Could my kitty have IBD?

[Jill and Remi]

Sasha is not even 2 years old yet but seems to be vomiting a bit more than usual and way more than my other 2. I know she used to have diarhea when she was younger. And it seems any time I make the slightest change in food she vomits more frequently, even when I slowly introduce it. I know I over worry sometimes, but trying to think if I should do something. Could it be she is shedding more since it has warmed up thus causing more hairballs? Her vomit is hairballs 1/3 of the time and food the rest of the time. She is long haired and does NOT let me brush her often. Could I try a diet change and if so to what? She, unfortunately, will not eat wet food(only occasionally). Any help is appreciated.
And I took Abigail back to have her ears re-examined and to have an allergy test run. I sure hope it isn't a waste of money since it was very expensive.

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

It could be all kinds of things going on. I'll tell you a bit about Maui and what worked for her and maybe you could try some of these things too.

Prior to diabetes diagnosis, Maui had terrible ongoing exploding diarrhea. Vet told me we would just have to live with it and that was it. Additionally, for years she had skin problems, itchiness, fur loss, scabs, you name it, she had it.

she also ate dry food.

Come to the diagnosis and being told about nutrition and such. I was told remove the dry food, only feed wet. Long story short - I removed the dry and experimented with canned brands and flavors as she still had the diarrhea. Someone suggested only feeding one flavor and brand for a month and see how that worked. Then trying a different flavor and so on.

Followed this and the diarrhea slowed and stopped.

I introduced raw food and now am making it myself. Over the past year, her options increased from one flavor/brand to a few different ones, but I go through one case before changing flavors and that seems to work well. And she loves the raw and honestly that's the best thing for her.

So, while yes, food could be a problem here, the best way to figure it out, is to limit the food options.

I started with ff turkey/giblets and now mainly only feed poultry flavors, with an occasional beef put in.

 

[Jill and Remi]

I only feed poultry right now. And she has had the option to try all kinds of canned food: FF, Friskies, Iams, Newman's and so on. She will eat the science diet canned(chicken) more than anything else, but still not much . I did feed raw to my diabetic(GA) and I know he loved it. I know one of my civies will not even look at it. I can try it on the other 2 girls though and see if it helps. Not sure if my supplements are expired, but probably.
She is still very active, I am just concerned with the frequency(once a week). Thanks!

 

[Jess & Earl]

Hi Jill

You can do a hypoallergenic diet trial -- rx limited ingredient food for 8 weeks, no treats, no sneaking bites of other cats' food -- though it is a PITA in a multi-cat household. You could also try keeping her on the same food, whatever it is, for 4 weeks or so to see how it goes. Does she eat meals or free-feed? If she eats meals, does she wolf her food?

As far as the hairballs, are you talking about furry vomitus or the classic "hairball log"? If you mean she's vomiting fur, that could just be because fur is what is in her belly at the time ... I mean, cats do so much grooming, if they vomit at some point it may be filled with hair for that reason; they almost always have some hair in the stomach.

 

[Jill and Remi]

I think I will try the change in food. Still searching for rabbit or duck. My vet seems to only have rabbit for dogs. She does have the hair logs. And they are all free feeders. If I switch them all it should be okay. Guess I will hit all of the pet stores tomorrow in my quest for the right food.
Thanks
I just searched online for pet food in my town and for some reason I keep forgetting Jeffer's is right down the road. They have duck flavored food in dry and wet. Going tomorrow. I really feel optimistic this will help.
I wonder if I can order online so some of the money goes to fdmb and still be able to pick it up, so no shipping cost? Will look into it.

 

[JJ & Gwyn [GA]]

Yes, it could be IBD, but it could also be a food allergy or some other issue.

In your search for foods, yes, I'd check your local stores. But if they don't have what you're looking for, I'd check online for foods with no grains, novel proteins, or both. Then I'd call back to your local stores; just because they don't carry something in stock doesn't mean that they can't order it from their distributor for you. Getting a selection of foods to try may be cheaper online or locally; it depends on where you live relative to the shipper and how rural you are and how much you end up buying.