Frequent Sloppy Stools

[Ruth B]

It seems that a lot of posts relate to the bowel movements of our cats so I thought I would add one to the list, but my problem seems to be the opposite of the others.

Saturn my young (about 2 years old) lad seems to produce very loose stools, it often seems more like cow pats than what the other cats produce. I have also notice the last couple of times that he is noisy when he goes, not yowling but farty. I got him 18 months ago and noticed he was sloppy straight off. We have tried different types of worming tablets and powders for him, different foods including the Hills ZD Ultra Allergen free one, (he got bored of it after a few cans) but nothing seems to make a difference. So I was wondering if you lot had any ideas.

I'm not really worried, he seems fine in himself, he doesn't seem to be in pain and will let me pick him up or fuss his belly. He also seems to have good control and has never missed getting to the litter tray in time. He was a bit of a hunter during the summer months but didn't seem to eat what he caught, we would just get home to presents of dead birds or mice, dead but otherwise untouched. He will try to get his nose into any left over food after I have been cooking and is one of those that when caught just gives you that look to say 'Yeah, What'.

He does have a good appetite but he certainly isn't thin and he is very active, if I fed him the amounts he seems to want he would be as round as he is long. His normal diet is Felix AGAIL, with the occasional tin of Gourmet Gold to ring the changes. There is also Purina One dried food nearly always available and he doesn't clear those bowls as soon as they are put down which is why I think is is more mischievous opportunism than real hunger that has him with his head in the washing up bowl licking the plates.

I have been looking at the Royal Canin Fibre Response and while most seem to get it for constipated cats, I noticed that it does contain Psyllium husks which I know are good for both constipation and diarrhea, but before I fork out on a bag I thought I would ask here and see if anyone has tried it for this end of the spectrum, or if you have any other suggestions for drying his stools out a bit.

[LittlePenBigHeart]

Oh goodness, it sounds as though we have cats with the same problem!

Ever since we got the kittens, the girl kitten has had a runny tummy. She had tests on a stool sample (that was a gross experience) that showed nothing actually wrong with her, and like your cat, she seemed to be absolutely fine in every other respect. We started giving her a different diet and it helped but then her brother began having the same problem. We've now switched both their diets and both are fine, so I'll tell you what we do.

Morning and evening they have either cooked chicken or cooked boneless white fish. At lunchtime they have Royal Canin or Purina One Sensitivity biscuits. They have treats from time to time but the most natural variety we can find and in a small quantity. So far, that seems to be doing the trick.

As always, before you embark on this, I'd recommend taking your cat to the vet to check whether there's anything else going on.

[Ruth B]

Thanks for the reply.

He did have several trips to the vets to try and find out what was wrong when we first got him, all to no avail. I had pretty much decided that it was just something we would have to live with as it wasn't bothering him, then I thought I might as well ask and see if anyone had any other ideas.

I can certainly try the fish and chicken option, though probably not every meal at the moment, the place I worked at closed down last month so we are managing on one wage at the moment. Also with 3 cats all who love chicken, I would have a mewtiny on my hands if he got it and the other two didn't . I'm already scouring the reduced section of the supermarket for us, so I can also see what I can pick up there for them and cook it the same day. Frozen fish also can be good value so I'll be having a look there as well.

[MarkB]

Have you tried cutting out wheat in his diet. I know lots of cats have trouble digesting it. One of mine used to have bloody, diarrhea with mucous in. We had all kinds of tests done.We tried feeding her hypoallergenic food, but she didn't like it. I switched her to Purina One sensitive dry (no wheat in it) an Felix in jelly pouches and she was much better almost overnight. We also found out she couldn't digest dairy - nothing to do with lactose - it must have been the proteins in it. She couldn't have cat milk for that reason. Another good dry food that most cats find palatable and doesn't contain wheat, is Hill's chicken and rice for sensitive stomachs. As for wet, most foods is gravy contain wheat or wheat gluten, although Co-op/Tesco/Saisbury's/Asda and maybe others, own brand pouches in gravy are wheat-free (all made by the same company)

PS - I'm pretty sure Gourmet Gold cans contain wheat. I know the gravy ones were a no-no.

