Diabetic/Pancreatitis cat, adamant vet - advice needed please

[Monica & Josie]

Hello everyone, advice needed please!
My Josie was diagnosed with pancreatitis 3 weeks ago on top of her diabetes and was prescribed Metoclopramide 1/4 tablet twice a day for vomiting and Meloxidyl ( 4kg once a day ) for pain.

Vet also wants her to go on Hills Digestive Care i/d for being 'low fat' but after seeing the ingredients just the thought of it mortifies me as it contains wheat flour, starch, glucose, colouring and preservatives... pretty much everything we've been working so hard to eliminate from her diabetic diet!
We tried Hills i/d 2 weeks ago mixing with her regular food but it made her sick so we didn't give it to her again.
She is on Sheba Fine Flakes at the moment as it works really well with her diabetes but the vet says it's bad for her as it's commercial food it's just as bad as Whiskas. Even though it's 50% meat, no added cereals, only 2.4% carbs and only 0.4g higher in fat than Hills i/d..? And Josie loves it.

Vet insists on low fat food but after doing research I keep seeing that it doesn't really matter what food kitty eats and what fat content, the main thing is to eat whatever she WILL eat..
It is so contradicting, which one is right then? I'm a bit confused.
I'm willing to do anything to avoid putting her on any prescription diet!

Until we figure out the diet vet says just give boiled chicken or white fish only. Not even turkey as it is higher in fat..? Surely that can't be right.

Vet also going to look into what meds to give her, the ones we've been treating her with did not seem to make much difference as she just had another pretty bad flare up last wknd and been receiving triple shots of drugs this week including Cerenia, Amoxycillin and Metacam.

Any advice regarding what direction should we go now regarding food and medication would be really appreciated, thank you so much!

Ps. I have her latest blood test results uploaded onto her SS if that helps to getter a better idea..

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

My kitty had chronic pancreatitis. I never fed him a low fat diet, since much of the research says that with kitties it does not make any difference. The main treatment during flare-ups was cerenia for nausea/vomiting and buprenorphine for pain. If he was dehydrated then he would also get sub Q fluids, but luckily I didn;t have to use them much and it was only done once each time at the vets office. The main thing is to control the nausea and pain and then encourage them to eat. Some members have also used appetite stimulants, but I never had to. I am in Canada but I am sure these meds are also available in the UK.

 

[Monica & Josie]

My kitty had chronic pancreatitis. I never fed him a low fat diet, since much of the research says that with kitties it does not make any difference. The main treatment during flare-ups was cerenia for nausea/vomiting and buprenorphine for pain. If he was dehydrated then he would also get sub Q fluids, but luckily I didn;t have to use them much and it was only done once each time at the vets office. The main thing is to control the nausea and pain and then encourage them to eat. Some members have also used appetite stimulants, but I never had to. I am in Canada but I am sure these meds are also available in the UK.

Thank you Mary Ann!
Did you treat your kitty with meds for pancreatitis on a daily basis for prevention or only during flare ups? As in between flare ups we have no issues whatsoever for weeks..

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Thank you Mary Ann!
Did you treat your kitty with meds for pancreatitis on a daily basis for prevention or only during flare ups? As in between flare ups we have no issues whatsoever for weeks..

My guy was fine in between flare-ups. He was a major food hog so as soon as I saw him leaving food I would watch him like a hawk. If he refused a meal or vomited and then refused food I got him in for treatment right away. His fPLI was through the roof, but he had other conditions as well that contributed to that.

 

[Olive & Paula]

I did not change food. My vet said fat content was old thinking. However, the Sheba Perfect Portions Smokey loved I thought were quite greasy so I limited it to a small snack once a day.

Cerenia and Buprenorphine for pain is what we used. Did not need subq fluids. Had cypro for appetite stimulant in case we needed it which we did not. He was put on metronidazole for inflammation for possible IBD but that was ruled out.

I started making bone broth and eventually homemade cooked food.

With your vet, you might just have to smile and nod. If you don't want prescription food stick to your guns. A lot of kitties here with p'titis do absolutely fine on regular store food. Just need the correct meds.

 

[Monica & Josie]

I did not change food. My vet said fat content was old thinking. However, the Sheba Perfect Portions Smokey loved I thought were quite greasy so I limited it to a small snack once a day.

