Purina chicken and rice wet

[Cat.mama]

Hey guys I wanted revisit this topic.
Wondering if anyone is seeing anything similar. I actually started writing this a week ago and have since had some more concerning things pop up. This is kind of alll over the place and I’m having trouble connecting the dots.

I’ve reached a couple times about Purina pro plan wet chicken in rice. Back in October they made some changes to the food. I started seeing difference in my cats stool , they started turning multi colored and getting dehydrated. This was an issue we had years prior in late 2021-2022 when Fancy feast had issues with moldy food. Switched to Purina and it solved our issues. Until the changes in October.

In February I started seeing more issues with quality / smell . There would be times the cats would not eat it. Cases / cans would be hit or miss. I would switch over to the white meat chicken, which for a time we would alternate but that actually had the first change in smell in so we discontinued completely . Anyhow when I tried to switch back to that , they would throw up , and it’s smelt sooo bad. At the time I didn’t think much of it but with those throw ups would be one huge pile , then walking around and like 12 piles of white froth and bile.

Someone suggested stop buying from chewys.

I started buying strictly from PetSmart. And for a long time , the girls have not really had an issue eating the food.

within the past month or so I started noticing some cans would be more liquid than others. Some cans I would need a spoon to get the product out of the cans. Sometimes I would notice a stronger odor in the food. Some darker than others.

in gonna skip around. One of the cats it’s almost been a year , it’s very common for her to swallow as if she has something logged in her throat. She goes periods of time where it’s not a thing and sometimes it’s really bad. She has in the past had rough horse coughs/hacks at times that do not produce anything. I’ve always associated this with possible hairball. She lost her ability to meow like normal. She forcefully barks if she is in distress or needs your attn. both of them do have lots of hairballs. She’s been worked up X-rays and all and there is no blockage.

So skipping back to now.

One of them is having anal gland issues . It’s thick and not expressing on their ownx.
Becuase Purina and Fancy feast medley are the only two foods my cats will eat, someone here suggested trying different flavors without the rice. That it might be too binding.
so , from Chewy’s (Womp womp) I got chicken metabolic, chicken entrée (extract same as chicken and rice but no rice , only it’s big can and ingredients are somwhat different) and white meat chicken to try again
They will only eat this certain texture of food.

So nothing was really a hit other than a few bites. Or if they did eat it , they wouldn’t a second time. One cat did eat the white meat chicken. Threw it right up.

So back to the chicken and rice.

One of my cats recently has some sedation. She has no food that morning. That evening , I don’t think it was a new case , I’m not sure because it’s already in the cabinet. One cat didn’t eat. I before I knew it , the cat that had sedation ate two plates. Not out of the normal tho.
Since that day , the cats are refusing to now eat the chicken and rice. One cat will pick at it a little if I leave it all day , the other refuses all together

Against my better judgement I ordered more fancy feast. Only one will finish her plate , she has thrown it up three times .

My new dilemma . The cat that has been eating most of the Purina . She is now doing the weird swallowing and juts her throat out like her sister would sometimes do. After she eats she is has like a burp / jump in her stomach then the jut in her throat. (This was a actually something I noticed this morning very strongly this morning )
She has now started with the hoarse hack/ cough that does not produce anything, everyday. Usually after eating. Sometimes while sleeping. This has been a little more than a week.
She is hungry but she doesn’t seem to want to eat the food.

Last night , I found 5 cans of older chicken rice. Both cats ate most of their plates with no hesitation.

I feel like I should take it as a sign there is something wrong with it.

I don’t know what to do . They won’t eat any other kind of food. Should I bake them some chicken for right now ?

Any suggestions . Is anyone else seeing this?

 

[Babypaws]

It doesn’t sound normal what happens when your cats eat (weird swallowing etc) sounds likes they have something caught in their throat, that’s probably why they hesitate to eat. Are they eating too fast? Can you break up the food before giving it to them to make sure there isn’t anything they could choke on? what did vet say when you explained what they do after eating? Did you tell them it happens sometimes when they sleep? Can you take a video when it’s happening to show vet or another vet?
If it was me and my cats, I would get a copy of the x-rays the vet took and bring them to a different vet for a second opinion.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I have never fed my cats the Purina Pro Plan Chicken and Rice (that I can recall), but do feed them the Pro Plan Chicken& Vegetables (Complete Essentials) and sometimes their Chicken Entree (Vital Systems). They are not crazy about either, and sometimes vomit, and sometimes refuse to eat. They ALWAYS require toppers. Problem is, there is not really any other food they will eat. They are both 15 and quite frankly, I think they are just tired of any of the foods out there after all these years. Believe me, I have tried just about everything available over the years, including making their food. I am at the point now that I actually have added dry food into the rotation just to make sure they get enough calories . I never in a zillion years thought I would do that after converting them off of kibble so many years ago. But, we do what is necessary when we must.

