Belly Problems!

I am at a loss anymore! I have two kits, a brother and sister. They are almost 9 months. We got them at two months and since we’ve got them they have both had belly issues. I have a good regiment for them and was feeding Royal Canin Digest Sensitive. However, it is pricey and I tried to switch to Purina One with similar ingredients. The cats immediately had terribly lose stools with even one teaspoon of the new stuff. So I stopped and back fully on Royal Canin. But now, they won’t eat that either! I don’t know what to do anymore any suggestions

Hi ScarDex, just to get more of an idea about what's happening, can you list the foods that they've eaten which have caused stomach upset? Maybe we can figure out an ingredient they have in common. Has it been wet food or dry food?

It’s been wet food. I’ve we’ve went through soooo many. Hills Kitten blends. Wellness core kitten blend. Regular wellness chunks. We tried RX Hills for digestion. Royal Canin sensitive digest has been the only one that works and the ingredients aren’t the best! We tried Purina pro instincts I think it’s called?

I have heard that kitten poops are awful and don't really firm up until they are older. I don't remember. It's been two cats' lifetimes since I've had a kitten underfoot and it wasn't mine to clean up after.

I don't know about food recommendations for kittens.

But...

This is my favorite probiotic!
https://vitalityscience.com/product/cat-probiotics/

It looks like dirt because it is dirt. It's soil-based spores so they can survive the stomach to get into the gut where they are needed. I give my picky 15 year old 1/4 capsule twice a day and she doesn't seem to mind the extra dirt in her meals. She turns in clean plates with or without it. And her poops are well-formed and low odor. Not bad for a senior kitty with IBD. If she ever does have a loose poop, these probiotics clean that up in a dose or two.

They even have a "Finicky Cat Trial Pack" so you can buy a more affordable size to see if the kits will eat it and if it works for them.

Finicky Cat Trial Pack, Cat Health Supplements | Vitality Science

At 1/4 capsule twice a day, five samples would last you five days for two kittens. That should be long enough to know whether they will eat it and if it's going to work for them.

daftcat75 said:

I have heard that kitten poops are awful and don't really firm up until they are older. I don't remember. It's been two cats' lifetimes since I've had a kitten underfoot and it wasn't mine to clean up after.

I don't know about food recommendations for kittens.

But...

This is my favorite probiotic!
https://vitalityscience.com/product/cat-probiotics/

It looks like dirt because it is dirt. It's soil-based spores so they can survive the stomach to get into the gut where they are needed. I give my picky 15 year old 1/4 capsule twice a day and she doesn't seem to mind the extra dirt in her meals. She turns in clean plates with or without it. And her poops are well-formed and low odor. Not bad for a senior kitty with IBD. If she ever does have a loose poop, these probiotics clean that up in a dose or two.

They even have a "Finicky Cat Trial Pack" so you can buy a more affordable size to see if the kits will eat it and if it works for them.

Finicky Cat Trial Pack, Cat Health Supplements | Vitality Science

At 1/4 capsule twice a day, five samples would last you five days for two kittens. That should be long enough to know whether they will eat it and if it's going to work for them.

Click to expand...

We do use a probiotic daily but maybe I’ll try this one out. We do a probiotic , digestive enzymes, and fiber treats daily

Have you tried commercial frozen raw? or if using canned a novel protein sources like rabbit? I find Rawz brand to be super high quality protein sources

zed xyzed said:

Have you tried commercial frozen raw? or if using canned a novel protein sources like rabbit? I find Rawz brand to be super high quality protein sources

Click to expand...

I will definitely check them out! I haven’t tried commercial raw yet but that’s my neck step

Not all probiotics are created equally. FortiFlora is junk but cats love the taste. Proviable isn’t bad. Krista’s vet sent us home with some and that worked alright. I don’t have any experience with others. I found the dirt (Vitality Science Pet Flora) and the dirt works!