Cerenia and Buprenorphine for pain is what we used. Did not need subq fluids. Had cypro for appetite stimulant in case we needed it which we did not. He was put on metronidazole for inflammation for possible IBD but that was ruled out.

I started making bone broth and eventually homemade cooked food.

With your vet, you might just have to smile and nod. If you don't want prescription food stick to your guns. A lot of kitties here with p'titis do absolutely fine on regular store food. Just need the correct meds.

No I'm very much against the prescription food due to all red flag ingredients for diabetes and the pretty bad negative reviews all round.. Would leave food as it is if possible as it ticks all the boxes for us.
Obviously if it was bad for her condition and was making her sick I would change it but websites, articles and opinions are so contradicting about what's good and what's bad..

Did you give Cerenia and Buprenorphine every day?

 

[Olive & Paula]

No I'm very much against the prescription food due to all red flag ingredients for diabetes and the pretty bad negative reviews all round.. Would leave food as it is if possible as it ticks all the boxes for us.
Obviously if it was bad for her condition and was making her sick I would change it but websites, articles and opinions are so contradicting about what's good and what's bad..

Did you give Cerenia and Buprenorphine every day?

He started on high dose of cerenia 15mg daily (he was big and quite sick) eventually got him down to 4 mg daily. The Buprenorphine started at 0.3 every 8-12 hrs. 12 hrs wasn't enough so he got it every 8 hrs for a couple of weeks. Over time we got it down and he was maintained on 0.15 to 0.3 daily. My vet and internal med vet decided he should remain on both for life for multiple reasons. I had to agree Smokey needed it and felt so much better.

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

It is funny about vets and prescription food - which by the way is a trade mark - it is not a "prescribed" food.

When Jones first having issues and we thought is was pancreatitis the vet recommended AD food as it was easier to digest and higher calories (as he had lost a tremendous amount of weight). Along with that was some anti-botics. 4 weeks later we are right back where we started, so did the ultra sound and more blood work - they think it is IBD with pancreatitis. Vet now recommends the ID diet from hills as that will help his tummy and he can still have the AD. The whole time I am still feeding the TD dry food. He is now on metronidazole for the inflammation and diarrhea, cerenia for the nausea, mirtz for appetite stim and prednisolone. Low and behold, about 2 months later he is diagnosed with diabetes. Vet now recommends the DM diet from purina. He still isn't gaining weight and although his symptoms are getting better but his eating is erratic.

I joined here and got an allergy test - he is allergic to tuna of all things. I used Dr. Peirson's list and kept trying until I found something he would eat.

My CKD civvie was only on prescription dry KD diet. I now have her on a low phosphorus high protein wet food diet. She eats consistently, she gets the moisture she needs and her coat is now gorgeous and she eats and gained back weight!

So, my theory is when you have a sick cat - it is what they will eat and is the best you can find to meet the medical requirements.

I am the one on the front lines every day with my cats - the vet is not.

 

[Yong & Maury GA]

Hi Monica!
Just quickly chiming in as I don't have time to make a full reply . I'll post more after work though! Basically, just adding with the others, in the research I did for pancreatitis seems to return little evidence that lower fat diets help pancreatitis. With that, I'm still trying not to give my boy the extremely higher fat foods because that's probably not good in itself .

 

[Squalliesmom]

I can't advise as to pancreatitis as I've never really had to deal with it. However, I know a little bit about cat food, and I can tell you that the "prescription" foods contain absolutely NOTHING that would require a prescription, in any fashion. That "buy prescription food only from the vet" is ridiculous and the next best thing to a scam. Most of those foods are full of garbage and are high in carbs; these foods are not good for any cat, much less one with diabetes! Hill's is one of the worst. They are full of powdered cellulose, which is basically wood pulp (used for making paper!). This is what the internet says about powdered cellulose:

Powdered cellulose is made by cooking raw plant fiber — usually wood — in various chemicals to separate the cellulose, and then purified. Modified versions go through extra processing, such as exposing them to acid to further break down the fiber.

That is not anything I want my cats to ingest. Most of those foods have a money-back guarantee - take it back to your vet and say Josie doesn't like it and won't eat it, and you should get your money back.

Your vet should also know that a diet of nothing but boiled chicken or white fish is not a complete diet as it is missing many nutrients important to your kitty's health! This can be dangerous to your cat's health.

