Has anyone else found that Friskies didn’t agree with their cat/s?

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

Edited to add: Fancy Feast also includes artificial flavors and added colors, as does Friskies. But only Friskies uses carrageenan. So if Celie continues to get sick on Friskies, I can assume that the carrageenan is the problem.

I think one of my cats is getting sick eating Friskies. I have five cats. When Jack was diagnosed 2 weeks ago, I switched first to Fancy Feast, and then to Friskies (it’s so much cheaper than FF). All 5 of my critters have loved all of it. For the first 5 days, it was only FF, and no one vomited. I even made a comment to my daughter about no one getting sick with the change. Then we started on Friskies and a day or so later, Celie (my 14 year old calico) started vomiting (and she is not a cat who generally does that). Yesterday, she threw up profusely. If she does it again, I will take her to our vet. But first, I’m going to buy some FF and see if she keeps that down. This morning, I separated her from the other furballs while they ate, and gave her some of the grain free dry that I’ve saved in case Jack’s BG drops too low.

I’m wondering if she may be reacting to the carrageenan in Friskies. FF doesn’t have it in their food, nor do they have artificial flavoring (Friskies does). My daughter is allergic to carrageenan. We only buy the brands that don’t include it. (It’s primarily in dairy products.) Naturally, she immediately thought of carrageenan as the culprit.

Also, the dry food that Celie was used to had limited ingredients, so her diet has certainly changed a lot. It’s going to be a financial strain if I have to give them FF all the time, but I certainly can’t have Celie being sick.

Has anyone else found that Friskies didn’t agree with their cat/s?

 

[Asiina & Alex(GA)]

Sorry that Celie is sick! I haven't had problems with Friskies and that's what I feed my cats, but they have thrown up or had diarrhea if I try to change their food too quickly. Hopefully it's just finicky tummies and not something more serious.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

Sorry that Celie is sick! I haven't had problems with Friskies and that's what I feed my cats, but they have thrown up or had diarrhea if I try to change their food too quickly. Hopefully it's just finicky tummies and not something more serious.

I really want to stick with the Friskies because of the cost. But, I'll experiment with the Fancy Feast and take it from there. If she gets sick again, I have to take her and make sure she's okay, although I strongly suspect this is a diet change doing this to her. I may have to let her eat her dry food and wean her slowly back to the wet.

 

[Gracie85]

If she does okay on the FF, what about just slowly mixing in some Friskies to change her over very gradually, over a week or two. If it is an ingredient in the food, then you should see the vomiting start again even before she's fully on Friskies, and will know.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

If she does okay on the FF, what about just slowly mixing in some Friskies to change her over very gradually, over a week or two. If it is an ingredient in the food, then you should see the vomiting start again even before she's fully on Friskies, and will know.

That's a great idea! I just ordered some Fancy Feast online, and I'll pick it up at Walmart later today. I think for a day or two, I'm just going to give her Fancy Feast and a little bit of her dry that she's used to. And then I'll remove the dry again and gradually add Friskies to the mix. I also think I may have to stick to one or two flavors of Friskies, instead of giving a variety. That may be messing up her little digestive system as well.

 

[Gracie85]

I feel your pain with the FF, tho. We now have 4 cats, and I'm cracking open 8-9 cans of FF a day.

I wish they sold it in a bucket. Then I'd just use an ice cream scoop to dole it out.....

 

[BBelshan]

I didn't see this thread earlier. I made a similar post. I think my cats are having reactions to the fish flavored ones. There has been some vomiting, wet poops, and grayish color. I might just give those sparingly as a treat so they won't go to waste.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

I wish they sold it in a bucket. Then I'd just use an ice cream scoop to dole it out.....

Ha ha! Me too!

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

I didn't see this thread earlier. I made a similar post. I think my cats are having reactions to the fish flavored ones. There has been some vomiting, wet poops, and grayish color. I might just give those sparingly as a treat so they won't go to waste.

I just now saw your thread about your kitties too. I think part of the problem is that I introduced wet completely all at once. And I'm giving a variety of too many flavors. I've been giving Celie her dry food the last few feedings, and she hasn't thrown up at all. I'm going to start giving her some Fancy Feast tonight. But I'm going to stick to just a few of the flavors. And I may introduce Friskies again, but I'll do it slow. And if she throws up again with Friskies but not with Fancy Feast, then I'll know it's Friskies that's doing it.
And I have to wonder about the seafood flavors too. With Fancy Feast, I wasn't giving them any Seafood. With Friskies I was giving them occasional salmon. That may have started the ball rolling.

 

[BBelshan]

If I don't see improvement with the chicken/turkey I think I will grab some Fancy Feast this weekend to add to it. I also switched all at once and that probably didn't help. I am still trying to figure out how much to give. Beast likes to steal Ms Kitty's food and he has gained quite a bit these last few weeks. Not sure if that is a good thing or not until I hear back from the vet.

