It seems that Valkyrie is allergic to chicken. I have at last brought her to the point where she is not eating any of it - or of turkey, just to be safe - and her poop has firmed up once more. It is a difficult spot for her, though, because she is not consistent in what she will eat now, though she most often likes Fussie Cat fish meals, and will consume other brands (eg. Ziwi mackerel) now and then. She not infrequently refuses to eat at dinner-time or snack-time, though she will eat later. It may be a matter of offering her food at irregular intervals, whenever she is hungry. For hard-food, she will accept a duck-and-green-pea variety, though her favourite remains Neville’s veterinary fare - which contains chicken. When she has gotten into something with chicken, the reversion to soft crap is swift. (And I cannot leave the duck-and-pea out at all times because Nev’s reaction is even more liquidy.)
Nonetheless, this is a step forward. We are aware of the problem (at least to my satisfaction at this time) and Valk will eat other, non-poultry food. If she is ever adopted, this knowledge will keep her healthy and hygienic.
It sure feels good when mysteries are solved, though the way to keep her away from the no-no noms is somewhat difficult...good luck keeping everyone pooping properly, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that the mystery is solved. It's difficult to feed a cat who has special dietary needs in a household with multiple cats. I've had to feed the cats on special diets in separate rooms and keep them isolated until the other cats were finished eating and all the food dishes were picked up.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you have found the culprit and that Valkyrie is having firm stools once again. Just one ingredient can cause major disruption. I think I told you before that Eric couldn't have anything containing beef. Flynn also went through a phase of diarrhoea (not when he was ill) and I tried everything to find the cause. I regularly looked on Google to see if others were having the same problem, and sure enough they were. His favourite brand had been changed to an "improved formula" without saying anything on the cans. I stopped giving that brand and all was good again.
ReplyDeleteCompanies will change formulae without notifying anyone, and the 'improvement' is usually cheaper for them to produce.
DeleteIt's good to have the culprit identified. Very hard to manage so many csts' dietary needs, though! Your ability to juggle it all never ceases to impress me, John.
ReplyDeleteGetting her on the right food is a great thing. And yes when she does get adopted you'll be able to explain just what she needs to eat and how healthy she is otherwise.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity chicken is such a common ingredient, but good for you for finding the culprit!
ReplyDeleteChicken seems to be in everything...
DeleteWe understand how fussy it is to keep a food from one when every other cat will eat it.
ReplyDeleteChicken and beef have been off our list for years now; the crew all seem to enjoy gamebird...whatever that is!
Good grief! Chicken. A fast favorite of many~ and wouldn't you know it is an anathema to Valk.
ReplyDeleteChicken is a common allergan for kitties, hooray for figuring that out!
ReplyDelete