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Has any one had a cat who suffered from a food intolerance? What did you do for your kitty?

Stink gained weight when we moved last summer (no more fenced in patio to roam freely in)and tipped the scales at 10.5 lbs last Nov. For her frame, that was potbelly heavy. After the New Year's she started to throw up and lose weight. I was in the last days of my pregancy and the tension level in the house was high so I assumed it was stressed related.

A few weeks after the baby arrived Stink visually mellowed, but she would still spit up. It got worse, and several weeks ago she crashed - dropping down to 7 lbs. She is only 2 but looked 20.

The vet said the mostly likely cause was kidney failure, bloodwork showed nothing which wasn't surprising. A few days later she called back and said the fact Stink is only 2 bothered her. Her office cat has a food intolerance that mimicked kidney failure - what if Stink had the same?

We're on a two week plus two week trial. I stopped feeding premium food when Romeo died and went back to average food for average cats. Currently Stink is offered presription food daily. That doesn't mean she eats it.

Can anyone share their kitty tummy troubles?

Purrs,
Elizabeth

Hi,

I have never heard of a food intolerance (allergies?) mimicking kidney failure. What do you mean by this? Was your kitty dehydrated at all? Did she have a urinalysis done, and, if so, was her urine dilute? Were full-body x-rays done to rule out other possibilities? If x-rays were taken, were her kidneys of normal size and shape?

If the only symptom was weight loss and vomiting, that can be so many things. Did the vet say anything about her having a condition that prevents her from digesting her food properly? Were special tests run to rule out this possibility?

Sorry to have so many questions, but I am a vet tech, and am trying to figure out what is going on with your kitty, and what she has been tested for. Often cats can have normal bloodwork but still be seriously ill. And BTW, kidney problems show up in urine before they do in blood, so normal kidney values don't tell the whole story.

Please answer some of these questions if you can and I will reply.

Regards,
PHKitkat

yes, she was dehydrated. No we did not test her urine. Litterbox was normal, not excessively wet. And x-rays were not an option until the bloodwork came back. Dr. mentioned the particular taint in Stink's breath was common to CRF cats.

There was a possiblity Stink got into some bad water and the source was eliminated just before I took her in. My vet is very middle of the road - there are times when aggressive testing/treatment can be more harmful then good. That day, it was best to send Stink home.

I've had a cat with IBS - we never pin pointed the source of his problem because scoping was more stress then his heart could likely take. We just had to figure it out as we went. We've opted to take a similar trial and error approach with Stink.

She has improved recently, but we need to do more trials with the food. As of yesterday, the whole house is on venison to eliminate the stress of feeding in separate rooms. (which led to fighting and vomiting) That is seriously expensive.

Coming froma family with a history of odd allergies I know its possible to chase a horse - only to discover its a zebra when you catch it. Right now I'm trying to keep an open mind as we test Stink.

Hi,

I agree that there are times when it is best to be conservative when it comes to testing and treating cats. I am sorry if I offended you in any way.

Yes, the personality, age, and general health of the cat needs to be considered. I also had a cat with IBD who was never diagnosed by biopsy as she was old and had health problems. She responded very well to the steroids, which is characteristic of IBD.

I'm so glad to hear that Stink is doing better. Yes, she could have gotten into bad water, or even something else that affected her adversely. I have a cat that got into chocolate once, and we didn't find out until I found an empty wrapper on the floor, under my recliner. Ella made a full recovery but it took awhile for her to get back to normal.

Please keep us updated on how things go with Stink.

Regards,
PHKitkat

No offence taken. But sometimes listening to what others have gone thru you learn things you would never hear about otherwise.

Stink is doing fine for the most part - she beat up Annie last night, helped me change sheets and start laundry tonight (every basket of freshly dried clothes MUST be inspected!) But she is so thin another serious attack of the pukes could easily turn into her final slide.

Told my husband to hit the shooting range with his law enforcement cousins - if the cats had to live off of venison, he was going to learn how to hunt!

Purrs,
Elizabeth

Elizabeth, I HAD/HAVE a similar problem.

Corkie had IBD and had to be on prednisalone each day or she would vomit her food right up. She never lost weight though. She also was put on Science Diet ZD as it
has some kind of protein the body is not allergic to. Corkie DID develope CRF but not till she was 14.

NOW i have Missy. SHE is not quite 7 pounds and LOOKS emaciated. I free feed her (till the others eat it! ) any kind of kibble I can get her to eat. She STILL only nibbles. She did have her teeth pulled due to stomatitis, and she IS early CRF.

There ARE diets that are single protein (may be better than SD!!!!) and you might try them if she has a flair up. Missy is a toughie too! Ben keep nipping at her ear, when ever she gets too near him, and one time she lost it! She got so angry at him she actually chased him and batted at him. He ran from her (he is 13 pounds!) and she kept chasing him till she had to stop and catch her breath. Once she caught it she was back at him! LOL>

Missy HAS been xrayed and it was found her kidneys are small. Vet says if we want to find out if there is something inside her that prevents her from eating we need to do exploratory surgery but she is an older cat and I won't put her through that!

http://tinyurl.com/fqll6
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Heidi - mom
Kotton - LOVING Ice-blue-eyed Siamese girl
Ben - Houdini of a Spotted Tabby boy
Missy - Tiny Silver/white Kitty bird girl
Panther - Young Black "Master of Da Bird" boy

3 SPECIAL Angels

Minnie -CA LICO Saint of a Kitty girl
Schatzi- LOVINGEST EVER Tuxedo Standard Poodle Boy
Corkie - BEST EVER - cat - & LOVE OF MY LIFE