Cat food suggestions

[ihatework]

One of my kittens (6 months) is looking like he has some sort of food intolerance resulting in very dodgy guts. Vets have given him a prescription diet and it has made a big difference.

So looking for something to keep him on longer term - problem being he is very fussy (is furious Felix has been withdrawn from menu), and even more annoying is it’s proving difficult to feed him separately from his mate - therefore she will probably have to have posh food too. Drat, sounding expensive.

I’ve tried Millie’s wolfheart and he won’t touch the stuff.

 

[Theocat]

What's the intolerance? If It's grain, there are some cheap options which can at least help pad out a rotation of more expensive foods - Butchers, Morrison's own. I think Hey Diddle Diddle (Tesco) may be as well. There are some good threads on the petforums forums.

My two went grain free after a tummy upset, but have gone off so many different foods that they're back on foods with grain, and high quality dry, and seem to be coping fine now they're a bit older.

What about feeding raw?

 

[ponyparty]

I recently swapped my OH's cat from Felix wet food and Go Cat biscuits to Applaws tins and biscuits. I did the swap gradually - mixing the old food in with the new, it took about a week to make the change in full. She loves it now and is so much healthier as a result. And her poop is much healthier too - doesn't stop her from doing it all over the kitchen floor though (3 times in the last 2 weeks) but that's another story...

 

[Sussexbythesea]

No help but all I can say is good luck! My ginger won’t touch anything other than Felix AGAIL fish flavour and even then it is hit and miss he’s quite skinny compared to his brother Pepper pig chops who eats his own and then finishes Chilli’s off. I tried Millie’s but they wouldn’t eat it nor Lily’s Kitchen. I do also feed a grain free healthy high meat kibble but I vary which one depending on offers etc.

I do wonder if Chilli has a few problems he was a bit loose as a kitten but I never see him poo now so I don’t know. I think the suggestion of mixing a little of the new food in with the prescription diet over a period of weeks is a sound suggestion. Be strong when that cute kitten face looks at you with pleading eyes

 

[ihatework]

Good question Theocat, I’m not actually sure what the intolerance is! Might need to do a few elimination trials to try and narrow it down, although this prescription diet does list ‘grains’ (not helpful) as one of the ingredients.

Sussex yes it’s the Felix AGAIL he loves, and he is 2.5kg and quite slim and wolfs down 4 sachets a day given half a chance (which could be part of the problem), so lower quantities of higher quality is the next step. And hold strong against his starving protests!

Ponyparty interestingly I bought Applelaws last night for the reason it was on offer. Both ate it up willingly so will see what explosions may or may not come my way over next few days

 

[druid]

Taste of the wild dry is grain free and not madly expensive. Also worth trying Catessy if they like felix (they do some grain free sachets) as that's what I weaned mine on to from Felix and it's not too spendy for multiple cats

 

[9tails]

6 month old kittens need kitten food, is he on kitten food? I took on a kitten at 6 months that was being fed adult food and she was throwing it all up. She hasn't vomited since going onto kitten food and is now shiny and plump, she's addicted to Lidl's own brand Coshida Junior which is handy.

 

[peanut]

I feed my two 2 yo cats who both have sensitive stomachs (i.e. prone to diarrhoea) Hill's Science Plan Sensitive Stomach & Skin and it is a great success. However at the age of 6 months they were on Hill's Healthy Development Kitten food.

 

[ponyparty]

Ponyparty interestingly I bought Applelaws last night for the reason it was on offer. Both ate it up willingly so will see what explosions may or may not come my way over next few days

Haha, best of luck with that! Like I say, it's worked wonders for ours but I guess she didn't already have potential food intolerances... Hope it works!
I order mine from Fetch (Ocado) now so it comes with the same delivery as our food shopping and they do next day delivery, which is good because OH forgets to tell me until we've very nearly run out...

 

[sbloom]

I would massively recommend either having your vet run bloods, they can pick up all food allergies, and then, or instead of, go to Healthy Pets in Blandford, Dave there is a serious marvel, sorting out the diets of every animal we've ever referred there. It's VERY "fluffy" but it works and he knows his small animal feeding! The service is mail order, have a google to find them.

 

[ihatework]

Thanks for the additional suggestions I will add them to the list to work through, as needed.

Good shout on the testing sbloom, will keep that in reserve incase food trials don’t work.

And yes, he is on kitten food.

 

[chaps89]

Natures menu might be another one to try. I'd do any diet changes gradually if possible but that only based on what's drummed into me for horses, no idea if the same goes for cats! I also have mine on Royal Canin digest sensitive which has cleared up his sometimes unsettled stomach.
I take it you're up to date on worming too and it's not That?

 

[Mrs B]

I feed a mixture of Applaws, Nature's Best and Natural Instinct (raw) ... and plain roast chicken. I avoid anything with gravy.

I have a couple of Bengals, one of whom is a rabbit-cruncher and one who has a delicate tum ... so I feed both the same and actually in terms of food wasted, I don't think it makes much of a muchness (as my Dad would have said!) when it comes to expense.

I find that they need far, far less of the raw food than the pouches and an added bonus is any poo from raw is much less, and MUCH less smelly