Quality low fat food but not weight loss?

[cocoanlace]

My kitty has a gallbladder that does not function, discovered during exploratory surgery. The vet said this week that he needs a diet low in fat because he is less able to digest them without a gallbladder. So I've been perusing cat foods online and in my local pet store, and the foods that are low fat are for weight maintenance. Right now he is bones so I don't want weight management food, For Heaven's Sake. And I think that's why his vet had no recommendations. Any ideas? His preference is dry food. Thank you.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sorry no one has responded to your post yet. I did find this article (see link below) that discusses high protein foods, many of them dry. None of them talk about being dietary for weight loss. Anyway, look through and research the foods in this article as a starting point - while you wait to hear from other members who, hopefully, can offer you more ideas.

The 25 Best High Protein Cat Food of 2020 - Cat Life Today

 

[cocoanlace]

I read the article and the first recommended food was Orijen. That took me to Amazon to read some horrific reviews from cat owners. Scary stuff. The vet said said my cat needs low-fat. She didn't say anything about high protein. I'm confused about it for sure.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I read the article and the first recommended food was Orijen. That took me to Amazon to read some horrific reviews from cat owners. Scary stuff. The vet said said my cat needs low-fat. She didn't say anything about high protein. I'm confused about it for sure.

I am sorry; as I said, it was just a starting point. You might go past the first one you saw - just to see what the others have to offer. The thing is, to offset the loss of calories because of cutting fat in his diet, it would generally have to be replaced with high protein.

Although, I can't guarantee that the same is true for both cats and humans, usually staying away from fatty foods leads to eating more healthy foods that contain higher levels of protein, and also not so much carbohydrates (certain grains for example). Also, most canned foods will be lower in fat and higher in protein as well, but you said he prefers dry - so that makes the search harder.

There are nutritional specialists in the cat world, maybe ask your vet about how to find one in your area that you could consult with. Or, look into cat-only vets who might have some referrals for you. It might be worth your while to research this aspect, since you need to keep his caloric intake up at the same time as reducing the fat content.

What is the nature behind him being so thin - is it the results from being nauseous/sick/having diarrhea from higher fatty foods - or, is there another issue going on? Just curious.

 

[cocoanlace]

No, please don't be sorry. I appreciate the input and what you say about high-protein makes sense to me now. You have offered much more help than his internal specialist vet. He is so thin because for about 10 days pre-surgery, I could not get much food into him. He was vomiting and would not eat. Post-surgery recovery has been trying. He will have 3 good days and then the 4th day he will vomit all food and cease eating, so we back slide. He was on 2 antibiotics and an anti nausea medicine plus pain meds. Any one of those could have made him nauseous. Including the feeding tube per the vet. Right now he is on his 4th day of eating without vomiting. But he is now on Mirataz-- appetite stimulant with some anti-nausea properties.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Right now he is on his 4th day of eating without vomiting. But he is now on Mirataz-- appetite stimulant with some anti-nausea properties.

I don't know how long ago his surgery was, but if not that long ago, what you are doing with him now might just be the key. I would 'keep the course' and see what happens in the next week or so. No vomiting for 4 straight days is a very good sign - meds or no meds.

Again, I am no expert on the differences between humans and cats, but most humans adapt over time and can eat almost pretty much what they did before they were told their gallbladders were no longer doing what they should. My brother had his gallbladder removed, and after a bit of time being cautious about what he ate, he resumed his normal diet without issue - several years ago. My mom - more like your cat, with no surgery - did the same.

Keep us posted! And, I am still holding out hope that other members will have some additional insight.

 

[Azazel]

This is a good place to start:

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

It only includes wet food because dry food is unhealthy for cats. I imagine that if your cat can't have high fat then they won't be able to digest high carb either - pretty much all dry foods are either high in fat or carbs. Have a look at some of the Tiki Cat and Weruva lines. They are usually high in protein and moderate in fat, low in carb.

 

[cocoanlace]

This is a good place to start:

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

It only includes wet food because dry food is unhealthy for cats. I imagine that if your cat can't have high fat then they won't be able to digest high carb either - pretty much all dry foods are either high in fat or carbs. Have a look at some of the Tiki Cat and Weruva lines. They are usually high in protein and moderate in fat, low in carb.

I'll take a look at the list but I don't think that this 13 year old cat is going to take up eating only wet food in this lifetime.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I realize you might not know at this point what his system is able to handle, but as time goes on maybe there's something in this?

How To Get A Cat To Gain Weight – TheCatSite Articles

In conjuction with the spreadsheet mentioned by Azazel, possibly something here might tempt your furbaby;
Canned Cat food Spreadsheets

 

[cocoanlace]

I like Dr. Lisa. Her website has great information. I had totally forgotten she did a chart like this. Thank you again.

 

[maggie101]

I'll take a look at the list but I don't think that this 13 year old cat is going to take up eating only wet food in this lifetime.

My cat is adult 7 pds. She cannot eat much at once so many small meals a day. Usually rawz Turkey and I mix in one morsal of stell& Chewy freeze dried raw with her meal. She had a major problem with throwing up but it has stopped since giving her freeze dried. My vet vet gave me appetite stimulants and medacine so she wouldn't feel lethargic every morning then not eat. I haven't used any of it. If it's because of the surgery she will feel better in a few days. If not,vet call

 

[maggie101]

I'll take a look at the list but I don't think that this 13 year old cat is going to take up eating only wet food in this lifetime.

My kitty has a gallbladder that does not function, discovered during exploratory surgery. The vet said this week that he needs a diet low in fat because he is less able to digest them without a gallbladder. So I've been perusing cat foods online and in my local pet store, and the foods that are low fat are for weight maintenance. Right now he is bones so I don't want weight management food, For Heaven's Sake. And I think that's why his vet had no recommendations. Any ideas? His preference is dry food. Thank you.

I have also been searching for a food low fat and carb high protein but the only one I could find was tiki. There is not a dry food like that. Can you mix dry and wet?

 

[cocoanlace]

I have also been searching for a food low fat and carb high protein but the only one I could find was tiki. There is not a dry food like that. Can you mix dry and wet?

I can try that. Thank you.

 

[cocoanlace]

I picked up some Blue Wilderness dry mature with chicken. It is high in fat. But it has a lot more meat than the Royal Canin high-fiber all my cats have been eating. They scarf this up. And the cat in question is not having poop issues at all on this food. And he's not trying to scratch his eyebrow off like he did on the RC. I am still evaluating, and I found this dry good comparison chart pretty helpful but I just found it today.

Dry Food Comparison Chart

dry cat food comparison chart zero carb and grain free dry cat food

www.sahjasiamese.com

 

[Purr-fect]

Weruva paw licken chicken.

We have been feeding that to greg and Arnold as I wanted a low calorie food that was high quality. Both cats are over 20lbs and I dont want them getting fat(ter).