Cat with poop and vomit issues almost daily

Babypinkweeb

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Disclaimer: I am planning to call my vet ASAP when they open on Monday. We discussed some of the issues I listed here already, and she did advise me to monitor the situation as it was improving slightly at the time of the call.

I recently adopted an adult female kitty with a clean bill of health from my vet (examined on 02/22). However she has been having varying problems with poop and vomiting since a week ago.

First she did not poo for 3 days before she laid a very VERY smelly large poo which looked normal. Then she had another very smelly soft poo the next day. (both very smelly poo are unlike any cat poop I've smelled, you can smell it from 2 rooms away the second she pooped) Then she has had some normal poo and some soft/mushy that are normal smell level.

She was also basically throwing up every meal around the same time she didn't poop for the 3 days, I assume that was the cause. She is still separated in her own room so I am unable to catch her in the act of vomiting, so I have no idea exactly when it happens, but I always find the vomit before the next meal time. I tried to give her kibble (my own cat has had this before with no issue), and a few different cans of Wellness wet food for her. She stopped vomiting the night before her poo resumed, but the last 2 days, she started vomiting again. Her vomits do not contain hairballs, and seem like just partially digested food? Like watery soupy mush and I can make out some of the small bits from her wet food.

I'm honestly not sure if it's the food upsetting her, or if she eats too fast, or what could be the cause. She has not come into contact with anything potentially dangerous to consume. I cat proofed her room before she moved in. She is otherwise energetic and happy cat.

My own cat is a very very slow eater so I'm not sure what is considered a fast eater, if that is the cause of her vomiting. I'm also not sure what is causing her to have soft stool, as I give her wet food and freeze dried chicken as treats.
 

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As long as she is eating, that is good. she may just be having trouble adjusting to her new food, and her new routine. It sounds to me like an issue with the food. I wouldn't give her any treats, sometimes they are notorious for vomiting issues, I know they are in my cats. You might want to find out what she has been eating, if you can, and SLOWLY transition her over. She may be allergic to something in the food you are giving her. Maybe seek out some 'sensitive stomach' food. Please keep us informed!
 
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Babypinkweeb

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As long as she is eating, that is good. she may just be having trouble adjusting to her new food, and her new routine. It sounds to me like an issue with the food. I wouldn't give her any treats, sometimes they are notorious for vomiting issues, I know they are in my cats. You might want to find out what she has been eating, if you can, and SLOWLY transition her over. She may be allergic to something in the food you are giving her. Maybe seek out some 'sensitive stomach' food. Please keep us informed!
Thank you very much for responding!

I will try to pause the treats. Got kind of eager trying to start clicker training her since she's too food motivated, and hisses at my resident cat so been using treats to try and mitigate both issues.

I wish I knew what she ate before! She's relatively new to the shelter, and my vet says she is underweight (about 6 lbs) so it's possible she did not like the shelter food. Sadly I have no way to find out what she ate before that. She shows interest in basically every food I feed her, kibble/wet/churu/freeze dried chicken... I thought she could tolerate her wet food better as when she started vomiting I noticed she held down wet food longer (I gave her half dry half wet as a test to see what she likes), but then she's vomiting the wet now on and off. She vomited for 2 days (dry food and wet food flavor A), then followed by the 2 days of super stinky poop and no vomit (which made me wonder if she couldn't tolerate the wet food flavor B), so I gave her wet food flavor A again and she only vomited up both meals in the last 24 hrs. The inconsistency has me a bit confused.

I can't monitor exactly how long after eating she barfs as she's in her own room, but I deduced her most recent barf was about 5 hrs after her dinner. Consistency is like puree and liquid-y, color is kind of orangey and doesn't really have a smell.

She's been consistently alert and energetic. Her pee is normal, and vet says no parasites in her poop.

I'm sorry if I'm making lots of newbie mistakes. I've had my resident cat for 10 years as my first cat, and he has always been very very healthy boy who has only barfed hairballs or obviously undigested food from eating too fast rarely. So the behavior of my new kitty is kind of throwing me for a loop.
 

