# Food Advice for Chicken/Turkey/Possibly Beef Allergy



## Geek_Chick82 (Mar 21, 2009)

Hello!

I'm hoping I can get some advice/food options for my kitty Lancelot who is showing signs of having at LEAST a chicken allergy, at MOST a chicken/turkey/beef allergy.

Backstory: Since I got him 5yrs ago, he's had episodes where every few months he'd throw up and couldn't stop. After various tests (including biopsies which turned up false for any issues), a vet recommended that he may have a food allergy. I haven't fed him chicken since June, and he hasn't had ONE flare-up since March!  He also seems to do better when he isn't being fed turkey or beef, but I don't know for sure if he'd be allergic to them or if he's just being a lazy bum.

I do plan on getting an allergy test done to determine his problem for sure, but until then I'm having a SUPER hard time finding any cat foods that don't have these 3 ingredients. Duck dinner! Has turkey liver. Lamb food! Has chicken.

I've found a dry kibble from Acana which he LOVES, but I'd rather feed him canned or raw. He grudgingly eats Primal Raw Pork in bits and pieces right now. I've been having the most luck with Duck and Lamb, I have yet to find a rabbit or venison he'll eat. Due to his pickiness I haven't been able to put him on a 100% 'novel protein' diet.

He'll eat any kind of fish food I give him, but from what I've read feeding a cat just fish all the time isn't a good idea?


**Note: I've seen a lot of raw dog foods that are a single protein (ex. Instinct Raw), much more than cat food. If I added a taurine supplement to these, could kitty eat them as long as they're basically meat/bone/organs? There's a local store which sells unispecies meat patties, and the only difference is that kitties need the taurine mixed in.

Cheers!


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## pathrunner (Aug 29, 2016)

Protein based allergies are difficult to deal with for sure. I would try to narrow down a bit more to start with. Alot of canned meats have nitrites or nitrates that actually cause the issues. 
Additionally, fish can indeed cause issues, but usually that is because people give just the fish. I had a friend who used to feed his cat nothing but canned tuna and her vet diagnosed her boy with worms, digestive, and circulatory issues because of it. To make it worse, her tabby was so used to tuna and mackerel that it took her months and dramatic weight loss to get him to eat anything else.
Fillers are also something else to consider. When my old girl was in her last days I found that celery was actually the best filler for her. Easily digestible when diced and cooked thoroughly. Corn and rice were both causing bowel issues and I am sure part of that was a result of the higher sugar content.
Keep us up to date on your progress as I know it will help many others in the future as well.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

ZiwiPeak makes a lot of novel proteins that don't have chicken, etc. The only reason I wouldn't call them single-protein foods is that I think all of them have green-lipped mussel (which I think is good for arthritis). Here's the ingredient list for the lamb: https://www.chewy.com/ziwipeak-daily-cat-cuisine-lamb/dp/34568

I think all Hound & Gatos foods are single protein too.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

I forgot Nature's Variety. Their rabbit has pork in it, but no chicken/turkey/beef. They have a LID rabbit too. And Evanger's. 

I hope you find something Lancelot likes!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

If you're looking at raw the rules are a bit different.

Taurine 'lives' in dark meats, the darker the meat looks the more taurine it has. So muscles meats like heart and tongue, as well as darker proteins like beef have more. However, grinding breaks down taurine.

Rather than supplement my cats with powdered taurine, I just make a point to feed them chunks of dark meats one a week. Usually heart currently.

This has worked well for me, all 4 cats get a clear bill of health each time we're at the vet, and this diet has also helped Doran grow out of a grade 3 heart murmur he had a a kitten. So, for me it's a win.

Often pets with allergies to processed food can handle the same kind of meat when it's raw and unprocessed. I experienced this with Jitzu when we first switched to raw. After 8 years on raw she's developed some sensitivities again, but she's also quite a bit older and we had a good stretch where she had no issues or very few issues.

JMO.


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## Geek_Chick82 (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks so much everyone! Saying this is frustrating would be an understatement  I found a local pet store which is ordering me in a case of NV Instinct L.I. Lamb and Duck for me this week, so I'm crossing my fingers that the little furball will eat at least one of them. I'm also going to look in to more raws and try to feed him an organ meat (thanks LibrarbyChick!). Even if I can get him eating raw while I'm home and leaving out a good-quality canned I'd be happy. He could still get his kibble treat to keep him happy.

Maybe along the line he might enjoy rabbit again, for the time being he still won't go near it. Picky boy -_- I'm amazed at the number of foods that have chicken in them, considering it's the #1 food allergen for cats! The gal at the pet store was blown away, too. I'll keep you updated on Lance's progress!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Definitely keeping fingers crossed for you and your picky eater. I've been trying to get Celia off fish for ages. The only wet food (out of about 50 - no exaggeration) she'd eat is Dave's chicken & tuna, but I tried the beef and she liked it. Since she gobbled up several cans over the past couple of months, I bought a case. And...she decided she didn't like it anymore. 21 cans sitting here. :roll:


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Lol, the best thing I've found for picky eaters is a rotation of foods to keep things fresh and interesting.

