Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Cat won't eat meat

My description of the Bombay cat at cats.about.com often brings people to me asking if their cat is a Bombay or part Bombay. Yesterday I received an e-mail from a woman who has a Bombay who is scratching his hair off. Her veterinarian has given him numerous steroid shots, done allergy testing (he's allergic to rice, oats and, this is a new one on me, human dander, the cat is allergic to the caregiver). The woman has tried the numerous "special forumlas" such as duck and pea, which helped for a while, then the itching startd again. She wondered if this was a problem common in Bombay cats.

I suggested that she try Wysong all-meat canned food for a few weeks and see if that makes a difference.

She wrote back saying her cat won't eat meat. She also told me that her vet is suggesting a dermatologist vet and asked if there any real answer or just trial and error. I wrote back and told her yes, there was a real answer: her cat is an obligate carnivore and is not designed to eat plant matter. If she continues on the path that she is now with him, the dry food, steriods, etc. will ultimately kill him.