Cat Food Allergies: Burmese Not Improving

A limited-ingredient food that isn't making a difference is frustrating — and it usually means either the protein source isn't novel enough for that cat, or there's a non-protein trigger like a gum or thickener in the formula. Cats are obligate carnivores with tight nutritional requirements, and many commercial foods — even "allergy" ones — contain additives that can keep reactions going. Wet food is generally far better than dry for hydration, which matters a lot for kidney health over a Burmese's lifetime. To point you somewhere useful: what symptoms are you seeing — skin, digestion, something else? And what protein was in the limited-ingredient food you tried?

That's really helpful. Salmon is actually one of the more common triggers in cats with food sensitivities — it's been in so many commercial foods that a lot of cats have already been heavily exposed to it, which means it's far from a safe novel protein for a true elimination trial. Potato is usually fine, but the fish is the likely culprit. For a genuine elimination test, you need a protein your cat has never eaten before. What has he been eating before and alongside the limited-ingredient food — any treats, other wet food, anything with chicken or beef?

Exactly — chicken and salmon are both off the table for a proper elimination trial. You need something genuinely novel, and for a UK cat that's typically been on chicken or fish, that usually means venison, rabbit, or insect protein. My specific recommendation is Natures Menu Country Hunter 100% Natural Wet Cat Food in the Rabbit variety. It's a single-animal-protein wet food with no grains, no artificial additives, and no common allergens — just rabbit, rabbit broth, and a small amount of botanicals. The ingredient list is genuinely short and clean, which is what you actually need, not just "limited ingredient" branding. Give it exclusively — no treats, no toppers — for at least eight weeks before judging whether it's working.

It is, unfortunately. Food allergy trials are one of the areas where people cut them short and then conclude the diet didn't work — when actually the immune response just hadn't fully settled yet. Eight weeks is the minimum recommended by most veterinary dermatologists and internal medicine specialists for cats. The digestive symptoms can start improving sooner, often within two to three weeks, but a full reset takes longer. The key thing is strict adherence during that window — even a single chicken treat can reset the clock. If symptoms fully resolve by week eight, you've found your answer.

If rabbit fails after a clean eight-week trial, the next step is usually a hydrolysed protein diet — that's a food where the proteins are broken down into fragments too small for the immune system to recognise and react to. Those are prescription products, and at that point it's worth involving your vet so you can rule out other causes like IBD or parasites that can mimic food allergy symptoms. But start with rabbit — the majority of cats with suspected food allergies do respond once you genuinely remove the offending protein. Natures Menu Country Hunter Rabbit is a good, clean first move.