Help: cat stool not hardening

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

Hi, I've been having this problem for quite a while now
My 4 months old kittens stool won't harden
It always go from complete liquid stool on a day to really soft slushy stool on the another day but never is hardened stool like its suppose to be
Also he poops way too frequently like 3-4 times a day in small amount
The problem is that he often digs his litter too much and almost always leaves tracking and some of the stuff on his legs or tail and I have to clean up and wash his feet and poo on his fur 4 times a day as he poops frequently
This problem is starting to tire me out so I want to find a solution
Firstly, how can I harden my cats stool and leave it that way? I'm already giving him good quality dry food and he's been on that food for quite a while When I give him boiled chicken he seem to go from liquid to soft stool so it does seem to harden his stool but I can't give him chicken everyday
Secondly, how can I discourage digging too much when littering?
Thirdly, how can I make him poop less frequently?
Fourthly, do all kittens have diarrhea? Is this part of kittenhood?
Any advice or help will be great

Thanks

 

[klunick]

Hi, I've been having this problem for quite a while now
My 4 months old kittens stool won't harden
It always go from complete liquid stool on a day to really soft slushy stool on the another day but never is hardened stool like its suppose to be
Also he poops way too frequently like 3-4 times a day in small amount
The problem is that he often digs his litter too much and almost always leaves tracking and some of the stuff on his legs or tail and I have to clean up and wash his feet and poo on his fur 4 times a day as he poops frequently
This problem is starting to tire me out so I want to find a solution
Firstly, how can I harden my cats stool and leave it that way? I'm already giving him good quality dry food and he's been on that food for quite a while When I give him boiled chicken he seem to go from liquid to soft stool so it does seem to harden his stool but I can't give him chicken everyday
Secondly, how can I discourage digging too much when littering?
Thirdly, how can I make him poop less frequently?
Fourthly, do all kittens have diarrhea? Is this part of kittenhood?
Any advice or help will be great

Thanks

Have you had him dewormed? Was he found outside as most kittens born outside have worms? That would explain the diarrhea. As for digging, some cats love to dig and dig in the box. Others don't at all and just leave their mess where they drop it. He might be pooping often due to worms or a tummy issue. Has a vet ruled out either of those?

 

[Mr. Meow]

If a vet can rule out worms, a simple solution I use is purée pumpkin. You can find cans in most pet stores, or in powder form (just mix with water) and it's pretty inexpensive. Just add some in place of part of a meal and it should make him more regular (and solid) in a few days.

 

[LTS3]

If a vet can rule out worms, a simple solution I use is purée pumpkin. You can find cans in most pet stores, or in powder form (just mix with water) and it's pretty inexpensive.

A can of 100% pumpkin puree from the grocery store or even a dollar store would be even less expensive. The puree can be portioned out and frozen for later use.

What dry food are you feeding? Sometimes dry food contains ingredients that upset a cat's tummy for some reason. Can you feed canned food?

Probiotics can be helpful with some digestive issues. You can ask the vet. Here is some info:

Prebiotics & Probiotics for Cats: Healing Inflammation and gut dysbiosis

How to restore gut health, not just manage symptoms, in feline IBD

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

 

[She's a witch]

No, diarrhea is not a part of kittenhood, something is going on and should be investigated. If regular fecal float at the vet didn't show any problems, I'd get the PCR diarrhea panel done to search for pathogenic underlying issues. In the meantime, saccharomyces boulardi probiotics has been known to be safe and very effective in treating diarrhea (Jarrow brand, with MOS), I'd start with half capsule twice a day. Most dry food is highly inappropriate for cats (too much carbs plus dehydrating) so I'd also make sure the majority of kitten's diet is wet food, if all wet is not possible.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I fostered a kitty that had Giardia. I thought initially it was the diet, I was feeding her which was primarily all wet, so I added some kitten formula dry food to her diet and there was next to no improvement. I then took her to the vet where she was dewormed and tested for parasites. That's when it was discovered she had Giardia. I had her on a couple rounds of Panacour that the vet prescribed. It was only then did her poop go from watery to solid.

I strongly urge you to get this cat checked for parasites. Worms and parasites do cause watery and soft stools. Then when that is ruled out, start looking into what diet you can feed this cat. Best of luck to you.

