I Never Thought I Would Get So Excited About Poop!!

[LittleBelle]

I posted a while back about my "three fussy kittens" all struggling with loose stools, diarrhea, occasional bloody stools, and what appeared to be cramping while having bowel movements. We have made big progress. I believe it was the food I was feeding them that was causing the problems. My cats are completely off of Friskies canned pate and Rachel Ray Nutrish Chicken and Brown Rice (dry food) and it has made a huge difference.

Lenny was the worst - loose stools every day, cramping while having bowel movements, diarrhea once or twice a week and an occasional bloody stool. He also vomited once or twice a week. He now has normal stools and no vomiting. He is eating Instinct LID Grain Free Turkey Recipe (dry), Wellness Complete minced canned food, a few Nulo canned varieties, some Merrick Perfect Bistro canned, and a few BFF Best Day Eva canned.

Screech (I did not name him that, LOL, the rescue did because he was born around Halloween 2017 and he is black) is a dry-food addict. I got him off the Rachel Ray Nutrish. He is now eating the Instinct LID. It is still dry food, so not great, but better quality than Nutrish which had corn meal in it. And, the best part, he seems to have forgotten he was in love with Nutrish and eats the Instinct with enthusiasm! He also likes Stella and Chewys Chick Chick Chicken Freeze dried and VitalCat Rabbit Freeze Dried Mini Nibs (he likes both left dry but he does drink plenty of water). He is just not a canned food guy. He is doing much better. Not 100%, but better.

Boo, Screech's brother, is eating Instinct LID, Stella & Chewys Chick Chick Chicken, and the canned foods I mentioned above. He also has no more bowel issues.

They each have their preferences and I learned that none of them are pate lovers - who knew!

I am just here to say that I am by no means an expert, but the change in diet has made a very big difference. And, I did not go broke doing this. I did it slowly, one can and one bag at a time. I depended on Chewy.com Deals of the Day, used a PetSmart Friends and Family Weekend coupon and the clearance rack (plus a coupon) at PetPeople to save money and try new foods. The Pet People also gave me a lot of free samples. I also researched catfooddb.com to find well-rated foods that I can afford, and I read labels to avoid carrageenan and grains. That really helped narrow things down. Now that I know what they like and what they can tolerate, I plan to stock up when food is on sale, and when I have coupons. Chewy has great deals! Another bonus is that I am finding that even though higher-quality food costs more, they seem to feel full eating less of it. The Instinct LID is lasting much longer that the Nutrish ever did.

So, if anyone new out there is struggling with cats with digestion and bowel issues, try some of the higher quality grain-free foods that you can afford -- and don't give up. You may be pleasantly surprised like I was. Buy one can or bag locally to see if your cats will eat it. If they don't like something, you can return it. I journaled everything--who likes what, who is doing better, etc. It really worked well for my cats and I hope it continues to work. The best part is that I am not constantly worried about my kitties and wondering what is wrong, whether or not they are in pain, etc. A weight has been lifted from me. I am confident that if anyone new here is struggling, you too can find some affordable, healthy options and it may be the answer to your problems. It is worth a try. Of course, most of you on here already know all of this and I myself learned everything right on this site My goal is still to get these babies on a raw diet (we tried a few), but one step at a time! (Sorry I wrote a book here).

 

[Furballsmom]

YOU are completely awesome!!

 

[KarenKat]

That’s so great! And it takes patience, your kitties are so lucky! Congrats!

 

[LittleBelle]

Yes, lots of patience, but it is paying off. Now I just have Screech with loose stools. I wish I could get a probiotic and/or digestive enzymes in him, but he only eats dry and freeze-dried. I thought about mixing a probiotic/enzyme in some sardines, but I am afraid he will become a sardine addict and refuse to eat his regular food.