Here is a link to a UK Cat Food List with foods under 10% carbs, and here is a link to some great UK Diabetic Cat Food Info (it also contains the link to the UK food list).

Hope this helps a bit as far as the food dilemma is concerned. Sending prayers and healing vines that your kitty feels better soon!

 

[Monica & Josie]

It is funny about vets and prescription food - which by the way is a trade mark - it is not a "prescribed" food.

When Jones first having issues and we thought is was pancreatitis the vet recommended AD food as it was easier to digest and higher calories (as he had lost a tremendous amount of weight). Along with that was some anti-botics. 4 weeks later we are right back where we started, so did the ultra sound and more blood work - they think it is IBD with pancreatitis. Vet now recommends the ID diet from hills as that will help his tummy and he can still have the AD. The whole time I am still feeding the TD dry food. He is now on metronidazole for the inflammation and diarrhea, cerenia for the nausea, mirtz for appetite stim and prednisolone. Low and behold, about 2 months later he is diagnosed with diabetes. Vet now recommends the DM diet from purina. He still isn't gaining weight and although his symptoms are getting better but his eating is erratic.

I joined here and got an allergy test - he is allergic to tuna of all things. I used Dr. Peirson's list and kept trying until I found something he would eat.

My CKD civvie was only on prescription dry KD diet. I now have her on a low phosphorus high protein wet food diet. She eats consistently, she gets the moisture she needs and her coat is now gorgeous and she eats and gained back weight!

So, my theory is when you have a sick cat - it is what they will eat and is the best you can find to meet the medical requirements.

I am the one on the front lines every day with my cats - the vet is not.

Oh blimey what a fiasco to go through with your kitty! I'm really glad you got him sorted at the end.

Thank you for sharing, lots of interesting points there..

Yes I think I have to agree, they eat what they eat as that's the mot important thing and we'll work out the most suitable meds to compliment it.

 

[Monica & Josie]

Hi Monica!
Just quickly chiming in as I don't have time to make a full reply . I'll post more after work though! Basically, just adding with the others, in the research I did for pancreatitis seems to return little evidence that lower fat diets help pancreatitis. With that, I'm still trying not to give my boy the extremely higher fat foods because that's probably not good in itself .

Thank you!
Yes my research concludes the same as well that low fat diet for pancreatitis cats is not required anymore but when I told my vet today that this is what I read she still disagreed and wants me to email her the links of websites where they make such statements so she can check whether they were reputable websites as 'anyone can write anything on the internet...'

 

[Monica & Josie]

I can't advise as to pancreatitis as I've never really had to deal with it. However, I know a little bit about cat food, and I can tell you that the "prescription" foods contain absolutely NOTHING that would require a prescription, in any fashion. That "buy prescription food only from the vet" is ridiculous and the next best thing to a scam. Most of those foods are full of garbage and are high in carbs; these foods are not good for any cat, much less one with diabetes! Hill's is one of the worst. They are full of powdered cellulose, which is basically wood pulp (used for making paper!). This is what the internet says about powdered cellulose:

Powdered cellulose is made by cooking raw plant fiber — usually wood — in various chemicals to separate the cellulose, and then purified. Modified versions go through extra processing, such as exposing them to acid to further break down the fiber.

That is not anything I want my cats to ingest. Most of those foods have a money-back guarantee - take it back to your vet and say Josie doesn't like it and won't eat it, and you should get your money back.

Your vet should also know that a diet of nothing but boiled chicken or white fish is not a complete diet as it is missing many nutrients important to your kitty's health! This can be dangerous to your cat's health.

Here is a link to a UK Cat Food List with foods under 10% carbs, and here is a link to some great UK Diabetic Cat Food Info (it also contains the link to the UK food list).

Hope this helps a bit as far as the food dilemma is concerned. Sending prayers and healing vines that your kitty feels better soon!

Powdered cellulose wow, shocking that is!!

I only bought a couple of pouches Hill's i/d to keep her happy so luckily no need to return a great amount of food. Besides it made her sick so I think we can ditch the idea for good. Although vet said if Hills didn't work we should try Royal Canin..

Only was supposed to do bland food for next few days until figure out most suitable food for Josie but as she refused to eat both plain chicken and fish today we are back to her regular food ..

