Poo Problems - can anyone help?

[Rosella moggy]

So glad Izzy is so much better.  I just love NFCs 

You might not want to hear this but I have to share because it is so cute.  When she is doing her poo she purses her lips each time she squeezes  he he lol. 

That soooo paints a picture 

[Janeyk]

  Glad things are working well now! you have made me chuckle 

[carolynl]

Quick update on the HILIFE

Well, Izzi has been on the Hilife kitten-junior for a few weeks now and I think it is working!

The other day though, she surpassed herself for being THE most embarrassing cat on earth.  Infront of myself and my two neighbours she did a number 2, without batting an eyelid, in the middle of their lawn   She offically has no shame whatsoever.    On the bright side, her poops were firm and perfectly formed

You might not want to hear this but I have to share because it is so cute.  When she is doing her poo she purses her lips each time she squeezes  he he lol.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

If it's the paste I had for Trigger when he had the corona virus problems, he nearly bit my hand off trying to get at it straight from the tube

My goodness you are supposed to feed them as well 

I am waiting to see Franta use a tray cos he hasnt troday but suspect this means that he is Ok again........hoping 

I hope all the cats get sorted asap 

[Kay and Penny]

If it's the paste I had for Trigger when he had the corona virus problems, he nearly bit my hand off trying to get at it straight from the tube

[carolynl]

Hmmm, sounds like you've covered all bases with regards to parasites etc then, presumably the metronidazole made no difference either?

No it didn't really make any difference but it may be like Milly's Mum said and the original parasitic infection has left Izzi with a damaged  gut that could take a while to heal.

If a cat has a longterm infection such as giardia it can damage the gut for some time even tho the bug has gone. Did you take 3 day samples when she was last tested? As Gillian said things arent always shed in every poop 

Yes Millys Mum I had to take in samples over a period of a several days to cover the intermittent shedding of cysts.

I am now trying Izzi on Hilife kitten junior which has actually improved her poops.  Definately better than when she was on Hillls i/d pouches.  I will keep her on the Hilife for a while and see what happens. Then let you all know the results.

Thanks again everyone.

And I hope Franta and Carra get well quickly.  Keep us posted.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm I havent seen it but vet said it was a paste that could be mixed in Frantas food..................this vet doesnt know Franta and Rachel would never do this to me. Franta doesnt eat well and stress is not what he needs 

Am hoping the lacto B is starting to work and maybe tomorrow ithat might be proved.

[Angiew]

On no not the dreaded pro kolin kitty face paint in a stiff syringe that shoots out when you least expect it  i hate the stuff with a passion, powdered probiotics all the way for me 

 
thought it was just me

[Millys Mum]

On no not the dreaded pro kolin kitty face paint in a stiff syringe that shoots out when you least expect it  i hate the stuff with a passion, powdered probiotics all the way for me 

[DebbieM]

Fingers crossed for you Gill! Hope it works and soon!

Liz made me laugh! 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

The vet rang at lunchtime and said for Franta Lacto B was the right thing to give and it takes about 48 hours to start working but if Franta is no better on Monday to go in and he will give me some paste for franta with kaolin in, which will firm him up. The preferable way however is the Lacto B if it works.

So I am hoping that Lacto B will do the job.

[Liz]

They do like to worry us to death that is for certain - we have two more mature ladies who would kill a feeble human at 100 feet - and both come out of the box and look at you as if to say don't know who did it but please remove as we have to catch up on our sleep - Sweetie is 17 in April and Miss Cissy 15 in June one domestic and one feral and both my darling daughters!

Just to give you some hope we have 20 litter trays and both work full time so our inside crew can go some through the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

You are right they worry us to death....vets are so busy they havent rung back yet.

I hope you can get to the bottom.........not a pun really, of carras problem. I have just sprayed the house and it still smells.

Poor boys 

[DebbieM]

Carra is also stinking the house out!