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Don't apologize for mistakes you really haven't made any! It really may be nothing more than nerves on her part, she is nervous about a new home, another cat, etc. cats can take several months to get used to a new situation. being in a new environment would cause her to maybe 'hold' her stool, you never know. You are an angel for adopting her, you literally saved her life!
Cats hiss when they are scared and unsure, she will likely hiss, growl and swat at your resident cat too. That is completely normal, especially with females who are the manners teachers. Her soft stool and or constipation can be tied to a different diet and nerves too. You might try feeding her a lot smaller amounts and see if that helps, that would tell you if she is eating too fast. if she still vomits, then it is diet or nerves. Time will take care of both......
 

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I was browsing online for info on injecting B12 (cobalamin) for my EPI cat and somehow came across your post.
EPI, or Exocrene Pancreatic Insufficiency is an inability to properly digest food, caused by the pancreas not excreting sufficient digestive enzymes. It cause terrible diarhea orangy-yellowish diarhea that can clear out the floors of a house, as well as regular frquent vomiting.
It presents in all ages of cats from young kittens to seniors. It will eventually cause the cat to lose do much weight and nutrients that it cannot survive.
**The good news** - if a cat has EPI, it can live a normal full life with the right treatment, which consists of adding digestive enzyme to every meal, a powdered pig or cow pancreas, or even raw chopped pancreas. Also supplementing the cat with B12/cobalamin injections is required, as they don't get it properly through diet even with supplied digestive enzymes.
Your vet can perform a sTLI test, a 'serum trypsin like insufficiency' test if EPI is suspected, to confirm diagnosis.
Then, if it is EPI, I personally by powdered beef pancreas in a small plastic jar at my l9csl PetsMart, and sprinkle a dose over my cat's wet food (they do best on a strictly wet diet that is good quality and *low in fat*, Fancy Feast pates and grills work well and don't cost thr moon).
I also give him some slippery elm bark powder mixed in water a couple times a week, 2ml by syringe. Slippery elm soothes the mouth and stomach by provifing a goopy coating, because digedtive enzymes can give some cats sore mouths.
 

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By the way, not saying your kitty has EPI, it is just something to be aware of because bloodwork will generally otherwise be normal in many cats with the illness. Also not all cats with EPI vomit or have diarrhea, but many do, and the poop is usually the consistency of soft-serve ice cream or worse, and MY HEAVENS the smell! So it is just a possibility to be aware of if you and/or your vet can't pin anything else down.
 
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Babypinkweeb

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Don't apologize for mistakes you really haven't made any! It really may be nothing more than nerves on her part, she is nervous about a new home, another cat, etc. cats can take several months to get used to a new situation. being in a new environment would cause her to maybe 'hold' her stool, you never know. You are an angel for adopting her, you literally saved her life!
Cats hiss when they are scared and unsure, she will likely hiss, growl and swat at your resident cat too. That is completely normal, especially with females who are the manners teachers. Her soft stool and or constipation can be tied to a different diet and nerves too. You might try feeding her a lot smaller amounts and see if that helps, that would tell you if she is eating too fast. if she still vomits, then it is diet or nerves. Time will take care of both......
Thank you for the encouragement! She is doing better than I thought in terms of getting used to my home and resident cat. She has never hid once. She does hiss at him, but only when she suddenly realizes he's too close... but she is the one running around while my boy is sitting there haha! I actually have a hard time trying to prevent her from running out her room every time I go in and out, as she is absolutely not shy about walking right up into his territory and his smells. Just today she climbed his favorite cat tree! But I will keep in mind maybe she might have some random triggers, as my boy is very vocal and sometimes would meow and trill outside her door. (idk if this matters but both cats have not shown body aggression, no folded ears/sharp face/fluff tail. She has only growled at him once when she heard his meow for the first time on day 1) She has multiple times rolled around right up against the door and paw under the door with him right on the other side. Her behavior is a lot different than what's described by lots of cat introduction guides that I'm not sure what to do.

