Unfortunately, my cat has been diagnosed with IBD. It’s not a huge surprise as all his symptoms were pointing in that direction.
He’s going to be starting a fairly high dose of steroids, and the vet is recommending Hill's hypoallergenic dry food or something similar. I’d really like to avoid that if possible, as I've done a lot of research into feline nutrition and I don't want to be facing kidney disease in a few years' time.
At the moment, he’s being fed Catz Finefood, which is a grain-free, single-protein wet food. The protein he's on now (lamb) seems to be going down better than the last one, and his stools are slightly firmer than usual, though not exactly 'normal' yet. Also, the volume is quite large. He isn't vomiting anymore, but he has in the past, especially during food transitions, even when done very carefully (he can't tolerate Orijen at all, for example).
I’m wondering if I should switch him to raw feeding or a home-cooked diet; has anyone had any success with these types of diets? Do you have any other wet or dry food recommendations for a cat with IBD?
If you have any other suggestions to improve his quality of life, please let me know—I just want him to feel better!
Thanks in advance :)
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Hi,
I also have a cat who was diagnosed with IBD in June 2020.
He’s lost a lot of weight, and even though I’ve been buying hypoallergenic wet and dry food, he just isn’t putting any back on. He’s not a fan of this food and I’ve got to admit, I’m at my wits’ end as to what to give him.
He used to love standard shop-bought wet food (I know it’s not the best and is full of artificial flavourings), but I just want him to gain some weight!!
Does anyone have any advice??
Many thanks
Hi there!
Thanks for your advice! 🙂
The Hypoallergenic range has stabilised things on the surface (1 or 2 flare-ups a year for the last 3 years), but it makes her stools quite hard. It contains rice, which is why I’m looking to switch to a grain-free range. Carnilove does indeed have 1% chickpeas. We’ll have to see how she tolerates them in the long term. Thanks for the info, in any case! 😉 I’m still figuring things out with the food, especially with so much choice and so many different opinions... it’s not easy! ^^ I’ve just joined a Facebook group called "Pet Food Alerts" which gives advice on understanding the ingredients in dry and wet food. You have to take your time as there’s a lot of info, but it’s really interesting. I'll have to see if they have any specific recommendations for IBD.
The vet also explained to me how cats can associate the litter tray with pain. I tried moving the tray to different spots, but it didn’t really work. I never quite managed to figure out why she would use it sometimes but not others. I figured her inflammation just wasn't as bad then... More recently, I took the hood off, but I got the same result. I’m going to try the mat trick and maybe try moving it again. 😉
I’m curious about hydrolysed proteins. I’ve never heard of them before. What are they exactly? Where do you find them? And how are they beneficial for cats with IBD? (I’m no expert myself, so I completely understand if you don’t necessarily have all the answers 😅). Did you ever manage to identify what was causing your cat’s inflammation? Were you ever advised to try single-protein dry food? (I notice that comes up quite often).
Thanks in advance for your replies! 🙏
I'm pretty sure Carnilove has chickpeas in its recipe, which aren't that easy to digest... Did the hypoallergenic food not work? The specialist we saw at the referral hospital told us that hydrolysed proteins are the best thing for this kind of issue, and we certainly saw the results with my cat. He was going outside the tray too; I moved the litter tray and closed the door, and he started using it again. He was associating the pain with the litter tray, and specifically with that exact spot. We only use open trays as well (cats tend not to like hooded ones). Another tip: I put a mat under the tray and since he doesn't want to go on the mat, he uses the litter tray. All the best to you and your cat too! :)
Hi there,
I’m glad to hear you’ve managed to find the right balance with the food. On my end, we’ve just switched her over to Carnilove salmon dry food (instead of the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic). I’ve stopped the Almo Nature chicken or tuna wet food as it tended to make her constipated. She’s still going outside the litter tray, but the consistency is much better! (Not as dry). After doing some research, I’ve seen that the Carnilove pheasant kibble is supposed to be healthier and easier on the stomach. I’ll have to see if I let her try that one eventually...
All the best to you and your little fluffball!
The only thing that really works for my cat is either Royal Canin Gastrointestinal or RC Anallergenic. He also tolerates rabbit meat (lightly poached) quite well. He’s still got a great appetite and is full of life, and his weight is spot on. He does have the occasional flare-up (soft stools) which we treat with FortiFlora and/or clay, or antibiotics and steroids when it’s more severe. I’d say he has about two “major” flare-ups a year and some runnier stools once a month or every couple of months, but it usually clears up quickly.
I really want to avoid keeping him on steroids long-term as the side effects are quite serious. If we can manage it just through his diet, then so be it; he’ll stay on the RC even though I’m not usually a fan of the brand.
Grain-free dry food was a total disaster for him in the past.
There are specialists for this condition at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and other major referral centres. My cat was seen at a specialist teaching hospital back in 2018 and the vets there were brilliant.
