[Soft Stool/GI Upset] How long to see results from new food?

[5DH]

We adopted a kitten who had very soft stools. He seems totally fine other than his poop is often much smellier than other cats and almost every time he poops, there is mostly liquid (sometimes soft solid) fecal residue on his anus that then transfers to whatever surface he sits on next. It has been 4 months now (he's 9 months old) and just frustrating that we can't find a solution. Our vet gave him a clean bill of health and we did a stool sample that tested negative for parasites and such. Fortiflora did nothing.

We had him on Purina One Indoor which was our household's default, switched to Purina One Sensitive Skin & Stomach for 3 weeks per the vet. No result, so switched to Hill's Prescription Diet Gastrointestinal Biome for about 1 month or so. I would say we saw 10-15% improvement but not nearly enough to warrant the price of the food, and he still required regular wiping up anyway. We did a slow 2 weeks transition and we're now on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Turkey & Oatmeal Formula (they had a Lamb version, but we chose this one because it was free of Wheat/Soy/Corn). I have to say we're 5 days in and really haven't seen any change. Our vet said given the number of diet changes, we should keep him on this food for at least 2 months before the next switch... but I am wondering how soon would you expect to see a change? My thinking is after 5 days a food should either be helping or have proven itself not beneficial.

I know some of it is a function of time but I'm just very frustrated, we cover all of our furniture with blankets to allow easier cleanup for poop transfer and I just think, man I cannot imagine doing this for ~15 years, I am really eager to find the answer!

• How long does new food take to work before I give up on it?
• Any suggestions on what we might look into next? I am somewhat surprised the $$ Hill's prescription food made only a tiny improvement, I thought the cost would have meant silver bullet.
• Is it totally unrealistic to hope that he might just grow out of it?

Would just appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced similar issues. I feel bad for the poor guy he's so sweet.

 

[Lazy Orange House Cat]

Give it the weekend and then update your veterinarian. They may be able to offer another suggestion to help the little guy out. Diet change can take effect in as little as a meal or two, but usually takes longer. It depends on the cat and how they were transitioned onto the new diet.
Thanks to Montgomery, though, I have a lot of experience with diarrhea. Go to the dollar store and get flannel backed table cloths. They are easy to hand wash, dry fast, can be cut to any size, and will not soak through. Flannel receiving blankets are cheap and easily cleaned, too.
Good luck with your little one!

 

[verna davies]

He could be allergic to one of the ingredients in the food, chicken is often the culprit. I have had great success giving s boulardii. Mix half a capsule in his food twice a day and you should see a result in 3/4 days.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I second s boulardii. It didn't work this last time, but previous times it almost immediately helped firm up the stool from food issues.

The most recent time my older cat had stool issues, we couldn't fully narrow it down to a cause (vet said all good), but it took about 2-4 weeks for the new food to slowly firm up his stool. Sometimes part of it will still be soft, but it's definitely not anything that will stick around on his bum unless you have a really long hair cat like mine.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Food trials can take up to 13 weeks, so when you are looking for allergens in foods, it's a very slow process. I would try to S. Boulardi as mentioned above and stick with the new food for several weeks before switching again.