I was browsing online for info on injecting B12 (cobalamin) for my EPI cat and somehow came across your post.
EPI, or Exocrene Pancreatic Insufficiency is an inability to properly digest food, caused by the pancreas not excreting sufficient digestive enzymes. It cause terrible diarhea orangy-yellowish diarhea that can clear out the floors of a house, as well as regular frquent vomiting.
It presents in all ages of cats from young kittens to seniors. It will eventually cause the cat to lose do much weight and nutrients that it cannot survive.
**The good news** - if a cat has EPI, it can live a normal full life with the right treatment, which consists of adding digestive enzyme to every meal, a powdered pig or cow pancreas, or even raw chopped pancreas. Also supplementing the cat with B12/cobalamin injections is required, as they don't get it properly through diet even with supplied digestive enzymes.
Your vet can perform a sTLI test, a 'serum trypsin like insufficiency' test if EPI is suspected, to confirm diagnosis.
Then, if it is EPI, I personally by powdered beef pancreas in a small plastic jar at my l9csl PetsMart, and sprinkle a dose over my cat's wet food (they do best on a strictly wet diet that is good quality and *low in fat*, Fancy Feast pates and grills work well and don't cost thr moon).
I also give him some slippery elm bark powder mixed in water a couple times a week, 2ml by syringe. Slippery elm soothes the mouth and stomach by provifing a goopy coating, because digedtive enzymes can give some cats sore mouths.
Thank you for your replies! I'm not sure if she has this as she has made normal solid brown poop more often than her soft stool. I've had her for 1.5 weeks so far for reference. The only soft poo I've gotten a close look at was her pooping in her carrier on the way home, which was medium brown and smelled as normal as any cat poo not covered with litter. She's only had 2 poops that were VERY smelly which was the 2 days after her 3 days of no pooping. Other times I do not smell her poop much... this might sound gross but I was trying to monitor her poop closer and I actually couldn't tell today's poop was poop or pee clump cus I just didn't smell it while cleaning it!

My original assumption for her underweight is that the shelter said she was given up because the other cats in the home were bullying her. Is it possible she was having trouble with weight due to that?
 

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How old is the cat?

Ask the vet about IBD or other gastrointestinal issue. Have full blood work done, including a test for B12 deficiency.

Maybe try elevating the food bowl to see if that helps food go down and stay down? It won't hurt. You don't need a fancy new bowl. I use a small upside down cardboard box to elevate one of my cat's bowl (picture here).

Adding a probiotic may be helpful. There's info here:


Most vets don't know much about using probiotics so don't expect much help from your vet. FortiFlora is often suggested by vets but it's not the best probiotic out there.
 
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Babypinkweeb

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How old is the cat?

Ask the vet about IBD or other gastrointestinal issue. Have full blood work done, including a test for B12 deficiency.

Maybe try elevating the food bowl to see if that helps food go down and stay down? It won't hurt. You don't need a fancy new bowl. I use a small upside down cardboard box to elevate one of my cat's bowl (picture here).

Adding a probiotic may be helpful. There's info here:


Most vets don't know much about using probiotics so don't expect much help from your vet. FortiFlora is often suggested by vets but it's not the best probiotic out there.
Thank you for your reply! She is 6 years old. I did see IBD mentioned many times during my search about this issue so will definitely bring it up with the vet.

I do feed her elevated, her plate on a small organizer bin, so it goes up to her upper arm/chest height. She doesn't really sit down when she eats and mostly stands on all fours. I can't even pet her because if I do she will raise her back even more to my hand, when I want her to sit and be comfortable...

I will do some reading into probiotics! Funny enough I take them myself even though I'm not sure if they're doing anything for me haha...
 

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Thank you for the encouragement! She is doing better than I thought in terms of getting used to my home and resident cat. She has never hid once. She does hiss at him, but only when she suddenly realizes he's too close... but she is the one running around while my boy is sitting there haha! I actually have a hard time trying to prevent her from running out her room every time I go in and out, as she is absolutely not shy about walking right up into his territory and his smells. Just today she climbed his favorite cat tree! But I will keep in mind maybe she might have some random triggers, as my boy is very vocal and sometimes would meow and trill outside her door. (idk if this matters but both cats have not shown body aggression, no folded ears/sharp face/fluff tail. She has only growled at him once when she heard his meow for the first time on day 1) She has multiple times rolled around right up against the door and paw under the door with him right on the other side. Her behavior is a lot different than what's described by lots of cat introduction guides that I'm not sure what to do.



Thank you for your replies! I'm not sure if she has this as she has made normal solid brown poop more often than her soft stool. I've had her for 1.5 weeks so far for reference. The only soft poo I've gotten a close look at was her pooping in her carrier on the way home, which was medium brown and smelled as normal as any cat poo not covered with litter. She's only had 2 poops that were VERY smelly which was the 2 days after her 3 days of no pooping. Other times I do not smell her poop much... this might sound gross but I was trying to monitor her poop closer and I actually couldn't tell today's poop was poop or pee clump cus I just didn't smell it while cleaning it!

