Pet Lovers

[Happiness Is Inside JOB]

Hello QVC Pet Friends -

I wanted to send a great shout out and thanks to all the suggestions I received when I was trying to find the cause of my cat allergy problem. You may not recall the details but ,y cat was biting, itching excessively and lost a lot of hair on both front paws, bit marks on stomach, lose hair on ankle paws, constant licking. 

In my area, there was no vet that did food allergy testing, so I had to find out the details on my own after much trial and erro.  Also I'm posting this update for future cat parent  who might post about a cat allergy problems, when they do a search they will find this posting.

Here is the final outcome:

Allergy - My cat was scratching and bitting himself very agressively, after several vet visits the allergy was determined to be a food allergy.

Items cat is allergy to:

Poultry

  - poultry includes, egg, chicken by products, duck, any foul wording, etc

Soybean oil (can cause itching even if you cat is not allergy to poultry)

Guam Gum (many cats allergic to soybean oil are also allergic to guam gum)

Carrageenan {many vets  and scientist believe this ingredient is negative for all cats)

Where did I research each food:

I went to chewy.dot.com, this site provides a detailed ingredient list for each food which helped me know greatly.

How did I find a food that worked:

Dry Food:

Dry food was not a problem, the following RX cat food. My cat was able to eat it, no itchiing or biting, small morsels, and it does not have a strong smell. 

Hill's Prescription Diet d/d Skin/Food Sensitivities Venison & Green Pea Formula Dry Cat Food  (venison is not considered a poultry meat but on the beef side)

Wet Food:  This is the area where I had the hardest time finding a food that worked.  THe Hill's Diet food sensitivties wet food has soybean oil and that caused my cat to scratch, itch and bit.  SO the lesson is, just because a RX food "claims" to address an issue it might not work for your cat, you MUST read the ingredient list. 

The only wet food that works, cost a TRUE ARM and a LEG, Another issue is my cate prefers PATE food, which also limited the wet food selection.  I am still searching for another brand that works but right now this is the only food that work:

FirstMate Salmon Formula Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

the ingredients of this wet food:

Boneless/Skinless Salmon, Water Sufficient For Processing, Potato, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Minerals: (Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Iodine), Vitamins: (Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, D-Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Kale.

First Mate has other flavors, so please determine what works for your needs, since poultry is my issue I was limited ot the salmon, tuna and beef versions but I purchased the salmon first.

An item that helped greatly:

Protective color in medium with snaps. 

Brand: 21st Century Brand

In the beginning when the bitting was excessive, this helped greatly. Please do not put on your cat if you are not home, awake and able to monitor them.

Results:

If you watch your cat you will notice that when given the "wrong" food, in 12-24 hours you will notice the excessive biting, etc.

When given the "good" food you will notice the negative symptoms leave in about 12-24 hours also.

Well I hope this helps future cat parents.

[Gram W]

@Happiness Is Inside JOB.  Thank you for sharing.  Your furbaby is lucky to have a mother who not only is loving but she is a great and determined detective. I hope my furbabies never have a problem but will keep information.  

Josie has a heart murmur but at 2 you would never know it.  She has 10 times more energy than her brother.  He has to hide on her to take a nap.   If she can't find him she comes pawing at my legs to play.  If allowed she would play fetch all day.  I will check some of these choices out for our house.

[sandraskates]

Good sleuthing @Happiness Is Inside JOB. Glad you found some food that works.

I think I mentioned we like Natural Balance wet food for our cats. My hubby bought a Natural Balance Venison and Green Pea wet food and our cats go nuts over it. Another one we've tried and is also very good, but very pricey is Lotus. That stuff is almost human grade.

Our local pet and feed stores have what seems to be hundreds of different brands of cat foods. I have not heard of First Mate but next time I'm one of the stores I think I'll check it out.

[Happiness Is Inside JOB]

Thank you for commenting, I purchased the vension wet food you mentions above, that is the food my cat had a reaction to, it has the soy bean oil.   He liked the food and ate it but the reaction 12-24 hours later is what told me something in the food iritated him.