Probiotic For Soft Stools

[Neo_23]

Huh... then I would guess that your cat is probably fine (though I know exactly what you mean by the good looking poo that gets mushy at times). Does the following link help a bit more? It scores poo on a slightly different range and states that 1.5-2.5 range is considered ideal (they used dogs though - not cats).
https://www.waltham.com/dyn/_assets/_pdfs/resources/FaecesQuality2.pdf
https://www.waltham.com/document/nutrition/dog/dog-gastrointestinal-sensitivity/303/

Yes I'd say my kitty is closest to 2.5. Thanks, that makes me feel better. Honestly I think it's the smell that bothers me more than the shape/texture.

He has been going through a diet change the past few weeks though (from grain to grain free) so I'm hoping things will slowly get better. If they don't I may just get a test at the vet to put my mind at ease.

I think one of the problems also might be that there isn't "one" ideal way for all cats to poop. Having softer/harder/smellier poops might just be normal for some cats.

 

[yeva2292]

Does your cat's diet have fish in it? Two things make Smokey's poos unbearable - fish (fish in catfood, bonita flakes, tuna, etc) and any upset to her stomach. She loves bonita flakes, but I had to stop feeding them to her - the smell was just unbearable lol.

 

[Neo_23]

Does your cat's diet have fish in it? Two things make Smokey's poos unbearable - fish (fish in catfood, bonita flakes, tuna, etc) and any upset to her stomach. She loves bonita flakes, but I had to stop feeding them to her - the smell was just unbearable lol.

It did, but I've actually just phased out the fish.

Actually, I think I've discovered what the culprit is this morning. I have noticed that when I increase the amount of wet food I give him his poop gets softer (the brand I was originally giving was Wellness). And when I give him Weruva which has lots of moisture, it is very soft. So I actually think it's the wet food causing it!

Not sure what to do because I don't want to stop giving him wet food

 

[foxxycat]

you can add freeze dried treats or low carb kibble as a snack. Or get a bag of raw food at the pet store and feed it in conjunction with the wet food. Rad cat I have heard lots of good things about. You can add a bit of hard food once a day to help firm up the doodoos..or look for chunky foods instead of pate if he will eat chunks. Mine HATE chunky wet food.

 

[Neo_23]

you can add freeze dried treats or low carb kibble as a snack. Or get a bag of raw food at the pet store and feed it in conjunction with the wet food. Rad cat I have heard lots of good things about. You can add a bit of hard food once a day to help firm up the doodoos..or look for chunky foods instead of pate if he will eat chunks. Mine HATE chunky wet food.

He is already eating dry food every day (I feed him a mix of wet and dry).

I'm honestly so confused right now about what to do. I made an appointment with the vet next week to get his stools tested just in case. And I think I'm going to increase his dry food intake and decrease his wet food intake over the next few days just to see if it really is the wet food causing it. I will be very bummed if it is because I was on the path to eliminating dry food from his diet.

 

[yeva2292]

Have you tried adding a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to his daily food? I sometimes make frozen pumkin treats (small ice-trays filled with canned pumpkin and a few pieces of kibble) and just give one a day. Of course, if a food ingredient is causing the problem, this won't fix the problem, just hide the symptoms.

The alternative might be to try a completely different brand of wet food. You might find your kitty does great on one, but no so well on the other - even if the other brand is just as good!

 

[Neo_23]

Have you tried adding a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to his daily food? I sometimes make frozen pumkin treats (small ice-trays filled with canned pumpkin and a few pieces of kibble) and just give one a day. Of course, if a food ingredient is causing the problem, this won't fix the problem, just hide the symptoms.

The alternative might be to try a completely different brand of wet food. You might find your kitty does great on one, but no so well on the other - even if the other brand is just as good!

Yeah I've been giving him pumpkin every day too, but doesn't seem to be helping

I just made an appointment with the vet for next week to take him in. I'm switching vets to an integrative one who can provide nutritional counseling so hopefully it will help. Thanks for all your help -- will keep the thread updated.

 

[Neo_23]

My kitten's condition has gotten much worse since yesterday. He doesn't want to do anything but sleep, has far less energy than he usually has. He played with me a little bit yesterday but he quickly got tired and wanted to sleep. He had softer stools than usual yesterday morning and I'm not sure what to do. He is still eating but he's not acting like himself. I have a vet appointment on Tuesday but I don't know if I should seek help sooner?

