New cat-runny poop-now diarrhea-is this serious?

My new boy Merlin (yes, I decided on his name) has been eating well. I've been feeding him Whiskas pouches and I've put out the dry food he was getting at the shelter (Evo and California Natural) which he ate almost exclusively there. He loves the Whiskas and has eaten next to no dry food. She also included a couple high-end wet foods I've never seen before and he didn't like them as much as my cheap wet food. I've noticed he's had loose stools. Not tootsie rolls but not diarrhea and it's stinky. Can a food change cause this? He's played and slept, he seems very comfortable. He never had issues at the shelter. Will this situation improve over the next few days? Also - how many pouches should I feed him a day? He weighs 8 pounds.
Thanks for your help!

 

Re: New cat-runny poop-help!

Absolutely a food change can cause this.

I would use a greater proportion of the dry food he was eating up til now,
and increase the proportion of the new food gradually over a week to ten days.

Don't know the answer to 'how many pouches'....

 

Re: New cat-runny poop-help!

Eeek! I should have known better. The thing is that he's not eating the dry like he did at the shelter. I mixed some wet with the dry. I hope he'll eat that.

 

Re: New cat-runny poop-help!

be patient and give his body time to get used to the new foods.

 

Re: New cat-runny poop-help!

If you can't take him back to more of the dry he was using, consider adding a probiotic like acidophilus to his food.

How many pouches? You need the info on the calories in the pouches. Check the Janet and Binky charts. Then see the answer to quesiton 6 on this page. Dr. Lisa's site say 15 calories/pound/day where pound is based on ideal (not actual) body weight.

 

Re: New cat-runny poop-help!

Many pouch foods have increased water content especially if its a gravy/chunks type pouch. A long time ago I was feeding the Nutro pouches and had to give 1 and a half-ended up giving 2 and tossing leftovers, because one was not enough per meal.

Hope Merlins poops get better..agree with Venita on the probiotic suggestion.

 

Re: New cat-runny poop-help!

I'm telling ya, you guys are the best!!!
Thanks for the link to the calorie page. I've seen it before but couldn't remember where.
I've started mixing the wet and dry and he eats it that way.
I gave my FortiFlora to Dave when Boomer died. I'm getting it back tomorrow.

Here he is on his back. He's SO funny! I've never had a cat who did this before.

 

Poor Merlin. Now it's liqui-poo. I won't be able to get FortiFlora until tomorrow night.
Do I need to have an emergency vet appointment? Am I overreating?
He's eating but he'll only eat some of the dry food he's used to if it's mixed with a wet pouch food. Is there anything else I can do? I could stop giving him wet food but he's really not eating the dry food.
What if he has liqui-poo for a few more days?
I'm trying not to get upset, but I'm not doing a great job. I feel terrible about this! I can't believe he's sick!

 

Sorry, I'm not going to be any help, but I had to say that picture is so funny. I love that belly.

 

traci, I don't have any feeding advice but I just had to say that mocha lay's like that ALL THE TIME! She loves to lay like that ..

 

do you have some plain yogart? that helped us in the past. ( make sure you get a good brand that has live cultures. I always used stoneyfield farms )

does he let you rub that wonderful belly he is showing off?

 

you could give him some plain yogurt and see if that helps.

and what a cutie - love the pic and just wait till he sleeps with all 4 up! now that's really a sight to see.

 

As far as I know, the only immediate danger from diarrhea is dehydration . Does his skin snap back (pull on the scruff - see if it snaps back into place or just oozes back or what). If it doesn't snap back, dehydration may be an issue.

If he's acting fine and he isn't dehydrated, I think it would be safe to wait for morning. But if he isn't better in the morning, might be a good idea to get the vet to check him out.

 

Has he been dewormed?

This is likely just due to rapid food transition, and all the excitement. If he is bright, not vomiting, feeling well, and maintaining his hydration, I think he is fine for now. I would feed just small amounts tonight, and make sure he is getting enough water. Give him a nice quiet bed. If you go to the vet tomorrow, you could take a fecal sample to recheck for any intestinal parasites.

