Expert: KC - 4/10/2008

Question
I would appreciate ANY help you can give me or suggestions you can make for finding an appropriate food for my cat. He has been diagnosed with food allergies (specifically, allergic to chicken, turkey, tuna, eggs, milk, alfalfa, kelp, white potato, and wheat!) Spike is a 4.5 yr old neutered male Oriental Shorthair.  His regular diet for the last three years (as long as I have had him) has been a mixture of raw food and canned Wellness turkey or chicken flavor.  I originally made the raw food myself, using the recipe from catnutrition.org, then started using Feline's Pride raw turkey diet.  

Spike has been under a great deal of stress the last six months.  Last December, we lost our other cat, Jada, a spayed female Siamese, at the age of 18.5 years.  She died from renal failure/heart failure.  After Jada died, Spike stopped eating for 2-3 days.  He was very depressed and lethargic.  He had never been alone before.  About 2 weeks after Jada died, I brought home two Oriental kittens, Lulu and Isabel.  The girls were five months old.  Spike was interested in them and started eating/playing and acting somewhat normally.  However, within a month, he developed a bad case of chin acne and started scratching his chin/face area.  I took him in for a dental cleaning, thinking that his teeth may be bothering him.  His teeth were cleaned and he had no major problems and no extractions.  However, the scratching continued and progressed to his entire body.  He also started overgrooming.  He had little scabby places and bald spots on several places on his body.  I tried a variety of treatments, including Rescue Remedy, other flower essences, Young Living essential oils (topical only), cleaning his chin with acne cleanser, etc.  We checked his blood work (complete panel) twice in a three month period because he seemed to be losing weight and his breathing at times looked funny to me.  All bloodwork was normal.  Then we did the blood test for food allergies, and it came back positive for everything I mentioned above.  At that time, we also treated him homeopathically with Thuja.  That was about a month ago.  Since then, I have tried him on various foods.  He is a good boy and eats just about anything.  We have tried EVO venison and EVO duck.  I have been unable to locate EVO rabbit, but Spike does like rabbit.  He also liked the ZiwiPeak Lamb.  He loves any straight meat, but I know I would need to supplement if I use straight meat.  I can no longer use the Feline's Pride, because they put chicken organ meat in all flavors (not just chicken) and they use eggs and kelp, too.  Do you know of any raw diet that may be appropriate, considering his allergies?  Can you tell me anything about what to expect with these allergies?  The vet said that it could take MONTHS for his skin condition to settle down.  He is still licking and scratching, but not as much.  I am willing to do anything for him, including make a raw diet that will be healthier than canned.  I am not sure about the heart problem......how to find hearts from other animals, if for example, I use rabbit meat, etc.  Please, please, I would appreciate any suggestions or input at all!  (Sorry for the length of this message!)  Thanks, Kim

Answer
Hi Kim,

I'm sorry to hear that your cat has been having such severe problems.  I would really recommend using a rabbit-based food, preferably raw if you can find it.  Nature's Variety makes a good rabbit based food in both frozen raw (which is supplemented) and canned.  I've had much success with those products in cats with very severe allergies.  If you do choose to make your own raw, I really recommend a product called Platinum Performance Feline.  It's a powder and it takes a very small amount, so a can will last quite a while.  Do a web search for their products...they make products for people, dogs, and horses as well.  A lot of top breeders who feed only raw use Platinum Performance only, as it fully supplements without your having to worry about your cat getting the proper nutrients.  Do be sure to include a variety of meat types when making your own though, such as organ meat, connective tissue, muscle, etc.  It's also great for their teeth if you give them raw bones...if your cat will chew on them or eat them.  
It can take months for an allergy to clear up.  You may want to talk to your vet about giving him a steroid shot such as Dexamethasone (it usually lasts for a month or longer) or else steroid pills such as Prednisone.  It can greatly decrease itching, inflammation, and discomfort if the symptoms are severe.  Thus helping him to recover until he's been on a different diet for a while.  However, I don't recommend using steriods long-term.  They are fine for short term treatment, but their long term constant use can lead to problems.   
Also, be sure to stick to a twice a day feeding schedule.  I recommend this for all cats and dogs.  However, for those with allergies it's particularly important.  
Oh, and you asked about where to get specific meat parts when making your own diet.  This company sells all types of meat and cuts: http://www.omaspride.com/products.htm
You can also check with local butcher shops, processing/packing plants, and grocery stores.  I've found it harder to find rabbit meat than others, so usually order from the site I mentioned in addition to feeding the Nature's Variety raw rabbit.  You may have luck finding a rabbit breeder in your area who butchers and cleans them to sell to local shops.  
Hope this helps...