 

[Gracie85]

I had noticed that Maggie, our new half-grown kitten, was having ungodly smelly greyish poops with FF kitten chicken flavors. So, we had her on only the salmon. Then I considered her recent history of coming from a shelter, small and underweight, being wormed (confirmed worms), spayed, and vaccinated on one day and then shipped 600 miles north the next, and then when we got her she was put on antibiotics for a sinus infection.
So, I got some cat probiotics, and started giving her those. All her poops are much nicer and not pass-out-smelly. She steals the other cats' varied flavor foods, so she is sometimes eating chicken, turkey, liver, etc. and still things are much better. So, maybe not, but maybe something like a probiotic might help things settle down?

When we switched off dry kibble to canned food, I started by giving them 1/4 can of FF twice a day, leaving the dry food available. Then went to 4 times a day (Lamborghini was seriously underweight, so needed more food). Then gradually upped it to 1/2 can per meal, and for Lambors, since he's a big cat, 3/4 can for two of those meals. They seem to eat 1/2 can per meal easily, could not get anyone else to go above that, so we stick with 4 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime. As the wet food increased, the dry food consumption naturally decreased, until we were able to take it away and nobody noticed. The kittens still have dry food available in their crates, since we don't want to restrict their calories, but their consumption of dry is very variable. Once they are over a year old and settled on growth and size, we will phase out their dry food, too.

 

[BBelshan]

I had noticed that Maggie, our new half-grown kitten, was having ungodly smelly greyish poops with FF kitten chicken flavors. So, we had her on only the salmon. Then I considered her recent history of coming from a shelter, small and underweight, being wormed (confirmed worms), spayed, and vaccinated on one day and then shipped 600 miles north the next, and then when we got her she was put on antibiotics for a sinus infection.
So, I got some cat probiotics, and started giving her those. All her poops are much nicer and not pass-out-smelly. She steals the other cats' varied flavor foods, so she is sometimes eating chicken, turkey, liver, etc. and still things are much better. So, maybe not, but maybe something like a probiotic might help things settle down?

When we switched off dry kibble to canned food, I started by giving them 1/4 can of FF twice a day, leaving the dry food available. Then went to 4 times a day (Lamborghini was seriously underweight, so needed more food). Then gradually upped it to 1/2 can per meal, and for Lambors, since he's a big cat, 3/4 can for two of those meals. They seem to eat 1/2 can per meal easily, could not get anyone else to go above that, so we stick with 4 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime. As the wet food increased, the dry food consumption naturally decreased, until we were able to take it away and nobody noticed. The kittens still have dry food available in their crates, since we don't want to restrict their calories, but their consumption of dry is very variable. Once they are over a year old and settled on growth and size, we will phase out their dry food, too.

Hmmm I know probiotics help me sometimes. It is worth looking into. I think it is my smaller (non-diabetic) cat that is having most of the issues I believe. I don't want her losing weight.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

If I don't see improvement with the chicken/turkey I think I will grab some Fancy Feast this weekend to add to it. I also switched all at once and that probably didn't help. I am still trying to figure out how much to give. Beast likes to steal Ms Kitty's food and he has gained quite a bit these last few weeks. Not sure if that is a good thing or not until I hear back from the vet.

I'm still figuring out how much to give as well. In the beginning, they all seemed to eat a little too fast and too much of the wet. I think they thought it was a treat and they had to get it all right then. But now, they're eating slower and they're even walking away when they're full. I think they're finally getting that the wet is going to be there for the long haul. They really do enjoy the wet food.

 

[BBelshan]

I'm still figuring out how much to give as well. In the beginning, they all seemed to eat a little too fast and too much of the wet. I think they thought it was a treat and they had to get it all right then. But now, they're eating slower and they're even walking away when they're full. I think they're finally getting that the wet is going to be there for the long haul. They really do enjoy the wet food.

Beast is weird. Maybe because I got him from an area that had too many cats (people rented stalls for their horses and they brought in intact cats for the mice) he was used to fighting for his food even as a kitten, but if he walks away from his dish, feeling full and leaving half uneaten and see her eating something, he will nudge her aside and start eating - it's the same food!

 

[Gracie85]

Beast is weird. Maybe because I got him from an area that had too many cats (people rented stalls for their horses and they brought in intact cats for the mice) he was used to fighting for his food even as a kitten, but if he walks away from his dish, feeling full and leaving half uneaten and see her eating something, he will nudge her aside and start eating - it's the same food!