 

agree with yogurt.
any chicken at home? boil some in water -- that should help firm up stool.

 

It snaps back! He's acting fine and playing. I'll call the vet tomorrow. It's like an explosion when he poops. The poor thing.

 

Great idea about the stool sample.
I'm changing vets because I can't bring myself to go to the old one. Too many bad things happened there. If I can get him in tomorrow at the new vet it'll be a shocker but I'll try.

 

Grrrr...I had chicken but I ate it!!
I DO have yogurt with cultures. Maybe I'll try a little and see if he'll eat it.
I also bought a liquid probiotic that's salmon flavored from PetSmart. I'll get my FortiFlora from Dave tomorrow.
I just want him better.

 

No-go on the yogurt - at least so far. I dabbed a bit on his nose which startled him. He's not eating it on his own but I've left it out. I've also left out food with the liquid probiotic in it that he eats here and there.

 

Breathe hun breathe...he is going to be fine, you and him are gonna have many long and happy years together. But look at it from his point of view, long car trip, strange new smells and home, new food, etc etc. I know my own tummy gets upset when I have to travel and change diet and routine. He maybe the same way. But I think just for your own peace of mind, take him to the vet tomorrow. He may even be picking up on your worry about him and that could have his tummy rumbling as well. So relax, take him to the vet in the morning and let them reassure you that he is fine.


Mel & Muse (GA)

 

I wrote to the woman at the shelter and he had no poop issues there. She had him on two dry foods Evo and California Natural. Twice a day they got a scoop of wet food added. She only fed the very high-end wet food. I hate to sound like a jerk but I really didn't want to do this-my cats have always liked the "cheap food". She said to make sure his food didn't have additives, dyes, corn or byproducts in it. I'm sure the food I'm giving him has all of this because it's "cheap". BTW-He didn't eat the "good" wet food she sent with his bag as well as he ate the "cheap" kind. The other thing is that he didn't eat the dry food when I put it out - BUT I did put wet beside it.

I know I'm making a big deal out of this, but I don't think that putting him back on dry is the right answer for me. It's too against what I've learned here. BUT, I really don't want to have to spend $1 a can (or whatever) for the high-end food. I feel like I'm failing here. I'm too embarassed to write back to her and tell her that I'm feeding the cheap stuff because she may think I'm a bad owner or a tight-wad.

Thoughts on my insanity?

 

Sweetie you know where to look...we all know that none of our sugarbabies would touch that expensive prescription stuff once they got home..right? So where would you suggest a newbie go if they wanted to know what to feed their kitty? To Binky's list right? So go there now yourself. Feed him like he was Boomer. Expensive and Good for them isn't always the same thing. You are gonna be a wonderful momma to him.

Mel & Muse (GA)

 

Ditto!

That picture is priceless! :lol:

 

Oh, yeah, I AM feeding him like he was Boomer. I got Merlin the stuff Boomer liked. Boomer didn't like a lot of the high end food. I feed what they like to eat. I do see her point that there is some food that is probably made of better ingredients. If I leave the dry food out and he doesn't eat it what good is that? That's why I mixed it with the wet after I saw that he was sick. Another cat in the transport with him had diarrhea during the car ride.

Tomorrow I'll try chicken. I'm going to keep mixing the dry Evo with some wet and hope for the best. I'll call the vet tomorrow too.
nailbite_smile

 

Hi Traci

I wouldn't get too worried about the liquid-poo yet. I would take away the yogurt, too, personally, since adding dairy may not help if he's upset because of the new food issues. If he won't eat his familiar dry food plain, then try to feed the same flavor pouch with it every time for the next week at the very least. Worry about his "forever" diet later, you just want to get him back on track.

I do have to put a vote in the "high quality" food column for the long term. I think it's reasonable to think that food quality matters to overall long term health. (Sick cats get to what what they'll eat, though, that's the rule.) I have $$ issues too so I usually go to petfooddirect.com with a 20-22% off coupon and search for high quality foods (no by products, no mystery ingredients, identified meats as the first 2-3 ingredients) on sale. I can usually find stuff for under $20 for a case of 24 6oz cans, or 12 13 oz cans (these tend to be even cheaper). I have noticed that the cats are more sated on the higher-quality foods, actually. The coupon usually covers shipping costs.

