Help! Kitten Has Soft Stool After Changing Food

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Ariel2611

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Hope things go well. And it also wouldn't hurt just to get a fecal done. Since you're going to visit your vet anyway you could just take a poo sample with you. If the poo doesn't get better once she's back on her old food I would definitely do this.
Okay, thanks very much!
If once she is on her old food her poop does not go back to normal I will monitor her etc to see if it's just the new food reaction. If she does not have normal poop next Tuesday then I will ask the vet for advice and take a sample in if need be. I think it' just because transitioned her too fast I just stupidly took out the old and put in new.. thanks for all your advice Neo & @tabbytom

ALSO,
IF it is the food then what other good wet food pouches or trays do you recommend? Cans are very annoying and much too difficult for us to handle personally so I think I'm just going to return the remaining cans and get my money back and look for alternatives.
Do you have any good high quality wet food pouches brands? Or food trays?
 

biancavd

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Didn't had time to read all replies properly, but did scroll through it a little. Sorry if I repeat anyone.

Sounds to me it is indeed the food transfer. Kittens don't handle sudden changes well, and their intestines aren't working their best yet. A sudden transfer can mess up their entire system.

If you still have some of the old food, I would mix it 50/50 with the new food, and let her poop clear up before continuing slowly towards the new food. I say 50/50, because it already is quite messed up, and a sudden change back might not be the best idea after a week. 50/50 is probably the safest choice. I also would cut all other food types (wet food, kitten candies etc) and only feed the kibbles and fresh water to not overwork her intestines.

Aside from this, go to your vet and ask for a probiotic. I would suggest finidiar if you can, as it also works stopping on the diarrhea. Maybe 3 to 5 days should be enough for it to clear.

After all is okay again, continue the food change (50/50 > 65>35 > 80/20 > 90/10 > 100/0) and make sure the poop stays okay before going to the next step. After all is okay and she is 100% on the new food (btw, you will notice she will poop less, her old food is just awful, sorry to say), you can slowly introduce the wet food and candies again.
 

Neo_23

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I agree that a probiotic would be helpful too but I wouldn't ask your vet for one because they tend to sell ones that have very few strains of probiotics and are just full of fillers (also way too pricey for what you get).

I like this one:
Probiotics typically take weeks to work if they have an effect though.
 
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Ariel2611

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I have sadly decided to return the remaining cans of the new food mainly because it's too much for me and my family to handle. The cans are way to big, hard to feed etc
Can anyone recommend any GOOD kitten pouches brands/ kitten food trays brands??????
 

biancavd

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I have sadly decided to return the remaining cans of the new food mainly because it's too much for me and my family to handle. The cans are way to big, hard to feed etc
Can anyone recommend any GOOD kitten pouches brands/ kitten food trays brands??????
Do you feed wet only? I can give you a few names of wet food we feed our kittens. I order from zooplus, but I am not sure if they offer the same in all countries.

They will also be high quality, which will show in price. It wont be the cheapest
 
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Ariel2611

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Do you feed wet only? I can give you a few names of wet food we feed our kittens. I order from zooplus, but I am not sure if they offer the same in all countries.

They will also be high quality, which will show in price. It wont be the cheapest
Yes I Do, but sadly I am on a budget and would like something easy such as trays or pouches but good in quality such as Lilly's kitchen which I am looking into at the moment:-)
 
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Ariel2611

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Lilly' kitchen is too expensive for me too!
I don' know what to do! I am going out of my mind because I know whiskas is not good and her poop stinks with whiskas too!

But I physically can't stand wet canned food at all and nor can anyone else in my family sadly

I need a brand that makes pouches/trays that are affordable. Ideally i would like to spend under £25 a month on the food. My kitten is 5 months old so if anyone could find me something that would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks :-)
 

Neo_23

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Lilly' kitchen is too expensive for me too!
I don' know what to do! I am going out of my mind because I know whiskas is not good and her poop stinks with whiskas too!

But I physically can't stand wet canned food at all and nor can anyone else in my family sadly

I need a brand that makes pouches/trays that are affordable. Ideally i would like to spend under £25 a month on the food. My kitten is 5 months old so if anyone could find me something that would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks :-)
Not to be rude or anything but honestly my advice is to just feed the can food and deal with it. :dunno:
 

epona

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Why do you need food in trays? (Unless this is a US term that I have misunderstood) Get a couple of cat food bowls, offer food in the bowl.

What is so objectionable about having cat food in the fridge between meals? It's not that obnoxious, unless you're feeding some real junk.

