Likely Ibs, Unsure Of What To Do

[AmyTheKittyMommy]

Jasper started having diarrhea and soft stools on and off a while ago, combined with periodic loss of appetite. Sometimes he even pooped outside the litterbox, on the couch or caret. He started losing weight and generally seemed unhappy.
The vet did blood work and a parasite panel, both of which came back clean. The vet says Jasper likely has IBS.
The vet wanted us to change his food to their prescription food, but that food has grain, which I read is bad for kitties with IBS. We switched him off Trader Joe’s brand cat food to Soulistic, which is grain free. He’s been eating better, though sometimes he’s still a little finicky, and looks like he’s gaining some weight back, but he’s still having diarrhea. It’s only been about a week or two on the Soulistic.
Should I try a different brand of food, or wait? Should I ask the vet for some more medication to help? He took a little bit of an antibiotic after seeing the vet, but he hated the taste and was very very uncooperative about taking it. Most of the liquid ended up on the floor or all over his face as opposed to inside his mouth.
I’m a bit at a loss for what to do, as I’ve never had a cat with IBS. Jasper’s brother Percy hasn’t been having any issues, but poor Jasper has been having a rough time and I want to get him feeling better. Any advice will be very much appreciated.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

First, talk with your vet about the issues with the antibiotic. IF he has an infection that is causing this (and it is possible), he needs those meds. See if there is any way to have this medication compounded into a transdermal dosage...one that is rubbed on the ear. This isn't always ideal, as there can be issues with getting the dosage just right, but it is far, far better than him NOT getting medication that he needs.

Also, discuss with the vet the possibility of food allergies, and trying unique proteins. This is going to take some exploration on your part, and it is NOT a quick solution. It takes WEEKS to rule out issues, most of the time, but if he is allergic to something, it will give him a healthy life back.

IF you abruptly switched him to the new food, he may be having a bit of diarrhea from the rapid change. That's very possible.

Have you tried a bit of plain, canned pumpkin? Oddly, it works well for either diarrhea OR constipation in cats. Don't ask me how the pumpkin knows what to do, I have no clue.

 

[AmyTheKittyMommy]

The antibiotic wasn’t for an infection, it was given to help with his diarrhea. It’s called Metronidazole.
I’ll try to find some canned pumpkin. One of the flavors of Soulistic we feed him has little bits of pumpkin in it, so hopefully that’ll help.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

LOL, just make sure that it is the plain pumpkin puree, NOT the pie filling...which I did once, while shopping in a rush! Had to make a second trip to the store when I realized what I had done. The pie was good, though...

 

[daftcat75]

Make a meat stock. Don’t buy it. Don’t buy bone broth or soup broth or bouillon cubes. Get out your crock pot, slow cooker, or a stock pot and make it yourself.

This link says bone broth. Stop after round 1. That’s meat stock. Bone broth can be harder on Ibs/Ibd individuals. Meat stock extracts all the good stuff from the connective tissues. Use skin-on, bone-in pieces with joints.

Bone Broth Is Excellent Nourishment for Older Pets

I use turkey because chicken is a no-go with my Krista. 10 hours on low in a crock pot. I set it before bedtime. In the morning, I strain the liquid and dispose of the meat and bone (I don’t eat it and Krista has her own food), cool the liquid quickly in a larger cold water bucket while I clean up, cover the cooled stock, and let it set in the fridge for 8 hours while I’m at work. It should set up like a gelatin dessert. Scrape off the fat layer and dispose of that. It’s been cooking too long—it’s degraded and not edible. Reserve a couple days’ worth in the fridge and freeze the rest into ice cubes. You can feed Percy the cold meat stock jello from the fridge or you can warm it up in a baggie under the tap. I like to give it to Krista as the cold jello because it’s easier for her to find on the plate and easier for me to see that she ate it. I give her a spoonful in the morning and one at night. Not only is the gelatin healing up her IBD gut, but the glucosamine and chondroitin extracted from the turkey joints is helping her arthritis too.

