A minor note, I never, ever in my life thought I'd be breaking freeze dried minnows into thirds so the Big Guy can handle eating them, --sheesh
The things we do for our cats.A minor note, I never, ever in my life thought I'd be breaking freeze dried minnows into thirds so the Big Guy can handle eating them, --sheesh
I decided for $25 I was going to make lobster tails for the entire family vs going to a restaurant. They were good, but it grossed me out so hard because SEA ROACHES. I don't know that I'd ever do it again.I’m actually a really squeamish person when it comes to raw meat and don’t particularly like eating a lot of meat myself. I’m an animal lover who can’t stand seeing dead animal parts.
Trust me, when we started feeding raw I was squeamish.The things we do for our cats.
I’m actually a really squeamish person when it comes to raw meat and don’t particularly like eating a lot of meat myself. I’m an animal lover who can’t stand seeing dead animal parts.
Well... I picked up a pair of rabbit ears as a treat the other day and realized how well my cats have trained me to serve them as I was pulling them out of the bag and putting them in their dishes....
I hope you didn't misunderstand me and think I was saying I don't think protein allergies in cats is real? That isn't it at all. Protein allergies in cats are very real. What I question is if there is really any reason to believe what many people say about how feeding a particular protein with great frequency, as would be the case with a diet that consists of only 1 or 2 proteins, can cause those allergies.Very good points!!!
I have no idea of the allergy/intolerance thing is true (I've mentioned we have a recent skin-allergy case with a cat and food is suspected, but her diet is so varied I wonder how that even happened?)
Even if it's not proof-able, it's not a bad thought to keep a food source available if it becomes some weird, last ditch effort to rule out a food allergy, probably why a lot of vets have those HA diets with "weird" protein sources like rabbit, duck, venison, etc. that most people don't feed a lot.
(I don't know squat about the vet world or the food world other than what we do so keep in mind my opinion means little!)
Thanks! I always try to make clear if what I say is just speculation, whether mine or someone else's, or is a known, proven fact. Research is essential before we act on anything we read online unless we know with absolute certainty we are getting information from a knowledgeable source. Of course that opens up the issue of how some people have pretty low standards when it comes to labeling someone as knowledgeable and trustable. Oh well, it's an imperfect world!mschauer , I wish I could triple-purraise your post... and yours, too, A Azazel , for raising the question of truth/myth. I couldn't agree more about needing to find/cite sources and, perhaps more important labeling opinions as such rather than claiming that they're fact. I'm far from perfect on this point, too, but do try!
Hi! - so you're saying it's (the allergic reaction) genetic?feeding a particular protein with great frequency, as would be the case with a diet that consists of only 1 or 2 proteins, can cause those allergies.
No, I've never said that. I have no idea why a cat becomes allergic to a protein.Hi! - so you're saying it's (the allergic reaction) genetic?
If I'm not mistaken, an allergy and an intolerance are not the same thing. My vet says "allergy or intolerance" so I assume they are different things. Also if I'm not mistaken, they can present with similar symptoms however....thinking out loud here because this is a landscape of terms and feline issues that is new to me - an intolerance or sensitivity isn't the same as an allergy, right?
I think I did, sorry about that!I hope you didn't misunderstand me and think I was saying I don't think protein allergies in cats is real? That isn't it at all. Protein allergies in cats are very real. What I question is if there is really any reason to believe what many people say about how feeding a particular protein with great frequency, as would be the case with a diet that consists of only 1 or 2 proteins, can cause those allergies.
This sums up my thoughts/opinions/understandings on both these subjects, too. It's my impression that allergies and intolerances to foods (in both humans and cats) may manifest themselves with similar symptoms... but the mechanisms that cause the symptoms are different. The Mayo Clinic sums that up here. I've learned a bit about this because of my own minor "issues" with foods!If I'm not mistaken, an allergy and an intolerance are not the same thing. My vet says "allergy or intolerance" so I assume they are different things. Also if I'm not mistaken, they can present with similar symptoms however.
Lets not get off track here though. I'm not suggesting I have any special knowledge on the cause of food allergies or intolerance. All I've said is that I know of no proof that feeding a particular protein with great frequency can cause an allergy to that protein. I also don't know of any proof that feeding a particular protein with great frequency won't cause an allergy to that protein.
I'm not sure the distinction is terribly important at least not when a vet is talking to a client. The long term treatment is the same, eliminate the offending ingredient from the cats diet. Of course if it is a true allergy and scratching is involved, short term treatment can include an antihistamine which would be no help at all with an intolerance. But when talking to the client vets may just get in the habit of saying allergy when in reality they know it could be an intolerance. And of course it could be that the vet says intolerance and the client, not knowing there is a difference, calls it an allergy. So, rather than allergy being over-diagnosed it could be that clients over report allergy.According to Dr. Jean Dodd, allergies are actually quite rare in cats and dogs and are over-diagnosed.
That is a good article, particularly because it addresses the issue of other ingredients, like fillers and colors.The Feline Nutrition Foundation has a fairly recent article about the differences between a food allergy and a food intolerance.
Food Allergies and Intolerances Explained - Feline Nutrition Foundation
That's even more interesting if a cat has a real/clinical IBD diagnosis but uses lay terms. Given that many people confuse IBD and IBS, I can definitely see how "upsets her tummy" becomes a good choice, particularly because not much explanation is required.I've also seen people say that certain foods "upset her tummy" when the cat has IBD.