Thank you for the links, they are brilliant! I used them before when looking for most suitable diabetic food.
Also thank you for your good wishes, much appreciated!

 

[Olive & Paula]

You vet is something else. Royal Canine has carrageenans (known carcinogen) in it. A lot of people debate about that ingredient. When my vet suggested that brand I said no and told him why. He understood my concerns. Later that week he emailed me and said after doing some research (he was helping me find better food) it was best to stay away from food that had it. He found some research where it was found to precipitate diabetes in humans and cats.

 

[Diana&Tom]

Hi Monica
No experience of pancreatitis but in your shoes I would do much the same - avoid prescription diets and stick to whatever low-carb food kitty likes. I'm slightly horrified at your vet suggesting plain chicken or fish only - as we here all know, meat alone does not constitute a complete balanced diet. If you're feeding bland food for a while though, and Josie won't eat plain chicken or fish, you could try Encore... tiny little tins of flaked pure chicken or fish in some sort of bland liquid... lovely looking (!) but complementary/supplementary only, so you can't feed long-term (which is just as well as it's very expensive!). I've bought this occasionally when I've been worried about the low meat content of Whiskas (which I am forever trying to wean my Sapphire off) or more recently when she was having tummy upsets and I wondered if her then-regular food was the culprit... a few months ago I switched her to Sainsburys Delicious and HiLife chicken pouches, both 50% meat, and that was going well until she went off the Delicious and I reckoned the HiLife was causing the gastric upsets (liver content).

Sorry I can't add anything more but if you're looking for a blandish food for Josie in the short term, I'd definitely try Encore (most supermarkets) and Sainsburys Delicious (complete food).

Longer term, how do you feel about buying online? The German food companies seem to make the best quality pet foods and I'm currently trying Saff on some of those... Elizabeth is the expert here and I'm very grateful for her recommendations... let us know if you'd like more info.

Good luck!

 

[Monica & Josie]

Hi Monica
No experience of pancreatitis but in your shoes I would do much the same - avoid prescription diets and stick to whatever low-carb food kitty likes. I'm slightly horrified at your vet suggesting plain chicken or fish only - as we here all know, meat alone does not constitute a complete balanced diet. If you're feeding bland food for a while though, and Josie won't eat plain chicken or fish, you could try Encore... tiny little tins of flaked pure chicken or fish in some sort of bland liquid... lovely looking (!) but complementary/supplementary only, so you can't feed long-term (which is just as well as it's very expensive!). I've bought this occasionally when I've been worried about the low meat content of Whiskas (which I am forever trying to wean my Sapphire off) or more recently when she was having tummy upsets and I wondered if her then-regular food was the culprit... a few months ago I switched her to Sainsburys Delicious and HiLife chicken pouches, both 50% meat, and that was going well until she went off the Delicious and I reckoned the HiLife was causing the gastric upsets (liver content).

Sorry I can't add anything more but if you're looking for a blandish food for Josie in the short term, I'd definitely try Encore (most supermarkets) and Sainsburys Delicious (complete food).

Longer term, how do you feel about buying online? The German food companies seem to make the best quality pet foods and I'm currently trying Saff on some of those... Elizabeth is the expert here and I'm very grateful for her recommendations... let us know if you'd like more info.

Good luck!

Thank you Diana.
Well the way things are looking at the moment it doesn't really matter what the vet or myself would prefer to feed to Josie, I turned my kitchen into a Cat Buffet offering her various types of food from steamed chicken/tuna to Sheba and many different treats but unfortunately she would not eat any of it. She had 3 shots of Cerenia amongst other drugs so far this week but she's not bouncing back this time. She seems interested in food and gets up to smell but just licks her lips and sits there. I've been told by everyone to keep giving her insulin shots even if she doesn't eat which I've been doing but I am getting a bit concerned about that as well now as she hasn't really eaten much since last Friday. She is responsive and was purring this morning when we tested her which was so lovely but she keeps losing more weight, her spark has gone and this time we are not so sure if she's going to get it back..

 

[Diana&Tom]

(((((Monica))))) I'm so sorry to hear you sounding despondent... it is so hard, and upsetting, when our kitties are off-colour like this. The fact that she seems interested in food is a good sign - she has an appetite - but the lip-licking suggests nausea so it may be that that's not being treated effectively... I'd have thought that anti-nausea meds should work for every kitty but maybe some don't and there may be alternatives... you mention that the vet is looking into this.

