I'm starting a new thread in this forum after some advice and suggestions from other forum members replied to my thread in cat health called My Cat has Diarrhea and I don’t know how to stop it. To give a summary of what I have in my thread my cat peanut who is 11 has been fighting digestive issues for a year and a half now. I have had every test and biopsy done, besides have an abnormally shaped digestive tract they cant find anything. There is some inflammation in the small and large intestine but is not IBD and they cant determine what it is. Per advice from this forum after reading other people's threads I have been using a probiotic and psyllum which worked for three days and then nothing. I have tried grain free can foods which seemed to make the problem worse. I have tried slippery elm and pumpkin interchangeably and nothing. He is losing his bowels everywhere and the weight he was picking up now he starting to losing again. I have tried the majority of the meds out there for this with either side effects or no help. So I'm trying to start the raw feed transition because this is the only thing I have not tried and I'm praying, praying this works because I don't know what else to do and I'm afraid I'm going to lose my little man. I know there are a bunch of threads on this for for beginners starting the transitions and websites but for right now I just want to ask a few questions to start because I know how my three cats are and it will probably take me a awhile to make any progress with this transition. So I apologize for being dumb and asking these questions the way I'm about to ask them but I need exact directions. So I feed my cats on three times a day my one cat with stomach issues I give a capsule of a probiotic and psyllum. The second meal I give without anything or third meal, my question for him for this transition can I give him pieces of raw chicken with his food on all three feeds or should I only do one or two? He most likely will not eat it but when he does start to eat it ? As for my other cats I feed the same amount of times but right now two of them have been sneezing so I have been putting lysine in their food. So at present I have thawed whiting fish in my refrigerator can I give that to my cats? I have turkey drumsticks in the freezer if I thaw them can I give raw pieces to my cats? Also, when i feed them raw chunks if they don't eat it how long can I leave it in the bowls to come back to try before its unsafe and should be thrown out? This is what I have for now so if anyone can help me very slowly transition into what I hope, and like I said pray will be the will make my cat peanuts life better I would greatly appreciate it.
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My cat has digestive problems and Im worried about feeding raw!
- Thread starter tigress22
- Start Date
First, I'm sorry your little guy is having so much trouble. Hopefully a switch to raw will help him as it has with others with the same problem.
I know you are probably tired of trying supplements but I do want to mention that my Coco had chronic loose stools for the first 6 months after I got her. What I finally found worked for her was a product called Holistic Solutions. It's a combination prebiotic/probiotic/digestive enzyme supplement. Within 2 days her stools were normal no matter what she ate. I probably would still be feeding her commercial processed foods and just adding the HS if it weren't for another of my cats developing struvite crystals. Because of that I switched them all to a raw diet and Coco didn't need the HS after that switch.
As to switching to raw, one thing you might consider is starting with a nutritionally balanced premade raw diet. With those you don't need to worry about whether his diet is nutritionally balanced no matter how much of it you give him. If you decide to do this I would suggest using either Feline's Pride or Raw Cat. They are more expensive than others but for good reason. They are probably the "cleanest" of the premades in the sense that they are made from high quality, animal only (other than the supplements added to make them balanced) ingredients and they are more likely to be readily accepted by cats.
If you want to try the pieces of meat route I wouldn't use fish. Fish shouldn't make up a large portion of a cats diet and so it won't do any good to discover that is the only thing he will eat.
You can certainly give raw chunks of turkey. You might want to start with mincing it up for them though if they aren't used to chewing on chunks.
How long raw can be left out before going "bad" is a bit controversial. Bacteria is normal and pervasive in our environment. Every time we put something in our mouths we are ingesting bacteria. This is normal and our bodies have evolved to deal with it. I think a good definition of when something has "gone bad" is when it contains more bacteria that what our bodies can tolerate. There is an amount of bacteria humans are able to ingest without getting sick. Cats are able to ingest a lot more bacteria without getting sick. This is normal and a reflection of how they have evolved. I have seen my cats eat raw food that has been left out for hours and not get sick from it although normally they eat their food quickly, usually within 30 minutes.
Edit: As for how much to start giving him, give him a small amount at one meal and if he eats that and tolerates it well starting adding more. Give him as much as he will tolerate.
I know you are probably tired of trying supplements but I do want to mention that my Coco had chronic loose stools for the first 6 months after I got her. What I finally found worked for her was a product called Holistic Solutions. It's a combination prebiotic/probiotic/digestive enzyme supplement. Within 2 days her stools were normal no matter what she ate. I probably would still be feeding her commercial processed foods and just adding the HS if it weren't for another of my cats developing struvite crystals. Because of that I switched them all to a raw diet and Coco didn't need the HS after that switch.
