroid last March.

 

[mommytabby]

 
You're so welcome! I know how hard it is to feed a cat who doesn't want to eat.

I'm glad Tabby decided to eat, that's very good, particularly since you didn't have to resort to the tuna! The Bravo foods are good, though their canned foods are fairly new so you might need to have an independent store order them for you. One of our local stores happened to have them -- our cats especially love the turkey fricassee, though I'm not thrilled about the agar-agar. A triple yes to what you say about having food on hand as options: that's what we did when Brooksie was so sick. I learned a lot about cat foods then!

Let us know how the vet appointment goes! Fingers crossed!

Hi LisaHE Thank you so much! 

I took Tabby to the vet Saturday. The vet said it may be a flare-up, and suggested me to give her Pepcid (Famotidine), and Cerenia. I don’t know these medicines are really necessary for her right now… Because she hasn’t vomited for a while… Cerenia is the strong medicine for vomiting. I’m waiting for the test results. The results of blood, stool and urine tests will be coming tomorrow. If something wrong with her, I’ll give her the medicines… 

Tabby was so upset after we came back from the vet… she didn’t want to eat much. But she finished every meal yesterday!! I feed her four-times a day, and it works for her! Hope she does the same today! 

 

[lisahe]

 
Hi LisaHE Thank you so much! 

I took Tabby to the vet Saturday. The vet said it may be a flare-up, and suggested me to give her Pepcid (Famotidine), and Cerenia. I don’t know these medicines are really necessary for her right now… Because she hasn’t vomited for a while… Cerenia is the strong medicine for vomiting. I’m waiting for the test results. The results of blood, stool and urine tests will be coming tomorrow. If something wrong with her, I’ll give her the medicines… 

Tabby was so upset after we came back from the vet… she didn’t want to eat much. But she finished every meal yesterday!! I feed her four-times a day, and it works for her! Hope she does the same today! 

Our cats don't much like going to the vet, either! I'm glad Tabby was so good about her food, though. I hope she keeps it up!

With our cat Ireland, who's a slow, deliberate eater, I find that the more regularly she eats, the more regularly she continues to eat. That probably sounds really stupid

but the point is that as long as there's momentum in her eat -- that she eats a decent amount each time she's fed -- she'll continue to eat well. If she doesn't eat well, it's usually because I didn't feed her the way/foods she most likes to eat and that make her feel best. It seems like the homemade food keeps her stomach happiest and I think the digestive enzymes in it are what makes it work so well for her. The cats have their annual exam in a couple months, so I'm going to ask about probiotics, too. Our cats don't have IBD but they have rather sensitive stomachs.

Here's hoping Tabby keeps up her eating!

 

[goholistic]

 
Hi LisaHE Thank you so much! 

I took Tabby to the vet Saturday. The vet said it may be a flare-up, and suggested me to give her Pepcid (Famotidine), and Cerenia. I don’t know these medicines are really necessary for her right now… Because she hasn’t vomited for a while… Cerenia is the strong medicine for vomiting. I’m waiting for the test results. The results of blood, stool and urine tests will be coming tomorrow. If something wrong with her, I’ll give her the medicines… 

Tabby was so upset after we came back from the vet… she didn’t want to eat much. But she finished every meal yesterday!! I feed her four-times a day, and it works for her! Hope she does the same today! 

Those medications that the vet recommended help address symptoms so that Tabby is feeling less poorly. It is usually standard protocol to address symptoms at the same time as addressing the cause. Is there a reason why you wouldn't want to give them? I understand if you feel she doesn't need them because she is feeling better and eating again (which it seems like she is! 

) . But if Tabby is still being fussy and not acting like herself, you may want to considered the medications that your vet recommended.

Cerenia does stop the physical act of vomiting, but it is also a helps a great deal for nausea in general. If you've ever had severe nausea yourself, but you're not vomiting, then you know what that feels like. Sebastian was on Cerenia for 2.5 years and Pepcid for 3 years. A week before he died, his liver and kidney values were still normal. His GI issues were really severe, but his blood work was always virtually perfect every time. This happens a lot with IBD kitties; blood work does not usually indicate inflammation typically associated with a flare...unless there something else going on, such as an active infection (elevated white blood cell count) or anemia (low red blood cell count), liver disease (elevated ALP, ALT, AST), etc.

I hope she continues to improve. 

 

[mommytabby]

 
Our cats don't much like going to the vet, either! I'm glad Tabby was so good about her food, though. I hope she keeps it up!

With our cat Ireland, who's a slow, deliberate eater, I find that the more regularly she eats, the more regularly she continues to eat. That probably sounds really stupid

but the point is that as long as there's momentum in her eat -- that she eats a decent amount each time she's fed -- she'll continue to eat well. If she doesn't eat well, it's usually because I didn't feed her the way/foods she most likes to eat and that make her feel best. It seems like the homemade food keeps her stomach happiest and I think the digestive enzymes in it are what makes it work so well for her. The cats have their annual exam in a couple months, so I'm going to ask about probiotics, too. Our cats don't have IBD but they have rather sensitive stomachs.

Here's hoping Tabby keeps up her eating!

Hi LisaHE,
That’s great that the homemade food keeps Ireland’s stomach happiest! My vet still thinks the prescription diets are the best for Tabby. 

Tabby is doing well. The vet advised me, even if she doesn’t eat her plate, I shouldn’t open other canned food. Just wait 10 minutes. That was great advice!! She already eats at least half of her plate. Last meal, she ate it up!! I think I spoiled her…

Also the vet suggested me not to feed beef and any kind of fish for IBD cats. I still feed her NV 95% Beef, but eventually I’ll switch back to lamb, or try pork or venison! 

Thank you LisaHE for always giving us kind words!! Hope your kitties won’t be nervous going to their annual exam! 

 

[mommytabby]

 
Those medications that the vet recommended help address symptoms so that Tabby is feeling less poorly. It is usually standard protocol to address symptoms at the same time as addressing the cause. Is there a reason why you wouldn't want to give them? I understand if you feel she doesn't need them because she is feeling better and eating again (which it seems like she is! 

) . But if Tabby is still being fussy and not acting like herself, you may want to considered the medications that your vet recommended.

Cerenia does stop the physical act of vomiting, but it is also a helps a great deal for nausea in general. If you've ever had severe nausea yourself, but you're not vomiting, then you know what that feels like. Sebastian was on Cerenia for 2.5 years and Pepcid for 3 years. A week before he died, his liver and kidney values were still normal. His GI issues were really severe, but his blood work was always virtually perfect every time. This happens a lot with IBD kitties; blood work does not usually indicate inflammation typically associated with a flare...unless there something else going on, such as an active infection (elevated white blood cell count) or anemia (low red blood cell count), liver disease (elevated ALP, ALT, AST), etc.

I hope she continues to improve. 

Hi GoHolistic,
Thank you so much for the information! That made me feel less uncomfortable giving Tabby the medications. 

The reason why is Tabby’s energy level is high, she wants to play her toys a lot! She sleeps well, too. Other than her fussiness, she is doing well. Also, I wanted to try new methods of feeding; The vet advised me, even if she doesn’t want to eat her plate, I should not open other canned food. Just wait 10 minutes. I switched to three times a day to four-times a day. It works for her. Before I went to the vet, she sometimes didn’t want to eat at all, but now she eats at least half of her plate. 

I worry about side-effects, too. I was glad to know Sebastian’s liver and kidney values were still normal. Tabby has small kidney stones that cannot be treated it… 

I have Cerenia and Pepcid, so if she will continue to lose weight, I’ll give the medications. 

Thank you so much again for your time and support!!