Anyway, I have not encountered any bad smells from their food, nor any mold, no any times when it appeared to be too dry. But, as stated above, sometimes they simply refuse it, so I do think there is a quality control issue somewhere. I will say, though, that I always add a little warm water to their dishes before putting the food in, just to make sure they are plenty hydrated. And I give them wet treats midday (also with added water) for the same reason. This also helps with hairballs.

Have you tried giving yours something like the hairball pastes out there? It does sound like they might have something stuck, and depending on where you live (northern hemisphere?), it's definitely shedding season. Brushing frequently helps too.

 

[Cat.mama]

They do eat very fast.
I was looking back at my notes from their vet visits 2 weeks ago and one thing I had noted was they were not finishing their entire plates. Which is out of the norm for them!
I did show the vet videos of the first cat when we did the X-rays . She suggested giving Zyrtec, that is might be allergies. The first cat never had issues directly after eating.
I have not yet contacted them about the second cat. Thinking about emailing over the videos and asking her recommendations.
I feel a little uncomfortable because it happened directly after she came back from a grooming appt where I was made to feel like I complained. The two are not related . I’m just feeling a little bit uncomfortable basically saying , hey the day she came home after we had issues , she chowed down a ton of food . The next day started showing these symptoms similar to her sister.
Part of me wondered , did she get some hbeart burn that day ? Ate too fast because she was so hungry ? Did it push her over the edge with the dislike of whatever change is happening with the food?
or is there actually something toxic (not toxic but irritating ) like in the food and she got a big dose of it . She is the one that will still take a couple bites of it. I’m still putting it down at every meal for them.
after they refuse , I’m putting down the fancy feast.
I wasn’t able to watch them tonight . Both plates of fancy feast are empty but I don’t think this cat got any of it by the way she is acting. But I can’t say for sure. She’s not burping or swallowing

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

If they eat too fast, or too much, typically they will regurgitate vs vomit. With regurgitation, it happens pretty fast, (usually within 15 minutes of eating) and there is no notice. No gagging first, the food just comes back up. If this is what is happening, then you could feed smaller meals more often, and/or use a slow feeder bowl. I have to do that with my little piggy boy. It absolutely helps, but doesn't stop it 100%.

 

[Cat.mama]

I have never fed my cats the Purina Pro Plan Chicken and Rice (that I can recall), but do feed them the Pro Plan Chicken& Vegetables (Complete Essentials) and sometimes their Chicken Entree (Vital Systems). They are not crazy about either, and sometimes vomit, and sometimes refuse to eat. They ALWAYS require toppers. Problem is, there is not really any other food they will eat. They are both 15 and quite frankly, I think they are just tired of any of the foods out there after all these years. Believe me, I have tried just about everything available over the years, including making their food. I am at the point now that I actually have added dry food into the rotation just to make sure they get enough calories . I never in a zillion years thought I would do that after converting them off of kibble so many years ago. But, we do what is necessary when we must.

Anyway, I have not encountered any bad smells from their food, nor any mold, no any times when it appeared to be too dry. But, as stated above, sometimes they simply refuse it, so I do think there is a quality control issue somewhere. I will say, though, that I always add a little warm water to their dishes before putting the food in, just to make sure they are plenty hydrated. And I give them wet treats midday (also with added water) for the same reason. This also helps with hairballs.

Have you tried giving yours something like the hairball pastes out there? It does sound like they might have something stuck, and depending on where you live (northern hemisphere?), it's definitely shedding season. Brushing frequently helps too.

im going to google the vital chicken entree , that sounds similar and like maybe something they would eat.
with your mention of adding water… I have ordered three new cases hoping it’s just bad cases since they ate the old cans I had. One thing I do notice about what I’m getting now. I can hardly get it out of the can. I usually never need a spoon. Just shake it out of the can. Now it seems the paste is very thick . The meat is bigger and everything is darker.
Mine used to get a hairball paste but for whatever reason after the container has been opened for about a week , it’s like they can smell it in their food , and will no longer eat their food. I guess it starts to smell the older it gets. So we are no longer using it.
Kitty #2 she is short hair and she has actually been producing a hairball nearly every other day.
Kitty #1 who is having all the most recent problems . She is long hair. She does often have hairballs , she has not had one lately. But she also just had part of her back shaved and a sanitary trim.
May I ask, what kind of wet treats do you use?

