Is my cat allergic to her food?

Question

I feed my 2 year old female cat a mixture of Purina One and Fancy Feast. Lately, she hasn't been eating at all and has been very anti-social, hiding under my bed and in the closet. It seems as if she's hungry but whenever I give her food she refuses to eat it. She tries to swallow it but then gags and runs under the bed. At first I thought something was caught in her throat and tried to have a look but she wouldn't let me anywhere near her mouth. Then today my brother was making a tuna sandwich and he decided to give her some tuna. She ate half the can!! Could it be that she is allergic to the food I'm feeding her or that she's developed an intolerance to it?

Answer 1

It's possible. Try some differnt wet foods and see how she does.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It's completely species inappropriate.

All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don't need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol' house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones,  urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall,  wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

I recommend varying the diet with a constant rotation of accepted canned foods that your cat enjoys. If you do this, and allow your cat the same assortment they would have in nature when eating mice, bugs, birds and rabbits, your cats’ digestive system won't be so sensitive and you won't have to run around looking for a specific brand when your store is out. You will have a nice variety to choose from instead.

Canned foods I recommend for your rotation:

Nature's Variety - http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.la...

Wellness Grain Free Formula’s - http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_welln...

By Nature Organics - http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/productp...

Organix -  http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/store/org...

Evanger's Holistic Pheasant - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/20089...

Evanger's Organic Braised Chicken - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/50103...

Evanger's Turkey & Butternut Squash - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/50111...  

Answer 2

Allergies usually show up with skin/fur problems.  But she may simply not like what you are feeding her.  When you stated she starts to gag, I wondered if there was a fur ball blockage in her stomach that she hasn't been able to upchuck.  But since she ate the tuna, perhaps that is not the problem.  While human destined tuna is not good for cats, since it lacks taurine (some small amounts are all right, but not a steady diet), consider a cat food tuna alternative to see if that is what she will eat.

Some cats over time come to dislike some of the ingredients in the food, and it can take awhile for that to show up.

She might have a tooth problem, and the tuna triggered her hunger, so a vet visit is not ill advised.  Often, a sudden change in a cat's behavior suggests a medical issue.

Try some high quality cat food tuna, and see if that makes a change in her behavior.  While suggesting a specific brand is one way to wind up with lots of negative votes, my cats really like the 9 Lives tuna select varieties.  They get it as a once a day treat.

Answer 3

she might be sick. take her to the vet for sure. she might not like the mixture of the food or either type of food.

Answer 4

Try not feeding the dry food

Answer 5

Food allergies usually result in digestive upsets.  It sounds like she's just not feeling well.  The fact that she went for the tuna....it could mean that she's getting over it or it might just be that the tuna was so tempting.

Obviously you can't keep feeding her tuna long-term.  See how things go.  If her appetite returns and she comes out of hiding, you can consider it the feline equivalent of the 24 hour flu.  But if it continues, it definitely means something is wrong and I would suggest calling your vet.

Answer 6

she might have a stomach ache and dont want to eat because she knows she will throw it up so try to get her some regular mew mix. the tuna can make them get sick because it dont agree with there stomach.  another thing is you might want to give her some of stuff that makes a human throw up i am not sure what it is called. or take her to the vet.