Help! Acute diearrhea episodes? Regular cat poop, then a smelly liquid poop within 2 hours

[Domino's Mom]

Help! I don't understand why within hours she could have a regular poop followed by a smelly patty. I've been trying to figure out for the past few months whether my cat reacts to certain things she ingests or if she has a more serious gastro condition. She's always had raw food until she had the worst poops I've ever seen with her in October, continuously. The vet did not find anything w a PCR test and Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio test, only recommended no raw food. That's when I started home-cooked and my non-precise trial and error feeding, and recording her intake and poops.

Food history:
Raw, commercial brands
Hare Today raw meat/bone/organ grinds, mixed with Alnutrin for Meat and Bone + GLM

Food now:
Home-made cooked chicken and pork, chicken heart, liver
Broth/liquid from low-heat simmering the proteins
Home-made egg-shell powder
Alnutrin for meat and bone
GLM (Green lipped mussel powder) which she's had for over a year
Bonito flakes now and then
S. Boulardi
Slippery Elm

It's generally gotten better, but they keep recurring after a few good poops. She seems to be doing ok with chicken. But starting last week, after a smelly soft poop the night before, she started eating differently, not eating all of what I give her, even though she indicates she wants food. There's been half to a quarter left every time. So, I thought maybe she's sick of chicken, and started adding pork or only pork. The partial eating is still going on though. She eats all of it up if I smush bonito flakes onto it. And even eats the leftovers from each meal that I save.

Besides appreciating any advice at all, I guess these are my questions:
- Would I be able to tell if it's a food intolerance/sensitivity or a bigger underlying gastro issue? I feel like her diet is so healthy and controlled...
- Suggestions on finding a holistic/integrative vet? I think I need to look into this more.
- Do cats require Omega-3? I think she might be sensitive to fish, which is why I have been using GLM. (I know Bonito is fish...so I should stop giving her it, she goes crazy for it)
- Would a seafood allergy or intolerance show via diarrhea?
- Can a cat suddenly not tolerate raw food?
- She is not that into canned food so I'm not sure what else I can try.

Feeling really frustrated and stressed and unsure what else to do, the food trials and recording has taken over my life.

Thank you for any advice.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - try removing the green lipped mussel, I've read that it can be an issue for some cats, even if it's been a while.

Would this help at all?
Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

 

[Gremlin's Guesthouse]

Help! I don't understand why within hours she could have a regular poop followed by a smelly patty. I've been trying to figure out for the past few months whether my cat reacts to certain things she ingests or if she has a more serious gastro condition. She's always had raw food until she had the worst poops I've ever seen with her in October, continuously. The vet did not find anything w a PCR test and Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio test, only recommended no raw food. That's when I started home-cooked and my non-precise trial and error feeding, and recording her intake and poops.

Food history:
Raw, commercial brands
Hare Today raw meat/bone/organ grinds, mixed with Alnutrin for Meat and Bone + GLM

Food now:
Home-made cooked chicken and pork, chicken heart, liver
Broth/liquid from low-heat simmering the proteins
Home-made egg-shell powder
Alnutrin for meat and bone
GLM (Green lipped mussel powder) which she's had for over a year
Bonito flakes now and then
S. Boulardi
Slippery Elm

It's generally gotten better, but they keep recurring after a few good poops. She seems to be doing ok with chicken. But starting last week, after a smelly soft poop the night before, she started eating differently, not eating all of what I give her, even though she indicates she wants food. There's been half to a quarter left every time. So, I thought maybe she's sick of chicken, and started adding pork or only pork. The partial eating is still going on though. She eats all of it up if I smush bonito flakes onto it. And even eats the leftovers from each meal that I save.

Besides appreciating any advice at all, I guess these are my questions:
- Would I be able to tell if it's a food intolerance/sensitivity or a bigger underlying gastro issue? I feel like her diet is so healthy and controlled...
- Suggestions on finding a holistic/integrative vet? I think I need to look into this more.
- Do cats require Omega-3? I think she might be sensitive to fish, which is why I have been using GLM. (I know Bonito is fish...so I should stop giving her it, she goes crazy for it)
- Would a seafood allergy or intolerance show via diarrhea?
- Can a cat suddenly not tolerate raw food?
- She is not that into canned food so I'm not sure what else I can try.

Feeling really frustrated and stressed and unsure what else to do, the food trials and recording has taken over my life.

Thank you for any advice.

This is only a guess, and you'll need some testing to get to the bottom of it (no pun intended), but this could be IBD; possibly pancreatitis, but again, you need the targeted testing. Also, I know I read something about bone fragments in food possibly irritating the gut, and I think this is something I'd shy away from. It could also be a food allergy, chicken being the main culprit. I am down to 2 cats from 18, one of whom is a very picky eater. She'll gobble a food for 2 weeks, and then run and hide from the same food the following week. I just hit pay dirt on Chewy.com. They are now carrying Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw food. The freeze dried raw coated kibble is a huge winner. I didn't even have to do the gradual intro, just put it in the bowl and they were all over it. It is chicken, but I do believe there are other varieties. The other huge winner is the Stella & Chew's Digestive Support, which can be used as a meal or a topper. It's supposed to have added fiber. I'm using it as a topper on her canned food (Fancy Feast is not a quality food, but adding the S&C makes me feel better about feeding it). Sushi not only loves this food, but actually asks for it, and cleans her bowl every time.

You could also try a fecal exam (perhaps a couple of them) for parasites. House plant munching?

Yes, I would say cats need omega 3s, but again, allergy tests might be indicated.

To treat the diarrhea, you can try adding a bit of pumpkin (not pie filling) to wet meals, perhaps a half tsp. Pumpkin is good for both diarrhea and constipation, and can now be found in the Beechnut baby food line, so you don't have to buy a whole big can of pumpkin and throw out 2/3 of it. If you do want to go for the canned, go organic; it's much sweeter than the regular canned pumpkin which can be somewhat bitter. Another go to is psyllium husk, which is another source of dietary fiber, but I can't recall if I was using it for diarrhea or constipation. Just do some research for uses/indications in cats.

 

[Domino's Mom]

Hi - try removing the green lipped mussel, I've read that it can be an issue for some cats, even if it's been a while.

Would this help at all?
Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

You're always so great at replying, thank you!
That's good to know, GLM was going to be the next thing I was going to test eliminating!

I actually just found AHMVA for some holistic vets.

 

[Domino's Mom]

but this could be IBD; possibly pancreatitis, but again, you need the targeted testing. Also, I know I read something about bone fragments in food possibly irritating the gut, and I think this is something I'd shy away from.

You could also try a fecal exam (perhaps a couple of them) for parasites. House plant munching?

Thanks for the reply and recommendations! I appreciate it. Yes, I'm wondering if it's IBD. Thankfully, it hasn't been chronic daily diarrhea and there are no other symptoms or behavior changes. She's a realllllly good cat, no plant munching! She has had a fecal exam too. And an even more thorough a Biome test. No parasites!

Chicken has only been since October, after her worst poop session ever. We've tried Stella&Chewy freeze-dried. She was only interested in the beginning because it was new to her. She grew up on healthy food, so unfortunately sometimes she won't even consider the healthier brands like Stella&Chewy lol. I wish she would mix it up to make my life easier. She hasn't reacted well to pumpkin or psyllium, even brands that contain them (though who knows, it could be due to a different ingredient). My understanding is that fiber adds bulk, but doesn't get to the root of the issue. I'm continuing with S.Boulardi + Slippery Elm for now.

Cats...she just ate everything in her bowl. So who knows. Hoping the diarrhea won't come back for awhile.