Stomach/skin Sensitivity

[blueyes]

Hello everyone, I hope I can get some insight in to the problem with my sphynx baby. My kitty Fergus has a problem with his digestion that I have not been able to solve. I have tried a variety of foods and currently feed him Hills d/d (skin/food sensitivity formula). It helps but is not a solution. His stools are frequent and soft (6 times a day). He meows when he is having a bowel movement and usually poops on the floor. I accredit this to tummy pain He eats ALOT and is quite thin. He's been to the vet numerously and I've switched vets in order to get a new perspective and possibly a solution but nothing so far. He's been tested and treated for parasites, and has been on probiotics. I thought it might be hyperthyroidism but his heart rate is normal. I tried to feed him raw meat, he ate it a couple of times but then refused it. I am willing to make his food from scratch at home or try any other food suggestions that might be offered. If anyone has a recipe for such a condition that would be greatly appreciated as well. Thank you!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - take a look at catinfo.org, also let me get something I saw in another thread that'll I'll post here...
Also, I don't know which raw you tried or whether that was literally just raw meat, but there are brands available in stores such as primal and radcat etc which are more nutritionally balanced.
You could also, when things get squared away, try a different litter and/or box just in case he associates the current setup with bad things.

 

[Furballsmom]

Here's another perspective on raw that might also help you to determine how you want to deal with things, from another thread discussion where the original poster is working with information from his/her breeder;

@abby2932 says; I did a quick google search for the Fresh Oasis Feline T and it says that it is made to balance raw or cooked meat into a meal. I saw some calcium in the ingredient list but I didn't see a liver substitute....but the website says to just add it to cooked or raw meat and it should be balanced.
Can you ask your breeder if they know for sure that you don't need to add organs with that premix? If you're sure that this premix will, in fact, balance raw meat then you should be fine.

As far as the Kitty Bloom...I would never use that product. It has a LOT of ingredients in it and the first two are Dried Cheddar Cheese and Rice Flour. The whole point of raw feeding is to cut out all the junk that is in dry and canned cat food. The Kitty Bloom looks like it has a lot of unnecessary ingredients. Their website is very hard to navigate. I don't see clear instructions on what the product actually is or how it is supposed to be used.

Have you ever looked into the premix called EZ Complete? It has everything in there to balance a meal, except for the meat. You could absolutely use your Blue Ridge Beef boneless grinds, add in the EZ Complete supplement and you have a balanced meal.

Also, @white shadow has information from other people who have been through this as well.
Hang in there!! Let us know how things go

 

[LTS3]

Check out the three threads at the top of the Raw and Home Cooked forum for more info on those diets: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

The easiest way to make raw or home cooked at home is to use meat of your choice with a pre-mix such as EZComplete or TC Feline. Chop or grind the meat yourself, add the pre-mix and some water, stir to combine, portion out, and serve or freeze. Supermarket meat is fine as long as you read the label and make sure that the meat hasn't been enhanced with broth, flavorings, preservatives, spices, etc. Buy only whole cuts of meat, never already ground meat. Or buy a chub of meat from an independent pet store or raw pet food supplier.

Or buy commercial raw cat food such as Rad Cat or Stella and Chewy's. As you're in Canada, brands available there may different. See this thread: Raw Food Brands In Canada?

You may want to consider adding a digestive enzyme to your cat's food. Prozyme is a popular one but some people say that it has some kind of taste which some cats don't like.

 

[duckpond]

I dont feed Raw, but i know a lot of people do, and if you do it right and the cats like it i think its a great way to go!

I personally am not a fan of Hills, wet or dry foods. I feel they are all to high carb.

I do free feed a dry food. Dr. Elseys chicken flavor. and i feed a variety of wet food. Weruva, and Tiki cat after dark are my favorite foods for the cats. I do have a lot of other wet brands i rotate in, but these two are my all time stand by foods. If hyperthyroid may be an issue i would stay away from fish flavors. Weruva and Tiki are both fairly low calorie, so i do supplement with the dry, or you will need to feed more cans.

American journey wet food from Chewy is a new one i am trying, the cats are slowly warming up to it, so i think it may stay in rotation. my cats take a while with new foods

 

[blueyes]

thank you for all the suggestions! I have always purchased raw quality cuts of either chicken or beef, anti-biotic free, grain fed etc... I tried feeding him chicken hearts raw yesterday and he liked it. I have made a partial conclusion or more of a possible observation of current diet causing some weight loss as the meat I feed him is always very lean and perhaps he is eating less of his premixed dry food and more of the lean meat causing him to not get enough fat in his diet. Anyways, I will read the recommended suggestions, and I will investigate what raw foods I can get here that are offered for cats as well as the pre-mix to add to my choice of meat. Digestive enzyme might be a good idea as well, thanks for that LTS3. I live in Victoria BC, recently moved actually, so I am still looking for a good match with a vet.

 

[blueyes]

I think I got lucky, I live about 5 minutes away from Growlies!! They have several of the brands suggested here! Thanks again! Fingers crossed I can find a solution!

 

[blueyes]

 

[blueyes]

wow, what an awful few days, Fergie started to get week before the weekend, so we took him to the vet and had his blood work done. It was extremely high in protein and white blood cells. We ended up taking him to emergency and getting him on an IV but further blood work showed he was worsening. They did an ultra sound and found fluid accumulating around his belly area, they removed it and did further testing with the diagnosis of FIP. At this point he was so weak we had to euthanize him absolute devastation and unbearable sorrow my fear is messing with his diet brought on this attack, I feel responsible. I feel terrible.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi Hon, I'm so very very sorry this happened to you.
I will say, for your heart and soul, from what I'm reading about wet FIP that doesn't respond to treatment, it's a virus. I do not believe that your adjustments regarding his diet caused his illness/death.
Please know my heart is wrapped around you and your entire household.
RIP sweetheart Fergie - you were so very loved.

 

[duckpond]

I am so sorry for your loss! please do not feed guilty, there was nothing you did that brought on the FIP! There are no reasons why these things happen, but they do. Be kind to yourself, you did nothing wrong!

 

[blueyes]

thank you for the kind words <3 its so hard not to think I could've done better by him...taken him to the vet sooner. my only consolation is that we prevented any further suffering. His little girlfriend keeps looking for him, every sound she hears, every item that still has his scent she investigates. I have been giving her extra attention which has helped somewhat. I hate this

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm so glad she has you