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Old March 30th, 2009, 03:42 PM
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Kitten with persistant loose stool

I have an adorable 7-month old kitten, Penny. She has been in our family since she was 2 months old, and she has always had very loose stools. She has had a fecal analysis (done in November - which showed some worms), and has been treated for worms 3 times (Oct, Nov, and Dec). Did I mention that her stool is extremely offensive??? Other than that she is a high-energy kitty and eats well. I do notice her drinking often, but that may be just because she is always around me (and I have had two other kitties who had kidney disease, so I may be more attentive to their water intake). Penny is strictly an indoor cat. I have made a vet appointment for her (Wednesday) - but was wondering if anyone could give me a heads-up on what may be causing this.

Last edited by crazyforcats; March 30th, 2009 at 03:47 PM.
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Old March 30th, 2009, 04:19 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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Is your cat an indoor cat only? Is there another cat in the household. I am not a cat savvy person but I know others such as Love4Himmies, Chico2, 14+ and badger may be able to help you. Maybe the food is in question?
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Old March 30th, 2009, 04:25 PM
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Oh boy have I been there.

I adopted my little guy at 3/4 months and until about 8 months his poop was loose and absolutely vile smelling. Omg I thought we would need gas masks. Even when I went to get him neutered the vet techs commented on his smelly loose stool after he stayed overnight.

I tried changing his food to no avail ( I put him on Orijen when I first adopted him) but in the end my vet suggested adding a probiotic powder (FortiFlora by Purina) to his food - it finally worked. It seems his system was just really out of whack.

I'm sure your vet will have suggestions for you (maybe even the fortiflora) but hang in there - there is hope!

Just wondering..what do you feed your kitten?
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Old March 30th, 2009, 09:25 PM
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Is your cat an indoor cat only? Is there another cat in the household. I am not a cat savvy person but I know others such as Love4Himmies, Chico2, 14+ and badger may be able to help you. Maybe the food is in question?
Yes, I do have another kitty - a 15 y/o. Both cats are strictly kept indoors.
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Old March 30th, 2009, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by onster View Post
Oh boy have I been there.

I adopted my little guy at 3/4 months and until about 8 months his poop was loose and absolutely vile smelling. Omg I thought we would need gas masks. Even when I went to get him neutered the vet techs commented on his smelly loose stool after he stayed overnight.

I tried changing his food to no avail ( I put him on Orijen when I first adopted him) but in the end my vet suggested adding a probiotic powder (FortiFlora by Purina) to his food - it finally worked. It seems his system was just really out of whack.

I'm sure your vet will have suggestions for you (maybe even the fortiflora) but hang in there - there is hope!

Just wondering..what do you feed your kitten?
I also feed my cats dry Orijen - the one for both cats and kittens (since I also have my old 15 y/o boy), which is mixed with dry Science Diet (it took me forever to find a food that my 15 y/o wouldn't frequently binge and immediately purge and would also help with his hairball issue - so I can't eliminate the Science Diet addition).

Penny (the kitten) does not like canned food - I have tried every kind with her. And she really, REALLY does not like the Fortiflora (also recommended by our vet - I have it in my cupboard at this very moment). She literally winces when I put it in her food....
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Old March 30th, 2009, 09:40 PM
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oh hmmm that's a tough one since she doesnt like like the fortiflora. I actually sprinkled it over the dry food and they didnt mind

By the way I dont feed orijen any more because it didnt end up working it for us tho I do think its a great food. Do you free feed? I was at global pet food last week and the clerk suggested that maybe my one cat's stool was loose when he ate orijen because it was too 'rich' and he got too much of it (free fed).

back 2 the fortiflora, I believe there are other sources of probiotic hopefully which are tasteless. Sugarcatmom/growler may know
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Old March 30th, 2009, 09:41 PM
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have u tried mixing the fortiflora with something super stinky like tuna/ sardines?
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Old March 30th, 2009, 09:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyforcats View Post
I also feed my cats dry Orijen - the one for both cats and kittens (since I also have my old 15 y/o boy), which is mixed with dry Science Diet (it took me forever to find a food that my 15 y/o wouldn't constantly binge and immediately purge and would also help with his hairball issue - so I can't eliminate the Science Diet addition).
There is some really good info here for you to check out on what foods cats should be eating: www.catinfo.org Unfortunately Science Diet doesn't make the list, but I'll leave it at that for now.

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Originally Posted by crazyforcats View Post
Penny (the kitten) does not like canned food - I have tried every kind with her.
How have you introduced them? Many cats are suspicious of new foods, so introducing them gradually is often the best way to go. Repetition also helps. Instead of putting down a can of food and then throwing it out if they don't take to it right away, leave it down for the day. Pick up the dry food to eliminate snacking and give hunger a chance to kick in. You can also pulverize some kibble and sprinkle it on top of the wet to make it more familiar smelling. Since cat's appetites are largely influenced by smell, top-dressing the new food with something irresistible like tuna juice or sardines or bonito flakes is a useful trick.