[Ruth B]

We normally feed Felix AGAIL in jelly, which I was under the impression was grain free. We recently picked up a couple of boxes of it in Gravy by mistake, so I'll have to double check those ones. I'll also check the normal Purina One against the Sensitive variant for wheat content, and he might be off the Gourmet Gold for a bit.

As I mentioned he always has had the problem, but I don't know if it has been worse the last few days or just that I have been stood in the wrong place at the wrong time when he has decided he needs to go, and of cause with the weather closing in, he isn't outside as much. At least while I'm at home more I can monitor it better.

Thanks for the reply.

[emmab]

Our first kittens were weaned off of their mother too early and had problems with upset tummies for the first few months. We fed them on egg and chicken breast which helped. I was told by the vet that their weaning minus mum was the issue. I know how you feel as we had a small house at the time and with litter trays became a little embarrassing when we would have visit ors!!

[Crewella]

Like Mark, I switched mine to Purina One Sensitive when a couple had sloppy poo and that did help. It often is a case of trying to cut out various food types, one by one, to try to work out which (if any) are causing problems. The usual suspects are wheat and fish.

[vic23]

Hi Ruth,
Have you tried only feeding wet and/or dry rather than a combination? I appreciate this must be difficult with more than one cat in the household though.

There is another Hills prescription diet - d/d for allergies/sensitive stomach which contains venison and pea. Daisy has only this food. This might be worth a try. I appreciate the outlay for this food is expensive, but I buy online where it is much cheaper than at the vets. I use Pet Supermarket or Petplanet.

I think food intolerance is much more common in cats than we would expect.

On a 'non cat' subject, sorry to hear about your job - My partner and I have both been through this in the last year or so, so I appreciate how that feels

[Mayday21]

Hi Ruth sorry to read about Saturns's bowel issues & your job - been there so no how it feels. Silly question but -& if no & your able to re $- had a stool flotation test done at the vets? Hope things improve. Fusses to your fur babies. Vivian

[Ruth B]

Thanks for all the replies.

I don't think just feeding either wet or dry is an option. Tiggy, our golden oldie, is at the point where her teeth are a bit iffy and are being kept an eye on. They aren't too bad and the vet doesn't want to do a dental on her if at all possible because of her age and the risk of anesthetic. This means that while she does eat the dried occasionally, she prefers the wet. Saturn will normally clear the bowls of any wet food available (he's being obstinate about the Felix in gravy) and as Freyja and to an extent Tiggy are both grazers I don't want to leave them with no food available, or feed on demand as I would just end up with a very round Saturn. The only way I could do it would be with the chip operated feeders, so I would rather try the other options first.

I will certainly give the Purina Sensitive a try, I have tried other dried foods and always ended going back to Purina, anything else seems false economy. I think I might be trying that and just keep them on the Felix AGAIL in jelly and some cooked chicken or fish. I managed to pick up some cheap chicken at Asda this morning so i can cook that today and they can have it over the next few days.

As far as life in general goes, it never rains but it pours. Having been made redundant when the company closed down, I have tried to claim redundancy pay and notice pay from the government scheme. As far as the notice pay is concerned they have told me I must put in a claim for Job Seekers Allowance and mark it unavailable to work (I'm still sorting out my late Fathers estate and i also am expecting to hear from the council regarding the remediation of the contaminated garden problem in November or December, it seems daft to start a new job and then ask for a load of time off). The Job Centre have told me that I can't even claim for Job Seekers Allowance as I am not available for work which means they can't give me the letter the Notice pay department want. A case of the right hand not know what the left hand is doing. I get home from the Job Centre on Tuesday, sit down for a snack and part of a tooth breaks off. Not uncommon and doesn't hurt, but my dentist is on holiday till Monday. I now have just received a letter regarding my diabetic screening, which, while diabetic wise my eyes are fine, it has picked up a 'non diabetic condition' that means they are referring me to the eye hospital. No indication of what its picked up and I do have an under lying problem which means I'm partially sighted and no one has worked out why, so might just be they have decided to check that out, or it might be something new.

Sorry to pour all my woes out, but it just seem like life is kicking me in the teeth at the moment (literally in one case). Concentrating on seeing if I can find a solution to Saturn;s problem is something I feel I can do something about, everything else is pretty much out of my hands and just a waiting game.