My original assumption for her underweight is that the shelter said she was given up because the other cats in the home were bullying her. Is it possible she was having trouble with weight due to that?
If your kitty had EPI, my understanding is that it would be digestive issues with every meal. But also it doesn't happen overnight, there is a transition process where they have some decent digestion and stool too. Continue keeping an eye out, time will tell you more.
You are doing the right thing in monotoring and being aware of your cat's habits, condition, and body processes. And it's not gross - body functions are what they are, and good caregivers have to monitor and compare to see what's normal.
I hope your kitty just has adjustment jitters - she sounds like a sweetie, the way she is around your resident cat.
 

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What are you feeding her? If it's a commercial brand like 9lives, meow mix, or whiskas or overpriced "prescription" garbage like hills or royal canin the junk ingredients in them may very well be what's causing her issues. Try something like fancy feast classic (make sure it's the classic variety, the others have more junk in them) if you're on a budget, or if you can afford to spend more try something like tiki cat or instinct. If you think tiki cat looks good then I'd suggest one of the chicken flavors as they have essentially no junk ingredients.
 
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What are you feeding her? If it's a commercial brand like 9lives, meow mix, or whiskas or overpriced "prescription" garbage like hills or royal canin the junk ingredients in them may very well be what's causing her issues. Try something like fancy feast classic (make sure it's the classic variety, the others have more junk in them) if you're on a budget, or if you can afford to spend more try something like tiki cat or instinct. If you think tiki cat looks good then I'd suggest one of the chicken flavors as they have essentially no junk ingredients.
During her on and off problem days, she has had both Royal Canon dry kibble (working thru leftovers for my resident cat) and a few different flavors from Wellness wet food. I think she's basically had either a weird poo or a vomit after each different kind now. Today I'm planning to go get some of the fancier brands I've researched about on this site such as Rawz, but I don't think I can afford to feed her only those as it would probably come out to $120 monthly only for her food.
 
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Babypinkweeb

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I just saw her do something strange on cam. I googled cats standing on rim of litter box and I'm not sure what to make of it. She has been using that litter box with no issues daily. I don't catch her use it but her pee and poo are usually dead center in it. I assume that means shes ok with the litter box and litter itself. I've included the clip that was auto captured by the camera.
 

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During her on and off problem days, she has had both Royal Canon dry kibble (working thru leftovers for my resident cat) and a few different flavors from Wellness wet food. I think she's basically had either a weird poo or a vomit after each different kind now. Today I'm planning to go get some of the fancier brands I've researched about on this site such as Rawz, but I don't think I can afford to feed her only those as it would probably come out to $120 monthly only for her food.
The quality foods are more expensive yes, but you will usually save money in the long run by not having to constantly take your Cat(s) to the vet to find out why they are vomiting, having diarrhea, not eating, or acting lethargic.

Tiki cat is surprisingly affordable compared to most other LID foods, something like this might work for you if you want to try a more suitable food but can't afford to spend $2.50-$3.00 per 5.5oz can.

I just saw her do something strange on cam. I googled cats standing on rim of litter box and I'm not sure what to make of it. She has been using that litter box with no issues daily. I don't catch her use it but her pee and poo are usually dead center in it. I assume that means shes ok with the litter box and litter itself. I've included the clip that was auto captured by the camera.
She may not like the feel of the litter on her paws. Is she declawed? If so, that is most likely the case.
 
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Babypinkweeb

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The quality foods are more expensive yes, but you will usually save money in the long run by not having to constantly take your Cat(s) to the vet to find out why they are vomiting, having diarrhea, not eating, or acting lethargic.

Tiki cat is surprisingly affordable compared to most other LID foods, something like this might work for you if you want to try a more suitable food but can't afford to spend $2.50-$3.00 per 5.5oz can.



She may not like the feel of the litter on her paws. Is she declawed? If so, that is most likely the case.
I read that for tiki cat food it's best to go with the after dark variety? I'll definitely compare some ingredients lists and prices when I go to the store today.

She is not declawed. I originally gave her pine pellet litter (which I do not normally use) because it is same shape as the litter at the shelter, but she pooped and peed outside the litter box, so I added another litter box (the one in the video) with the litter I had on hand before which is Okocat super soft clumping wood litter. She has not had another accident outside the litter box since and uses exclusively that box. Which is why I was confused since she can use it just fine. I did go crazy and bought another litter but I don't have anymore litter boxes on hand now. The 3rd litter I bought is Sustainably Yours.