My raw fed kitties get each of these at least once a month (in order of frequency, roughly):

pork (a variety of ground, chunks, riblets, and tongue)
turkey (ground and gizzards or necks)
duck (ground)
chicken (ground and necks)
beef chunks (except Jitzu who now gets canned food on 'dark meat' night)
Cornish game hens

Occasional foods (once a month of less):
fish (fresh water whitefish)
alpaca/llama
goat
lamb
game meats (elk, moose, deer)

and Quail for birthdays and dinner. Except Jitzu who gets wild salmon on her birthday  They also get trout occasionally, when SO and I eat trout they get the heads and tails.


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## Geek_Chick82 (Mar 21, 2009)

Little Update: Kitty continues to drop foods from his appetite. I tried some LI Merrick duck and he won't go near it. Cancelled the NV food order, and have instead pushed his allergy test to next week. He's still eating kibble and fish wet, not ideal, but he won't starve. Let's find out what he's actually allergic to and go from there, I'm tired of wasting food on this.

I'm trying to get him to eat grain-free, raw, good-for-him foods, and he wants Friskies *rollseyes*


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Allergies aren't the same as 'not eating it'.

Friskies and other cheap food are like McDonalds for kitties - delicious, and not good for them.

If you really want to switch throw out all but a tiny plastic baggie of the kibble. Buy what you want him to eat, and start mixing it into the canned food he likes. Start with 75% of his preferred flavor of canned, and 25% of the raw food mixed in.

Cats have this interesting instinct where if they haven't been introduced to something in their first year of life it's put in a mental 'not food' category. You need to get him to try it, in a way that he'll eat it. Once he gets the taste and understands it's food things may change. It can take a long time though.

How to Transition Your Cat to a Raw Meat Diet - Feline Nutrition
Practical Guide


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## Geek_Chick82 (Mar 21, 2009)

Update!
We got the test results back for his food allergies, and chicken is definitely a no-no now, as well as rabbit, brewer's yeast, corn, rice, and barley...those are the big ones. A few more proteins are high-ish on the list, so chances are he'll develop a sensitivity to them eventually too.Thankfully he hasn't been on foods with grains in them for a long time!

They gave me a list of "Lancelot-Approved Foods", however it's a US list, so some of them might not be available here. I'll be pushing the raw again now that I know what his safe foods are.

I wonder what I feed him when he's eventually allergic to everything? He does enjoy bugs, lol.


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## eldercat (Jul 3, 2015)

Ok, so now you *know* it is really truly allergy, not just "don't like it". I wish you luck figuring out what to do. That's like having a kid who can't eat peanut butter or anything with peanut in it. The stuff is *everywhere*.

Maybe you'll have to raise crickets. Or you can look at sources for them - they are a popular lizard food, check your pet stores and they'll have magazines with ads for crickets and mealworms and such. Ick.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Oh wow, that sounds like it's going to be tricky to manage, but you must be relieved to know what specific ingredients to avoid. Out of curiosity, which are the proteins that are ok for him?


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## Geek_Chick82 (Mar 21, 2009)

Yup, this is definitely going to be interesting... \

The test I got back had a scale of 0-99= Negative, and 100+= Positive. Chicken and Rabbit are in the 120s, Lamb, Beef, Turkey, and Duck are in the 70s, Venison, Pork, and Fish are less than 60. Corn, Rice, and flax are in the 150+. I'm hoping that a wide variety of proteins will slow the sensitivities increasing, but the chances of needing to test him in a few years is there.

Anyone have any suggestions on other non-fowl-based meats? Alligator has been a no-go in the past, but he seems to enjoy the boar treats I've given him before


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Variety is the spice of life - the more different proteins the better!

Even with him testing high at the moment, you may find that once he's been on a diet that agrees with his system for a few months he may not react to them.

Often when they've been eating allergens for a long time their whole system is irritated and sensitized. So, if you can get his system calmed down and healed then what he's actually allergic to may be different.

That was how it worked with my allergy kitty. To be fair though, after 6 years of being totally fine on anything raw she's developed sensitivities again. But even so it's FAR better than it was when I first switched and she can still eat enough variety that I'm comfortable with it. She gets grain free canned food when the others get beef or other really dark meats now.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

My guess is that those results might be similar for many, if not most, kitties. Grains and chicken definitely seem to be the top offenders for kitties. 

Hmm. Other non-fowl proteins. Buffalo? Addiction has buffalo as well as brushtail, which seems to be a sort of opossum. The brushtail is ferociously expensive (nearly $70 a case!).


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## Geek_Chick82 (Mar 21, 2009)

Ooh, buffalo would be interesting  I have a mental image of my bored, fat cat taking one down as we speak, lol. Sadly the only location that use to sell it around here closed about a year ago...

It's curious- when I go to a local raw pet food provider, their ingredients list is, "Meat, Organs, Bones.", but commercial raw foods have 20-30 ingredients in them.


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