 

[jeannem]

Suki (almost 5 ) poops 4 - 5 times during the night and once usually in the day.
j

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

Thanks so much for all your replies. Yes I've dewormed him with revolution fleas, worms and heart worm treatment on about late december so I don't think its the worm or parasite that's an issue. I feed him Purina One dry food for kitten which is at the higher end of kitten food from the supermarket. But this kitten was having not fully solid stool for ever since I had him at 8 weeks. So I thought all kittens have diarrhoea and didn't really worry too much but when he pooped more frequently and leaved tracking mark on the floors and places, I thought I need to address this problem
I mean, apart from dry food I tried feeding him canned and pouch food thinking that it will perhaps harden his stool but he often vomit out the food or never even touch the food. So finding right food and feeding routine for him is a real dilemma for me
Also I think I'd better mention that I had bestowed him upon care of another woman about a week ago during christmas holiday. She said she's fed him and been playing with him while she was with her, when he was returned to me the first time he was panting excessively and he was lethargic and not eating for the rest of the day, and on the next day I brought him home he vomited out yellow liquid along with straw of plastic tape.
I've attached picture for reference

I don't know what had happened but I think the pooping got more frequent ever since while diarrhoea was always there

 

[Mr. Meow]

Hopefully that was mentioned to the vet, because cats or kittens swallowing something like that can be deadly. If it wasn't mentioned to the vet, you need to do that ASAP, if not, then consider taking the kitten to an ER to be checked.

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

I'm not sure if the woman intentionally made him swallow that or he ate himself but he vomited that out but I yellowish liquid suggest she clearly hasn't been feeding him like she's told me. But he recovered after a day of rest and been active and eating food so I didn't really take him to the vet but frequent stool is worrying me. Is there anyway I can find out what the problem is without taking him to the vet? Because I feel like even if I take him to the vet vet wouldn't tell me what the problem is without further examination which costs hundreds of dollars and I've had some bad experiences with a vet already so want to avoid trip to a vet if all possible

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I just want to tell you that deworming a cat, just deals with worms. For parasitic infection, you have to have a fecal sample taking from your kitty and examined. Your kitty may Giardia or Coccidia. I will enclose an article in regards to this.

Your kittiy's BM issues could also be from food allergies. It can also be a case of lack of good gut bacteria. Another member above mentioned a resilient strain of probiotic that helps build up and keep the gut flora healthy. If your kitty was taking away from her mom way too earlier, was very malnurished, or you had your kitten on antibiotics (which could possibly cause antibiotic-induced diarrhea that doesn't go away until treated), then those could be a few reasons why she is experiencing this diarrhea on a daily bases. As mentioned, I am attaching a few articles on this subject to help you further. The best thing to do is take her to a vet to rule out parasitic infection and a partial bowel obstruction could be another possibility. If it is a partial bowel obstruction that is an emergency that shouldn't be ignored. I hope you get to the root of this problem soon.
Coccidia and Giardia – The “Non-Worm” Parasites | Frontier Veterinary Hospital, P.C.Coccidia and Giardia – The “Non-Worm” Parasites | Frontier Veterinary Hospital, P.C.[/QUOTE]

Kitten Diarrhea (Should You Be Worried?) | BluePearl Pet Hospital

 

[She's a witch]

I'm not sure if the woman intentionally made him swallow that or he ate himself but he vomited that out but I yellowish liquid suggest she clearly hasn't been feeding him like she's told me. But he recovered after a day of rest and been active and eating food so I didn't really take him to the vet but frequent stool is worrying me. Is there anyway I can find out what the problem is without taking him to the vet? Because I feel like even if I take him to the vet vet wouldn't tell me what the problem is without further examination which costs hundreds of dollars and I've had some bad experiences with a vet already so want to avoid trip to a vet if all possible

You can ask for PCR diarrhea panel, you can collect a sample yourself and have your vet send it to the labs without taking your kitten in. That will rule out the most common bacterial problems. This is not cheap though, I’ve recently paid $130 for it but some vets charge much more, depending on where are you. You can send the sample yourself to UC Davis and that’s $127 plus overnight shipping costs.
But in general, if this kitten has been having diarrhea all his life, he needs to be properly checked by the vet, if only to check for dehydration. He may not be getting all the nutrients he needs if he’s not digesting food properly.