Hi there, I’ve come across this post quite a bit late. Three years on, how is your cat @Ziggystardust doing? Did you manage to stabilise his health by finding a suitable food for him? I’ve got a cat myself who has IBD in two parts of her intestines. We got her from a rescue when she was five months old. She’s a very affectionate girl but particularly prone to stress. After countless bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting, and having tried several different types of dry food, our vet recommended Royal Canin Hypoallergenic, which she’s been on for three years now. She’s not exactly a fan of it. Every so often (at least once a year), she has a flare-up where she barely eats, and we have to put her back on antibiotics. She regularly goes to the toilet outside her litter tray and always meows when she’s passing a stool because of the inflammation. On the other hand, her poos are firm—maybe even a bit too firm, I think. Like you, I’m well aware of the crap they put in Royal Canin kibble; even though it seems to "fix" the flare-ups on the surface, it doesn’t stop the pain. Following an animal communication session, I’ve been giving her Almo Nature wet food for a few days, which she absolutely loves (high-quality, human-grade ingredients). She seems better, but she’s started going outside the tray again. I’m going to try another grain-free wet food (there’s only 1% grain in this one, but still...). I’m also thinking about changing her dry food to something with fewer grains to make it easier for her to pass stools? Someone mentioned a French brand called Flatazor to me. I might go for the "Dermato" (hypoallergenic) range for a less radical change than going 100% grain-free straight away. As you so rightly put it, with IBD, you soon realise if it’s "make or break". But then again, it’s always a bit of a gamble... I’m obviously open to any advice at all. Best of luck, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Hi everyone,
A bit over a week ago, I took my cat to the vet because he’s constantly pawing at his mouth and is struggling to eat. He’d been doing it a little bit before, but only every now and then.
They sedated him to get a proper look at his mouth and found a lump as well as an ulcer on his palate (the lump is apparently on his tongue). They’ve sent a sample off for tests.
While waiting for the results, I have to give him Prednicortone. He had half a tablet every day for five days, and as of tonight, I’m giving him half a tablet every other day for a week.
The vet surgery is closed until Thursday, and my cat, who used to weigh 5kg (about 11 lbs), is now down to about 2.5–3kg (around 5.5–6.6 lbs).
I’m really worried because he’s losing so much weight since he’s hardly eating anything. I’m syringe-feeding him a bit of water along with his Semintra (for his kidneys), and giving him pouches where he just licks a bit of the gravy. He does manage to drink on his own sometimes, too.
I don't know if I should see another vet before Thursday to see if they can give him something else for the pain so he can eat better (knowing they won't anaesthetise him), or if I should just leave him in peace to rest (he actually went out for a three-hour stroll last night!).
Thanks for your help!
This post is two years old, but I’m in the same boat as you... My cat was diagnosed 3 years ago because of frequent vomiting (mostly bile). He was put on a course of steroids which helped stabilise him, and he isn’t vomiting anymore. However, his stools still aren't firm... he’s on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal, but he’s lost a massive amount of weight (from 15.4lbs down to 7.7lbs!). We had to start him on some Hill’s Digestive food to get him to put a bit back on (he’s up to 8.8lbs now), but I feel like if I give him too much, it throws his system off... why do you say that dry food isn't good for them?
Chicken mixed with rice seems to help him a bit, but the vet warned me against a home-cooked diet, as it needs to be properly balanced to avoid deficiencies—adding fibre, for example.
Have you found anything that provides long-term relief?
Hi there. I had a cat with IBD (or possibly stage 1 lymphoma, though I suspect it was more likely IBD). Aside from the ultrasound, I turned down further tests like an endoscopy or biopsy because I didn’t want to put her through chemo; I just didn’t think she’d cope with it at 15 years old. She was on steroids for about five years, and cats actually tolerate them much better than humans do. I used to feed her raw white meat (turkey or chicken breast)—trimmed of fat and not roasted—along with Royal Canin Gastrointestinal wet food pouches, and either I/D, Gastrointestinal, or K/D dry food because she’d had an acute episode of kidney failure during a UTI. I can’t quite remember all the details now, but I think white meat is a good shout if your cat likes it, alternating it with prescription dry food from the vet.
I don’t think hypoallergenic dry food is particularly bad for the kidneys, and if she likes it, it’s definitely worth a try (see if you can get some free samples) to see if it clears up the diarrhoea. Either way, it’s certainly better for the kidneys than standard supermarket kibble. It’s worth a go. As for homemade food, I wouldn’t recommend it as a rule; she’d have to actually enjoy it, and fish isn’t really the best option. The most important thing is that she’s eating, not being sick, and isn’t having diarrhoea (or at least not too much). Stools with a "cow-pat" consistency are usually a sign of pancreas issues...
There are various types, stages, and grades of IBD. In some instances, it can progress into lymphoma, but luckily that didn’t happen with my cat.
I’d strongly advise against using that big referral hospital I went to; I’ve had some awful experiences there on several occasions. It was a brilliant clinic back in the 80s, but it’s gone totally downhill since then—it’s definitely living off a reputation it no longer deserves.