 

[Kal_shadowsmom]

I have spent an unnatural amount of time talking about poop on this site. Haha

It is awesome that you are sorting out the food problems and poo issues too, it's so crazy sometimes what cats will and will not eat.
It's a huge relief when you sort it out though. I've been right here with you for my cat too. Nutrition and inspecting poo to make sure it's normal. It's a long road, but there's always an end in sight.
You are doing a great job, and your furry guys are super lucky to have you!

 

[daftcat75]

Yes, lots of patience, but it is paying off. Now I just have Screech with loose stools. I wish I could get a probiotic and/or digestive enzymes in him, but he only eats dry and freeze-dried. I thought about mixing a probiotic/enzyme in some sardines, but I am afraid he will become a sardine addict and refuse to eat his regular food.

I give my Krista a bit of probiotic with every meal by hiding it under a pea-sized glob of nutritional gel. I have Cat Cal but NutriCal is another similar gel. I use that gel to deliver any kind of medicine because I don't need much, she loves the stuff, and we don't argue about having to finish a plate to take all her medicine. She knows when I've poisoned her food and she'll have none of it.

 

[daftcat75]

Having an IBD cat is like a messed up game of Operation. If the food "touches the edges" (disagrees with her), I get a gross buzzer out one end or the other. Except it's a waiting game to see whether it touches the edges. And those edges are frequently moving.

I've never been so involved in a cat's excretions than this past year. I told a friend she's like the grossest taproom. She's got poop and pee on the regular draft, and hairballs and barf are rotating and seasonal guest taps.

 

[daftcat75]

This shirt!

Cat Shit Crazy

 

[Furballsmom]

ewwww


(the board/card game Operation has the gameboard with an outline of a person "Cavity Sam", with cutouts where the purpose is to use metal tweezers to lift out a game piece such as an arm bone without touching the sides of the cutout. If the sides of the cutout are touched with the metal tweezers, a buzzer sounds, --and also I'd forgotten about this part, Cavity Sam's big red nose lights up LOL)

 

[daftcat75]

I never knew he had a name.

Oh yeah. It's right there in the instructions I've never read (until now.) Thanks Google Images!

 

[GalaxyGirl]

I have 3 kitten the same issues. I switched to Primal raw and never looked back. Kibble was a huge issue. Like you I found the instinct brand of kibble didn't trigger my IBD babies. I've recency changed them over to Dr. Elsey's as it has higher protein and keeps them fuller longer. I am really happy for you. IBD sucks. But once you find what they can have life gets better. Congrats.

 

[kittyluv387]

I have spent an unnatural amount of time talking about poop on this site. Haha

Haven't we all??? Lol

 

[LittleBelle]

I give my Krista a bit of probiotic with every meal by hiding it under a pea-sized glob of nutritional gel. I have Cat Cal but NutriCal is another similar gel. I use that gel to deliver any kind of medicine because I don't need much, she loves the stuff, and we don't argue about having to finish a plate to take all her medicine. She knows when I've poisoned her food and she'll have none of it.

Thanks for the tip. I do have a nutritional gel and I will try this.

 

[LittleBelle]

Haven't we all??? Lol

Yes we have. But if you don't check the poop, there could be problems that you are unaware of and down the road it could become a serious problem.

 

[LittleBelle]

I have 3 kitten the same issues. I switched to Primal raw and never looked back. Kibble was a huge issue. Like you I found the instinct brand of kibble didn't trigger my IBD babies. I've recency changed them over to Dr. Elsey's as it has higher protein and keeps them fuller longer. I am really happy for you. IBD sucks. But once you find what they can have life gets better. Congrats.

I am going to have to change again soon because Screech still has issues. He is eating Instinct Turkey, VitalCat Rabbit and Stella & Chewy's Chik Chik Chicken. I suspect it's one of those, but I don't know which one. Mine won't eat Primal Raw - the frozen or the freeze-dried. Actually, I got each of them to taste a little by putting on their paws. I may wait a while and try it again. Which Primal Raw do you use?