 

[foxxycat]

is he eating at all or drinking? do the hydration test- take the skin at back of neck-pull up and let it go-if it snaps back right away-hydration is good-if it takes 4 or more seconds to snap back he should see a vet to get fluids.

 

[Neo_23]

He is eating and he drank a bit yesterday, but he's not eating as much as he usually does or as often. His patterns have changed - usually at this time he would be full of energy and jumping on the bed waking me up but today he just wants to sleep.

I did the hydration test and I think he's okay. He urinated twice yesterday after the soft stools in the morning but he hasn't pooped since (he usually poops twice a day, but maybe it's just because he's not eating as much).

He is definitely acting different; he's not grooming himself as much as he usually does either. I'm so worried.

 

[foxxycat]

check color of his gums-are they nice pink or pale? rub your finger along gums=is it slippery or sticky tacky?

Slippery-hydrated
sticky tacky- dehydrated
pink gums=plenty of oxygen blood
pale-need a vet-low oxygen in blood.

 

[foxxycat]

do you have any syringes that we use to give fluids to cats? try to get him to drink some water from a syringe or make up some KMR and see if that will help keep hydrated.

 

[Neo_23]

His gums don't look pale, but I'm having a hard time distinguishing between whether its slippery or sticky. I don't have any syringes, and I'm not sure what KMR is?

I should also mention he had his final FVRCP vaccine last Thursday (about 8 days ago). Would this have anything to do with his lethargy?

Thank you so much for your help by the way.

 

[foxxycat]

KMR is kitten milk replacement- Walmart sells it in cans and as a powder you prepare. Do you have an ER doc near you? It wouldn't hurt to get him looked over. Any sneezing or runny goopy eyes/nose? These are all things the vet will ask you.

 

[foxxycat]

I don't know if that shot would make him lethargic this late in the game-usually it's within 24 hours afterwards.

 

[Neo_23]

There is an ER vet, I'm just not sure if I should take him in. It's the middle of night where I am and I'm thinking maybe I should wait until morning and see how he is? If he's not better I was thinking of calling the ER to ask if I should bring him.

Do you think that's okay? His main symptom is the sleepiness/low energy.

 

[foxxycat]

where are you located? I typed the stuff below before you posted...yes take him in the morning.

Can you take him to an er vet? The not having energy concerns me-wonder if he has gas from all the diet changes? Unfortunately I don't know what to look for in a palpation test like the vets do so if I was you-I would call em up and see if you can get him looked at-it could just be from diet changes BUT lethargy doesn't sound normal. Better to have him looked at especially if he is not interested in food-at 4 months old-he's too young to NOT have energy.

 

[foxxycat]

hows the breathing? when he is sleeping=count the breathes he takes. for adult cats it's anything 30 and under- but kittens probably breathe faster. No panting right? Eyes bright or dull? Any vomiting? I assume no diarrhea? how's the condition of the fur-is it clean and soft or looks rough? The vet will take in his appearance-these things tell a lot about how he's feeling..without seeing it's hard to know what's wrong- will he lick water off your finger? you can get a cup of water, dip finger in it and see if he will lick it up. My cat in my picture LOVES to do this-some cats do too.


you can use meat baby food this way too to get some nutrients in him-I know it's overnight-maybe next time grab 2 jars of baby food chicken/turkey/ham and keep it in the cabinet for next time-it can be a life safer when they get finicky.

 

[Neo_23]

I did check the breathing and it was around 35 breaths, so I think that's good? Eyes are bright, not dull, and he hasn't vomitted. I am on the west coast in Canada - unfortunately it's Sunday today so all the vets are closed

But.. I do have a bit of good news.. just as I was reading your post my kitten was sleeping next to me and he suddenly made a whining noise (he does this usually when he wakes up) and looked right at me. I looked at him and said 'do you want to play?' .. this is usually his hyper time.. and I grabbed his favourite toy -- he reached to grab it and came over to me to play with it.. he's still not a hyper as he usually would be.. but this may be a good sign??

I heard kittens sleep a lot when they go through growth spurts so I wonder if this is what's happening? I really hope so.
I will monitor him today and if he goes back to lethargy I will call the ER.

 

[Neo_23]

He is now eating some of this canned food.. that should give him some hydration??

I am hopeful that maybe he is okay.