My girls are such hungry hippos , in my house we have to have second breakfast or they get feisty. Of course right now they ain’t askin for it.


I’m getting really worried with all the stuff in the media about Purina. Since January it’s been such a huge stressor of do I keep feeding this? And especially now, literally losing sleep. Are they trying to tell me something.
but I’ve literally bought a can of everything…. And nothing else will they eat.

 

[Cat.mama]

If they eat too fast, or too much, typically they will regurgitate vs vomit. With regurgitation, it happens pretty fast, (usually within 15 minutes of eating) and there is no notice. No gagging first, the food just comes back up. If this is what is happening, then you could feed smaller meals more often, and/or use a slow feeder bowl. I have to do that with my little piggy boy. It absolutely helps, but doesn't stop it 100%.

Not often but I have seen full meals come up pretty soon after eating , like the entire can. But they usually have a hairball mixed in there.
I think that’s a good idea tho of feeding smaller meals. They are so trained , or I should say , they have me so trained , to getting a split can around 10am. Maybe I can start them off with a split can to start with.

 

[Margot Lane]

BTW If giving them smaller portions results in them getting the hungries when you are trying to sleep, there are always timed feeders. I’ve never been a big Purina fan, I always feel as if there are so many mystery ingredients. But it does come down sometimes to what they will actually eat.

 

[Cat.mama]

I have never fed my cats the Purina Pro Plan Chicken and Rice (that I can recall), but do feed them the Pro Plan Chicken& Vegetables (Complete Essentials) and sometimes their Chicken Entree (Vital Systems). They are not crazy about either, and sometimes vomit, and sometimes refuse to eat. They ALWAYS require toppers. Problem is, there is not really any other food they will eat. They are both 15 and quite frankly, I think they are just tired of any of the foods out there after all these years. Believe me, I have tried just about everything available over the years, including making their food. I am at the point now that I actually have added dry food into the rotation just to make sure they get enough calories . I never in a zillion years thought I would do that after converting them off of kibble so many years ago. But, we do what is necessary when we must.

Anyway, I have not encountered any bad smells from their food, nor any mold, no any times when it appeared to be too dry. But, as stated above, sometimes they simply refuse it, so I do think there is a quality control issue somewhere. I will say, though, that I always add a little warm water to their dishes before putting the food in, just to make sure they are plenty hydrated. And I give them wet treats midday (also with added water) for the same reason. This also helps with hairballs.

Have you tried giving yours something like the hairball pastes out there? It does sound like they might have something stuck, and depending on where you live (northern hemisphere?), it's definitely shedding season. Brushing frequently helps too.

I looked up the vita, it’s the exact same thing as the chicken and rice . IF it is the same texture , I’ve been looking for something else like this forever lol. I did recently find something similar in a 5.5 can that as the pro plan . We tried it . The only difference was the kind of soy . It gave them the squirts.

im going to try this. I couldn’t find the chicken and veggies. Is this the white meat chicken and veggie? If so that’s the one we get white vomit with..

 

[Cat.mama]

I’m glancing at PetSmart right now and see nulo
Has some new shredded stuff I’m going to try.
I wish there was a website that showed a picture or a bowl of all the different kinds foods.
some of these don’t show anything and it’s very deceiving of what the can shows.

I also wish I kept better track of what I bought lol when I buy 10-15 thibgs at a time i
Always end up buying stuff I’ve already tried

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I tried that Nulo and neither one of mine would touch it. Even with toppers. It was very disappointing. Seems to me it was very shredded in broth. Not what I thought it would be. Seems like it was similar to Weruva Paw Lickin Chickin (if I am recallling correctly)

 

[Babypaws]

I’m glancing at PetSmart right now and see nulo
Has some new shredded stuff I’m going to try.
I wish there was a website that showed a picture or a bowl of all the different kinds foods.
some of these don’t show anything and it’s very deceiving of what the can shows.