I wish I had something more constructive to offer but hopefully others here will pop back and come up with some suggestions. Don't give up! - between the vet and the experienced medically-inclined people here, you stand as good a chance as any of getting something sorted out.

Fingers and paws tightly crossed...

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Monica

It is important that you get Josie eating even if you have to syringe feed her. The longer a kitty goes without proper food intake the more the chances of liver problems developing are. I don't know what foods are available in the UK that are easy to syringe but I am thinking you would have the Hill's A/D critical care wet food since it is available world wide. It is very smooth and when mixed with a little water very easy to syringe feed. I have used it on a number of occasions and find it one of the easiest to assist feed. You would have to get this from the vet as it is a prescription food. As much as I dislike prescription food it is useful for syringe feedings and although it is around 12% carbs it is not overly high and a 5 oz can has around 190 calories.

Also Meloxidyl (Metacam) can cause upset stomach, so it is hard to say whether the pancreatitis or the meds are a problem. You could ask your vet for buprenorphine (Buprenex) for pain relief. It is an opiod pain killer so it can make some kitties dozy, but from my own experiences it works well.


Sending positive energy for Josie and for you.

 

[Monica & Josie]

Monica

It is important that you get Josie eating even if you have to syringe feed her. The longer a kitty goes without proper food intake the more the chances of liver problems developing are. I don't know what foods are available in the UK that are easy to syringe but I am thinking you would have the Hill's A/D critical care wet food since it is available world wide. It is very smooth and when mixed with a little water very easy to syringe feed. I have used it on a number of occasions and find it one of the easiest to assist feed. You would have to get this from the vet as it is a prescription food. As much as I dislike prescription food it is useful for syringe feedings and although it is around 12% carbs it is not overly high and a 5 oz can has around 190 calories.

Also Meloxidyl (Metacam) can cause upset stomach, so it is hard to say whether the pancreatitis or the meds are a problem. You could ask your vet for buprenorphine (Buprenex) for pain relief. It is an opiod pain killer so it can make some kitties dozy, but from my own experiences it works well.


Sending positive energy for Josie and for you.

Thank you, I'm going to speak to the vet later on today and will bring up all suggested above. Fingers crossed...

 

[Monica & Josie]

Dear all,
Just wanted to give you an update that after a tough 8 days Josie started eating again this morning, yay!
From the daily 'cat buffet' style line up of various small dishes on the kitchen floor she finally ate tiny amounts of fresh prawns and Hi Life tuna/white fish
She's looking much better already with big round bright eyes and a confident walk.
Hopefully we'll find the right diet and meds for her.
Thanks for all your advice and support once again, I've taken notes and we'll be working our way through experimenting with them!

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Just wanted to give you an update that after a tough 8 days Josie started eating again this morning, yay!
From the daily 'cat buffet' style line up of various small dishes on the kitchen floor she finally ate tiny amounts of fresh prawns and Hi Life tuna/white fish
She's looking much better already with big round bright eyes and a confident walk.

Yay!!! That's great news!
.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

I don't know what foods are available in the UK that are easy to syringe but I am thinking you would have the Hill's A/D critical care wet food since it is available world wide.

Re foods for syringe feeding; in the UK, Gourmet Gold pates have been used for this purpose. They are smooth pates and just need a little water added to them to make them suitable for syringing.
If ordering foods online from Zooplus the Miamor pates are very similar in texture to the Gourmet Gold pates.

One UK member here found that she had to keep the fat content in foods low to moderate, otherwise her kitty would get a flare up. And her kitty wouldn't tolerate salmon or carageenan in foods. She found she could feed Sheba fine flakes though, which you've already tried, Monica @Monica Lewis ....
Another UK'er bought single protein foods from an online company called The Happy Kitty Company, because it seemed that there were many proteins her kitty couldn't tolerate. In her case her kitty could, I think, only tolerate rabbit meat.
It really seems to vary from cat to cat...
Really hoping you find something that works long term for your Josie.

- - -

Edited to add: Monica, you've probably seen this, but just in case you haven't, here's the link to Marje's 'primer on pancreatitis':
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/a-primer-on-pancreatitis.83108/
.

