Cat food after duck protein reaction

It sounds like duck didn't agree with your Tonkinese at all — getting both skin flaking and loose stools together is a strong signal that duck protein is the culprit, and it's worth treating that as a confirmed intolerance rather than a coincidence. Digestive sensitivity in cats is usually food intolerance rather than a true allergy, and the most reliable fix is switching to a limited-ingredient food built around a novel protein — something your cat has never eaten before. To point you toward the right option, can you tell me: how long were the symptoms present, are they fully resolved now that you've stopped the duck food, and is your cat currently eating anything in the meantime?

That timeline makes complete sense — six weeks is long enough for a genuine intolerance reaction to build and affect both the gut lining and skin condition at the same time. The good news is that plain boiled chicken is exactly the right holding pattern, and the fact he's already improving confirms duck was the issue rather than something structural. Because he's responded well to plain chicken, his digestive system tolerates poultry in general — so you don't need to go to an exotic protein like venison or rabbit unless you want to. What I'd want to know before I suggest a specific food: has he had any reaction to fish in the past, and is he currently on any supplements or medication?

Perfect — that gives me a clear picture. My recommendation is Lily's Kitchen Chicken & Turkey Adult Cat Food in the wet tray format. It uses chicken and turkey as the sole named proteins, has no duck, no artificial additives, and no grain fillers that can aggravate a sensitive gut. The ingredient list is genuinely short for a complete food, which is exactly what you want when you're rebuilding gut tolerance after a reaction. Because he's already doing well on plain chicken, the transition to this should be smooth — start by mixing a small amount with his boiled chicken over four or five days rather than switching abruptly, and his system should settle fully within a fortnight. Avoid any food containing duck going forward, and keep duck off the table permanently — a second exposure to a confirmed intolerance trigger typically causes faster and more severe reactions.

Tonkinese as a breed don't have a documented predisposition to food intolerance the way some breeds do, so this is most likely individual to your cat rather than a breed pattern. That said, Tonkinese tend to be quite active and have a higher metabolic rate than many domestic breeds, so it's worth checking that whatever complete food you settle on meets the caloric needs of an active adult — Lily's Kitchen does, so you're fine there. The skin flaking alongside the gut symptoms is worth keeping an eye on as he continues to recover; if the flaking doesn't fully resolve within three to four weeks on the new food, it's worth a vet conversation about whether omega-3 support would help, though in most cases the skin settles once the dietary trigger is removed.

That sounds like a solid plan. Gradual transition, no duck going forward, and give it a full four weeks before judging the result — skin recovery always lags behind gut recovery by a couple of weeks. If the loose stools return or the flaking doesn't clear up, that's useful information for your vet rather than a reason to switch food again immediately. Good luck with him — Tonkinese are brilliant cats and he should be back to full form quickly.