Cat food for sensitive stomachs may be needed for your cat if he displays symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea. The food will contain ingredients that are less likely to cause an upset stomach and are easily digested by the cat’s system.
Ingredients in Cat Food for Sensitive Stomachs
The ingredients in the food for felines with sensitive stomachs are carefully chosen so that the cat will tolerate the food and there will be no adverse reactions such as vomiting, gas or diarrhea. Common ingredients included in diets for cats with sensitive stomachs may include:
- Egg protein
- Rice
- Oats
- Wheat
- Chicken or turkey
These ingredients facilitate the digestion process, as they contain fibers and are not irritant ingredients. Typically, these recipes include one protein source and one source of carbohydrates, which won’t cause any intestinal distress.
However, your pet may display symptoms of an upset stomach even when on such a diet. In this case, you should do some elimination trials and put your pet on a strict diet that will include all of the ingredients from his previous diet minus an ingredient. You will eliminate an ingredient at a time, every 2 weeks, until you detect the ingredient that causes the adverse reactions.
Commercial Foods for Sensitive Stomachs
Your vet may indicate a number of foods that have been specially created for felines with sensitive stomachs. You should check the ingredients on the labels and make sure your cat can tolerate all of these. In some cases, you may have to try several meals before finding one that agrees with your pet. Some commercial cat food for sensitive stomachs will include:
- Royal Canin Special 33 Feline Nutrition
- Purina One Adult Cat Sensitive Formula
- Eukanuba Sensitive Stomach Adult Cat
- Science Diet Sensitive Stomach for Adult Cats
Home Made Food for Sensitive Stomach
If you choose to make the meals for your cat, you should consult your vet and include ingredients such as:
- Chicken or turkey
- Cottage cheese
- Rice
- Oatmeal
These ingredients are easy to digest and will typically not cause gas, vomiting or diarrhea. You may also introduce other ingredients that you know your cat tolerates. You can also test if the cat can tolerate certain ingredients by introducing an ingredient every 2 weeks. If no allergic reactions occur, the cat tolerates the ingredient.
It’s important to switch to a diet that your pet tolerates, as chronic vomiting and diarrhea will lead to dehydration and the cat won’t get the nutrients that he needs on a daily basis. In addition to choosing or preparing a special diet for your cat, you should also make sure that he won’t have access to table scraps or other ingredients that he may not tolerate.
When switching to the new food, make sure the transition is gradual and introduce only small amounts of the new diet at a time. The transition to the new diet can take up to 2 weeks. Your cat may display symptoms of an upset stomach if the transition is too abrupt.