Krista has IBD. Multiple sensitivities including chicken, egg, salmon, tuna, and most gums and thickeners. After Rad Cat’s demise, Rawz is all I can feed her until we figure out a homemade recipe she likes. Or until a commercial raw boneless option in proteins she can have without egg yolk becomes available. Maybe Tiki Cat Raw although that does have bone. I’m waiting til I’ve finished weight regain with her on Rawz Turkey before I try that one with her. Or until I call them up and learn the bone %. Even then, with the bone, I don’t think it would ever be more than a guest star meal.

BTW, bone in commercial raw is more an IBD thing than a general concern. From what I’ve read on these forums, there are many great options with bone that cats without IBD don’t have an issue with. Northwest Naturals and Stella & Chewy’s are two popular brands around here.

daftcat75 , I feed the Rawz Turkey and Liver pate as well. I didn't see any calcium supplement in the ingredients so I assumed it contained bone. Just curious if you have you ever checked with Rawz to see what the bone content is, if any.

My IBD kitty doesn't seem to have a problem with bone (so far, anyway) assuming that the Rawz (and S&C pate) both contain bone. I also feed some freeze dried raw (toppers and mix ins) that definitely contains bone, but I don't feed much of it. And a little bit of the S&C selects and some homemade, neither of which contain any bone.

Rawz is steam cooked. It’s not actually raw. Cooked plus bone is bad news (may splinter and tear up a cat from the inside.) I’m sure Rawz knows this. I don’t see a calcium supplement but I know it does not contain bone. Maybe worth dropping them an email.

daftcat75 said:

Rawz is steam cooked. It’s not actually raw. Cooked plus bone is bad news (may splinter and tear up a cat from the inside.) I’m sure Rawz knows this. I don’t see a calcium supplement but I know it does not contain bone. Maybe worth dropping them an email.

Click to expand...

They responded with a nutritional breakdown and stated that the calcium source is the calcium pantothenate. I thought calcium pantothenate was the same as pantothenic acid and was a B vitamin. But I'm not a nutritional expert in the least.
Anyway, with the fact that I also feed some freeze dried raw which does contain bone, I'm glad that the Rawz doesn't have any bone.

darg said:

They responded with a nutritional breakdown and stated that the calcium source is the calcium pantothenate. I thought calcium pantothenate was the same as pantothenic acid and was a B vitamin. But I'm not a nutritional expert in the least.
Anyway, with the fact that I also feed some freeze dried raw which does contain bone, I'm glad that the Rawz doesn't have any bone.

Click to expand...

“Calcium Pantothenate is the calciumsalt of the water-soluble vitamin B5, ubiquitously found in plants and animal tissues with antioxidant property”

I’m used to seeing tricalcium phosphate as the calcium supplement. But yes that makes sense. Thanks for contacting them and clearing that up.

Hi all,
I’ve read conflicting advice about changing up protein sources. I have one kitten who can eat anything and one that I’m still struggling with. I’ve read that it’s beneficial to have kittens try multiple protein sources and textures, but with a sensitive belly, I’m feeling like I should stick with one type of food for a bit. What have others experienced with this? I’ve found which proteins don’t really work well, but am unsure of how long (how many days) I should feed the same wet before giving some variety.

Hi. The OP hasn't been active since June, so while there may be others who posted to this thread that might respond, your best bet is to start your own thread and provide some background to help those who read it know exactly what is going on. I think you have posted your own thread before, so if the history is in that post, you can provide a link to it in your new thread. If you don't know how, just let me know, I can help with that!!

FeebysOwner said:

Hi. The OP hasn't been active since June, so while there may be others who posted to this thread that might respond, your best bet is to start your own thread and provide some background to help those who read it know exactly what is going on. I think you have posted your own thread before, so if the history is in that post, you can provide a link to it in your new thread. If you don't know how, just let me know, I can help with that!!

Click to expand...

Thank you! I try to search before just asking. I feel like I’ve had so many questions! I’ll do what you suggested.