They all went for their FeLV injection yesterday and he was not happy this morning. He ignored his breakfast and he never done that before.  He is usually banging the bedroom door down for food! This morning is was skulking behind a chair down stairs. He slept the rest of the morning and had a little lunch. Coco had half her breakfast but went back a while later to finish hers so obviously she doesn't feel quite as bad as he does, usually she eats it all in one go! But the litter tray smells worse than ever and he missed it once! I'm hoping it will pass and they will be back to normal soon or as normal as possible in his case. I never had any bad reactions to vaccinations with my Landy and Dissy in all their years! The vets said they may be off their food for 24 hours or so.

Gill, I really hope Frantas feels better soon. The poor chap has been through a lot and you have too! I bought some Purina One but haven't started it yet as I am still in the trial stage of the RC sensible which is supposed to be for sensitive tummies and don't want to swap him over just yet. I took a sample with me yesterday to the vets like carolyn suggested but will have to wait 7-10 days for the results.

They worry us to death but we wouldn't be without them! 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am waiting for the vet to ring cos Franta has tummy problems now and started Lacto B yesterday. He was on very strong antibiotics  and this started about the time the abs were leaving his system.

None of the other cats have a problem inclucing his brother who uses the same tray. Their stable food is Purina One and they wont eat anything else! I did think maybe he had scoffed too many biscuits when it started but anm hoping its the abs and will pass quickly but he has ben like this for over a week now.

He is ponging the house out!

Am watching this thread for any info.

[Dawn F]

my bengal had a problem tummy for several months after we got her - she was on the royal canin sensitive diet which worked very well, she seemed to improve after spaying but assume you have already done that

[Millys Mum]

If a cat has a longterm infection such as giardia it can damage the gut for some time even tho the bug has gone. Did you take 3 day samples when she was last tested? As Gillian said things arent always shed in every poop 
The one prescription diet i do like is RC sensitivity control, its chicken and rice based diet in a pouch, quite bland so they can get bored but its very easy to digest.

[sheryl]

I think it was a combination TBH, it is a case of persevering - Im sure its the rice in the Purina that upsets my Benglies tums   

When you try a new food it must be done gradually and you need to give it at least 10 - 14 days to see if there is much improvement, if all tests have drawn a blank (as ours did) it sounds as if it is dietary. 

Good Luck x

[Gillian Harvey]

Hmmm, sounds like you've covered all bases with regards to parasites etc then, presumably the metronidazole made no difference either?

[carolynl]

I'm just thinking - I wonder if the giardia is still causing this - I know you said she's had tests since being treated, but she may not have actually been shedding cysts at the time of the tests so nothing showed up. I have heard also that the test they do doesnt always detect cysts - so wonder if she needs another course of treatment just in case the meds didnt clear it?

Something else, don't know if she was tested for tritrichomonas feotus - its not a routine test so maybe not, but there was someone here on Purrs whose cat had this, causing chronic diarrhea and was diagnosed with TF and treated successfully http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/infosheets/tritrichomonas.html

Gillian,  I wondered if it may still be the Giardia, but after she was diagnosed with that, she was treated with panacur, then tested again using a more accurate/specific test for Giardia and this was negative.  However, she still had the same symptoms so she was then treated with metranizidol?, and tested again and she was still negative.  In the meantime I was very careful about cleaning her and her litter tray and food/water bowls.  Cleaning her bum with wipes and hot, soapy water and cleaning out and bleaching her tray everytime she went, even though the vet said it wasn't necessary to be this fastidious.

She has indeed been tested for T feotus.  I asked the vet to get this done after I had read about it on this forum.  The sample had to be sent to Scotland, where the only lab in the UK that does this test is situated.  That was also negative. 

I might go back to the vet and ask for her to be tested for Giardia again.  He did say that she should be tested for it every few months anyway.

Cheers 

[DebbieM]

Thanks carolynl. I haven't had him tested but I definitely will get that done. 

And thanks Janeyk, sending hubby out to get some! 

[Gillian Harvey]

I'm just thinking - I wonder if the giardia is still causing this - I know you said she's had tests since being treated, but she may not have actually been shedding cysts at the time of the tests so nothing showed up. I have heard also that the test they do doesnt always detect cysts - so wonder if she needs another course of treatment just in case the meds didnt clear it?

