Valuable Information
This section is all about helping to arm you with the best knowledge possible so you can help your kitty to
stabilize their condition, strengthen their immune system and hopefully stop IBD from becoming anything worse.
The intent is to educate you, the parent. To give you many different choices and options so you can make the
best decision for your family member and help them to live a long, healthy and happy life. This section will cover
all the different foods that are non-irritating, natural-based and most of all tasty to your pet. Supplements,
herbal remedies, vitamins, tips from other pet owners and links to other sources of reading and supportive
information is also available here.
If there's anything in these sections that we haven't covered and you'd like to see us cover, or if you have any
tips, food, or something that's worked for your cat, please go to the contact us page and fill out the proper form.
One of the first things you'll be told about in regard to treating IBD is changing your cat’s diet. Dry food isn't
good for their digestive tract because it’s already extremely irritated and they need all the moisture they can get
out of canned food. Especially if your cat has diarrhea with their IBD, they can easily get dehydrated. Also, dry
food is notorious for the way it's over-processed leaving not much left for nutrients, which is something your cat
will need every last bit of. Even if your cat doesn't currently have any digestive problems, staying away from
any and all of the following ingredients, if it can be helped, will benefit you and your cat in the long run.
Look for foods that are free of grains. Cats are natural carnivores and domestication hasn't changed that. Corn is
one of the worst things that can be added to cat food, as it's highly indigestible even for humans. I happen to love
corn, but I don't eat it every day and neither should your cat. In fact, they shouldn't eat it at all. When an
outdoor or feral cat gets hungry, does it run for a corn or wheat field for dinner? Absolutely not! It goes hunting
for birds, rodents, frogs…MEAT.
Wheat, wheat germ, wheat gluten, barley, rye, oats or oatmeal for an IBD kitty, are ingredients that are known
to irritate the GI tract. Try and stay away from anything that could possibly cause further inflammation. You're
bound to get so frustrated you'll just give in and feed them whatever they want. That will turn out to be a
mistake as it will probably cause vomiting and/or diarrhea or constipation issues. But if they are currently doing
fine on a certain food (even dry food), and it has some of the ingredients listed, please don't stop feeding it to
them. The most important thing is keep them eating. Rice is probably the least one of these ingredients to affect
an IBD kitty, although there’s always a chance something will. You just have to try it and see. Keeping a diary or
journal of what foods can and can’t be tolerated, along with the same information about medications,
supplements, etc. will help you a great deal to stay better focused on what kind of treatments to stick with.
Gluten allergies in humans cause high increases of celiac disease every year. celiac disease is an extreme allergic
autoimmune response to gluten and it can also be life threatening. Gluten is a protein that's commonly found in
Rye, Wheat and Barley. People can easily change their diet and lifestyle once diagnosed. Cats are the hardest to
feed of most pets because they're already finicky eaters. Diet change with IBD is a must for their survival and is
nothing short of a miracle with cats. But it can be done and must be done slowly and methodically.
Just like a person with IBD, colitis, diverticulitus, etc., cats need to stop eating an entire can in one meal. Your
cat will probably have to eat several to many small meals per day. This is the best way to ensure that your cat
doesn’t gorge itself in one sitting and then vomit the half digested food shortly to several hours afterwards. It’s a
common problem with IBD kitties and even though you need and want to keep them eating, many small meals is
the best way to go. This gives your cat time to digest each small meal and hopefully not regurgitate it. Each time
an IBD kitty vomits it irritates the GI tract with acid reflux usually occurring as well. Vomit sometimes contains
white foam or bile that’s backing up from the liver and pancreas excretions. A person with a bleeding ulcer can
tell you how much that hurts. So now you know why you’re kitty stops eating. Because when they get nauseas
and vomit, it hurts.
You want to feed a single, novel protein like rabbit, lamb, duck or venison; something that your cat isn’t usually
exposed to in their diet. These are specially processed to break down the structure of the protein into multiple,
tiny particles that the immune system will not recognize as an allergen. Food allergies are one source of
inflammation and this is one way of “tricking” the immune response in your cat’s body. Sometimes it’s a specific
allergy they have to chicken, beef, egg, etc. It’s a process of elimination.
Stick with low fats and carbohydrates as these are converted into energy and the unused portion stored away
for future use. But if the cat’s GI tract is already compromised, the rest of the organs will have to work harder to
break these down, including the liver. If too much fat and carbohydrates gets stored in the liver things can
quickly escalate to hepatic lipidosis, (fatty liver disease). Feeding a low fat/carb diet will give the liver and the GI
tract a chance to rest. Even healthy cats should only be allowed to ingest 3-5% of carbohydrates per meal,
because cats don't have the natural biological enzymes and enzyme pathways to process carbohydrates.
If your cat has diarrhea, sometimes a low residue, low fiber diet can greatly improve their stools. A low residue
diet contains limited amounts of undigested or only partially digested ingredients and limits the amount of food
waste that has to move through the large intestine. This diet may help control diarrhea and abdominal cramping.
