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Post by AmyJo27 on Feb 10, 2010 15:07:03 GMT -5
I know there are other cat owners on this forum. I am having issues with my 2 year old female cat throwing up ALL THE TIME!!!! She eats, she pukes. It’s not fur balls, its cat food. I know I need to switch her food. It’s a really low quality food... No one kill me –Purina something Kaboodle?! I was wondering what you all recommend I feed her? I was also wondering do you guys free feed? If not how much do you feed and how many times a day?
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mayhemkb
Member
Otter as a pup
Posts: 87
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Post by mayhemkb on Feb 10, 2010 15:44:32 GMT -5
Based on new vet recommendations and personal experiance feeding a high quality wet food in addtion to kibble helps big time on the kitty puke scale.
The key is to blend the high quality canned (think EVO or Wellness Core find a flavor your kitty likes) with at least a can of water and serve warm 2-3x a day. (I store mine in ice cube tray frozen in the freezer) You have to experiment with ratios of kibble to canned soupies as each cat is different as to tolerance for less vomitting.
The whole change on the vet take for wet food has to do with many cats not drinking enough water (since their prey provides more of the water in their diet in the wild. Hence they have a poor thirst reflex.) compromising cat kidney and urinary health. The canned food cuts back on the amount of water a cat needs to drink and often as a side effect also reduces vomiting.
If you end up feeding her more of the high qaulity canned food a day then you can even keep her current cheap kibble and feed that as a supplement or as treats.
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Post by AmyJo27 on Feb 10, 2010 23:30:10 GMT -5
Very interesting! Im going to have to try this. I have to change her dry food...Is there a TOTW for cats??? I feel so guilty buying her Purina when I wouldn’t even think about buying it for my dog!!! Im just sick of cleaning up cat barf all the time!!! It’s a pain in the butt really! I love my cat dearly but man, shes a puker, a real barf bag! LOL!
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mayhemkb
Member
Otter as a pup
Posts: 87
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Post by mayhemkb on Feb 11, 2010 10:36:12 GMT -5
I have seen TOTW for cats. It comes in several varieties, I am an EVO girl but will use whatever works the best for each individual. I am glad there are so many options out there. www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/My sister's cat is a puker as well. He also has Mycoplasma and herpes expressed through his sinuses. Stress from not getting enough food in him makes him worse and he won't eat if he cannot smell (hence the warming recommendation, it makes cats fully aware of the canned foods presence). He only gets 10-30 kibbles 2x a day and the rest is soupie. If she strays from that variation he vomits every meal. I have noticed a change in stool texture and smell initially on this diet. It is a bit of a pudding right away, but firms up nice after a few weeks, and the smell is a bit more pungent but not unbearable.
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Post by AmyJo27 on Feb 11, 2010 13:55:38 GMT -5
Alright!!! Thanks for the advice!
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Post by valliesong on Feb 14, 2010 2:57:30 GMT -5
Avoid corn completely. I have noticed that it makes many cats vomit. I use Blue Buffalo Wilderness, it is similar to Evo and Core. Nature's Variety also makes a grain free called Instinct. I would prefer to feed canned every night (they like the Blue Buffalo, the Wellness, and the Evo), but with so many cats I can't afford it so they get it every other night. The cats really do do better on grain free. The only cat I have on a separate diet is my one with the beginnings of kidney issues, and she is on Blue Buffalo Mature.
As said above, water is very important for cats, especially males who have a tendency towards urinary crystals. Thankfully most of mine are good drinkers.
Do a slow mixture when you change foods over about a 3 week period. 1/4 new to 3/4 old the first week, 1/2 and 1/2 the second week, and 3/4 new to 1/4 old the last week. This will ease any digestive upset. You can also use a probiotic to ease the change. I usually use the human kind, break open the capsule, and sprinkle it on the food.
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Post by AmyJo27 on Feb 14, 2010 11:24:33 GMT -5
Thanks VallieSong. Im am going to look into Blue Buffalo and Evo.
Are these foods really expecive or comparable to what Im paying for Boomers TOTW?
Ive been doing what Mayhemkd recommended and she is not vomiting after every meal now but she still does daily.
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Post by valliesong on Feb 16, 2010 1:08:50 GMT -5
Cat food is always more expensive per pound than dog food. If you buy larger bags, expect to pay $2+ per pound. I usually pay $34 for a 12# bag of Blue Buffalo Wilderness. Evo I believe is about the same.
Oh, I would also avoid foods with beef for a vomiter. And make sure any foods with fish don't have any bones in them, as that will cause vomiting as well. For now, I would stick with mostly poultry products. Chicken, turkey, pheasant, etc., especially for the canned food. Pate/ground/loaf/etc. foods seem to be easier than the chunks in gravy to digest.
ETA: I forgot to mention that I portion feed. If you feed small meals, it keeps the cat from eating too much at once and vomiting. I feed two meals a day, but for a cat with a really sensitive tummy, you may need to feed more often than that. Measure the food to make sure the cat is getting enough, but not too much.
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mayhemkb
Member
Otter as a pup
Posts: 87
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Post by mayhemkb on Feb 18, 2010 12:33:47 GMT -5
I agree with you on everything Valliesong- except on the beef thing since I have found cats to be just as problematic as ferrets with food intolerances often to poultry. I just find a type of protien that is palatable for the cat and go from there. (also why I insist it must be a really high quality canned food) Typically though as a rule of thumb red meat is more rich than a poultry, rabbit, or foul meat so I know what you are talking about.
For portions the key I have found is to make that sauce with a blender and the water (homogenous even mixture) and use the frozen ice cubes as a measure of how much you get in your kitty. The EVO (and many other varieties) have a per can calorie count so that it should be easy enough to count them out per ice cube. If she is still vomiting cut back the kibble more and add more water to the canned (that has helped my kitties in the past). Water fills them up. Then they eat slower. Then they have to go back to their food several times instead of bolting it down a puking right away because the food is so rich or they eat too fast.
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