Feeding too much = Diarreah?

[aryia]

Hello all,
long story short. I received three ragdoll kittens that seem to have sensitive digestive systems compared to the cats I've adopted before. One of them doesn't seem to have food inhibition and will eat until he becomes so full that he forcefully expels his food (in the form of very watery diarrhea). They are on Instinct Kitten Wet food at the moment, which according to the label says to feed 1 can per 3 lbs of weight. Kori is 9 lbs and I give him 2 cans a day (suggested for 6 lbs) which still results in loose stool. I've reduced his food to 1 can a day for two days now and his stool has become perfect. Leila is 7 lbs and also does better with 1 can a day. My worry now is, am I feeding them too little? How can I feed them more without upsetting their digestive system or are these feeding guidelines just a bit overkill? I have tried (by gradually weaning) Wellness Core Kitten, Fancy Feast, Chicken/Pumpkin/Rice diet. I used to think Kori was sensitive to something in the food, but I now believe he just eats way too much. I've never had this issue with the cats I adopted, they seem to know how much to eat.

Long version
I'm no stranger to keeping cats, but it is my first time dealing with cats with sensitive digestive systems + seemingly no feeding inhibition. We received three purebred Ragdoll kittens (MQ 4 months, Leila 5 months, and Kori 6 months now). At the time when we received them, Kori had some loose stools. After two weeks of settling in and somehow all three kittens having intermittent loose stools and a very careful feeding regime (and pro-biotics), we decided to have them tested for parasites. MQ came back positive for feline coccidia, Leila and Kori came back positive for Eimeria (rabbit-specific coccidia) which was strange. All three went on Albon. The Albon didn't seem to help Kori as he continued to have loose stools and we found out the vet messed up his dosage, so he received another round of treatment after two weeks. At this point we separated the three kittens and had to keep them caged to prevent reinfection (and infection to my other three adoptees) which felt awful. Unfortunately the Albon did not help Kori, still believing he might have Coccidia I gave him a round of S. boulardii which also had minimal effect. At the same time, after scouring the Internet for answers, I noticed Kori becoming pot-bellied every time after feeding. This is when I started cutting his food amount by half and immediately saw an improvement. I am a little skeptical over the whole Coccidia diagnosis now and believe that these three were really just overstuffing themselves (forcing undigested food out before it gets a chance to be digested). I am a little concerned though since I have been feeding them less than what the food guidelines on each can says and in order to get good stools, I have to feed about 1/3 of the amount suggested on the guidelines! Are they getting enough nutrition? I assumed they would need all the calories they can get since they are growing kittens.

 

[di and bob]

How long have you been feeding them this food? Sometimes it takes a while for them to get used to a change. Usually kittens under one year are given as much as they can hold, often. To put your mind at ease, I would have all three kittens tested again for parasites, especially coccidia. It can be very stubborn. You might also try feeding smaller meals more often and see how that goes. There are also bowls out there that have something on the bottom to slow them down at feeding time. You also might try changing their food to another brand. Kori may be used to fighting for his meals and bolting it down. That will improve in time. For now try the smaller meals more often. If at all possible, just for him.

 

[kommunity kats]

I take care of a family of community cats. They are on a species specific diet, equivalent to eating a diet of mice. So it's high in both protein & fat, while low in roughage, with *no* digestable carbohydrates. . . . Several of them will overeat if given that option, & when they have it has resulted in diarrhea caused by ingesting so much protien/fat that they could not digest it all, & that undigested protein especially irritates the bowels.

With help from a vet (Karen Becker, trained both conventionally & holistically) . . . who revealed the cause of one of these cat's symptoms of a horrible autoimmune disease when no others offered an effective remedy . . . I learned his condition was being triggered by the chicken protein he'd been getting, so I switched to a Limited Ingredient Diet that omits chicken protein, & his symptoms vanished & have stayed away.

IDK what your cat's diet is, but I wonder if a constituent in it (perhaps legumes or grains or milk) might be contributing to their problem *if* following the suggestions in the following 2 articles (by the vet mentioned above) doesn't help:

Feline Diarrhea
- Is Your Cat's Diarrhea a Cause for Concern?
- Analysis by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker, DVM
- March 17, 2020
Is Your Cat's Diarrhea a Cause for Concern?

Is Your Cat's Diarrhea a Cause for Concern?
- Analysis by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker, DVM
- March 17, 2020
Is Your Cat's Diarrhea a Cause for Concern?

 

[Furballsmom]

I am a little concerned though since I have been feeding them less than what the food guidelines on each can says and in order to get good stools, I have to feed about 1/3 of the amount suggested on the guidelines! Are they getting enough nutrition? I assumed they would need all the calories they can get since they are growing kittens.

If they aren't acting as though they're about ready to eat the bowls, countertops, you and the dog, you're probably ok or at least in the ballpark.

You might also try feeding smaller meals more often and see how that goes.

Seriously however, di and bob has excellent suggestions especially smaller meals more frequently, and with that, see if you can't increase the amount, gradually. You're absolutely correct, growing kittens need a lot of food to fuel their bodies and since their stomachs aren't big enough to hold a lot of food, they need that quantity of food spread out through the day.