Adding a teaspoon a day of 100% pure, canned pumpkin to their food also does wonders to help improve
symptoms of diarrhea. Don’t get the pumpkin pie filling; get the 100% pure pumpkin. It looks like squash when
you open the can. The pie filling has a lot of sugar in it. If your kitty has severe diarrhea due to antibiotics you
can add a teaspoon per meal instead of one teaspoon a day. Both my kittens were recently on antibiotics for
upper respiratory infections and the pumpkin took care of the diarrhea but I had to put it in every meal.
Also, no more treats unless they’re free of any of the ingredients I’ve mentioned and are all natural and/or
organic. Treats are just as capable of making your kitty vomit or get diarrhea. It really doesn’t take much at all.
Your cat can be doing so well and you may feel guilty for not giving them out. But it will suffer even more if it
gets an IBD attack from one small treat. Just keep reminding yourself of that and you’ll realize it’s better this
way. Pet food companies are growing more and more aware of the epidemic of feline GI problems and are
coming out with new and safer food products all the time. Treats are no exceptions.
Think about elevating your cat’s food dish as well. You can easily get something at just about any pet store to do
that. When a cat eats as quickly as they tend to do with their heads facing in a downward direction, they don’t
usually pick their heads up to swallow. They just inhale. Keeping their heads slightly elevated or even with their
neck while eating helps to ensure the food goes in one direction, down.
Some people have asked me about water filters and I myself have a filter hooked up to my kitchen sink and only
give filtered water to my cats, no tap at all. I feel it’s best for my own health as well and this way none of us get
the chemicals and contaminates that are in city water. I have a section about this on the food page and a link for
a good filter that provides more than adequate protection from parasites and chemicals.
Sometimes a cat will suddenly change its preference of food for no apparent reason at all. It’s good to keep at
least two or three difference foods in the house at all times for this reason. Even if your cat doesn’t have IBD,
veterinarians are now recommending you rotate their food choices very often. This will discourage their bodies
from getting used to one set of ingredients and developing an allergy to it. Would you want to eat the same thing
for the rest of your life? I highly doubt it, and they shouldn't either.
This chart is a wonderful tool you can print out and use to help you keep track of your kitty's symptoms,
medications, etc. on a daily basis. Charts like this one can make your life a lot easier. Patient Diary.pdf
Please go to the food page for more information on specific foods for IBD kitties and for giving healthy cats better
feeding options.
stabilize their condition, strengthen their immune system and hopefully stop IBD from becoming anything worse.
The intent is to educate you, the parent. To give you many different choices and options so you can make the
best decision for your family member and help them to live a long, healthy and happy life. This section will cover
all the different foods that are non-irritating, natural-based and most of all tasty to your pet. Supplements,
herbal remedies, vitamins, tips from other pet owners and links to other sources of reading and supportive
information is also available here.
If there's anything in these sections that we haven't covered and you'd like to see us cover, or if you have any
tips, food, or something that's worked for your cat, please go to the contact us page and fill out the proper form.
One of the first things you'll be told about in regard to treating IBD is changing your cat’s diet. Dry food isn't
good for their digestive tract because it’s already extremely irritated and they need all the moisture they can get
out of canned food. Especially if your cat has diarrhea with their IBD, they can easily get dehydrated. Also, dry
food is notorious for the way it's over-processed leaving not much left for nutrients, which is something your cat
will need every last bit of. Even if your cat doesn't currently have any digestive problems, staying away from
any and all of the following ingredients, if it can be helped, will benefit you and your cat in the long run.
Look for foods that are free of grains. Cats are natural carnivores and domestication hasn't changed that. Corn is
one of the worst things that can be added to cat food, as it's highly indigestible even for humans. I happen to love
corn, but I don't eat it every day and neither should your cat. In fact, they shouldn't eat it at all. When an
outdoor or feral cat gets hungry, does it run for a corn or wheat field for dinner? Absolutely not! It goes hunting
for birds, rodents, frogs…MEAT.
Wheat, wheat germ, wheat gluten, barley, rye, oats or oatmeal for an IBD kitty, are ingredients that are known
to irritate the GI tract. Try and stay away from anything that could possibly cause further inflammation. You're
bound to get so frustrated you'll just give in and feed them whatever they want. That will turn out to be a
mistake as it will probably cause vomiting and/or diarrhea or constipation issues. But if they are currently doing
fine on a certain food (even dry food), and it has some of the ingredients listed, please don't stop feeding it to
them. The most important thing is keep them eating. Rice is probably the least one of these ingredients to affect
an IBD kitty, although there’s always a chance something will. You just have to try it and see. Keeping a diary or
journal of what foods can and can’t be tolerated, along with the same information about medications,
supplements, etc. will help you a great deal to stay better focused on what kind of treatments to stick with.
Gluten allergies in humans cause high increases of celiac disease every year. celiac disease is an extreme allergic
autoimmune response to gluten and it can also be life threatening. Gluten is a protein that's commonly found in
Rye, Wheat and Barley. People can easily change their diet and lifestyle once diagnosed. Cats are the hardest to
feed of most pets because they're already finicky eaters. Diet change with IBD is a must for their survival and is
nothing short of a miracle with cats. But it can be done and must be done slowly and methodically.
