Raw food for allergy elimination diet

[elfin]

We finally have a diagnosis of food allergy as the cause of our foster cat's problems. The vet has told us to put her on a raw single novel protein diet for the next few weeks. I can't get goat or camel meat, which were recommended by the vet. The options available to me are kangaroo (cheapest option but she hates it), rabbit (very expensive here), duck and turkey. I'm reluctant to give her duck or turkey as I've read that cats allergic to chicken can also have reactions to other poultry species, which would defeat the purpose of doing the elimination diet.

So it seems that we're stuck with kangaroo meat. How do I get her to eat it?  I've tried mixing it with her usual tinned food, but she licks all around it and leaves the meat sitting there. This isn't the first time I've offered it. I gave up last time because there were other things she could eat. We don't have that luxury now. Are there any tricks I could try?

 

[ritz]

Oh, that's a tough one.
Can you get turkey that is 'organic'. As you may know, sometimes the cat isn't allergic to the protein, she is allergic to what the protein (chicken, turkey) eats.
Also, maybe buy a very little rabbit and mix it with the kangaroo--maybe the taste will grow on her. I don't usually recommend this, but have you tried lightly searing the kangaroo? May change the taste, texture somewhat.
Good luck!

 

[elfin]

Searing it sounded like a good suggestion, and I wish it had worked. I also tried boiling some chunks of kangaroo and turkey and feeding her both, with the thought that over time I could reduce both the cooking time and the amount of turkey. She won't eat the turkey either, raw or cooked! She's obviously been feed a commercial diet all her life, and even when she's hungry she won't touch real food. 

I think I may have found a goat supplier (also looked for venison but drew a blank) but I have no confidence that she'll eat that either. Feeling like 

and have no idea what to do now.

I can probably get crocodile - would its fish-based diet be a problem, protein-wise?

 

[elfin]

Success! After the weekend I've had trying to get her to eat I feel like throwing a party. No rabbit was to be found, so I didn't get a chance to try that with her. I finally tracked down some goat, cut it into small pieces, seared it (still red inside) and presented it to her. Have never heard her purr so loudly, and she licked the plate clean and looked for more. Hopefully we're on track to a full raw conversion.

 

[ritz]

Oh super! You can try adding a tiny bit of the other proteins into the goat, and see if she'll eat that.

 

[jcat]

Oh super! You can try adding a tiny bit of the other proteins into the goat, and see if she'll eat that.

But only after 6 - 8 weeks on goat if it's an elimination diet, and then only one protein at a time. Otherwise it'll be extremely difficult or impossible to determine what the cat is allergic to.

 

[elfin]

The plan is to eventually find three or four safe proteins that she can rotate through. I'm a bit worried about having to keep her on the meat permanently just from a nutrition perspective, as I don't believe I will ever be able to convince her to eat bones and offal. I've tried reducing the cooking time of the goat, and including some soft bones and totally raw pieces in her meals (warmed up). She won't touch the raw. Still working on the transition.

She's already looking much better after only a week on the goat. Her 'dandruff' has settled right down, she's not scratching herself to pieces, her coat is glossy and feels much softer, the bloating and vomiting have stopped, and her stools are normal. She's a different cat. 

 

[peaches08]

Are you adding organ meats (ie. liver) and some sort of calcium source like eggshell powder or MCHA?