Sensitive stomach cat will not adjust to a wet food diet and I am desperate
I (F29) have had my cat here in the US since 2022. He is turning 7 years old this coming October. He has a regular vet & a specialist who does scans on his heart condition (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, not relevant to the current issue). He is caught up on his shots, he had his annual exam just a month ago.
This boy has puked every 5-7 days consistently in the 4 years he’s been with me. I have tried everything. Prescription diets, limited ingredient diets, probiotic supplements, anti-nausea meds, CatLax to help him digest his own hair so he stops forming as many hairballs, you freaking name it. The puking. Will. Not. Stop.
I know, I know, I KNOW he needs to be on a 100% wet food diet. I know the dry food is part of what is irritating him. I have tried THREE times to make the transition from dry to wet, and the most success I’ve had is a split of about 60/40 dry to wet. I’m in the middle of another attempt, and again, I have tried everything. Reducing the dry food so he’s incentivized by hunger to eat more wet food. Ignoring his begging for me to pet him while he eats dry food, but encouraging him with attention when eating wet food. Dropping toppers on the wet food. Different brands. Different proteins. Different textures. Giving him treats right next to the wet food bowl. Hell, I gave him PARMESAN CHEESE to try to get him to eat the wet food (he does like cheese, the little sh*t).
It’s been a few weeks, and he is dropping noticeable weight. He is already not large, an average of around 11.2 pounds. I can see his hipbones right now. I think he might be under 10 pounds (I will weigh him again tomorrow morning.)
He would rather fully starve himself than eat wet cat food. I am at my wit’s end, I do not know what the fuck else to do to get him to eat the wet food so he stops puking and tearing up his throat and his teeth and being all around miserable.
He does not have a food allergy. He does not have diagnosed IBD.
I am so, so lost and I have no idea how to help him and I feel like I have tapped all the resources my vet and the internet has. I do not know how to make this transition work, and I do not know how to help him stop throwing up everywhere.
I love him so much but I am fucking miserable and I feel so guilty that I can’t seem to help him.
I will take quite literally anything that anybody has to offer for advice, resources, encouragement, whatever.
Thank you.
**He is currently eating:
- Dr Elsey’s cleanprotein dry food, chicken.
- Fancy Feast gourmet naturals pate in chicken, salmon, tuna, and whitefish proteins
- Weruva BFF pate, he’ll eat beef, chicken, tuna, salmon
- I tried some sample cans of Koha Pet limited ingredient pate. He was entirely disinterested, and I am not dropping nearly $4/can if he’s only going to eat 20% of it
- Nulo Silky Mousse, chicken (tried 1 packet, he did seem to like it but then he projectile vomited 30 minutes later so I’m scared to try it again).
- I have ordered some Mouser cans to see if he’s interested in that, as well as Evanger’s EVX Restricted Diet.
**He will not eat:
- Turkey. Point blank.
- shredded texture wet food
- chunks in gravy wet food
- despises Tiki Cat brand foods/treats/toppers
- Instinct brand limited ingredient food
- also circulates hating the proteins he does eat, leaving me constantly guessing wtf to give him next to keep it interesting (lol).