I've discussed my kitty here before, who I think might have IBD. He never got a biopsy, but has the symptoms. The biggest issue right now is his bowel habits, namely his passing of completely liquid stools that smell absolutely horrendous and pooping on the floor despite a clean litter box.
He has a good appetite, and since I started him on slippery elm bark a few weeks back, his vomiting is also under control and now the only time he throws up everything in his belly is when he's eaten a 5.5 ounce can of food. I guess it's too much for him to have at once, and sadly, he will absolutely not eat canned food unless it's fresh out of the can. If it's refrigerated, frozen/thawed or just left out on the counter with plastic wrap on it, he won't touch it. I also usually find stains around the house, not from full-blown vomiting, but just him spitting up fluid that's the same color as his food.
He was eating just Fancy Feast for a while, but then I also found he really liked Sheba. But I'm thinking these might be too rich for him because he never has solid bowel movements when he eats them. It wouldn't be so bad if those BMs went in the litter box, but he prefers to go on the floor, usually right in front of the box (and I clean the box several times a day and change the litter weekly). His most recent thing is pooping on the carpet, and it's not fun trying to scrub liquid diarrhea out of carpeting.
For the last couple days, he's been getting string cheese to sort of give him a break from the diarrhea. He tolerates cheddar pretty well and, shockingly, his stools have become completely solid again. Not like constipation solid, but healthy solid. He also has not vomited. As much as I like his litter box habits improving, I know he can't subsist on cheese long-term, but I don't know what I can possibly feed him that won't create an unholy mess.
Also, he has been to the vet for the floor pooping. He was given antibiotics for enteritis along with FortiFlora and it didn't do anything, so I assume it's now just behavioral. Kitty associates the box with pain because I'm sure diarrhea isn't very comfortable for him and now he goes on the floor. Well, usually. Sometimes he actually does poop in the box, but I'd say 3/4 of the time, it's on the floor.
I'd love to give him kibbles again, but he doesn't seem to want to eat them much and also with his lack of front teeth, he doesn't actually chew the dry food. He swallows it, and then vomits it back up. I also think he has a hard time getting it in his mouth and just gets so frustrated with trying to eat that he walks away from the kibbles. I tried sticking some kitten chow in a freezer bag and rolling over it with a rolling pin to break up the pieces and I think it helped a bit, but no matter what dry food he gets, he just nibbles at it because it's new. I kind of wish I could get him back on dry food because I think it would stop the diarrhea.
Is there any affordable store-brand food I could give to him? I kind of have no job right now, so I can't be buying him prescription food or $2-per-can Wellness. I'm just wondering if there's anything I can get at a grocery store that would be gentler on his belly and bowels, or maybe kibbles in very tiny pieces. I got him something from Purina when I was out of town once in a resealable bag that had these really itty bitty kibbles and he not only loved it, but he didn't vomit if he swallowed the pieces whole.
I've also considered trying something I often do when I bake: sticking a slice of bread into a container of crunchy cookies makes them soft and chewy. I wonder if the same would happen with dry kibbles? Maybe he'd have an easier time eating them if they were more like chewy treats than crunchy kibbles. And I'd really like to try to get him on kitty food rather than meat because I know chicken won't have all the nutrients he needs.
He has a good appetite, and since I started him on slippery elm bark a few weeks back, his vomiting is also under control and now the only time he throws up everything in his belly is when he's eaten a 5.5 ounce can of food. I guess it's too much for him to have at once, and sadly, he will absolutely not eat canned food unless it's fresh out of the can. If it's refrigerated, frozen/thawed or just left out on the counter with plastic wrap on it, he won't touch it. I also usually find stains around the house, not from full-blown vomiting, but just him spitting up fluid that's the same color as his food.
He was eating just Fancy Feast for a while, but then I also found he really liked Sheba. But I'm thinking these might be too rich for him because he never has solid bowel movements when he eats them. It wouldn't be so bad if those BMs went in the litter box, but he prefers to go on the floor, usually right in front of the box (and I clean the box several times a day and change the litter weekly). His most recent thing is pooping on the carpet, and it's not fun trying to scrub liquid diarrhea out of carpeting.
For the last couple days, he's been getting string cheese to sort of give him a break from the diarrhea. He tolerates cheddar pretty well and, shockingly, his stools have become completely solid again. Not like constipation solid, but healthy solid. He also has not vomited. As much as I like his litter box habits improving, I know he can't subsist on cheese long-term, but I don't know what I can possibly feed him that won't create an unholy mess.
Also, he has been to the vet for the floor pooping. He was given antibiotics for enteritis along with FortiFlora and it didn't do anything, so I assume it's now just behavioral. Kitty associates the box with pain because I'm sure diarrhea isn't very comfortable for him and now he goes on the floor. Well, usually. Sometimes he actually does poop in the box, but I'd say 3/4 of the time, it's on the floor.
I'd love to give him kibbles again, but he doesn't seem to want to eat them much and also with his lack of front teeth, he doesn't actually chew the dry food. He swallows it, and then vomits it back up. I also think he has a hard time getting it in his mouth and just gets so frustrated with trying to eat that he walks away from the kibbles. I tried sticking some kitten chow in a freezer bag and rolling over it with a rolling pin to break up the pieces and I think it helped a bit, but no matter what dry food he gets, he just nibbles at it because it's new. I kind of wish I could get him back on dry food because I think it would stop the diarrhea.
Is there any affordable store-brand food I could give to him? I kind of have no job right now, so I can't be buying him prescription food or $2-per-can Wellness. I'm just wondering if there's anything I can get at a grocery store that would be gentler on his belly and bowels, or maybe kibbles in very tiny pieces. I got him something from Purina when I was out of town once in a resealable bag that had these really itty bitty kibbles and he not only loved it, but he didn't vomit if he swallowed the pieces whole.
I've also considered trying something I often do when I bake: sticking a slice of bread into a container of crunchy cookies makes them soft and chewy. I wonder if the same would happen with dry kibbles? Maybe he'd have an easier time eating them if they were more like chewy treats than crunchy kibbles. And I'd really like to try to get him on kitty food rather than meat because I know chicken won't have all the nutrients he needs.