cat with light colored, moist, bad smelling stools

[marrow12]

my cat seems healthy but his stools smell really bad, and are on the moist side. they are a light color, unlike those of other cats I have had, which have been dark brown and firmer. any ideas on what is causing this?

[growler~GateKeeper]

What are you feeding your cat? Usually the food is the first cause of smelly/off coloured stool.

Has he been to the vet recently for his annual exam & vaccines? Your profile says he was born 1999 - that makes him 9 this year - did he have a full blood panel & urinalysis done? This will help to catch any problems early, it is recommended every year after they turn 7 years old or @ least every 6 months if it shows any problems.

Is he displaying any other symptoms?


What's his name?

Welcome to the board

[marrow12]

Hi, Growler, thanks for responding. My name is Louis. My cat's name is Sunny. I feed him EVO dry food, the most natural diet I can get for his staple diet, supplemented w/ a small dollop of natural bioactive yoghurt and about 1/12 can of Friskies (Mariner's, Sea Captain's, Classic Seafood, Ocean Whitefish type (fish main ingredient, no flaked or frizzed up, watered down flavors and this dusted w/ a little nutritional yeast) a couple times a day. He acts half wild, goes outside daily. My other cat- female, ~10 years old, not related genetically, eats basically same food, but has firm, sectioned, much drier stools.

No other symptoms, but he always wants to go out really early. Found the typical light brown, moist, smelly stool about 6am today, w/ a little smear of blood in it. Bagged it for vet testing.

He's getting due for annual shots soon; never had full blood panel or urinalysis done. Vet always raves how muscular, healthy and dashing he looks. About 16 pounds wt.
...........
What are you feeding your cat? Usually the food is the first cause of smelly/off coloured stool.What's his name? Is he displaying any other symptoms? Has he been to the vet recently for his annual exam & vaccines? Your profile says he was born 1999 - that makes him 9 this year - did he have a full blood panel & urinalysis done? This will help to catch any problems early, it is recommended every year after they turn 7 years old or @ least every 6 months if it shows any problems.[/U]

[krdahmer]

I would imagine he may have picked something up outside on his adventures... a parasite of some sort. Best of luck at the vets!

[marrow12]

Yup, that sounds like something I need to check out and will do so. Thanks for the advice.

[krdahmer]

Oh and we also love pictures!

Let us know how it goes at the vets!

[growler~GateKeeper]

How long has the smelly etc poops being happening?

How long has Sunny been eating the Friskies? Is it ONLY FISH varieties he gets?

It is possible he picked up something outside but then it could be the Friskies.

Has he always acted "half wild"? can be a symptom of Hyperthyroidism (I've been through that with my cat)

When Sunny goes in please have the vet run a geriatric blood panel & urinalysis - cats are so good at hiding illnesses & this is a great indicator of how well your cat is. And also have your female cat tested the same too.

Be sure to give an update after the vets

[Duhbirdz1]

Hello I had the very same problem with my cat. He was diagnosed with diabetes last year. His poop started also having an absolutely foul smell. I thought that perhaps this was due to the diabetes. However, my cat has also suffered from chronic urinary tract infections (UTI's). I have since discovered that the foul fecal smell & UTI's are definitely linked. I know he has a UTI when I start smelling that horrible smell & the smell goes away once he is treated with antibiotics for his UTI. Might want to get vet to check for UTI in your cat. Also, I have recently found many sources that suggest that his UTI's & diabetes were both caused by feeding him dry food for most of his life. So you may want to look into that also. Take it from me, it is VERY expensive & a huge burden caring for a diabetic cat. Not to mention all that my poor cat, Mr Dre, has to go through. He can only eat, low carb, no grain canned food twice a day. Has to be fed at exactly the same time everyday. Can never go outside or eat any of my dogs food,etc. I have to give him injections twice a day of insulin that has to be refridgerated. Suffers from even more frequent UTI's as a result of the diabetes, and has also developed a sensitivity to the antibiotics used to treat the UTI causing him to vomit all over my bed many,many times. . . Take it from me, if you can avoid or lessen the chances of your cat developing diabetes, DO IT. I'm at the end of my rope and have spent hundreds of dollars just trying to keep him well. Not to mention it's like have a child. Can't go anywhere unless I bring him b/c he has to have these two injections twice a day & his diet has to be regulated sooo closely ! Sorry, just needed to vent. Good luck! it doesn't have to be expensive food either. I feed Dre 9 Lives, certain kinds of Friskies, or Feline Fancy. There are inexpensive kinds out there, but u need to learn how to read the carb content of the food. If your cat has a UTI, you really need to feed him low carb canned food only.