 

[Monica & Josie]

Re foods for syringe feeding; in the UK, Gourmet Gold pates have been used for this purpose. They are smooth pates and just need a little water added to them to make them suitable for syringing.
If ordering foods online from Zooplus the Miamor pates are very similar in texture to the Gourmet Gold pates.

One UK member here found that she had to keep the fat content in foods low to moderate, otherwise her kitty would get a flare up. And her kitty wouldn't tolerate salmon or carageenan in foods. She found she could feed Sheba fine flakes though, which you've already tried, Monica @Monica Lewis ....
Another UK'er bought single protein foods from an online company called The Happy Kitty Company, because it seemed that there were many proteins her kitty couldn't tolerate. In her case her kitty could, I think, only tolerate rabbit meat.
It really seems to vary from cat to cat...
Really hoping you find something that works long term for your Josie.

- - -

Edited to add: Monica, you've probably seen this, but just in case you haven't, here's the link to Marje's 'primer on pancreatitis':
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/a-primer-on-pancreatitis.83108/
.

Yes I read the primer already and found it very helpful thank you Eliz!
The single protein source makes sense I think we'll give that a try next.
What we finally agreed with the vet on was that Josie needs food easily digestible so I'm looking into that now what's recommended apart from dodgy Hill's..
Would like to pick your brain about something though please if you don't mind, in the UK food list it says for Hi Life cat foods that they are 0 carb with a star next to it adding 'not zero carb as they contain tapioca starch'
What does this mean then?
How much do you think this tapioca starch affects the carb content?
Many thanks for your help once again!

 

[Monica & Josie]

Re foods for syringe feeding; in the UK, Gourmet Gold pates have been used for this purpose. They are smooth pates and just need a little water added to them to make them suitable for syringing.
If ordering foods online from Zooplus the Miamor pates are very similar in texture to the Gourmet Gold pates.

One UK member here found that she had to keep the fat content in foods low to moderate, otherwise her kitty would get a flare up. And her kitty wouldn't tolerate salmon or carageenan in foods. She found she could feed Sheba fine flakes though, which you've already tried, Monica @Monica Lewis ....
Another UK'er bought single protein foods from an online company called The Happy Kitty Company, because it seemed that there were many proteins her kitty couldn't tolerate. In her case her kitty could, I think, only tolerate rabbit meat.
It really seems to vary from cat to cat...
Really hoping you find something that works long term for your Josie.


Oh and yes I bought a couple of Gourmet Gold tins already just in case..

 

[Diana&Tom]

Yes I read the primer already and found it very helpful thank you Eliz!
The single protein source makes sense I think we'll give that a try next.
What we finally agreed with the vet on was that Josie needs food easily digestible so I'm looking into that now what's recommended apart from dodgy Hill's..
Would like to pick your brain about something though please if you don't mind, in the UK food list it says for Hi Life cat foods that they are 0 carb with a star next to it adding 'not zero carb as they contain tapioca starch'
What does this mean then?
How much do you think this tapioca starch affects the carb content?
Many thanks for your help once again!

Hi Monica, so glad Josie is doing better. I'll leave it to Eliz to answer your question here but FWIW I don't think HiLife is very high in carbs at all. You can look on their website which may give you some more/other info - www.hilifepet.co.uk
I was feeding my Saff the HiLife chicken until very recently and thought it was pretty good until she started having occasional but nasty tummy upsets... I put this down to either the liver in the food, or the sunflower oil... could also be the tapioca. Not saying that Josie would be the same but it's worth being aware of others' experiences. I ditched the HiLife and now give Saff one of the German brands that's supposed to be good for sensitive tummies.
It's so difficult to find the right foods I know, but keep trying...
Hope the improvement continues!

 

[Monica & Josie]

Hi Monica, so glad Josie is doing better. I'll leave it to Eliz to answer your question here but FWIW I don't think HiLife is very high in carbs at all. You can look on their website which may give you some more/other info - www.hilifepet.co.uk
I was feeding my Saff the HiLife chicken until very recently and thought it was pretty good until she started having occasional but nasty tummy upsets... I put this down to either the liver in the food, or the sunflower oil... could also be the tapioca. Not saying that Josie would be the same but it's worth being aware of others' experiences. I ditched the HiLife and now give Saff one of the German brands that's supposed to be good for sensitive tummies.
It's so difficult to find the right foods I know, but keep trying...
Hope the improvement continues!

