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  #1  
Old April 15th, 2012, 11:51 PM
dinokitty13 dinokitty13 is offline
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sick kitten? =(

Hello,

This is my first time on this site so I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place or anything. But I have a few questions about my kitten who I'm worried might be sick...

So I adopted my kitten, Dinosaur, from a shelter about 4 months ago. I've never had a kitten (or cat) before so I made sure to read up on how to take the best care of her I could.

Since the day I got her she has had horrible smelling poop. I took her to the vet when I got her and mentioned it, and they said to not feed her so much wet food. At the time I was giving her dry food during the day and a bit of wet food every night at dinner. After the vet I cut down her wet food to once every three days and gave her more dry food. Her smell improved a bit, but not very much. I called the vet and they said it was probably nothing and that was probably just the way she was.

I was a bit skeptical but since she seemed healthy in every other way and I figured the vet knew more then I did I took their word for it.

So this problem has continued over the last 4 months. But in the last week she's started having a few more problems. She's started peeing in the bathtub, even though she has used her little box just fine up until this point. And she vomited once this week.

I really don't know what do do. I live with 3 people who, although they wanted a cat when I got her, freak out anytime she does anything remotely 'wrong', I don't want to go back to the vet to just have them dismiss me (and her) again as "just being that way". And I don't know if she's sick or just acting out behaviorally for some reason (obviously not the throwing up, but I think that might be because my housemates are idiots and she might have ate something they left lying around since she hasn't thrown up since).

I've been doing some research, and thought that she may have a UTI. But she doesn't seem to be showing any of the other symptoms of it. I just really want my little dinosaur to be happy and healthy. Please help
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Old April 16th, 2012, 07:29 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dinokitty13 View Post
I took her to the vet when I got her and mentioned it, and they said to not feed her so much wet food.
Ugh. The vet has it backwards - she should be eating more wet food and less (or no) kibble. Here is an article for you to read on feline nutrition and why dry food is actually BAD for cats: www.catinfo.org

Not a lot of vets have the first clue about what cats should and shouldn't be eating, so it's not that surprising that your vet gave such poor advice.

What are the brands/flavours of foods your cat is eating? Excessive grain content can be a frequent cause of stinky poop.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dinokitty13 View Post
She's started peeing in the bathtub, even though she has used her little box just fine up until this point.
How many litter boxes do you have and how often do you scoop them? One of the most common causes of peeing outside the box (besides urinary tract issues) is a dirty litter box. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox
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Old April 16th, 2012, 10:50 AM
dinokitty13 dinokitty13 is offline
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She eats whiskas kitten food for both the dry and wet food. I'm not sure of the grain content of them, but I will check them for sure.

I only have one litter box but I am planning on getting another as soon as I move (in 2 weeks) once I can live on my own without my housemates. However I clean it everyday, and that seems to have been enough for her up until this point.
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Old April 16th, 2012, 11:36 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Originally Posted by dinokitty13 View Post
She eats whiskas kitten food for both the dry and wet food. I'm not sure of the grain content of them, but I will check them for sure.
That's likely the culprit in the stinky poopage. Even if it isn't, Whiskas has pretty lousy ingredients for an obligate carnivore. Here is the dry food:
Chicken by-product meal, Corn Gluten meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Rice, animal fat (Preserved with bha/bht), Soybean meal, Natural Chicken flavour, Wheat Flour,...
Tons of grains, making it really high in carbohydrates, and a poor quality protein source with the chicken by-products (which could be beaks and feathers, not actual muscle meat).

I can't find any Whiskas canned kitten food online, but I'm betting there's a lot of wheat gluten and more by-products in it. I highly recommend finding some better quality wet foods like Wellness, Merrick, Precise, Nature's Variety, By Nature....etc. Doesn't necessarily have to be specifically for kittens (there aren't any "kitten" variety mice or birds in nature - growing cats just need more food per pound than adults do).

Quote:
Originally Posted by dinokitty13 View Post
I only have one litter box but I am planning on getting another as soon as I move (in 2 weeks) once I can live on my own without my housemates. However I clean it everyday, and that seems to have been enough for her up until this point.


Try cleaning it twice a day and see if that makes a difference. What type of litter do you use? Is it maybe starting to smell, even though you scoop it regularly? I find clay litters retain odors and can get kinda nasty after a couple weeks, requiring total replacement. Maybe she'd like a pine or paper based litter better. There is also something called Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter which has herbs in it that encourage cats to use the litter box. It's clay-based so you'll have to swap it out for fresh litter more frequently but it can be quite effective.

Where is the box located? Is it possible she got startled when peeing at some point and now associates the box with a scary event?
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Old April 16th, 2012, 11:51 AM
dinokitty13 dinokitty13 is offline
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Okay thank you I didn't know that! Whiskas was what my vet recommended, but as you say they may not know much about the exact nutrition. I will go out and look for one of those brands today.

The litter box is located in my room, since my housemates will not let me put it anywhere else. I don't think she's been startled by anything in here, since I'm often in here with her. But I will try cleaning it out completely today and see if that helps. Right now I'm using non-scented clumping litter. If cleaning it out totally doesn't help I'll look into trying one of the types you mentioned.

Thank you! Dino and I appreciate it =)
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Old April 16th, 2012, 12:36 PM
binkybuff binkybuff is offline
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I have 2 cats, and they eat the same foods, both dry and wet, the one does not have much smell to her "smellies", however, the other one would knock over a hearty sailor. Oh yes, the smelly is usually never covered. Therefore when I get a wiff I clean it up right away otherwise it spreads through out the house.

I think it is the same with humans, some have much more smell than others when in the bathroom.

Be sure you read all the ingredients on the labels and make sure your kitty gets the best, not the cheapest. You don't want a lot of filler, and stuff they do not need.

have fun with your kitty
take care
binky
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Old April 17th, 2012, 09:02 AM
Jim Hall Jim Hall is offline
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Okay thank you I didn't know that! Whiskas was what my vet recommended,

i would try to find another vet but that is just me and a lot of vets dont know squat about cat nutrition
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