Yvette's Inner Geek Blog

Isis is doing wonderfully.

It’s been 5 weeks now since I took her to another vet for a second opinion of her inexplicably failing health. He put the “food allergy” idea into my head, and that’s exactly what it was—though the “hypoallergenic” Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d cat food he recommended didn’t help. (You can find the full and lengthy story on my previous Obligate Carnivore post.)

I started researching feline food allergies on January 29 after coming home from the vet. She refused to eat the z/d food at first, but the vet sent me home with four of those $2.29 cans and I was not going to give in that easily.  I mixed them into the only food she would eat, and though she made it clear that she wasn’t thrilled with the new food, she transitioned in a couple of days. There was a slight improvement in her, um, deposits, but definitely not enough to convince us that it was the best treatment for her (especially considering the food’s price tag).

Meanwhile, I purchased a whole chicken from the grocery store and dusted off the meat grinder attachment for my (favorite!) KitchenAid stand mixer.

The idea of putting raw chicken into the pitifully unhealthy digestive tract of my little kitty made me tremble, so I cooked the chicken before grinding it up, with all the bones, twice. Isis has never refused scraps of meat, and happily gobbled up all of the chicken paste we put before her.

(It was a paste because the meat mixture also contained all of the water that we’d used to pressure cook the chicken. In retrospect, it was way too much water. We cut back on the second batch and it turned out much better.)

Though some people reported that their cats—also suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome from food allergies—healed overnight with the Miracle Chicken Diet, I would say that it took two full days for Isis to revitalize. She slept soundly during most of those first 48 hours when she wasn’t eating her chicken mash, though she did still have some lingering, er, toxins, to expel from her body.

I still haven’t decided which powdered vitamin supplement to order, but I understand that Isis shouldn’t go much longer without having at least a taurine additive. Because bad things will happen to cats without it. I went to PetSmart a couple weeks ago to see if they had any supplements and found something called “Cranberry & Papya Digestive Supplement” made by Pet Authority. This liquid has 50 mg of taurine per serving, plus vitamin A, vitamin C, and “billions of friendly Micro Organisms” like Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Lactobacillus Fermentum.

I was more disappointed than surprised that Isis didn’t handle her first dose well. She was sick for two days afterward, so the nearly-full bottle is stashed away in the fridge. I may try it again in a couple weeks with one teaspoon of liquid instead of two to see if she has a similar reaction. She really only needs the taurine—I doubt the cranberry and papaya serve more purpose than to attract health-conscious humans with buying power.

While I was at PetSmart, I spent some time looking at labels on cat food. Almost every single brand contained multiple grain products: corn, wheat, soy, oatmeal, barley, and rice. Yes, that includes the “good” foods like Iams and Hill’s Science Diet. Not to mention that Hill’s Hypoallergenic Prescription Diet has soy! A couple higher-end products, like Blue, had only brewer’s rice in them—which Isis MIGHT be able to handle, but right now I’m not taking any chances.

I found one brand of canned cat food that contains no grains: By Nature. One 6 oz. can of Organic Cat Food: Canned cost $1.59 plus tax, but contains only meat, liver, water, guar gum, and vitamin supplements. It actually cost less per ounce than Blue, which contains rice. I bought a couple cans to supplement Isis’ ground chicken diet until I obtain supplement powder, and she freakin’ loves the food. If cost were not a concern, I could easily feed her exclusively By Nature canned cat food. For right now, we feed her a can about every third/fourth day, and some extra cans are stashed in the cupboard in case of emergency.

How wonderfully is Isis doing on her new diet?

• She gained 1.5 pounds back
• Her coat is thick and she’s practically stopped shedding
• She sleeps more peacefully and takes longer naps
• She is more social with us and our other 2 cats
• She purrs more than she ever has before
• Her poop no longer requires immediate evacuation of the neighborhood

Seriously, on that last point: for over a year, we had to clean both litter boxes at least once a day. Her poop is now normal and we don’t think she even goes every day anymore. I’ve never been so happy to clean the litter!

Everybody in the house is enjoying life a little more these days.