Yup. Lamborghini walks away from his food, to go eat Ferrari's. It's the same food, cat! Meanwhile, Ferrari sneaks around the room to where Lamborghini's food is, and eats his. Wouldn't be a problem, except Lambors is also hyperthyroid, so we have to be sure to keep his weight up. Ferrari is fat, so we'd like to keep her weight down. Then Lambors finally realizes he's eating the same food, so he wanders back to his own place, only half the time his food is now gone. So then he wanders down the hallway to Mitten's food, who may or may not have eaten it all; but she has a small bowl of dry food hidden in the back of the room, so we have to chase him away. Meanwhile, if he still has food left in his bowl, Maggie has finished hers, and is nosing around his. Ferrari comes back to either hers or his, finds it all gone, or someone else eating there and since Ferrari is an old cranky witch, a snarl and growl skirmish ensues. Offender is driven off, to go cruise through the other bowls....

It's a four-ring circus. And then throw in two big dogs who feel that any bowl left unattended for more than 3 seconds is theirs by rights....

 

[MindyC]

I didn't see this thread earlier. I made a similar post. I think my cats are having reactions to the fish flavored ones. There has been some vomiting, wet poops, and grayish color. I might just give those sparingly as a treat so they won't go to waste.

My cats have been on Friskies since Max's first diagnosis 9 years ago. They've never had any issues, but we stay away from the fishy ones. Dr. Lisa has updated her chart from the one I used so long ago, but back then the fishy ones were very low carb, and bouncing the carb content around would make Max vomit. The 4-5 flavors we've been feeding are all about the same content, all pate flavors, and no fish. Generally no issues. My mom's cats appear to have issues with the fishy Friskies as well, but as they age are also having issues in general with food so who knows what's happening there.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

My cats have been on Friskies since Max's first diagnosis 9 years ago. They've never had any issues, but we stay away from the fishy ones. Dr. Lisa has updated her chart from the one I used so long ago, but back then the fishy ones were very low carb, and bouncing the carb content around would make Max vomit. The 4-5 flavors we've been feeding are all about the same content, all pate flavors, and no fish. Generally no issues. My mom's cats appear to have issues with the fishy Friskies as well, but as they age are also having issues in general with food so who knows what's happening there.

I'm definitely going to reintroduce Friskies, but I'll do it slow and I'll be especially mindful of adding seafood. I gave Celie dry food for two days, with no problem. I reintroduced FF last night and this morning. So far so good. I'll wait a week and try again with Friskies, adding maybe one meal a day and building up from there. I really hope she can tolerate it, because FF is expensive to feed 5 cats.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

Yup. Lamborghini walks away from his food, to go eat Ferrari's. It's the same food, cat! Meanwhile, Ferrari sneaks around the room to where Lamborghini's food is, and eats his. Wouldn't be a problem, except Lambors is also hyperthyroid, so we have to be sure to keep his weight up. Ferrari is fat, so we'd like to keep her weight down. Then Lambors finally realizes he's eating the same food, so he wanders back to his own place, only half the time his food is now gone. So then he wanders down the hallway to Mitten's food, who may or may not have eaten it all; but she has a small bowl of dry food hidden in the back of the room, so we have to chase him away. Meanwhile, if he still has food left in his bowl, Maggie has finished hers, and is nosing around his. Ferrari comes back to either hers or his, finds it all gone, or someone else eating there and since Ferrari is an old cranky witch, a snarl and growl skirmish ensues. Offender is driven off, to go cruise through the other bowls....

It's a four-ring circus. And then throw in two big dogs who feel that any bowl left unattended for more than 3 seconds is theirs by rights....

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! It's like a comedy routine! My five cats bop each other in the head while I'm dishing out, adding water, and smashing up their canned food. They are so impatient!

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

Beast is weird. Maybe because I got him from an area that had too many cats (people rented stalls for their horses and they brought in intact cats for the mice) he was used to fighting for his food even as a kitten, but if he walks away from his dish, feeling full and leaving half uneaten and see her eating something, he will nudge her aside and start eating - it's the same food!

My furry little goofballs enjoy switching bowls while they eat. And if one is pushed aside, he or she simply nudges the next one aside, and so it goes. It's funny to watch.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

Well, it's official. Celie cannot tolerate Friskies. She had several days of nothing but Fancy Feast, and there was no problem. When I introduced Friskies, as a little snack during the day, she vomiting profusely. I do believe it's the carrageenan that makes her sick. I'm bummed about this, because Friskies is much more affordable than Fancy Feast. My other cats tolerate it with no problem, and all five of them love it. I'm just so glad that FF doesn't add carrageenan.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Beast is weird. Maybe because I got him from an area that had too many cats (people rented stalls for their horses and they brought in intact cats for the mice) he was used to fighting for his food even as a kitten, but if he walks away from his dish, feeling full and leaving half uneaten and see her eating something, he will nudge her aside and start eating - it's the same food!

My house is like that too. I have five cats and they are constantly changing bowls.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

My house is like that too. I have five cats and they are constantly changing bowls.

I love my little weirdos!

 

[BBelshan]

After switching back to the chicken and turkey ones they are fine again. Most of the fish flavors only give them a little upset, but the salmon one causes the vomiting and diarrhea. I will not give salmon again, but the others I will offer once a week to get rid of it.