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

I had another cat before whose stool was pretty puree like until she was 5months and then after which hardened like human stool when I served her handful of boiled chicken almost everyday along with her dry kitten food. I'm not sure whether I should give him handful of boiled chicken like I used to with this cat
Also I don't think he's not getting all the nutrients he needs, as he's almost 30cm already in length from his butt to neck and weighs 2.7kgs which I find quite big for his age

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

I just want to tell you that deworming a cat, just deals with worms. For parasitic infection, you have to have a fecal sample taking from your kitty and examined. Your kitty may Giardia or Coccidia. I will enclose an article in regards to this.

Coccidia and Giardia – The “Non-Worm” Parasites | Frontier Veterinary Hospital, P.C.Coccidia and Giardia – The “Non-Worm” Parasites | Frontier Veterinary Hospital, P.C.

[/QUOTE]

But the article says Giardias is more common in canine and rarer in feline because of their better immunity against it and Coccidia cause excessive dehydration but my kitty's water intake is normal, so maybe I can cross out the parasitic infection?
When I first got this kitten I have to admit that he was smaller than average in size but he was 8 weeks which isn't considered early for separation with the mother cat. Also although he was tiny when kitten his size grew so quickly. He's by far the most fastest growing kitten I've seen and most active and playful. Also he's never been on antibiotic and been an indoor cat ever sine I got him
If its simply gut issues do you think I can feed him human probiotics supplement or a spoonful of plain yoghurt?

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

[/QUOTE]
No, it is in felines as well. I had a kitten treated for it. It is good to hear your kitty is growing at a decent rate. I would get a hold of pet probiotics since it is formulated for pets. Human probiotics may be way too much for a kittens gut. See if you can get a probiotic blend with the Saccharomyces Bioulardi strain. Do not feed your kitty yougert because most cats are lactose intolerant and it would make her GI issues worse. I still would go to the vet as this problem may go beyond issues with your kitty's gut flora.

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

Its been couple of days since I put my kitten on chicken alone but his stool is still runny
Its very inconsistent and frequent still and also he's not eating much. Also he vomited very little food he's eaten this morning
Do you think he might be teething? Otherwise why wouldn't he eat his favourite chicken meat?
I checked his mouth and looked like some of his teeth were missing (?)

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

Since your kitty still has runny stool and is not eating very much- I think that a vet visit is unavoidable right now.

The missing teeth could be from dental diseases like Stomatitis and Tooth Reabsorption. I could mention other things in regards to your kitty's health mystery, but ultimately you must get your kitty examined by a vet. Please don't put this off or things may get worse. I hope you get to the root of this problem soon.

 

[PuffandPercy]

I really don't think you can rule out parasites; I had a cat that had runny stools when I first got him that I thought were from stress of being rehomed, that went away for a week, and came back. After a round of treatment for parasites, he was completely better.
Deworming won't help with these internal parasites.

Poor kitty probably isn't feeling too good having an upset tummy for so long, and even a bland diet isn't helping. I'd strongly agree that a vet visit is best, so you can start eliminating causes of this. It can't really be like this for the rest of his life, it will need to be addressed, and the sooner the better!

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

I adopted a 4-month old kitten in October who had loose stools, plus a tendency to step in them and track poop. She had already been dewormed. It went on long enough that I got a fecal test. Not sure what kind, but it cost me about USD $40 and showed giardia cysts under a microscope. The vet said giardia was common in kittens, especially from the street or shelters. (I wish I could say treatment fixed the poop problem, but she tested positive again after the first round of antibiotics and didn't seem to improve after the second....)

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

I simply tried feeding him less ten the consistency of his stool improved. But what I don't get is why some stool would come out more softer than other stool when he poops. He would usually poop out very soft elliptical stool first then some more lava like stool after few seconds later. He also farts alot.. by that I mean I can smell foul stool like smell when he passes by. He surely poop out less so his symptoms seem to have improved with bland diet I'm giving him as well as reduced volume of daily food intake. I stopped leaving out dry kibbles for him to munch on but would only leave fixed amount out during his meal time which is roughly 3 times a day