I also wish I kept better track of what I bought lol when I buy 10-15 thibgs at a time i
Always end up buying stuff I’ve already tried

I think someone had posted a site that actually had pictures of the texture of different foods, maybe someone here remembers it.
I fully agree with you about the texture of the foods. I can’t get my cats away from Friskies wet food. I’m not very happy with it specially since they changed by eliminating coloring and also said preservatives. Now when I open a lot of the cans the top of it looks like a gel floating on top of it. It’s very hard to try and mix it in with the rest of the food in the can and I’ve also noticed the turkey and the chicken food is more pasty then it used to be and also I noticed the pieces of meat bigger and sometimes I can’t even break it apart it’s tough like rubber and I’ve noticed sometimes cats just spit it out because they can’t chew it. what they’re putting in the food who knows, I don’t trust them as far as what supposedly is on the label And I have tried a lot of different wet foods, and the cats wont eat it, I’ve read some people said pate is a little bit better. My cats will not eat the pate even when I’ve tried mixing it in shredded meat. The last several months what I’ve been feeding them is the Friskies beef or turkey and I know they’re getting sick of it, but I tried different flavors and they won’t eat it. My cats don’t care too much for the chicken, I don’t even like the look of the hicken cans.
it certainly is very frustrating trying to find a half way decent food they will eat….join the club..

 

[Babypaws]

I’m attaching a couple of pictures of what the wet food looks like that looks lIke gel…I wrote to Purina and asked after they took out the food coloring what did they “add” but they didn’t tell me…

 

[Alldara]

Ive been doing chicken and rice Purina for years and havent noticed any difference. However, I cant buy the big cans. Only the small ones. I open two small cans when we feed them at night, so the same amount of food and there's no leftovers. But theres always leftovers with the big cans. They dont like it.

I can buy the big urinary cans and the small, but not the chicken and rice...

So as for the separation issues (more liquid than others), since they removed carageenan from many recipes, that's what helped stop the gravy from separation during temperature changes and it helped the food hold consistency. There's a lot of parts to transit from factory to our home and a lot of temp changes in the summer. Especially if there's a heatwave.

Your cats might not like the consistency change.


I do wonder if the gagging/swallowing is more to do with seasonal allergies or hairballs.

 

[Cat.mama]

I think someone had posted a site that actually had pictures of the texture of different foods, maybe someone here remembers it.
I fully agree with you about the texture of the foods. I can’t get my cats away from Friskies wet food. I’m not very happy with it specially since they changed by eliminating coloring and also said preservatives. Now when I open a lot of the cans the top of it looks like a gel floating on top of it. It’s very hard to try and mix it in with the rest of the food in the can and I’ve also noticed the turkey and the chicken food is more pasty then it used to be and also I noticed the pieces of meat bigger and sometimes I can’t even break it apart it’s tough like rubber and I’ve noticed sometimes cats just spit it out because they can’t chew it. what they’re putting in the food who knows, I don’t trust them as far as what supposedly is on the label And I have tried a lot of different wet foods, and the cats wont eat it, I’ve read some people said pate is a little bit better. My cats will not eat the pate even when I’ve tried mixing it in shredded meat. The last several months what I’ve been feeding them is the Friskies beef or turkey and I know they’re getting sick of it, but I tried different flavors and they won’t eat it. My cats don’t care too much for the chicken, I don’t even like the look of the hicken cans.
it certainly is very frustrating trying to find a half way decent food they will eat….join the club..

The struggle and the mental toll is real !!

 

[Cat.mama]

Ive been doing chicken and rice Purina for years and havent noticed any difference. However, I cant buy the big cans. Only the small ones. I open two small cans when we feed them at night, so the same amount of food and there's no leftovers. But theres always leftovers with the big cans. They dont like it.

I can buy the big urinary cans and the small, but not the chicken and rice...

So as for the separation issues (more liquid than others), since they removed carageenan from many recipes, that's what helped stop the gravy from separation during temperature changes and it helped the food hold consistency. There's a lot of parts to transit from factory to our home and a lot of temp changes in the summer. Especially if there's a heatwave.

Your cats might not like the consistency change.


I do wonder if the gagging/swallowing is more to do with seasonal allergies or hairballs.

Thanks for the info about ingredients changes.
I’m going to upload some pics in the next couple of days. I have two cans left of the old I actually ordered some good that mrsgreenjeens recommended the vital and it looks exactly like the old chicken and rice. Light color, normal consistency gravy. Not thick. My girls ate it with no problems. They only had two cans available , I also got some beef flavor until I can get more and they are eating,

I also got some off brand hair ball gel. One cat said no freakin way . The cat having the main issues now did eat some of the food mixed in two days in a row. I did find a fill meal thrown up but … no bit hair ball like I would expect.

