Hi everyone!
I am new to this site and have joined as I would like some advice about my boy Judas. He is nearly 2 now and I just cannot seem to get his diet right. He was in and out of the vets when I first got him at 8 weeks old, with what turned out to be a lymph node infection, causing him to be extremely sick, constant vomiting etc. He came right after some antibiotics and a course of hypo-allergic kibble. Over a year later he has again been very ill with what has appeared to be the same symptoms. He had a series of blood tests which failed to reveal anything conclusive, so, as recommended by the vet I have again changed his food back to the hypo-allergic, the brand Z.D this time, after giving him a course of antibiotics. The meds cleared him up in a few days and his symptoms ceased, now I have been instructed to keep him on this Z.D kibble. Problem is he just wont eat it. I can tell hes hungry, because hell try eat anything else in the new vicinity, but he just picks at his own food and is barely eating one bowl of biscuits a day which is very concerning. The vet insists that he will start eating it when hes hungry enough, but what if he starves out of his own stubbornness? If anyone can offer any advice or had a similar issue in the past i would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks very much!
Sarah and Judas

It's tough to contradict your vet, since I don't believe anyone here has a vet degree. It would be important to understand why your vet believes that this particular food, that is mostly grain, is ideal for your cat, especially given his reluctance to eat it.

One thing I can offer though is that there is also a Science Diet Z/D in canned form. Perhaps that would be more palatable. Royal Canin also has equivalent foods, also in dry and canned, so you might ask your vet if those could be substituted. If the reason why your vet is prescribing this is because he believes this is a food allergy/intolerance issue, then there are also other brands that have what they call "limited ingredient" formulations that feature ingredients that aren't found in most other commercial cat foods. Google "cat limited ingredient food" and you'll find quite of few of these.

I personally don't agree with the "he'll eat when he's hungry enough". Cats rely so heavily on their sense of smell, and if something doesn't smell like food to them, they are not going to eat it. It's a defense mechanism. If it were me, I'd go back to the vet and ask him about these other foods and request he offer some alternatives. And if he is stubbornly dead-set on Science Diet Z/D dry food, then I'd go to a different vet. But that's just me, and I don't have a vet degree.

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The little monsters 3

I know personally from working with a vet and through trial and error with my own cats, vets are not educated with diet and nutrition. They know what is pushed on them from their suppliers. Most vet will push Science Diet and other Royal Canin. Neither of which, IMO, are great foods. They go by what their suppliers tell them and that's about it. Like Brian said you will probably need to go back and find out why this one food is the only food he can have. Cats can be extremely picky about their food and if they don't like the smell or texture of it they will not it eat, it's as simple as that. If it were my cat(I have done this with Jasper) I would keep searching until you either find a food that works yourself, or keep looking for a vet that will give you options.

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Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that Judas isn't wanting to eat. There are some vets who are knowledgeable with proper diet and nutrition for dogs and cats. Maybe your vet is not. Sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct. Your cat definitely needs to eat. I'm thinking your vet thinks Judas is allergic to certain ingredients in his food. I'd be mixing some other good stuff with the food -- or look carefully at the ingredients in the food and match up a different brand. You can always try a raw diet for Judas and see how that goes. There are so many options, you're sure to find something that he loves. Good luck.

Thanks so much for your advice everyone! I'm going to try a different hypo allergic food as suggested, last night he ate some homemade leftover meatloaf and loved it so I really do think the issue is with that particular brand. I'll call the vet today and discuss it first as I don't want to risk making him sick again. Hopefully well get to the bottom of it. Will let you all know the outcome! Thanks again!!
Sarah and judas