Thank you Diana, I will have a look on their website. Don't know why I didn't think of that?!

Someone recommended Meowing Heads, will explore there as well. Which German brand did you find beneficial for Saff please?
I'm interested in all options at the moment and there are just sooo many cat food brands out there that could be suitable for Josie it's really hard to make a choice which one to start with so I would rather go by recommendation and hopefully it will work for Josie. If not we'll move onto the next one..

Just to be very cooperative Josie decided not to like Sheba Flakes or Butcher's Really Meaty anymore which I have piles of in the cupboard! Also not keen on Hi Life Tuna anymore either so we are definitely due for trialling a brand new exciting brand!

 

[Monica & Josie]

Another UK'er bought single protein foods from an online company called The Happy Kitty Company, because it seemed that there were many proteins her kitty couldn't tolerate. In her case her kitty could, I think, only tolerate rabbit meat.

Hi Eliz,
just looked on the Happy Kitty website and they have many different possibly suitable food there, would you know which one did the above kitty owner tried out so I would give that a go first?

Much appreciated!

 

[Diana&Tom]

Thank you Diana, I will have a look on their website. Don't know why I didn't think of that?!

Someone recommended Meowing Heads, will explore there as well. Which German brand did you find beneficial for Saff please?
I'm interested in all options at the moment and there are just sooo many cat food brands out there that could be suitable for Josie it's really hard to make a choice which one to start with so I would rather go by recommendation and hopefully it will work for Josie. If not we'll move onto the next one..

Just to be very cooperative Josie decided not to like Sheba Flakes or Butcher's Really Meaty anymore which I have piles of in the cupboard! Also not keen on Hi Life Tuna anymore either so we are definitely due for trialling a brand new exciting brand!

Ohhhhh I feel your pain trying to find the right foods for Josie, Monica! And these little monkeys really do have a way of going off something just when you've stocked up with three months' supply!

All cats are different but preferences MAY come down to two things (at least!) - taste and texture. I've realised that Saff doesn't like very smooth pate-type food. Absolutely won't touch it. She prefers a more textured food. The German brand I'm currently (only very recently) giving her is Miamor Mild Meal... it has good reviews on the Zooplus website... www.zooplus.co.uk I'm giving Saff the chicken with ham, and chicken with trout. So far she's eating both quite interestedly. She did gobble up a biggish can of Cosma Tuna but I didn't want to make a habit of that... didn't want to get her hooked on fish all the time. Anyway it's worth a look on Zooplus - and they do great deals on the Thrive or Cosma (very similar) freeze-dried treats and lots of other things too.

Just a suggestion - do you have any friends in your area who also have picky cats? If so you could maybe experiment by doing some swaps of different foods? At one time I was convinced that Nature's Menu was the best cat food and I kept buying and wasting boxes... gave some to a local rescue and some to a friend... now I've given up completely. We have to know when we're beaten with these little kitties of ours!

Anyways good luck and keep asking if you have any more queries...

 

[Monica & Josie]

Ohhhhh I feel your pain trying to find the right foods for Josie, Monica! And these little monkeys really do have a way of going off something just when you've stocked up with three months' supply!

All cats are different but preferences MAY come down to two things (at least!) - taste and texture. I've realised that Saff doesn't like very smooth pate-type food. Absolutely won't touch it. She prefers a more textured food. The German brand I'm currently (only very recently) giving her is Miamor Mild Meal... it has good reviews on the Zooplus website... www.zooplus.co.uk I'm giving Saff the chicken with ham, and chicken with trout. So far she's eating both quite interestedly. She did gobble up a biggish can of Cosma Tuna but I didn't want to make a habit of that... didn't want to get her hooked on fish all the time. Anyway it's worth a look on Zooplus - and they do great deals on the Thrive or Cosma (very similar) freeze-dried treats and lots of other things too.

Just a suggestion - do you have any friends in your area who also have picky cats? If so you could maybe experiment by doing some swaps of different foods? At one time I was convinced that Nature's Menu was the best cat food and I kept buying and wasting boxes... gave some to a local rescue and some to a friend... now I've given up completely. We have to know when we're beaten with these little kitties of ours!

Anyways good luck and keep asking if you have any more queries...

