Hypoallergenic Cat Food
All About Hypoallergenic Cat Food
If your cat is displaying consistent symptoms of discomfort, you should consider switching to hypoallergenic cat food for a time. That will help you to determine whether food allergies or intolerance are causing the discomfort.
Food allergies often develop from too much exposure to a certain type of food such as dairy or carbohydrates (like wheat). Cats can have similar problems as humans in that eating such foods results in upset stomach, diarrhea, skin rash or other uncomfortable and even painful situations. Some cats develop their allergies because of the high content of common food sources such as chicken, eggs or fish. When you switch to a hypoallergenic cat food, you are generally replacing those common sources with more uncommon sources that will not cause a reaction in your pet.
Since your cat is essentially a carnivore, he will still need plenty of protein in his diet. Hypoallergenic brands of food can include things such as duck, rabbit or lamb as the source of protein. They may also include alternative forms of carbohydrates such as peas or sweet potatoes, instead of grains. Replacing these common allergens with other foods will continue to give your pet the nutrients he needs without the reaction that causes him pain.
Many pet owners will not think of switching to hypoallergenic cat food at first. They will see signs of a skin rash that is similar to many other cat conditions and attempt to treat them as such, or simply leave them to clear up on their own. If your pet has a recurring condition, be it on their skin or in their digestive track (for example diarrhea), changing your cat’s diet on a trial basis will allow you to see whether or not the condition is allergy related.
Spread the trials out over a two week period. Find a brand of cat food that is hypoallergenic and tasty for your pet. (They still need to eat as much as they would normally in order for the trial to be fair and accurate.) Consistently feed them the new food, being sure to keep any treats within the same parameters – do not feed them something as a treat that is not included in the ingredients of the hypoallergenic food. After two weeks, consider the severity of the condition. Has it been alleviated? Are the symptoms still present and how much have they changed?
If the symptoms have not changed, you may need to try another hypoallergenic brand of food. They are not all created equal. It is important that you not choose a food with too drastic a change in ingredients, especially carbohydrates, as this will cause the cat further digestive difficulties. Source out a new brand and begin the two week trial again, watching for the symptoms to decrease significantly or disappear altogether.
Assuming the symptoms have gone down or disappeared now is the time to reintroduce the old cat food. Then watch for the symptoms again. If they reappear or flare up, you have found the source of the problem and you can then switch permanently to the hypoallergenic cat food. If they do not, you can choose which food you prefer as it is unlikely allergies are causing the problem.
Your pet’s troubles can also be because of the content of their food, such as eating one that is too high in carbohydrates. Look for a food that contains about 5 – 10% carbohydrates and no more, as your cat’s natural tendencies will require it to have more protein-based food. Simply switching to a food higher in protein will help your pet.
The health and comfort of your cat is important to you. Hypoallergenic cat food can be a good way to decrease symptoms of pain and discomfort. Putting your cat through trial diets in order to find the one that’s right for them is time well spent. Your cat will thank you.