Cat diagnosed with possible IBD

[Cat_f66]

My 8 Yr old boy has been diagnosed with possible IBD after several expensive tests at vets such as ultrasound, blood work, fecal samples. I'm finding it very difficult to get him to eat hypoallergenic allergen Dechra food (recommended by vet) he won't eat any dry food and has become v picky with most wet food (he used to eat anything given). His chronic diarrhoea is not improving on steroids yet. The other day, he had diarrheoa and threw up nearly at same time...

Please advise, would appreciate any help. Should I just let him eat what he prefers while he's ill or strictly stick to the diet food? I don't want him to lose too much weight.

Can you make cats fussy by giving them too many diff brands to try?

Thank you

[Mollycat]

Oh dear, I feel for you, I went through similar with my boy the last couple of years but he was 15. At that age things are very different, we didn't have a load of tests because of his age and because either of the main things the vet suspected had the same treatment plan anyway, steroids. They took a few days to kick in and for him to feel better and start eating again, but they couldn't completely stop the problem and he lost weight in sudden dramatic drops - 800g in one 6-day period.

There are members here with younger cats with problems, including some like myself who don't have a definitive diagnosis, so when you're reading old stuff do include the lymphoma threads as the problem and treatment options are virtually the same.

As for what he eats, it all depends what is your priority. If a cat won't eat what's good for him, you can try to out-stubborn him with the health risks that brings, or you can give him less than ideal food that still gives him the basic nutrition he needs and keeps him from losing too much weight. It's likely he is getting more fussy because he feels unwell, more than because he is getting offered more different foods. Think when we are feeling a bit ill and we don't want any of the foods that are good for us!

[susand]

Hi, I had a cat with IBD. The vet didn't even try him on the hydrolysed stuff because she said he wouldn't eat it. She advised either Royal Canin Gastrointestinal or Royal Canin Sensitivity Control, wet food pouches. He was fine on both. He was never given treats, as these can cause problem flair ups, and only water to drink, never milk. He was well controlled on that but did get recurrences if he was stressed (eg when we moved house). Stress is a big factor with IBD in cats.

Also, if he went outside he'd occasionally eat something he shouldn't. I caught an elderly neighbour giving him a saucer of milk once! Kitty Collars sells a collar with "Please do not feed me" written on it which might help if he's the type to go scrounging but there will be occasions where he's scavenged something and it disagrees with him, such as the time mine discovered a cream cake someone had dropped and left on the pavement. I saw him descend on it from an upstairs window but by the time I got to him he'd licked off all the cream. He was ill for 2 days.

When he stuck to his diet though he was generally fine.