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyforcats View Post
And she really, REALLY does not like the Fortiflora (also recommended by our vet - I have it in my cupboard at this very moment). She literally winces when I put it in her food....
You can get capsules of high-potency probiotics for humans from the health food store instead. Less flavour, and you only need the smallest pinch, I'd be surprised if your cat even noticed it mixed in some food. Try to find something with a wide variety of organisms. Natural Factors Ultimate Multi 12/12 Probiotic is a good one.
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Old March 31st, 2009, 06:57 AM
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Jasper used to have very soft, diarrhea, stinky poops too when he was on a cheaper food. He did OK on orijen, but then changed to Nature's Variety Instinct and raw and now there is almost no smell to his poops. I am figuring it is the high carb content that he couldn't digest.

A seven month old kitten should be hungry enough to try different food, but the key is slow transition and put new food down when he is hungry. You would be surprised how less picky they are when they are hungry . Think about human children.
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Old March 31st, 2009, 10:22 AM
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sugarcatmom - You've supplied some great info! Thanks! I know that Science Diet isn't the greatest - but like I mentioned, we went through years of my cat vomiting way too frequently - Science Diet (Hairball) is the only food that he has been able keep down. And now, at 15 y/o, with kidney failure, I give him what he enjoys, and what he does well on.

Love4himies - I thought Orijen was supposed to be a fabulous food... But it seems to cause more issues than it's helping. At least with my kitten (my dog does well on it, but I know that my parents had to take their dog off of it due to extremely offensive flatulence)
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Old March 31st, 2009, 10:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyforcats View Post
sugarcatmom - You've supplied some great info! Thanks! I know that Science Diet isn't the greatest - but like I mentioned, we went through years of my cat vomiting way too frequently - Science Diet (Hairball) is the only food that he has been able keep down. And now, at 15 y/o, with kidney failure, I give him what he enjoys, and what he does well on.

Love4himies - I thought Orijen was supposed to be a fabulous food... But it seems to cause more issues than it's helping. At least with my kitten (my dog does well on it, but I know that my parents had to take their dog off of it due to extremely offensive flatulence)
IMO Orijen is the best of the kibble foods, but I don't recommend kibble being fed as a main source of food. I have seen my foster kittens who were on a mostly raw diet (supplemented with Nature's Variety Instinct and Kitten Wellness, canned) start to loose some muscle mass, get dandruff and not quite as healthy looking fur when they were started on Orijen by the store who was adopting them out.

When I stopped Puddles on all kibble except for the odd treat, she actually developed more muscle mass on Nature's Variety/Raw.

Soooo, that is proof to me that Kibble is not the best for kitties.
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Old March 31st, 2009, 10:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyforcats View Post
sugarcatmom - You've supplied some great info! Thanks! I know that Science Diet isn't the greatest - but like I mentioned, we went through years of my cat vomiting way too frequently - Science Diet (Hairball) is the only food that he has been able keep down. And now, at 15 y/o, with kidney failure, I give him what he enjoys, and what he does well on.
Sorry to hear about the kidney failure. I hope you still have a few good years with him. Will he eat any canned food at all? It's even more important for a cat with CRF to get moisture with their food. There are things that can help with the vomiting, such as slippery elm bark powder or psyllium husk fiber, or if excess stomach acid is causing nausea, Pepcid AC can be useful, as can raising the food dishes a couple inches. Is he on any meds?

As for the Orijen, the truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as a quality dry food when it comes to cats. They really must eat wet food. Even the worst commercial canned product is better than the most expensive kibble. Sorry to belabour the point, but it's hands down the best thing that you can do for the health of your cats, and will save you in vet bills over the long-term. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
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Old April 1st, 2009, 11:54 AM
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How are things going with your kitten? I am having the same problem and have had the same problem before with my older cat when he was a kitten.
I tried just plain chicken and rice (cooked together so the rice tastes like the chicken) and that seemed to work for Roland (the older one when he was a kitten). the new kitten doesnt like it I then reintroduced the dry into the rice mix slowly, or you can try adding a tiny bit of wet at a time to get them used to the taste. I have the kittenon Eagle Pack holistic suppliment for dogs and cats. It has digestive enzymes and pro biotics in it that seem to help a bit. I have also stopped trying new wet food and am going to stick to the Wellness. I switched to a lower protein high quality dry food for the kitten too (still no grain though!) too see if that helped.
I guess if its really bad, ask the vet for some advice. I have not tried the slippery elm yet cause I can only find it in huge tubs but I have been told by several people that this really works!
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