Soft Stools And Pickiness

[Yanaka]

Hi there, me again!

Recently, both my kittens have gotten soft stools. It came suddenly. I thought it was because my roommate fed them tuna, but I think I can track it to a couple of days before that. They've been having poop sticking to their buttholes and it's quite smelly.

The sister has also been refusing to eat the food most of the time. I'm not sure it's because she has soft stools or if it's because sometimes cats want a change.

I mixed two canned brands together: Hill's i/d (I have another post, their mom ate that and I kept them on it--it's for digestive care which is ironic) + Nutro natural choice chicken. They have kibble on the side but she barely eats that. I started trying to feed each food separately and not mixing them up but she still doesn't want them unless she's super hungry. She eats them when I add kitten formula, though.

Two questions, then: what could the sudden upset tummies come from, and why is she boycotting her food?

Thanks!

 

[Neo_23]

If they are kittens and they both have soft stools then I would get a fecal test done or deworm if they haven’t been recently. It could be that they both have a parasite or some bug. Feeling ill might mean that they lose their appetite too.

A vet check may be in order.

 

[Yanaka]

I hadn't thought of worms, but they were treated two months ago. I thought it needed to be done only every few months, especially indoor cats who don't eat prey? I don't know. I saw Salmon nibbling at his tail a few times last night, maybe that's it.

They don't feel ill, they still run and jump around like crazy. For Moon, it looks like she's dismissing it rather than not having an appetite for it. But I was wondering if she would be dismissing two foods (although usual, maybe boring now?) because she linked it to soft stools?

 

[himawari]

If they were treated two months ago, then maybe it is the food. Unless of course you see worms in their stool in which case the treatment failed & a vet visit is in order. It might be the smell that's off putting now or it could be that Moon wants a change in food. You could try giving 1tsp of pumpkin to firm up their stool & see how that goes.

As for the smell, I believe that might be the Hills. My sister's roommate's cat is on that and the urinary formula, and his stools are always long & smelly. I think it might be because of the barley & whole corn but I'm not a nutritionist so I can only speculate.

 

[Yanaka]

Hard to tell, since they're eating both. I thought they were doing better, but Salmon's poop was bad again. I heard his tummy bubble yesterday night, too. If I talk about it with the vet tomorrow (he has a follow-up appt for I don't know what), she'll tell me it's because of the grain-free, high-protein foods... I'm not sure what to do

Do I try another brand of canned food? Stop the Blue Buffalo?

 

[himawari]

Why don't you try not mixing it to see which brand is causing their digestive system to act up? It could also be possible that their stomach can't handle a mix of both. Is it possible to get a new vet, one who has the same beliefs as you do about a cat's diet?

 

[Yanaka]

I don't know where else to go. They're all so expensive, I can't go about trying them all... I also signed up one of my cats to their wellness plan because he was having issues and we were doing a lot of tests--so I'm committed for a year, now.

I don't mix it anymore, I feed them alternatively because of the sister's pickiness. I'm going to order different Nutro flavors, do you think that will help or should I change to another brand?

 

[himawari]

Ah, understandable. Maybe in a year you can revisit? I totally understand about how all expensive they are. I live in a good neighborhood, and each wellness/health exam is more $60 a visit. Yikes.

Maybe feed one brand for about two days straight then the other brand? I think that could help ruling out which brand is causing the digestion problem. Getting a different flavor might help too. Maybe a different meat protein? You will have to transition it slowly though.

 

[Yanaka]

I ordered Hound and Gatos beef, so even if it’s wet food I should transition slowly? I took the kibble out yesterday, we’ll see what they say after a few days. But everything was fine with our routine... i feel like maybe something was too rich. How often do they need to get a dewormer?

Yes here it’s 62 for a follow-up, 75 for a consult

 

[himawari]

Since Hound & Gatos is a completely different brand with different ingredients, I would suggest a slow transition. For me, even if it is the same brand I always like to do a slow transition that way it's easier to tell if it's my fault or if there's something in the ingredients my cat's stomach/digestion doesn't agree with.

As for deworming, I'm not too sure. When I adopted my cat last year, the shelter dewormed him & everything. I personally believe the less chemical you put it your cat, the happier & healthier they are. That is of course your cat starts showing symptoms of having worms. Even then I would choose to do a stool sample before deworming just to be sure. But since you have kittens and not an adult cat, it'd be a good idea to read this.

Where do you live, if you don't mind me asking? I think my vet's follow up is the same price as wellness check up. It's seriously gotten more expensive every year to do a check-up /sigh

 

[Yanaka]

I introduced Nutro NC Turkey in a small quantity tonight--they've already had it but you never know. I wonder if they just eat too much in one sitting? I've been following what people say here, give unlimited. But it seems to be a lot in comparison to their bellies...

I forgot to answer: I'm in central Philadelphia. You?

 

[Yanaka]

Salmon’s fecal sample is clear. I’m exploring the quantity issue—they haven’t pooped right after their breakfast this morning, we’ll see

 

[himawari]

Maybe it's also the way they take in their food? Have you tried one of those raised & kinda slanted bowl? Or a flat dishware? You could try giving small but frequent meals if you think it might be because of the quantity. That's good that Salmon's fecal was clear. Have they pooped yet?

I'm in California. So I guess it doesn't matter where you're in the east or west coast --- vet checkups are expensive lol

 

[Yanaka]

So the poop is still on the softer side with some stickiness to their butts. There might be a little less poop that sticks, but it's still not great. It smelled a lot less, though.
So my conclusion should be that:
- their kibble Blue Buffalo Wilderness gives them stinkier poop
- Nutro Natural Choice might be at fault with the soft stool
- my cat is super picky because she got tired of the Turkey variety of Nutro NC after two days of being crazy about it

So I bought a pack of Hound and Gatos (beef) and I'll transition them to that to see if it all gets better. I'm keeping the kibble out for now because I'm worried they won't get enough food during the day. They love it, so far!

 

[Neo_23]

Have you tried probiotics yet? Might be helpful. S. Boulardii is supposed to help firm up stools. It’s only found in human probiotics though (the only pet probiotic that has it is the Mercola brand). You can try Jarrow for human grade.

 

[Yanaka]

Have you tried probiotics yet? Might be helpful. S. Boulardii is supposed to help firm up stools. It’s only found in human probiotics though (the only pet probiotic that has it is the Mercola brand). You can try Jarrow for human grade.

I’ll try that out! So it’s for humans too? Do you mix it up in their food?

 

[Neo_23]

I’ll try that out! So it’s for humans too? Do you mix it up in their food?

Yep, the Jarrow s. boulardii is made for humans but a lot of people buy it and mix into their cats' food. This is a helpful link about probiotics and how much of human grade probiotics to give to cats: Probiotics for Cats - Why and Which Ones

 

[Yanaka]

Thanks!
I’ll get some. Tonight Moon wanted only Nutro chicken—oh well. Then Salmon got poop all over his leg because he doesn’t cover his heavy duty like other cats.

I need a solution.

 

[himawari]

Yikes. Poop all over a leg does not sound good. I've never used probiotic but my friend who does says that a little of the human probiotic goes a long way for cats.

 

[Yanaka]

It's not because he has diarrhea, just to clarify. He's very messy and softer poop doesn't help. He came out clean tonight, though

They're having a hard time with the Hound and Gatos beef, I don't know if it's the texture, the protein... They don't like it that much...