# Older cat with IBS - food recommendations??



## hengal (Mar 7, 2005)

Hi everyone. One of our four cats is going to be 13 this year. (indoor) She started throwing up on a regular basis a few months ago we we took her to the vet. Told him she acted ok otherwise, although she had lost 2 pounds, from 11 down to 9, which is a big drop. He ran blood work on her and it came back fine. He thinks it's irritable bowel syndrome and gave us some steroid type pills to give her once a day. When I asked for how long he said she may have to be on them from now on. Ok, well I don't have to tell you how much fun it is to get a pill down a cat's throat - an unwilling cat at that. Admittedly I don't give this pill to her every single day. She does ok for a while then starts throwing up again. One of the very worst things about this is the odor of her bowel movements. OMG - it could (and does) clear the room. It is the strongest, worst smelling stuff. 
So - here is my question - does anyone pelase have any suggestions for food for her that might help heal her bowels and give her a boost of nutrition that I know she needs badly. Her coat is not fluffy anymore, and she's just looking ratty. I know cats can live a long time, but I don't want her to just keep going downhill. I believe in nutritional healing, so there must be something for her. Thanks in advance very much.


Also - I would be more than happy to make her meals from scratch myself - if any of you have tried that before with successs.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I would look for a canned food that is for cats with allergies or sensitive stomachs. Wellness is the most common brand people use for the price. Natural balance has more flavors. If you can't afford wet (all cats would do better on wet diets) then a dry of the same brands is a good idea. If you can find a dog bakery or a pet store that sells only food and supplies you'll find better quality food cheaper for both cat and dog than the pet store. Feed stores also have better prices but not always the good quality stuff.

As for giving pills that's not so difficult. Get a canned food and shove the pill in a chunk that's about bite size. The pill may need broken or cut and fed in a couple pieces. Natural balance roll for dogs also works. Cats do not chew their food very finely because of their teeth structure so if the chunk is the right size it will go down without them biting in to the pill. We've been giving pills 3 times a week for 3 years to one of our cats with an immune system disorder. It takes all of 2 mins these days.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Did the vet give you a pill popper? Ours gave us one. It looks like a syringe, but has a rubber tip that holds the pill. You push the syringe in and the air pops the pill down the cat's throat. Works like a charm.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Akane, you are my hero.

Have you tried giving her kefir? Maybe a teaspoon once a day? At her age she probably needs probiotics and the kefir provides a multitude.

I fed our outside cats a Pitcairn (oatmeal or mashed potatoes with cooked meat) diet many years ago. They loved it. Now, I would go with a BARF diet. If you put your cat on a BARF diet (Start out with chicken wings, if it works for you advance to adding liver) you'll find that her BM's smell horrible the first day, and she may smell horrible also. This is her body detoxing and is nothing to worry about.


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## Tracy (May 2, 2002)

IBS is a catch all term for digestive problems and I would bet the farm the IBS would go away if the cat was fed a proper raw diet.
If you are feeding dry cat food it is the absolute worse thing to feed an obligate carnivore.
Get a grain free wet canned food and get the kibble out of the house. Once feeding a wet food 2-3 times a day then work on transitioning the cat to raw.
This is by far the best website for info on feeding cats a species appropriate diet http://www.fnes.org

This link directly deals with IBS http://feline-nutrition.org/health/carnivore-digestion-and-inflammatory-bowel-disease


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