Just like a person with IBD, colitis, diverticulitus, etc., cats need to stop eating an entire can in one meal. Your
cat will probably have to eat several to many small meals per day. This is the best way to ensure that your cat
doesn’t gorge itself in one sitting and then vomit the half digested food shortly to several hours afterwards. It’s a
common problem with IBD kitties and even though you need and want to keep them eating, many small meals is
the best way to go. This gives your cat time to digest each small meal and hopefully not regurgitate it. Each time
an IBD kitty vomits it irritates the GI tract with acid reflux usually occurring as well. Vomit sometimes contains
white foam or bile that’s backing up from the liver and pancreas excretions. A person with a bleeding ulcer can
tell you how much that hurts. So now you know why you’re kitty stops eating. Because when they get nauseas
and vomit, it hurts.
You want to feed a single, novel protein like rabbit, lamb, duck or venison; something that your cat isn’t usually
exposed to in their diet. These are specially processed to break down the structure of the protein into multiple,
tiny particles that the immune system will not recognize as an allergen. Food allergies are one source of
inflammation and this is one way of “tricking” the immune response in your cat’s body. Sometimes it’s a specific
allergy they have to chicken, beef, egg, etc. It’s a process of elimination.
Stick with low fats and carbohydrates as these are converted into energy and the unused portion stored away
for future use. But if the cat’s GI tract is already compromised, the rest of the organs will have to work harder to
break these down, including the liver. If too much fat and carbohydrates gets stored in the liver things can
quickly escalate to hepatic lipidosis, (fatty liver disease). Feeding a low fat/carb diet will give the liver and the GI
tract a chance to rest. Even healthy cats should only be allowed to ingest 3-5% of carbohydrates per meal,
because cats don't have the natural biological enzymes and enzyme pathways to process carbohydrates.
If your cat has diarrhea, sometimes a low residue, low fiber diet can greatly improve their stools. A low residue
diet contains limited amounts of undigested or only partially digested ingredients and limits the amount of food
waste that has to move through the large intestine. This diet may help control diarrhea and abdominal cramping.
Adding a teaspoon a day of 100% pure, canned pumpkin to their food also does wonders to help improve
symptoms of diarrhea. Don’t get the pumpkin pie filling; get the 100% pure pumpkin. It looks like squash when
you open the can. The pie filling has a lot of sugar in it. If your kitty has severe diarrhea due to antibiotics you
can add a teaspoon per meal instead of one teaspoon a day. Both my kittens were recently on antibiotics for
upper respiratory infections and the pumpkin took care of the diarrhea but I had to put it in every meal.
Also, no more treats unless they’re free of any of the ingredients I’ve mentioned and are all natural and/or
organic. Treats are just as capable of making your kitty vomit or get diarrhea. It really doesn’t take much at all.
Your cat can be doing so well and you may feel guilty for not giving them out. But it will suffer even more if it
gets an IBD attack from one small treat. Just keep reminding yourself of that and you’ll realize it’s better this
way. Pet food companies are growing more and more aware of the epidemic of feline GI problems and are
coming out with new and safer food products all the time. Treats are no exceptions.
Think about elevating your cat’s food dish as well. You can easily get something at just about any pet store to do
that. When a cat eats as quickly as they tend to do with their heads facing in a downward direction, they don’t
usually pick their heads up to swallow. They just inhale. Keeping their heads slightly elevated or even with their
neck while eating helps to ensure the food goes in one direction, down.
Some people have asked me about water filters and I myself have a filter hooked up to my kitchen sink and only
give filtered water to my cats, no tap at all. I feel it’s best for my own health as well and this way none of us get
the chemicals and contaminates that are in city water. I have a section about this on the food page and a link for
a good filter that provides more than adequate protection from parasites and chemicals.
Sometimes a cat will suddenly change its preference of food for no apparent reason at all. It’s good to keep at
least two or three difference foods in the house at all times for this reason. Even if your cat doesn’t have IBD,
veterinarians are now recommending you rotate their food choices very often. This will discourage their bodies
from getting used to one set of ingredients and developing an allergy to it. Would you want to eat the same thing
for the rest of your life? I highly doubt it, and they shouldn't either.
This chart is a wonderful tool you can print out and use to help you keep track of your kitty's symptoms,
medications, etc. on a daily basis. Charts like this one can make your life a lot easier. Patient Diary.pdf
Please go to the food page for more information on specific foods for IBD kitties and for giving healthy cats better
feeding options.
Copyright © IBD Kitties 2008-2010, all rights reserved. Contact us at info@ibdkitties.net
To go to our Feline IBD
Support Group and talk
with other IBD Kitty
parents, click on the Care2
logo! Or go to:
www.care2.com/c2c/grou
p/FelineIBD
Support Group and talk
with other IBD Kitty
parents, click on the Care2
logo! Or go to:
www.care2.com/c2c/grou
p/FelineIBD
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