You can thaw the stock ice cubes in the fridge or under the tap (in a baggie.) If it doesn’t thaw back to jello consistency, thaw it under the tap in a baggie and then put it back in the fridge for a couple of hours.

A couple of guidelines we learned the hard way (aka Krista got sick): only thaw in the fridge what Percy will eat in a couple of days. If it sits in the fridge too long, it doesn’t agree with Krista. And if you mix stock with food, take up any uneaten portions after 30 minutes. It may last longer but I tend to forget if I give Krista more time. I got carried away when I was seeing the difference it made for her and added stock to her feeder portions. Well that didn’t go over so well after four hours in the feeder.

Also, at least for Krista, there is such thing as too much stock. A couple of spoonfuls a day seems to be perfect for her. More than that and she gets softer or runny poops. Percy may do better with more or less. Watch the poops to see if you’re on the right track.

 

[LTS3]

Here are two good web sites on treating IBD:

Feline IBD
IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

It's ok to not feed the prescription food the vet recommends Many IBD cats do well on a bland-ish food that has few fillers. Some brands to look into:

Blue Buffalo Basics
Merrick Limited Ingredients
Koha Limited Ingredient
Natural Balance LID
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
RAWZ | 100% Rendered Free Cat Food
Single Novel Protein Grain Free Wet (not Raw) Food? Help!
Your favorite brands of "novel protein" canned cat food
Recs For Low-carb, Grain-free Pork Without Chicken Or Fish?
Canned - Pure Vita - Natural Holistic Pet Foods
NutriSource Pet Foods

A raw or home cooked diet are also options.

Metronidazole (aka Flagyl) has a nasty bitter taste cats hate. Instead of the liquid, try the pill which you can hide in a Pill Pocket or something similar. Or ask the vet to have the medicine compounded into a chew treat or transdermal gel. Wedgewood Pharmacy is a popular online pharmacy for compounding pet medicines but any local compounding pharmacy works.

A steroid will help with inflammation. Prednisolone is typically recommended for IBD cats.

Other medicines such as Cerenia (anti-nausea), mirtazapine (appetite stimulant), and Pepcid AC (antacid. Generic name famotidine. Never use Pepcid Complete or similar product) may be needed based on the cat's symptoms.

The weight loss could be from low B12 levels which many IBD cats have. Your cat can do a blood test to check levels. Low levels are treated with B12 injections you do at home.

IBD cats end to have sensitive tummies. Chicken and other things can trigger a flare up or diarrhea. Try eliminating chicken and other common allergens from the diet. I found out that my IBD cat could no longer have chicken after I gave him a Pill Pocket. Both varieties of Pill Pockets contain chicken, even the salmon one Chicken is in a lot of things and may not even be specified. It may be labeled as "animal liver" or some other vague wording.

 

[AmyTheKittyMommy]

Wow, thank you all for the information! I’ll do my best to figure out what I can do with the advice you’ve given me.
LTS3 What sort of protein would be better for Jasper if he’s allergic to chicken? I’ve only fed him chicken and I never considered he could be sensitive to it.

 

[LTS3]

Novel proteins like duck, rabbit, venison, etc. My IBD cat eats rabbit.

There's a chart here you can also use to find novel protein foods: Check This Out.... Chart For Cat Food Ingredients

 

[daftcat75]

Wow, thank you all for the information! I’ll do my best to figure out what I can do with the advice you’ve given me.
LTS3 What sort of protein would be better for Jasper if he’s allergic to chicken? I’ve only fed him chicken and I never considered he could be sensitive to it.

Try turkey. It’s novel enough if Jasper hasn’t been eating it regularly. But also try the meat stock. Because your food trials aren’t likely to be successful until the leaky gut has been sealed. Otherwise his gut leaks the novel proteins and now he has allergies to those too. The meat stock will heal and seal the leaky gut.