Something else, don't know if she was tested for tritrichomonas feotus - its not a routine test so maybe not, but there was someone here on Purrs whose cat had this, causing chronic diarrhea and was diagnosed with TF and treated successfully http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/infosheets/tritrichomonas.html

[carolynl]

Thanks for all the replies and useful info everyone  

Gillian
I have been giving Izzi Lacto B in conjunction with the Hill i/d pouches and it does not seem to work for her.  How long do you think I should try it for?

She is not on any dry food and I even have to keep Jijo's food out of her way so that she doesn't eat that.

I will try some of the other wet foods you have suggested, and those mentioned by Trigger, and see how she gets on.

DebbieM

When I first got Izzi she was on RC Kitten 36, which is what the breeder was feeding her, but she already had the runny poo,  we changed her over to James wellbeloved kitten and this didn't work either.  The vet suggested putting her on an adult food because the kitten food could be too rich, so she went onto RC Sensible, still no luck!  So now I am trying the wet foods.  I have to change over really slowly and keep her on a food for a while so as not to upset her tummy anymore than it already is, so this is a really slow process.

She only goes once a day and is pretty regular (almost exactly the same time each day) so she isn't as bad as your Carra.  I worry about the tummy ache thing sometimes too, but I would imagine that she wouldn't want to play if she felt unwell.  So if Carra is playing and seems happy I doubt he is in any pain.  Anyway I hope Carra is better soon. Have you had him tested for parasites and bacterial infection?  If not, it would be a good idea to get this done before trying anymore foods.  If I find anything that works for Izzi I will let you know.

Sheryl

I have also spent a fortune at the Vets but have drawn a blank so far. I will keep trying the diet thing and hope I find something that settles her.
Did the Lacto B work, and how long did you try it for?  Or was it the food that did the trick?  







 

[Janeyk]

My Carra has this problem and has had it since I got him 6 weeks ago. Him and the two girls all had diarrhoea in the shelter but theirs cleared up and they are fine and dandy now, thankfully! Carra still has runny poo and goes around 4 times a day. It also smells bad. I have told the vet more than once about this and he gave us a probiotic powder for good bacteria and capsules with granules inside (was told it will firm up his poo) that we opened and mixed the contents with his food for two weeks but this made no difference. They were fed on Hills i/d tins at the rescue and we were told to continue with the Hills Liver and Chicken for a month or so because it was so soft and all three had had teeth out. They said do not feed hard food for a while. Last week we took the three of them back for their final injections and were told we can now start to introduce some dried food to their diet. We have started the girls on James Wellbeloved dried and we tried Carra on the Royal Canin for sensitive tummy but it hasn't helped as yet. The girls love it and are fine. I'm concerned incase he has tummy ache with it although there is no sign of any discomfort with him. He is eating well and playing and seems very content. Might try the Purina One janeyk suggests and the Lacto B.   I'll try anything right now!

Hi Debbie,

Please do give the Purina a try you've nothing to lose and if it doesn't work at least you've tried. 

Our vets once prescribed the probiotic for our Squeaky's poorly tum and like your Carra they didn't work for him either, all cats will be different, lots of luck with this it can be a nightmare trying to sort this type of problem out 

[sheryl]

The Purina made my Bengals worse - after spending a fortune at the vets on tests etc (which all came back clear) and antibiotics, we changed to a grain free diet Orijen dry and now Arden Grange sensitive with Bozita wet and raw.  I used Lacto B for a while after the antibiotics  and they never have tap water.  Glad to say that it took a while but tummies are all settled and fine now - Good Luck, I know how frustrating this problem is.

[DebbieM]

My Carra has this problem and has had it since I got him 6 weeks ago. Him and the two girls all had diarrhoea in the shelter but theirs cleared up and they are fine and dandy now, thankfully! Carra still has runny poo and goes around 4 times a day. It also smells bad. I have told the vet more than once about this and he gave us a probiotic powder for good bacteria and capsules with granules inside (was told it will firm up his poo) that we opened and mixed the contents with his food for two weeks but this made no difference. They were fed on Hills i/d tins at the rescue and we were told to continue with the Hills Liver and Chicken for a month or so because it was so soft and all three had had teeth out. They said do not feed hard food for a while. Last week we took the three of them back for their final injections and were told we can now start to introduce some dried food to their diet. We have started the girls on James Wellbeloved dried and we tried Carra on the Royal Canin for sensitive tummy but it hasn't helped as yet. The girls love it and are fine. I'm concerned incase he has tummy ache with it although there is no sign of any discomfort with him. He is eating well and playing and seems very content. Might try the Purina One janeyk suggests and the Lacto B.   I'll try anything right now!