I don't have anymore room in there for a 3rd box so I'm not sure how to test it. The initial rejected litter box is in the bathtub out of view from the video, filled with the same soft wood litter she has been using for 1.5 weeks now.
 
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Oops I can't edit my post, but she has not acted lethargic this entire time which is the other confusing part. She's so energetic it's hard to keep her from dashing out of her room every time. I play with her and let her have fun exploring the rest of the home daily. She also has as great of an appetite as ever every day since I met her.
 

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I read that for tiki cat food it's best to go with the after dark variety? I'll definitely compare some ingredients lists and prices when I go to the store today.

She is not declawed. I originally gave her pine pellet litter (which I do not normally use) because it is same shape as the litter at the shelter, but she pooped and peed outside the litter box, so I added another litter box (the one in the video) with the litter I had on hand before which is Okocat super soft clumping wood litter. She has not had another accident outside the litter box since and uses exclusively that box. Which is why I was confused since she can use it just fine. I did go crazy and bought another litter but I don't have anymore litter boxes on hand now. The 3rd litter I bought is Sustainably Yours.

I don't have anymore room in there for a 3rd box so I'm not sure how to test it. The initial rejected litter box is in the bathtub out of view from the video, filled with the same soft wood litter she has been using for 1.5 weeks now.
The after dark varieties have better ingredients since they use organ meat rather than vitamins and other supplements, but it is quite a bit more expensive. Another advantage to a raw or good LID diet is almost no litterbox odor, the smell is from the junk ingredients in commercial pet food.

It's probably not because the litter is irritating her paws then. She may just be an overly fastidious Cat and not want to use it if there's anything in the box. How often do you clean it? It's also possible she thinks the box is too small, if she keeps doing that you might want to consider trying a larger litterbox. A good (and cheaper) alternative would be one of those plastic underbed storage units.

A litterbox in a bathtub or shower is a very bad idea, any litter that gets down the drain can cause clogged drain problems and possibly need a plumber to clear out. Since you aren't using clay litter it's not quite as big a deal, but it's still not a good idea.
 
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Babypinkweeb

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The after dark varieties have better ingredients since they use organ meat rather than vitamins and other supplements, but it is quite a bit more expensive. Another advantage to a raw or good LID diet is almost no litterbox odor, the smell is from the junk ingredients in commercial pet food.

It's probably not because the litter is irritating her paws then. She may just be an overly fastidious Cat and not want to use it if there's anything in the box. How often do you clean it? It's also possible she thinks the box is too small, if she keeps doing that you might want to consider trying a larger litterbox. A good (and cheaper) alternative would be one of those plastic underbed storage units.

A litterbox in a bathtub or shower is a very bad idea, any litter that gets down the drain can cause clogged drain problems and possibly need a plumber to clear out. Since you aren't using clay litter it's not quite as big a deal, but it's still not a good idea.
I am planning to get another litter box and trying to see if she would prefer the 3rd litter I got.

I clean her litter at least twice a day, but I tend to check everytime I go visit her room. I had a roommate before who basically never cleaned their cats litter which smelled horrendous so it basically traumatized me to do it everytime I see my cat use his litter.

I didn't put the bathtub litter there initially but only because the 1st and only day she went outside the litter box, she decided to go in the tub. So after I put a different litter in that litter box, I put it there but she only used it twice and only to poop. I read that if a cat has accident somewhere it could be a good idea to put a box where they had an accident. I will take it out as per your advice though. There's almost no excess litter in the tub as she never goes in there and I clean it daily.
 

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With only one Cat you shouldn't really need to clean the boxes more than once a day, but twice doesn't hurt.

Yeah, putting a box on an "oops" spot can help prevent them from going in the same spot again because it's covered over, but ideally you'd want to figure out what caused it so you can deal with it.
 

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I just want to say that sustainably yours litter is the devil. I swear it amplifies cat poop smell, sticks to cats fur, travels all over the house, and doesn’t stick to the poo or clump properly. I seriously had a break down while using it and my cameras showed my cats fretting in the box as they couldn’t cover any of their smell. It was the most awful litter experience I’ve ever had.
 
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