 

[AmyTheKittyMommy]

Thank you! I’ll make the turkey meat stock as you suggested, daftcat75 .
I just looked at the cans, and it appears Jasper has had turkey before, as it was in both flavors of the Trader Joe’s wet food he was fed prior, but maybe it’s still worth a try for him? I’m not sure if he’s allergic to chicken or if it’s just too soon after switching foods to say, as one of the flavors of Trader Joe’s did have chicken and all of his Soulistic food has chicken.

 

[daftcat75]

Thank you! I’ll make the turkey meat stock as you suggested, daftcat75 .
Jasper has had turkey before, as it was in both flavors of the Trader Joe’s wet food he was fed prior, but maybe it’s still worth a try for him? I’m not sure if he’s allergic to chicken or if it’s just too soon after switching foods to say, as one of the flavors of Trader Joe’s did have chicken and all of his Soulistic food has chicken.

Chicken is in everything and it’s a popular allergen. Likely because it’s what every cat is eating in one form or another when the leaky gut is developing. I’d avoid chicken and probably either tuna or salmon (whichever he ate the most) to start. If he didn’t eat that much turkey, it could be okay. But you want to read the ingredients. A lot of turkey foods have chicken ingredients. If it say poultry, assume chicken.

IBD is basically a gut made leaky by inappropriate foods or food ingredients (usually carbs) feeding the wrong bacteria which causes membrane permeability changes. The gut becomes leaky and partially digested or undigested food proteins get into the bloodstream. The immune system weaponizes against those proteins which causes the inflammatory response. Because it’s partially digested proteins leaking into the bloodstream, it’s not as simple to say he is definitely allergic to one or the other. But it’s not a bad idea to avoid the most common proteins (chicken and salmon or chicken and tuna) that he’s probably had.

The meat stock though. A couple spoonfuls a day will go a long way to healing him up. The collagens but also the amino acids in the meat stock will provide the needed nutrients and raw materials to repair the leaky gut. Finding foods that are low carb or no carb (cats don’t need carbs) will help shore up what caused the injury in the first place.

 

[LTS3]

Personally, I don't believe the whole leaky gut thing and meat stock collagen "healing" it. But to each his own I don't give my IBD cat meat stock or anything and he's doing well on just a novel protein diet. Meat stock won't hurt but don't expect a miracle from feeding it.

 

[daftcat75]

Not just my own. This is from a respected source.

https://feline-nutrition.org/health/feline-inflammatory-bowel-disease-nature-and-treatment

It not only discusses the leaky gut and its treatment with stock, it has pictures of normal gut lining with villi intact and the flattened villi that results in gut membrane permeability changes.

Why don’t you research the matter and actually give the stock a try before you summarily dismiss both?

 

[AbbysMom]

This is from a respected source.

Not respected by everyone.

Why don’t you research the matter and actually give the stock a try before you summarily dismiss both?

Many members on this site have IBD cats including myself. Many are doing well without meat stock. As my vet said to me last week: "Cats are odd little creatures. Dogs are more straight-forward in treatment. Cats don't always react the way you expect and can be harder to diagnose and treat. What works well for one will not work well for another".

LTS3 has been a member here since 2014 and has done extensive research on IBD and how to properly manage her cat Leroy's issues. We're all here to makes suggestions and say what works best for our cats. It's awesome that your cat is doing well with the meat stock. I hope she continues to do well and that it keeps working for her. Just because she is though doesn't mean all cats will. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they are wrong.

AmyTheKittyMommy I'm sorry for taking your thread off track a bit. My cat can not have chicken, but does well with turkey. It's one of her main proteins. She also gets duck and salmon. As the others have mentioned, it's tough because chicken is in everything.

 

[rubysmama]

AmyTheKittyMommy : I understand your concern and frustration over your Jasper's soft stools and litter box accidents. Hopefully you and your vet will find the right combination of diet that will work for Jasper.

Many members on this site have IBD cats including myself.