I just don't understand how it is hard for you and your family to feed canned food - I really don't get it at all.
 
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Ariel2611

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Why do you need food in trays? (Unless this is a US term that I have misunderstood) Get a couple of cat food bowls, offer food in the bowl.

What is so objectionable about having cat food in the fridge between meals? It's not that obnoxious, unless you're feeding some real junk.

I just don't understand how it is hard for you and your family to feed canned food - I really don't get it at all.
I have no problem with putting food in the fridge. I have a problem with the smell...
How do I know if my kitten is intolerant or allergic to the new food?
 

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OP's other thread about trays / pouch food and the kitten having diarrhea: Best Wet Kitten Food: Pouches/ Trays :-)

Cat food smells. There's no getting around it when you open a can or pouch or tray or a bag :dunno: Cats like food that are stinky. Food that is cold tends to have less of a smell than room temperature food. Try putting the tray / pouch / can in the fridge for an hour before opening it. The freezer would work, too, but just for 15 minutes or so. Some cats won't eat cold food, though, so you will need to let the bowl sit out at room temperature to warm up.

It's unusual for a kitten to have a food intolerance. How old is your kitten? Typical signs of a food intolerance are itchy skin that the cat may scratch at frequently and turn into open sores and bald spots.

It wouldn't hurt to take the kitten to the vet and have a complete check up done to determine the cause of the diarrhea.

The cans are way to big, hard to feed etc
Just portion out the food from a large can into food storage containers and put into the fridge or freezer for later meals.
 

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It's much cheaper to feed the 5.5oz cans. You can feed half the can in the morning and then spoon the other half into a little plastic container with a lid in the fridge. Then take the other half out 20 minutes before dinner to warm up and give to her for dinner. You can give a little dry food for snacking too. If that wet food gives her diarrhea, try another brand. If she still has diarrhea, she needs a stool test at the vet.
 
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Ariel2611

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Thank you all for your kind suggestions and advice.
After much thought and after speaking to my wonderful vet I have decided to feed my 6 month old kitten james wellbeloved complete dry kitten food instead of cans, pouches and or trays.
Personally it works out better for me in the long run money wise and health wise too!
I have spoken to my vet regarding her poop and we are in the process of making her all better hopefully!
Thank you again, this is my choice and I feel it's the best one for my little fur baby. Don't worry I will treat her with some wet food here and there too!
 

maggiedemi

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I would be careful with an all dry food diet. You'll probably end up with pee problems instead of poop problems. Trust me, I know.
 
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Ariel2611

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I would be careful with an all dry food diet. You'll probably end up with pee problems instead of poop problems. Trust me, I know.
You mean do to a lack of water in the food ? How so please explain :-)
 
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Ariel2611

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MOD NOTE: Merged from another thread

_________________________________________________________________


Hi all, so a few days ago my 6 month old kitten got dihorrea (soft, watery, yellow first but now brown again ) as a result of me quickly changing her food (stupid I know!)

Vet said to put her on bland diet of rice and chicken which I did untill she settles. She has not vomited, still playful and drinks water and eats too.

Her poop has gone to the usual brown colour but is still sometimes really soft, frothy, mucusy with streaks of pink/red. Vet said this may be due to stress of everything and to continue monitoring her on bland diet untill she goes back to normal.

But she seems to have lost a lot of weight from what I can physically see even though she is eating etc. She does not like rice as much so I was thinking of it would be okay to cook more chicken and only add a little bit of rice...?
She did poop a tiny bit of normal brown coloured poop outside her box near her food now surprisingly today... why? From what I know this is the first time she has done this since having dihorrea ...

I will continue to monitor her and will update the vets too if anything changes. I have ordered her a high quality dry food and will slowly transition her over to that complete food once she settles.

I don't know if I am being paranoid or just getting toooooo worried for no reason as the veg says her symptoms are normal due to diet change and stress and that they will subside with time and a bland diet ... help!!
 
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Some cats do have a problem with changing the diet too quickly, but this seems a little severe? I dont know, im not a vet, but if she isnt better very soon i would have the vet check her again, or get a second opinion. She could have something else going on. Weight loss on a kitten is never a good thing.

Until we settled on Dr. Elseys dry i changed my cats dry food often. And they get a lot of different wet foods. Once or maybe twice someone would get a little soft stool, but it usually went away within 24 hours. And normally there was no sign that i changed foods, everyone was fine.

I think more chicken than rice would be fine.
 
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