But that's neither here nor there for your current dilemma. If the explosions continue you should try to get him in so that you can start metronidazole; you should also, when the poo gets a little better, submit a sample for a fecal test at the vet just to be sure. If you can't get in tomorrow I wouldn't panic as long as he is eating, not vomiting, and not apparently dehydrated ok? Hang in there, he's probably just got a bit of colitis from stress and the food change.

PS You may want to see if they can trim his fur in the rear, if he is still having major issues when you take him in. Longer-haired cats can get a little messy.

 

Hi Jess-

Thanks for chiming in; I needed it. Too bad I don't have some of that pill left from Boomer-he needed every other kind of pill it seems.

What kinds of foods do you buy that are higher end but don't break the bank? Maybe if I find a few that he'll eat then I can buy in bigger quanities on line at some point.

All the foods that smelled and looked good to me (Spot's Stew, Merrick foods, anything "real") Boomer never liked. I couldn't believe it. The stinky gross nasty stuff he really liked. I ended up with Sophisiticat grain-free varieties. He did like Wellness pouches but they were outrageously expensive and mostly sauce. He loved the sauce and so does Merlin. I don't mind it being 50% sauce if it's cheap, you know? Boomer used to love Friskies pouches but they aren't grain-free. I've never even thought about no by-products. UGH.

I will call the vet in the AM. Since it's a new vet who knows if I'll be able to get him in...I'll try.

Other than the poo issue he seems fine. He's active, playing and chattering.

 

if you sign up for the wellness newsletter, they will email some coupons every now and then. and that helps.
add that to a sale somewhere and it makes a difference.

I agree w/ Jess. high quality food is important in the long term --- think of the extra expense as insurance against future health issues.
lots of cat prefer the junky stuff to the better stuff.
don't you like cookies better than brussel sprouts ?
he'll adjust.

and yes, in the meantime focus on getting him eating NOW and then get to worrying about the long term.

do you know if the other cat in transport w/ diarrhea had or has gotten a dx for that ?

I hope the vet can see you and Merlin out --- and your sanity ;-)
It sounds like he is doing fine otherwise. But of course you want to nip this in the bud.

best --

 

At petfooddirect I've been able to find Innova, Felidae, California Natural, By Nature Organics, Dick Van Patton (what a weird name), EVO, and Natural Balance on sale at one time or another, just off the top of my head. Dillon doesn't want a whole case of anything right in a row, so I always have to get a few types and mix it up. To compare prices, you figure out how much they all cost per ounce and that way you can compare different size cans. Yes, I'm pretty thrifty!

 

Thanks for listing the foods you consider higher end. I have a feeling I'll be trying many of them! :lol: :roll: BTW-Dick Van Patton is the father from Eight is Enough - I don't know how old you are, but this was a show on in the 80's.

I went out tonight and got Evo Chicken-Turkey and put it on top of his Evo dry. Not too interested. He won't eat either flavor of pill pockets either! This is the first cat who doesn't LOVE pill pockets. nailbite_smile FortiFlora - somewhat interested. Freeze-dried chicken -very interested...thank God he likes something.

It's frustrating. I went back to the pouches and he ate some of it. THe shelter owner said he wasn't a big eater there either. He weighs 8 pounds and the vet said he's not underweight, but could gain another pound. He's on the pill you suggested but he's not pooped this evening yet. He did in the afternoon after the first dose and it was still runny. I have a feeling that this is going to work. She gave me the med in liquid and pill because we don't know what he'd do better with. He's pretty scared. I've not pilled a cat in 3 months so it was an abysmal failure when I tried tonight. I need to get on the internet again and watch an instructional video -that's helped me before. Luckily I have the chicken flavored liquid, but he looks so traumatized by me giving it to him.

I've become a nutcase obsessed with my cat. I can't believe that I (a person who was able to test blood on a cat multiple times a day and give shots) is feeling guilty and upset about giving meds!!!