Cat Gets Diarrhea If Fed Anything But Dry Food

[Nala Land]

Hello everyone!

I have a dear friend, who is very interested in feeding wet/raw food, but one of her cats get diarrhea if she feeds anything but dry food. Her cats are both ~1 year old. She's currently feeding her cats Nature's Variety Instinct Ultimate Protein dry food. If she gives even just a tiny little piece of freeze-dried treat, her cat's stool gets soft.

I have tried to help out to find out the problem but we are running out of ideas. I asked her to take them to the vet first and get fecal exams, and they were both negative. She has been giving them probiotics for several months now, and no change. The vet just told her to feed strictly dry food to avoid diarrhea. Otherwise, they are very healthy and playful.

Like many of you here, I feed my cat raw food, and I understand the benefits of raw/wet cat diet. I explained these to her as well and she's very interested, but she's worried that her cat will get diarrhea. Her cat is also a long haired cat that the clean up is not very easy either.

Any thoughts?

 

[Columbine]

Start with tiny amounts (like a teaspoon or less), and stick with the same protein source as the dry food to start with. Going for a lower fat food may also help, as higher fat content can makes things looser too. Make the change very s l o w l y. Some cats just have extra sensitive tummies (even without conditions like food allergies or ibd), and it takes time for them to adapt.

A little loose poop is fairly common when switching over to wet food too, and this is simply due to the difference in moisture content. Maybe give the cat a sanitary cut (ie shave or trim the fur round the butt and back legs), to help prevent the worst of the mess. Keeping cat safe wipes on hand is always a help too (I tend to use Water Wipes - a baby wipe brand that's very pure and cat safe, but bigger and cheaper than the pet ones ).

Good luck to your friend. This transition is never easy, but is SO worth it
Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade)

 

[Nala Land]

Start with tiny amounts (like a teaspoon or less), and stick with the same protein source as the dry food to start with. Going for a lower fat food may also help, as higher fat content can makes things looser too. Make the change very s l o w l y. Some cats just have extra sensitive tummies (even without conditions like food allergies or ibd), and it takes time for them to adapt.

A little loose poop is fairly common when switching over to wet food too, and this is simply due to the difference in moisture content. Maybe give the cat a sanitary cut (ie shave or trim the fur round the butt and back legs), to help prevent the worst of the mess. Keeping cat safe wipes on hand is always a help too (I tend to use Water Wipes - a baby wipe brand that's very pure and cat safe, but bigger and cheaper than the pet ones ).

Good luck to your friend. This transition is never easy, but is SO worth it
Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade)

Thank you! I'll definitely try to encourage my friend to slowly switch them to wet/raw food. I think it just freaks her out a little bit that even trying a small piece of treat makes her cat have softer stool and after trying for a little while, now she has become reluctant to change their diet, especially when her vet told her to stick with dry food.

 

[Columbine]

All you can do is gently encourage her. Give her time to get used to the idea, and remember that raw isn't for everyone ( even though, done right, it can be a great option). Maybe suggest she offers the cats a teeny bit of wet food or plain cooked meat as a treat, and build from there. Gentle support will get you a lot further than over-eager pushing (and I know how hard that can be when you have the cats best interests at heart ).

 

[MeganLLB]

Perhaps zhe can just top the dry with a little bit of canned. Maybe the freeze dried or raw might be too rich for that cat too.

 

[missmimz]

Here's a good article about transitioning to raw or wet food. Any time you change foods you can trigger digestive problems, so the goal is slow transition.

Transition Guide: Switching Foods to EZcomplete