My Ruby, though never officially diagnosed with IBD, has had a sensitive digestive system ever since I adopted her. As I was new to litter box cleaning, at first I couldn't even tell the difference between pee and poo clumps.

My vet suggested a novel protein veterinary food - Royal Canin canned duck and her stools became normal, literally the next day. I know some people frown on some of the ingredients in that food, but it's works for Ruby, and as they say "if it ain't broke ..."

That was 5 years ago, and at one point we added a Gastrointestional kibble to Ruby's diet just to give her some variety. It worked for quite a while, but now I think the chicken in it is bothering her, as she's had more loose stools and accidents, plus vomiting, lately. I stopped giving the kibble to her 2 weeks ago, and her stools have been 99% better.

Currently I plan to ask her vet for a new kibble suggestion, as Ruby does like a few pieces of dry food a day as a "treat". Unfortunately, it's really hard finding kibble without chicken.

As my vet said to me last week: "Cats are odd little creatures. Dogs are more straight-forward in treatment. Cats don't always react the way you expect and can be harder to diagnose and treat. What works well for one will not work well for another".

When I first took Ruby to the vet about her vomiting and loose stools, I was under a lot of stress, and the vet said they now recognize that cats are not "small dogs" and that they have to be treated differently. The vet also said that cats can pick up on their owner's stress and that could be causing Ruby's tummy troubles. Since the food change cleared things up, I don't think my stress was affecting Ruby, but it was still interesting to hear.

 

[AbbysMom]

Currently I plan to ask her vet for a new kibble suggestion, as Ruby does like a few pieces of dry food a day as a "treat". Unfortunately, it's really hard finding kibble without chicken.

It's not the same as kibble, but some cats do well with the pure bites cat treats. I'm not sure if they are available in Canada.

 

[rubysmama]

It's not the same as kibble, but some cats do well with the pure bites cat treats. I'm not sure if they are available in Canada.

Yes, the Pure Bites cat treats are available in Canada. And if they work, would be a great solution, as I only give Ruby kibble as treats so even a small bags lasts a long time.

Which flavour do you think would be best to try first for my chicken-sensitive Ruby. I see there's a Duck Liver one. As well as several fish ones.

 

[AbbysMom]

Which flavour do you think would be best to try first for my chicken-sensitive Ruby. I see there's a Duck Liver one. As well as several fish ones.

Probably turkey breast or duck liver. I've also given Abby the salmon and shrimp.

AmyTheKittyMommy I promise we'll stop going off-topic in your thread now.

 

[rubysmama]

Probably turkey breast or duck liver. I've also given Abby the salmon and shrimp.

Thanks. Will see what I can find.

AmyTheKittyMommy I promise we'll stop going off-topic in your thread now.

Yes, sorry from me too, AmyTheKittyMommy . But I will post if the Pure Bite treats work for Ruby, as they might be options for Jasper, as well.

BTW, that must be Jasper and Percy in your avatar pic. Which one is which?

 

[AmyTheKittyMommy]

Thank you all for your input! And don’t worry at all about being off topic in the thread, I really don’t mind at all. I’m just glad you’re helping each other find treats for your kitties!
I’m going to start looking for a novel protein food that’s grain free. The ones that you sent look like a great place to start, and I’ll have to see if Petco carries them or if I should order online, LTS3 . Hopefully Jasper is just allergic to chicken and switching to another protein will clear up his issues. I think I’ll start with turkey and if that doesn’t work, maybe rabbit? We’ll have to see what he thinks, because he’s been a picky little fellow in the past. How long on the new food should it take before he’s having more solid poop?
I’m willing to give meat stock or canned pumpkin a try, possibly. If it won’t hurt, and could possibly help, I might look into it. I’m not sure if that would be at the same time as switching his food, or if I’d give it a try if I’m not seeing results after switching. I’ll try to figure it out, it’s just that all this information is a little overwhelming!
rubysmama Jasper is the flame point, or the “little white fuzzball”. Percy is the seal point, or the “slightly more toasted catloaf”.