Again thanks Diana!

Yes the Miamor MM does have pretty good reviews.
Yes the same here, I loved the looking sound of Nature's Menu and had high hopes for it, but Josie would not eat a single bite of any flavour. I almost shed a tear when I had to bin the untouched full bowl... on several occasions as I just would not give up trying.. wanting it to succeed. So I know what you mean.

I was just looking at the Happy Kitty website and now I'm even more confused!

The single protein for sensitive stomach type food ( Ropocat, Mac's ) is often higher in carbs at 9% so not sure if it would be still ok to give as trying to get low carb to manage diabetes? On the other hand the low carb ones got mixed protein so might not be that easy to digest? Not to mention we are trying to keep her on low fat at the same time?
I think I will need a comfy cushion under my butt on the computer chair and big buckets of coffee to carry on with my food research until I find the one that ticks all the boxes!!

At the same time Josie is due for an insulin dosage increase which might be influenced by new food trials so good luck to me! Plus supposed to get new meds as well..
Good thing I love a jolly good challenge..!

Oh and good suggestion but no I don't have any friends with fussy kitties in my area. Actually no friends full stop haha
Try to avoid people and drama these days, only mingle with my family, cat and plants as they don't let me down!

 

[Diana&Tom]

A challenge, for sure - you're not wrong there, Monica!
Let's see if anyone else has some proper advice here... Elizabeth has a great overview on foods, and I wonder if our fellow UKer @Marlena who also takes a great interest in nutrition might have anything to add?

 

[Monica & Josie]

I ordered Ropocat and Mac's online this morning to try out and I just picked up this Cheshire Cat pouch from a pet shop.
I was just wondering if any of you more experienced people would have any thoughts on this composition or any objections to any of these ingredients?
Thanks very much!

 

[Diana&Tom]

Good find, Monica, looks great. I need some green mussel myself (for joint care lol). Can't see anything in the ingredients list to object to but interested to see what @Elizabeth and Bertie and other food experts have to say..

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

I just picked up this Cheshire Cat pouch from a pet shop.

Looks good... A quick calculation on the label data shows it to be around 4.4% calories from carbs.
Contains cranberry which those with CKD/CRF kitties might want to avoid (cranberry is acidifying apparently so some folks prefer to avoid it..)

Monica, is it expensive? It looks posh.
.

 

[Monica & Josie]

Looks good... A quick calculation on the label data shows it to be around 4.4% calories from carbs.
Contains cranberry which those with CKD/CRF kitties might want to avoid (cranberry is acidifying apparently so some folks prefer to avoid it..)

Monica, is it expensive? It looks posh.
.

Thanks Eliz! Appreciate the quick carbs calculation too.
No talks of kidney issues yet for us so should be suitable..?
Yes well posh! It was £1.09 per 85g pouch so not too bad considering.. But then again anything for my fluffy girl eh?

 

[Marlena]

Dear all,
Just wanted to give you an update that after a tough 8 days Josie started eating again this morning, yay!
From the daily 'cat buffet' style line up of various small dishes on the kitchen floor she finally ate tiny amounts of fresh prawns and Hi Life tuna/white fish
She's looking much better already with big round bright eyes and a confident walk.
Hopefully we'll find the right diet and meds for her.
Thanks for all your advice and support once again, I've taken notes and we'll be working our way through experimenting with them!

Monica, I'm so happy to hear that Josie is feeling better and started eating, what a relief!
Sending hugs to both of you.
Marlena and Rocky

 

[Monica & Josie]

Monica, I'm so happy to hear that Josie is feeling better and started eating, what a relief!
Sending hugs to both of you.
Marlena and Rocky

Thank you Marlena

 

[Mel & Monkey]

I'm not sure if this has been linked already but it helped me when we first arrived here with an FD and pancreatitis kitty, it's the FDMB "primer on pancreatitis" and it has links to articles for your vet if you're interested http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/a-primer-on-pancreatitis.83108/

 

[Monica & Josie]

I'm not sure if this has been linked already but it helped me when we first arrived here with an FD and pancreatitis kitty, it's the FDMB "primer on pancreatitis" and it has links to articles for your vet if you're interested http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/a-primer-on-pancreatitis.83108/

Yes it has been brought to my attention already and it does have lots of really helpful info. Thanks very much Mel!