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

There are a few wet foods without grain, such as Nature's Harvest http://www.natures-harvest.org/ , Forthglade http://www.forthglade.co.uk/naturalMenu.asp . Applaws only has 1% rice (its only a complementary food though).  A raw diet can help with poo problems like this - take a look at this site written by vet Lisa Pierson http://www.catinfo.org/#We_Are_Feeding_Cats_Too_Many_Carbohydrates . Personally I wouldnt touch any prescription diets with a bargepole LOL! least of all dry diets - dry food contains carbohydrates, usually in the form of cereals/grains, some contain potato - there are no true carb free dry food - and cats don't need carbs.

Have you tried a probiotic at all? I've used Lacto B and I know others here have found it successful http://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-3494-lacto-b.aspx

Good advice - both the food suggestions and the lacto B (which really is good for soft poos).  If you are after a grain free dry food, there is orijen as mentioned by someonen earlier and also applaws now do a grain free dry.

[Liz]

May be a pm to Lottie of Svartalheim NFC's would be of help as Lottie has 3 of the most stunning babies after my own mob and I'm sure she could give some useful tips

[Janeyk]

Hi Carolyn, have you been told that grain is problem? I've said this lots on here but when we adopted 2 cats with sensitive tummies (especially one of them, Timmy) CP told us to keep them on Purina One dry food or they got diarrhoea, as a test I tried other things but sure enough they had runny bums again, apparently it has less allergic things in there and high proportion of rice.  I have heard of other people's cats who are the same and fine with Purina so it may be worth a try? although we no longer have those cats I still feed my cats with it now and you can buy it at most supermarkets I get mine from Tescos.  They do a sensitive version but my 2 were actually ok with all the varieties so they had a change.  Good luck xx

[Kay and Penny]

porta and cosmo thai are wet foods which have no cereal either - zooplus has these and origen

[Gillian Harvey]

There are a few wet foods without grain, such as Nature's Harvest http://www.natures-harvest.org/ , Forthglade http://www.forthglade.co.uk/naturalMenu.asp . Applaws only has 1% rice (its only a complementary food though).  A raw diet can help with poo problems like this - take a look at this site written by vet Lisa Pierson http://www.catinfo.org/#We_Are_Feeding_Cats_Too_Many_Carbohydrates . Personally I wouldnt touch any prescription diets with a bargepole LOL! least of all dry diets - dry food contains carbohydrates, usually in the form of cereals/grains, some contain potato - there are no true carb free dry food - and cats don't need carbs.

Have you tried a probiotic at all? I've used Lacto B and I know others here have found it successful http://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-3494-lacto-b.aspx

[Kay and Penny]

Orijen has no cereal at all

and it's the first dry food my 8 year old has eaten with real enjoyment

[carolynl]

Hi everyone

My Izzi is a 10 month old Norwegian Forest Cat and ever since we got her, at 3 months old, she has had soft/runny stools.  She had lots of tests and was found to have giardia which was treated.  Since then she has been tested several times and each time the results have been negative.  She has never done a normal poo and I have to wipe her bum most days.  Sometimes it has blood in it and most times it has mucus. 

The vet has suggested it could now be that she has a sensitive digestive system and thinks that she may grow out of it.  He put her on Hills i/d, but so far this has not helped.

She is fine otherwise.  Playful, happy, lively and growing like crazy.

Has anyone else ever heard of this problem with wegies or other kittens?  Or can anyone suggest another food I could try?  (I am not really happy about giving her the Hills as I have heard quite a lot of bad stuff about it and it doesn't seem to be working)

I would like to try her on a diet that has no grains in it but all the one's I have seen do seem to contain some grain.

Any suggestions would be really welcome

Thanks