As to switching to raw, one thing you might consider is starting with a nutritionally balanced premade raw diet. With those you don't need to worry about whether his diet is nutritionally balanced no matter how much of it you give him. If you decide to do this I would suggest using either Feline's Pride or Raw Cat. They are more expensive than others but for good reason. They are probably the "cleanest" of the premades in the sense that they are made from high quality, animal only (other than the supplements added to make them balanced) ingredients and they are more likely to be readily accepted by cats.
If you want to try the pieces of meat route I wouldn't use fish. Fish shouldn't make up a large portion of a cats diet and so it won't do any good to discover that is the only thing he will eat.
You can certainly give raw chunks of turkey. You might want to start with mincing it up for them though if they aren't used to chewing on chunks.
How long raw can be left out before going "bad" is a bit controversial. Bacteria is normal and pervasive in our environment. Every time we put something in our mouths we are ingesting bacteria. This is normal and our bodies have evolved to deal with it. I think a good definition of when something has "gone bad" is when it contains more bacteria that what our bodies can tolerate. There is an amount of bacteria humans are able to ingest without getting sick. Cats are able to ingest a lot more bacteria without getting sick. This is normal and a reflection of how they have evolved. I have seen my cats eat raw food that has been left out for hours and not get sick from it although normally they eat their food quickly, usually within 30 minutes.
Edit: As for how much to start giving him, give him a small amount at one meal and if he eats that and tolerates it well starting adding more. Give him as much as he will tolerate.
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I read your other thread, and agree that raw is worth a try. In addition to what mschauer said, maybe try cooked, partially cooked, or raw chicken pieces. I'd try small bones like chicken ribs or wing tips too...bone is excellent for stopping diarrhea (can actually be constipating if eaten in excess). No seasoning of any kind, cut into small pieces. I would drop the psyllium and pumpkin and give the gut a rest.
I have to disagree with adding bone. Diarrhea indicates digestive dysfunction. Bone does nothing to aid digestion.
I didn't claim that bone aided digestion, I pointed out that it could help solidify stools.
I should have also mentioned that if the OP wants to add bone, make sure it is raw bone. Cooked bones can splinter and cause choking or perforations.
My cat has digestive issues as well (constipation, opposite of diarrhea). I've been told that Tripe can help fix the gut as well. I was also told a lot of cats won't eat it. Both of mine do, which is awesome, but it's certainly something you could try. =)
Diarrhea happens when food is inadequately digested. Inadequate digestion means inadequate nutrient absorption. Simply making the stools firmer isn't the goal. The cause of the inadequate digestion needs to be addressed.
Yes, the inflammation is priority. However, one might can address more than one issue at a time so long as it doesn't interfere with priority interventions.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Okay! Day one I went to the store and bought some chicken breast and cut up small pieces and added to all my cats regular food. My one cat precious ate everything, my cat peanut with the stomach issues ate like small pieces and my third cat kiko didnt really eat anything so I will keep trying with her. I know it was kind of dirty but I had not feed them since last night, but I knew if I did this they would have to be hungray or it wouldnt work. I went to pet supplies plus to get the holistic solutions that Mschuer suggested but they didnt have it at the one near my house. When I was there one of the managers was suggesting to me to try the instintic dry cat food, now I tried the wet and it went over very badly with peanut so I took it back. The dry instinct on the bag says it has freeze dried raw food in it, should I consider trying it or just stay away from dry food all together?
Best to stay away from dry food altogether. It's so very highly processed, and if your Peanut is having problems with inflammation, he'll do better with less processed food - which is why raw is the best thing to try for him.
I would use the Holistic Select store finder to find a store near you that carries the HS. Call the store to make sure they have it though. Just because they carry Holistic Select products doesn't mean they carry the supplements:
http://www.holisticselect.com/store-locator.aspx
Or order it off Amazon:
The Instincts kibble that supposedly contains freeze dried raw isn't the same as feeding a raw diet. If you want to try it go ahead. Just don't think it is like feeding raw.
http://www.holisticselect.com/store-locator.aspx
Or order it off Amazon:
The Instincts kibble that supposedly contains freeze dried raw isn't the same as feeding a raw diet. If you want to try it go ahead. Just don't think it is like feeding raw.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
Hi All,
I'm back with an update, things have been crazy so I have not had time so Peanut has been eating more of the chicken, granted I have to keep putting Parmesan cheese on it to get him to eat it but he is eating. I stopped giving the pro biotic to give his stomach a break from everything but I don't know if that was a good thing because I'm still finding little presents all over the house and the little box is not pretty. Now as I have been giving him the chicken I have been giving him the w/d in the day and for a night snack I have been cutting up small pieces for all of them. I have noticed the difference in Precious stool its dark black, but Kiko and Peanuts are still soft and loose, Peanut more then Kiko's because he is actually having accidents. I'm worried because he is not even trying or wants to eat tonight considering he only ate in the morning. I'm going to call my vet in the morning and tell him what has been going on, because he said there are a couple of other meds we can try. If the chicken was working even though its only been three days would I have seen some improvements by now? I took more chicken out to thaw and try to give tomorrow or maybe Friday is there even a point if I'm not seeing anything change, considering I have seen a stool change in Precious.
