What Gave My Boy The Runs?

So my boy had a busy day today at my mom's house. He was having a play date with his brother. While there he was offered some of the wet food breakfast he normally eats and he ate their dry food (which is half a brand of food he does not eat and half the kitten dry food he nibbles through 1/2 a cup every 3 days or so on top of his wet food.) Anyhow he was so full of dry food that later that late afternoon he was so full of dry food he walked past it to drink water. Then an hour later he is running down a poop smear on him and some very runny poop/ diarhia stuck to his but. I cleaned him up.

My question is was it the dry food that gave him the runs? Because he was not used to the food? Or because I have been adding 1-2 tablespoons of water to his 3 oz serving of wet food (to prevent drying out during his 3-5 hour max that it takes him to eat his food.) I just want to know what likely caused it, so I can prevent it. The extra water he has had for 2 weeks with no ill effects.

I doubt very much its the water, its more likely the different food he eat especially if he eat a lot of it. A change of food often upsets their tummies, causing diarrhoea. If he's back on his normal food now, he should be fine in a day or so. Let us know how he is doing.

Rest assured it wasn't the extra water you added to his food. It doesn't work that way. That water is absorbed in the colon and processed by the kidneys.

It was very likely the dry food and especially the new dry food that did it.

OK ty ..., then next play date I will bring his dry food to. He has been eating mostly wet food lately. (I was at the Dr getting a monthly treatment while he was stuffing his face on dry food.)

He seems to be fine now ... and his poo was runny like pudding techinally. Just ew cleaning off his fur and cleaning his but. I will keep an eye on him.

It was the new dry food. When my husband and Jamie are alone, he gives Jamie little pieces of human salmon and chicken or turkey because he wants him to be happy....and he gets the runs until he is back on his diet.

I just found out I'm cat sitting next week for my mom's 4 cats for 5 days. You know the place where he got the runs. So I would like him to avoid giving him the runs if I can. I also don't want to upset the other cat's bellies.

Should I mix there food with his food while he stays? Or just keep him out of the dry food in general except when he would normally get it? He eats probably a small handful of dry a day because I really push the wet.

(It is the same kitten food, her cat food just has another type of dry food mixed into it.)

If you're offering some of the dry kitten food at home already, just give him a separate little bowl so that he's less tempted to eat the other. It's easier than steering him away from their dry when he has none.

I would give him a LITTLE of your mom's cat food to start to get him used to it. It won't hurt him for 4-5 days. Push his wet on him all you can. ahe may have a small amount of stress and more exercise than he is used to over there too, and that may cause a chnage in bowels too. but DON'T change your mother's cats diets, you don't need 4 cats with diarrhea!

di and bob said:

I would give him a LITTLE of your mom's cat food to start to get him used to it. It won't hurt him for 4-5 days. Push his wet on him all you can. ahe may have a small amount of stress and more exercise than he is used to over there too, and that may cause a chnage in bowels too. but DON'T change your mother's cats diets, you don't need 4 cats with diarrhea!

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I don't think changing the mother's cats' diet was under discussion. They eat the same kitten food mixed in with other dry food.

I stated to give the thread starters cat a little of her mom'scats food since they will be together when she is cat sitting. I just didn't want her to be tempted to try to give her mom's cats something different while she was watching them to give them the runs.

The kittens all eat the same thing at the same time. It is very hard to seperate them. Plus she free feeds her cats. If I put out a bowl for him of kitten dry food, the other cats will gobble it up. Plus I do the 'I don't care if your wet food is 3 hours old, eat your food! That is all you have.' My boy eats around 80% wet food and is fed 5-6 times a day.... her cats get fed 2-3 times a day and free feed dry food in between.

I think I will compromise and free feed all the cats half their food/half his food ..... and push the wet food all I can to all the cats. If he gets the runs then I will make the effort to keep his food seperate.

He does run around a lot with his brother ..... and his brother has been so hyped up lately he has been annoying his sister..... which prompts my mom to want to borrow Jackie to wear out her hyper playful boy.

If that's how it is, then yes, as di and bob said, try easing him onto a mix of the two before you stay there.

Changes in dry food are more likely to cause digestive problems than changes in wet food, so keep that in mind.

I increased my cat’s dry food from 2 tablespoons to 4 tablespoons one day and it gave her massive pudding diarrhea the next day. I was amazed by the huge impact on her bowels. I reduced the dry food the next day and the poop returned to normal.

I tried to increase his dry food intake a few days before. He has been munching on to much dry food today I.m.o. however it is just for 5 days then he will be back to his mostly all wet food diet.

Honestly dry food is cheaper and easier. However cats should be eating meat, not wheat or potatoes or corn hosed down with fat. So far I haven't seen any pudding poo.

Im feeding them wet food 3 times a day.