Readers who are regulars on this site know we live with three cats. That’s down from a high of about nine back when we lived in Kaaawa, where cats were often either abandoned when nearby renters moved on, or were dumped as unwanted. Over the years, many of those ended up moving in with us.
Well, the three survivors are now all senior citizens. Duke, the diabetic, really should be mostly eating appropriately low carbohydrate foods, whether canned or dried. But, of course, the foods that would be best medically are among his least favorite. So I confess to regularly offering Duke and Romeo the equivalent of junk food. The favorites have been a few different flavors of Friskies paté. Both Duke and Romeo eat relatively enthusiastically when it is offered. Annie, for whatever reason, prefers dry foods and seems okay with them.
The problem is that Duke and Romeo both frequently exhibited the feline “snarf and barf” problem. Eat, maybe too much, then within a few minutes, barf it back up. I attributed it to gobbling too fast for their own good or, alternatively, as a symptom of hairballs.
But then I tried some Whole Paws brand canned cat food from Whole Foods. It is marketed as “grain free.” I don’t know whether that’s just a gimmick or not, but it turns out both the boys like it.
After several weeks eating Whole Paws, I noticed a major difference. The “snarf and barf” has disappeared. I don’t think it has occurred since we switched to Whole Paws.
My working hypothesis is that there is something in the Friskies that is hard for older cats to digest. Hence the “give it back” episodes. I don’t recall it being as much of an issue when they were younger.
What I don’t know is whether the Whole Paws food is bad for diabetic Duke. It may be grain free, but that doesn’t make it low carb, which would be best for him.
In any case, perhaps these observations will prove useful to others whose cats are experiencing similar issues. And I would be interested in the experience of other cat people out there.
