Bengal tummy

[justjax]

I've got a bengal male called Lotty who I've had for 3mnths he is 18mnth old and has a bengal tummy. All is ok with him as he has been checked by the vet and had tests etc and all come back clear. His breeder says its not unusual for a bengal to have runny stools and not to worry but I'd like other opinions. Nothing seems to make his stools firmer but a lot of things make it worse. I've tried everything from pumpkin flesh to probiotics and entrodex. He is fine in himself a normal happy mischevious cat he does not lose weight and his stools do not smell abnormal nor have blood or mucous in them He has also been wormed de-flead etc. Just how normal is this and why do bengals seem to suffer from it more than other breeds. Hope to hear from you all soon.This is my first post so I'd just like to say hi to everyone[emoji]128512[/emoji] I've been keping cats for over 35yrs but this is my first bengal.

 

[vball91]

I've never heard of a bengal tummy. A healthy cat should have firm Tootsie like stools if on commercial food and drier smaller stools if on raw. What is his diet currently?

Also have you had a special PCR test to check for the harder to diagnose parasites?

 

[mschauer]

Chronic runny stools that aren't the result of a health problem or antibiotic use are unfortunately fairly common with Bengals. It should not be considered normal though. A remedy should be found to avoid long-term health problems.

My Coco is a Bengal. I got her when she was eight months old and she had runny stools for about six months until I finally found a remedy; a product called Holistic Solutions. It is a combination prebiotic/probiotic/digestive enzyme supplement. I mixed 1/8 tsp into her food and within a couple of days her stool was normal.

Before finding the HS I tried literally over 100 commercial processed foods. The only ones I found that helped, but still didn't completely resolve, the problem were those that had very simple (few ingredients) formulations.

I've since switched her and my other cats to home-made diet (part raw, part cooked) and she no longer needs the HS. Switching to a raw diet is one of the more common solutions Bengal owners have found. Any cat can have the same problem but there might be something about the Bengal hybrid genetics that can make them more likely to not handle commercial processed foods well.

 

[justjax]

I've never heard of a bengal tummy. A healthy cat should have firm Tootsie like stools if on commercial food and drier smaller stools if on raw. What is his diet currently?

Also have you had a special PCR test to check for the harder to diagnose parasites?

 

[justjax]

Hi there. Lotty has had PCR test + had negative results. I've had other replies from Bengal owners who's kitties hav runny poo's + it seems that Bengals can be prone to them. Just trying to find out why. Am going to research with other Bengal/cat owners who"s cats have same problem. Many thanx for taking your time to reply If you have any other thoughts please let me know. Jax

 

[justjax]

Chronic runny stools that aren't the result of a health problem or antibiotic use are unfortunately fairly common with Bengals. It should not be considered normal though. A remedy should be found to avoid long-term health problems.

My Coco is a Bengal. I got her when she was eight months old and she had runny stools for about six months until I finally found a remedy; a product called Holistic Solutions. It is a combination prebiotic/probiotic/digestive enzyme supplement. I mixed 1/8 tsp into her food and within a couple of days her stool was normal.

Before finding the HS I tried literally over 100 commercial processed foods. The only ones I found that helped, but still didn't completely resolve, the problem were those that had very simple (few ingredients) formulations.

I've since switched her and my other cats to home-made diet (part raw, part cooked) and she no longer needs the HS. Switching to a raw diet is one of the more common solutions Bengal owners have found. Any cat can have the same problem but there might be something about the Bengal hybrid genetics that can make them more likely to not handle commercial processed foods well.

Hi there. Lotty has had PCR test + had negative results. I've had other replies from Bengal owners who's kitties hav runny poo's + it seems that Bengals can be prone to them. Just trying to find out why. Am going to research with other Bengal/cat owners who"s cats have same problem. Many thanx for taking your time to reply If you have any other thoughts please let me know. Jax

 

[mschauer]

I don't think anyone knows why. It just seems some cats (and dogs) have a problem with commercial processed foods. In  my research I found tons of speculation about why that is but no solid answers. It does seem that switching to a raw diet is the solution with the highest success rate. I suspect, but don't know, that a home prepared cooked diet would be equally successful. Some sources report that it is but it's harder to find information from people who feed a cooked diet rather than a raw diet so most of the reports are with regards to a raw diet.

 

[obzilla]

I have two bengals, only one (Yankee, the one in my avatar photo) ever had any issues with runny stools, and it was when switching commercial cat foods before I went raw/wet. The other one (Gizzer) is a feline garbage disposal with an iron gut. He can, and will eat anything, without reprise.

Gizzer is on a 100% homemade raw diet. I grind fresh muscle and organ meat and use the TCfeline supplement for bone and other nutrients, he also receives cornish game hen quarters weekly and saws through the bone with gusto.

He produces the typical raw fed stools. Small, dense, infrequent, and inoffensive as far as smell goes.

Yankee was great on raw, but then began to vomit. I stayed the course as much as possible, but he just wouldn't hold it down. I still haven't figured out exactly what the offending agent is for him, because some meals were held down, but many not. I think he figured out that raw = puke, so he began to refuse all raw offerings (except duck gizzards and chuck beef/stew meat, go figure), especially anything with bone, he just won't have it. His stools were the same as Gizzer's. The typical raw 'output'.

So, since we can't have cats that refuse food, or puke up what they don't refuse, and lose weight due to it.. I put him on Evo 95% meat canned, and he did very well with that.  I've been working Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw into that, and I have him at about a 35% canned / 65% rehydrated raw ratio, and he is still doing very well. I'm hoping to get him up to 100% Stella's and then begin introducing my homemade grind to it.

He produces larger, moister stools, but they are still solid, nothing runny, or wet.

So, I haven't heard of 'bengal tummy' either, though as I say, my more sensitive one, did have a few runny moments earlier on when going from one commercial kibble to another. I think it has far more to do with his personal biology, than it does with being a bengal.

 

[justjax]

Hi everyone. Just want to say I BIG thank you for all your answers about my Bengals runny tummy. I am going to try him on a raw diet again and see if he'll eat it this time. Lotty is suuuch a fussy chops with his food that I swear he's a prima dona! I live in the UK and cant get some of the ingredients that you guys manage to get but shall do some research and try to find an alternative. I did try him on a couple of vet prescription diets but no luck there either in a way I was relieved as price wise it was astronomical over twice what you pay in the states!
If anyone has a raw diet that suits fussy or faddy felines would like to hear about it please. Thanx again everyone and look forward to reading your replies and suggestions