Pudding consistency poop

[Mamakicia]

Until a few weeks ago, I was free-feeding my cats (a kibble that shall remain nameless), as well as giving them a suppertime "treat" of about 3 ounces of wet food, split amongst all cats. I have recently started converting them to a combination of high-protein kibble and wet food. I am going about this slowly, so as not to upset their tummies.

At this point, they are getting about half their calories from wet and half from dry. All the cats have nicely formed stools, except Onu. Her stool has been a chocolate pudding-like consistency for almost ten days. She is the true kibble addict of the bunch. Thinking that this problem might be due to the decreased amount of fibre they they are now getting (and that Onu might just be more sensitive than the rest), I have even tried adding a bit of high-fibre kibble. It doesn't seem to be helping. Other than the pudding stool, Onu is otherwise normal (except for her kibbloholic rants every now and then) She's congested, but that has been around longer than the soft stool, and I've decided that I don't want to add lysine to the food until her stool has normalized.

So, to sum it up: Old kibble contained 7% fibre. Current diet is approx 50% wet (minimal fibre) and 50% dry (which is composed of two foods). I am feeding Orijen (2% fibre) and Innova Senior (8% fibre). I wouldn't normally use a senior food, but I am using it just for the fibre.

Any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated!

[rainbow]

Have you tried giving her plain (not the pie filling type) canned pumpkin?

[Mamakicia]

Hi rainbow - no, I haven't tried the pumpkin yet. I tried using pumpkin a couple years ago for constipation and they didn't like it... Onu is pretty fussy. I can certainly pick some up tomorrow and try again.

So do you think that I might be on the right track thinking that the fibre is the problem???

Thanks...

[badger]

Diarrhea in cats is such a pain. Have you had her 'chocolate pudding' tested for parasites? I've had a cat with 'diarrhea of unknown origin' recently, and have had some luck with probiotics.

[rainbow]

It could be or else it could be the food doesn't agree with her. Was she on a chicken based kibble before you switched?

Also, do you know why she is congested? Has she been to a vet for that?

[rainbow]

If you've tried pumpkin before and she didn't like it there's no sense in trying it again. Another good thing for diarrhea is slippery elm bark....

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...em=slipperyelm

But, I would be concerned about medical reasons for the diarrhea since she is congested as well. Perhaps you should get her checked by the vet first.

[Mamakicia]

She hasn't been checked for parasites yet. Her poop looks normal except that it is soft/liquidy. No specks, chunks, or mucus. Smooth and normal colour.

She was on a chicken-based kibble before I switched. And the evening wet treat was usually Felidae or Innova or EVO mixed with some kitty tuna.

The vet said that the congestion is probably a viral infection, and suggested trying lysine. He said that the next step would be a rhinoscopy to check for nasal polyps (requiring anesthesia, obviously), which I don't really want to subject her to if I don't have to. In the past, when one of my cats has had a viral infection responsive to lysine, they have had a runny nose and weepy eyes. Onu has thick snot. When she sneezes it comes flying out of her nose in a big glob, which she proceeds to eat...

[Bluedrake]

Originally Posted by Mamakicia

She hasn't been checked for parasites yet. Her poop looks normal except that it is soft/liquidy. No specks, chunks, or mucus. Smooth and normal colour.

When I switched my cat Chinook to all-canned from kibble, she too went through a phase of liquidy stool. It lasted about two months (note that she used to have irritable bowel disease and that I didn't use probiotics).

You can try canned pumpkin or probiotics capsules (you can find them in health stores).

[rainbow]

How is Onu? Did you try the slippery elm bark?

[Luba]

Ditto with getting the poop tested for parasites, yeast, bacteria.
Make sure you specifiy to the vet you want it 'cultured' also (that'll grow any nasties that will then be visible under the microscope"

Best of luck with your chocolate pudding...... I guess I know what I am 'not' having for dessert for a few days .

[Mamakicia]

Okay, so the Onu update is that her poop firmed up a few days after my initial posts. I went off the Orijen, and used the Innova Senior (8% fibre) as the exclusive dry food (but also still roughly 50% wet). I didn't get around to the slippery elm or pumpkin; it seems that the food in this case was enough. But for the last couple of days, Jesse has been having soft, pasty poop. Why me? If his doesn't settle, it's off to the vet.

Thanks for the tips, guys.