 

[akirababe]

Have you tried some of the training methods out there for getting a stubborn cat to eat wet food? I know you've tried a lot of different types of food, so it's more likely than not the texture that throws him off. My boyfriend's cat has been having crystals in her bladder and they had to switch her off dry food after her surgery, and she was basically refusing to eat it, which meant they were stuck buying the super expensive vet brand stuff for urinary problems. He was convinced his cat would never eat wet food and that he'd end up having to put her down when she got crystals again.
I've had cats inn my life from the day I was born, and I breed them, too, so I couldn't believe there was a cat out there that would literally never eat wet food. I found him a guide online that suggested the best way to get your cat eating wet food, and two weeks later she was meowing at his bedroom door (where he fed her to keep her separate from the other animals to ensure she was the one eating it) demanding her wet food. She polishes off half a can of food in one go, now.

I believe this is the guide I sent him... I don't know if you've tried any of this stuff yet, but for the sake of ensuring he gets enough fluid in his diet, it couldn't hurt to try. My Cat Won’t Eat Wet Food! - Petcurean Pet Nutrition


I really hope it helps

And good on you for researching food and working patiently through the different options you had to find a good one

 

[akirababe]

I meant to add; personally I've settled on a Canadian food brand called Nutrition First by President's choice. The kitten food is unfortunately not grain free, so when I have kittens I switch to Blue Buffalo Wilderness brand. Although, to be honest, I've never considered that they might not be getting full on it when they eat it fast. I just assumed it was because they loved the taste of it. I may have to revisit that food option. Their poops are usually pretty good, once I get them dewormed, and once momma's no longer manually peeing/pooping the kittens.

 

[LittleBelle]

I have spent an unnatural amount of time lking about poop on this site. Haha

It is awesome that you are sorting out the food problems and poo issues too, it's so crazy sometimes what cats will and will not eat.
It's a huge relief when you sort it out though. I've been right here with you for my cat too. Nutrition and inspecting poo to make sure it's normal. It's a long road, but there's always an end in sight.
You are doing a great job, and your furry guys are super lucky to have you!

Thank you. The rescue told me that Boo and Screech were found at a garbage dump, covered in red-ant bites. They estimated that they were about 5 days' old because their eyes were not open yet. Their mommy was not there and they could not locate her. They were bottle fed from that day forward and early on their foster mommy was not sure they were going to survive, especially Screech. I wonder if their tough beginnings have anything to do with their digestive issues? Any thoughts on this?

 

[Kal_shadowsmom]

Thank you. The rescue told me that Boo and Screech were found at a garbage dump, covered in red-ant bites. They estimated that they were about 5 days' old because their eyes were not open yet. Their mommy was not there and they could not locate her. They were bottle fed from that day forward and early on their foster mommy was not sure they were going to survive, especially Screech. I wonder if their tough beginnings have anything to do with their digestive issues? Any thoughts on this?

Hard to say, I think it's like anything else. Some people have allergies, some don't. Some people are lactose intolerant, others aren't.
I had a cat that came from a perfectly normal home, but had food sensitivities. Give her the wrong food and barf.

My cat now does well on a combination diet of wet and dry food, after trial and error...and barf on my carpets.

 

[RCM mom]

I just started using Tractor Supply 4health canned grain free cat food and my kitties are enjoying it for the most part and it does seem to fill them up more. It is also priced reasonably . Rupert who has had bathroom problems over the years one way or the other is having normal bowel movements not loose pudding. But since he has suffered with constipation/ hard small stools in the past (Miralax a lifesaver) I am happy to see any poop but glad it is getting normal. My vet brought up the surgery and quality of life issues but once I did research on Miralax, that worked and we got through it, so not positive they were right about him having mega colon as things fine now 7 years later! A little trick we did to get ours on wet food from kibble was to put some kibble in food processor and make "special dust" and sprinkled that on top of wet food, worked great!! It is just trial and error to see what works. We do what we can for our kitties!