Both girls have kept to themselves today. Kitty #3 the one having most problems . As soon as she jumped on the couch with me, she had her huge couching fit , she jumped back up and was trembling. Followed by heaps of swallowing. Moving around like she could not get comfortable . I don’t know if she’s been like that all day as she hasn’t been around all day. She always comes and sits with me after she eats


So I sent some videos to vet and let her know this all happened the night she came home drugged and ate a bunch at once . Prior they were not finishing their plates and since would not eat the food. She thinks by the video it is hairball stuck.

she said it’s possible it could be asthma brought on by something but most likely blockage. She was going to ask around if any other vets were seeing these kinds of issues with Purina , or at all . She also said becuase at times she was having the stomach spasms/ burps or whatever it is that it’s prob not respiratory. I’m suppose to follow up with her in a couple of days,

I was really hoping the paste would produce a hairball but since didn’t . I’m not sure what I will do . I think X-rays will be the next step if so
thing doesn’t happen.

 

[Cat.mama]

I’m attaching a couple of pictures of what the wet food looks like that looks lIke gel…I wrote to Purina and asked after they took out the food coloring what did they “add” but they didn’t tell me…

That has much more liquid than any food I’ve ever tried

 

[Cat.mama]

I think someone had posted a site that actually had pictures of the texture of different foods, maybe someone here remembers it.
I fully agree with you about the texture of the foods. I can’t get my cats away from Friskies wet food. I’m not very happy with it specially since they changed by eliminating coloring and also said preservatives. Now when I open a lot of the cans the top of it looks like a gel floating on top of it. It’s very hard to try and mix it in with the rest of the food in the can and I’ve also noticed the turkey and the chicken food is more pasty then it used to be and also I noticed the pieces of meat bigger and sometimes I can’t even break it apart it’s tough like rubber and I’ve noticed sometimes cats just spit it out because they can’t chew it. what they’re putting in the food who knows, I don’t trust them as far as what supposedly is on the label And I have tried a lot of different wet foods, and the cats wont eat it, I’ve read some people said pate is a little bit better. My cats will not eat the pate even when I’ve tried mixing it in shredded meat. The last several months what I’ve been feeding them is the Friskies beef or turkey and I know they’re getting sick of it, but I tried different flavors and they won’t eat it. My cats don’t care too much for the chicken, I don’t even like the look of the hicken cans.
it certainly is very frustrating trying to find a half way decent food they will eat….join the club..

I could never feed that to my cats . I’m always in super hurry mode becuase of hungry hippos at my feet. I know every time I would quickly open those cans liquid would be splashing all in my face and hair. All over hands!! I get that enough with my below par too dry food hehe.
Only my old lady cat will eat pate.
I just saw your picture post and oddly enough that looks like the texture of what my cats eat , which I’ve been trying so hard to find haha

 

[Cat.mama]

Ive been doing chicken and rice Purina for years and havent noticed any difference. However, I cant buy the big cans. Only the small ones. I open two small cans when we feed them at night, so the same amount of food and there's no leftovers. But theres always leftovers with the big cans. They dont like it.

I can buy the big urinary cans and the small, but not the chicken and rice...

So as for the separation issues (more liquid than others), since they removed carageenan from many recipes, that's what helped stop the gravy from separation during temperature changes and it helped the food hold consistency. There's a lot of parts to transit from factory to our home and a lot of temp changes in the summer. Especially if there's a heatwave.

Your cats might not like the consistency change.


I do wonder if the gagging/swallowing is more to do with seasonal allergies or hairballs.

FYI I did a lot of comparison back in January, I think , when Purina was having the bit shortage on chicken and rice. Right before they changed recipe.
there is a difference in the ingredients between the small and large can. There is also a difference in the nutrition facts.

 

[Kflowers]

Since I'd found something similar in human food, I looked up the tough chew bits in the food. According to Google it's gristle otherwise known as tendons and connective tissue. It is tougher and harder to chew. It would require more grinding teeth which cats don't have. The animals that do have those teeth, other than humans, don't tend to eat meat intentionally. Interesting. However, if it is gristle/tendons I doubt the company will consider it a danger or something that they should remove from the food.

I'd be leery of chopping the bits up because they won't dissolve and could get stuck in the kitty's throat. Just look for them while you're checking for fish bones and throw them out.