I'm back with an update, things have been crazy so I have not had time so Peanut has been eating more of the chicken, granted I have to keep putting Parmesan cheese on it to get him to eat it but he is eating. I stopped giving the pro biotic to give his stomach a break from everything but I don't know if that was a good thing because I'm still finding little presents all over the house and the little box is not pretty. Now as I have been giving him the chicken I have been giving him the w/d in the day and for a night snack I have been cutting up small pieces for all of them. I have noticed the difference in Precious stool its dark black, but Kiko and Peanuts are still soft and loose, Peanut more then Kiko's because he is actually having accidents. I'm worried because he is not even trying or wants to eat tonight considering he only ate in the morning. I'm going to call my vet in the morning and tell him what has been going on, because he said there are a couple of other meds we can try. If the chicken was working even though its only been three days would I have seen some improvements by now? I took more chicken out to thaw and try to give tomorrow or maybe Friday is there even a point if I'm not seeing anything change, considering I have seen a stool change in Precious.
Precious should not be having dark black stools. Cats who are raw fed mostly chicken have very light colored poops. Not sure what is going on there...
Because you're only feed a small amount of chicken, I would not expect to see a difference at this point. I think you need to try Peanut on all chicken for at least a few days. That way you remove everything else that could be causing an issue.
Because you're only feed a small amount of chicken, I would not expect to see a difference at this point. I think you need to try Peanut on all chicken for at least a few days. That way you remove everything else that could be causing an issue.
Tigress22, where do you live? I ask, because you may want to transition to raw with a commercial food.
In the meantime, I agree with vball91. For cats with digestive problems, our vet recommends a 24-hour fast, and then feeding just chicken for a few days (cooked or raw). This is considered a bland diet.
Are you feeding w/d canned or dry?
And what probiotic are you using?
In the meantime, I agree with vball91. For cats with digestive problems, our vet recommends a 24-hour fast, and then feeding just chicken for a few days (cooked or raw). This is considered a bland diet.
Are you feeding w/d canned or dry?
And what probiotic are you using?
I would agree with vball try to eliminate everything else so you can narrow it down.
If it does not work out with the chicken , what about trying a different kind of meat he is not used to.?
My cat who had digestive problems did well on raw venison diet. His stools became normal and he put weight back on which was so good to see.
If it does not work out with the chicken , what about trying a different kind of meat he is not used to.?
My cat who had digestive problems did well on raw venison diet. His stools became normal and he put weight back on which was so good to see.
The fast is recommended just to give a taxed/stressed system a rest. Help "reset" things, then feed the bland diet for a few days to a week or so. (For adult cats).
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #19
So I was just woken up by peanut who was sleeping next to me, and something happened in his stomach that woke him up. He got up went to the litter box urinated, as he was walking away passed gas and secreted. Then went back had gas and diarrhea, now he is sitting in the window. I gave him some of my cooked chicken breast that I was eating for dinner, other then that he has not had anything else since Wednesday morning. I have never seen it this bad and it only keeps getting worse, and I can tell its physically effecting him.
The OP doesn't need to take the advice, though it appears that he basically did just fast for a day. And there definitely are human docs that recommend fasting for a day or two when there are GI problems. In cats, longer than a day can be a problem, because you're right, they don't downregulate secretions (which is why some cats will throw up bile when they're hungry). I work with three vets, one holistic, and each gives this advice. :dk:
If this were me, I'd continue to feed him the cooked chicken breast. I'd give him a lot of small meals, as opposed to several larger ones. Have you looked into the probioic mschauer recommended? Another option, although expensive to have overnighted, is DiaGel. It's a very healing, soothing herbal treatment that was used by vets when there was a metronadizole (flagyl) shortage a few years back. It has been a "life saver" for many with kitties with IBD/IBS / inflammation or unknown cause of diarrhea. http://www.revivalanimal.com/DiaGel.html He may need 2 to 3 doses (12 hours apart). It comes in a syringe, you just squirt it into the back of his cheek, in his mouth. I always keep some on hand, and it's my treatment of choice when someone has diarrhea for more than a day.
