This tale begins slightly over 3 years ago fueled by my idiocy and my last ferret dying. My sweet, very derpy cat started to have some health problems.
Due to the absolute ridiculousness of this I felt like I had to share the story. I hope this can help someone else.
My cat, a DSH adopted from the shelter started having bowel issues shortly after the death of our last ferret. Loose stools, going outside of the litterbox, crying when pooping, and other poop problems.
Pre-vet I tried some things for upset cat stomachs like pumpkin and fiber additives. No effect.
Vet A - our normal vet. We return several times as we try several different things to resolve my poor cat's issues. He gets a standard round of dewormers and other meds to check him out. Issues resolve for like... 1 day.
Throughout the various vet visits I slowly tried different foods to see if there was a problem with the specific food and type he was eating. My targets were grain free, raw, brands, and "eff it, we're just going to hit random price points."
We tried:
- Purina Cat Chow Complete
- Blue Buffalo Adult
- Friskies Seafood Sensations
- 9 Lives Plus Care
- Rachel Raw Nutrish
- Friskies Seafood
- Eukanuba Chicken & Liver
- Raw chicken or fish featuring my cat refusing to acknowledge it
- Friskies Shreds - several varities
- Royal Canin Digest Sensitive
- Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach wet food
- Prescription Royal Canin I can't remember now
- Science Diet Adult Sensitive
- Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin (Lamb)
- Purina One Indoor Advantage
- Pruina True Instinct Grain Free
- Purina Cat Chow Naturals Grain Free
- Crave Grain Free
Cat #2 arrives. We thought the cat might be lonely and we got him a playmate. His new sister is perfectly fine and healthy, they love each other, no changes.
Vet A - Visit 2 - With the round of dewormers and other meds (it's been two years) doesn't work, the cat is prescribed Diazepam. The vet knows of the death of our ferret and thinks the cat might have some emotional issues. While my cat is stoned out of his fuzzy mind, this does not help the poop problem.
Vet A - Visit 3 - The vet gets a new round of meds for unlikely issues. He says if these don't work he would recommend talking to a specialist 3 hours away. The meds don't work. Bloodwork drawn was inconclusive to any issues.
Vet B - Just to get a second opinion I visit another local vet. After reviewing the medications that Vet A prescribed I am given two things - Fortiflora and Royal Canin special diet prescription food. I try them independently of each other and while the fortiflora seems to solidify the cat's poop a little, it's not doing much. An elimination diet with the Royal Canin has no effect.
Vet B Visit 2 - Go to the specialist.
The specialist - While very nice the specialist runs some tests and nothing really comes of this visit.
Fed up with three vet visits, lots of accident clean ups, and thousands of dollars later, I, in a fit of tears drive to a Walmart an hour away at 2 AM on a work night because I am at my wit's end. I try a "different protein" despite the fish and beef that was in the wet food. Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin (Lamb & Rice)
In my frustration I come home and poor some food directly in the bowl, mixing ratios be damned.
It works. It works!
We go on likes this for two weeks with Cat #2 eating leftovers of another failed experiment and then I fuck it up.
Who was the culprit all along? These pieces of s#!. You see, after the last ferret died I had commandeered their container [broke college kid] and started putting the cat food in it. When I moved, I bought a fancier, heavier duty one. When I moved again, I bought a different one on wheels.
My cat started having reactions once I stored the new food in the container. I buy another bag - he's fine. I give him a couple of days of the "contaminated" storage container - sick again. I had thoroughly washed it before storing the cat food in there. The fact that I've had three separate food containers only leads me to the logical conclusion that I, feeling like the worst pet parent ever, have been unintentionally fucking my cat up for the last three years. Although I feel slightly less bad because me, my husband, and three vets didn't figure this out.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/e8tqkn/the_ridiculous_tale_of_my_cat_is_allergic_to/
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