So my cat is developing a food allergy to her current food and I am looking into alternative sources of protein than chicken.

I wanted to ask you guys if you had any particular food brands that you like vs others?
I will be shopping around this weekend and thought I've done my research, I wanted to see what other suggestions you have.

I can get a prescrip for d/d but I'm not too keen on ground peas being the first two ingredients in the food, especially for a cat.



Please, think of the children kitty


[Edited on July 15, 2011 at 8:38 AM. Reason : .]

7/15/2011 8:34:45 AM

What's wrong with ground peas?

7/15/2011 8:50:40 AM

http://www.bluebuffalo.com/cat-food/bc-healthy-living-salmon
This is what my kitty eats, it's got salmon instead of chicken and is smelly (just up close and in the bag ) my cat loves it! I get it at Petsmart/Petco

[Edited on July 15, 2011 at 8:55 AM. Reason : the ingrediants do list chicken fat sorry]

7/15/2011 8:53:31 AM

It's far more likely she's developed an allergy to the grains in the food than the meat. Try switching to a quality grain free food.

If you want to get rid of grain and chicken:
http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1704

7/15/2011 8:56:17 AM

^^^ nothing is wrong with ground peas, I am just not too thrilled about it for a cat. Wouldn't be as concerned as for dogs.

^^ Yeah I looked into Blue Buffalo, they have a limited ingredient line that includes duck and potato and fish and potato

^ Because it's a cat. Dogs are more likely to develop food allergies to the grains involved, cats are more likely to develop it with the main protein source. And yes I am looking to limit the grain involved too

Thank you all for the suggestions so far!

7/15/2011 9:22:12 AM

This one is similar to d/d but with more salmon and less peas, plus cheaper:
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Balance-Limited-Ingredient-Salmon/dp/B002SSIQZI/

More fish and less pea:
http://www.amazon.com/Felidae-Grain-Salmon-Formula-Pound/dp/B003R0MFCG

Taste of the wild, brand I get my cat:
http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Wild-Grain-Free-Canyon-Smoked/dp/B0043S38YU/ref=pd_sbs_k_5

There are a ton more options than there were several years ago. Even in the last 2 years it's become so much easier to find grain free quality cat food. I had a difficult time finding one at first but am now overwhelmed by options. I switched because I didn't want the cat eating stuff that would make me sick (sometimes I forget to wash my hands after petting her), but it's made her healthier as well.

7/15/2011 9:48:47 AM

Quote :

"It's far more likely she's developed an allergy to the grains in the food than the meat. Try switching to a quality grain free food."

This was exactly my thought.

We feed our cats Taste of the Wild. They have several different types.

What I would recommend is going to Unleashed and talking to them about it, especially if the guy with the beard is there. They're very knowledgeable and their prices are very reasonable. And all of their food is grain-free that they sell. Plus they have a frequent buyer program which means that Taste of the Wild ends up costing the same for me as the crappy food I used to feed my cats

7/15/2011 9:59:06 AM

it's far more likely for a dog to develop a grain allergy. cats != dogs

7/15/2011 10:25:22 AM

But we're talking about a cat that is currently developing allergies. I would not be surprised if grain is one of the culprits. Cats weren't designed to eat corn and wheat.

7/15/2011 10:27:22 AM

i wasn't saying they were designed to eat it, and that's not the same as an allergy (an immune response, histamines, skin rashes, all that mess).

7/15/2011 11:24:25 AM

Thanks for the help guys, I have a nice list going.
^^I definitely plan to check in with Unleashed (love that store )!

However, for the duration of the thread:
One of my overall goals is to limit the amount of grain in what I feed my cat, but my ULTIMATE goal is to try a food with a different protein source than chicken (including chicken meal, chicken by-product, or chicken fat). When a cat becomes allergic to it's food it is ALMOST ALWAYS due to the protein source of the food vs dogs that are ALMOST ALWAYS due to grain sources.
That does not mean that I am ignoring the possibility of her allergy stemming from grains, but that is not my focus at this juncture.
I work at the Vet School, have consulted many of my colleagues, and I formulate diets as part of my job.

I am trying to get a large pool of options so I am asking for suggestions of pet food brands to try or any that you didn't like and why.
I appreciate everyone's suggestions so far and welcome any others!

Oh and PS - I will not be trying any raw diets unless I am 100% confident of my ability to include the proper amount and proportion of nutrients, amino acids, etc AND of the source or my protein. No room/$$/environment for me to do this right now.

[Edited on July 15, 2011 at 11:27 AM. Reason : too slow]

7/15/2011 11:27:28 AM

My cats did not like Innova. They barfed that shit all over the place. Taste of the Wild seems to be kinder to their stomachs

7/15/2011 11:29:41 AM

i told her this already, but figured i'd post it too for the benefit of any others.

i tried natural balance duck & pea formula with my cats & they HATED it. so much so that they lost significant weight & i had to switch them back to a normal food. idk if it was the duck or the peas, but apparently they'd rather starve for 3 weeks than eat that stuff.

7/15/2011 11:46:22 AM

California Natural Salmon and Sweet Potato is what we usually get. Taste of the Wild is also good and is grain free.

7/15/2011 11:46:50 AM

My cat loves taste of the wild so much she's starting to turn into a fattie. Next bag will be the salmon kind, since she supposedly likes poultry more than fish. Or maybe the natural balance, need to see if I can get samples and see if she hates it too.

She absolutely refuses to eat raw, so I had to give up on it.

[Edited on July 15, 2011 at 11:51 AM. Reason : ...]

7/15/2011 11:50:15 AM

evolution is determining that the cat is not fit for survival. get a dog.

7/15/2011 12:23:46 PM

Quote :

"My cat loves taste of the wild so much she's starting to turn into a fattie. "

Haha same. And the one cat likes to eat the dog's Taste of the Wild for some reason. I have to watch her like a hawk or she'll chase the dog from her food. This is the same cat that likes to eat the dog's chews and q-tips

7/15/2011 12:44:13 PM

I'm just coming in to post that I'm pretty sure my cat is allergic to dairy. Specifically allergic, not just lactose intolerant like every other cat.

Obviously this is easy to avoid but if he even gets 1 lick from jumping at my ice cream bowl faster than I can react, then he coughs and coughs for days. I have to keep steroids around the house to open up his lungs when he gets sneaky!

(Found all this out when my idiot roommate last year let him eat strawberry ice cream out of a spoon when I wasn't around. wtf. We don't live together any more.)

Ok, done with my thread derail.

7/15/2011 12:49:23 PM

Sweet.
Thanks guys - I've got my list and going to take back the GIANT bag of cat food I just bought and go see what I can see!

^that sucks, sorry to hear that I've heard of cats with dairy product allergies, just check your food bags for that stuff.

Quote :

"evolution is determining that the cat is not fit for survival. get a dog."

I got a dog too

7/16/2011 10:14:44 AM