[Lilith]

Ruth, I'm plain appalled. That JSA business is dreadful. Kafkaesque. But nothing new. My ex, Adrian, has a 'new' partner (well, 15 years on, lol) who worked at the CAB and one of her clients was an illiterate guy on JSA. He had a wife and kids, he wanted a job, he was keen to work and he was fit to work unless it involved reading. The DWP classed him as disabled but refused him ESA (sick benefit) because he was fit for work but ruled that his 'disability' meant he was unfit for work...talk of falling between two stools...for stools read euphemism! Sue would have to phone round, tie herself in knots, walk on water to get this guy some kind of emergency payment...almost every week! But she did get it for him. She's a great person.

I advise the CAB if you haven't already been there - and good luck! Makes my blood BOIL the way the DWP cheat people!

I can't improve on the advice you've been given for Saturn's loose errrm stools, but decades ago I used to get given a thing called Peridale granules for runny rescue kittens, and it's still an over the counter remedy (though perhaps best discussed with the vet first) which contains an ingredient that mops up all the excess liquid. It can be mixed in with something smelly and tasty like a small spoonful of fishy catfood or tuna.

All the very very best with all the 'stools' that are happening, all paws crossed here and Shahi the python is crossing his tail of course...hugs and I do hope your luck changes! x

[Crewella]

I'm really sorry to hear you're having such a rough few months, we've not long been through a similar phase and I hope your luck is about to change too. Keep us posted as to how he does on the sensitive, and how you're doing. xx

[MarkB]

Just to add - Purina One is on offer in Tesco and Sainsbury's at the moment - £10 for a 3kg bag. Not sure when the deals end though.

[LittlePenBigHeart]

Thanks for the reply.

He did have several trips to the vets to try and find out what was wrong when we first got him, all to no avail. I had pretty much decided that it was just something we would have to live with as it wasn't bothering him, then I thought I might as well ask and see if anyone had any other ideas.

I can certainly try the fish and chicken option, though probably not every meal at the moment, the place I worked at closed down last month so we are managing on one wage at the moment. Also with 3 cats all who love chicken, I would have a mewtiny on my hands if he got it and the other two didn't . I'm already scouring the reduced section of the supermarket for us, so I can also see what I can pick up there for them and cook it the same day. Frozen fish also can be good value so I'll be having a look there as well.

MEWtiny!

[Lilith]

Oh lol yes - I loved the bit about the 'mewtiny' too, superb

[Mayday21]

Oh Ruth you are having a torrid time & the stress of sorting your father's estate wouldn't help. I'm still sorting my mum's out & i lost her over 2 yrs ago. All I can say is to try & look on the bright side. You'll get heaps of support here. Vivian

[Ruth B]

I've always had problems loading photos on here, so lets see if this works.

My little troublesome Tuxie, Saturn.

saturn in hammock_opt.jpg (42.52 KiB) Viewed 12546 times

[Crewella]

Well, that worked! Look at him - butter wouldn't melt!!

[Ruth B]

'Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth', it would be in his stomach before it had the chance to.

Also managed to get my Grumpy Granny cat Tiggy as my avatar. So doubly successful.

[Lilith]

Aww he's a love!

Congrats re photos - i'm only just learning too, mind you I'm a total Luddite lol (not!)

[Mayday21]

Hi Ruth pics are lovely. Everyone's pics always put a smile on my dial. And to know that these fur babes are in the best of care is even better. Vivian

[greenkitty]

I found Purina HA really good when Hector had bowel problems. You don't need a prescription for it but it doesn't seem to be something vets recommend, it was a referral vet that put us onto it.

Pip is on Fibre Response at the moment (for the opposite reason), I'd be happy to send you some if you wanted to try it? Save you buying a whole bag,,,

[Ruth B]

Thank you so much for the offer, but at the moment I think I would rather stick with the Purina as I know they will it it, we will just move on to the sensitive to give that a try when we need to buy more.

We've kept him off the gourmet gold for the last few days and he has been having a bowl of chicken fairly regularly as well (much to his delight). I'm monitoring how it goes and I don't know if I just haven't been in the wrong place at the right time recently, but I am wondering if he has improved a bit with whats in the litter trays.

Slow steps and gradual changes to try and pin it down. You lot have been wonderful in giving my ideas I had never even considered, now its just trying things out and giving it time to take effect.

[Ruth B]

Things definitely seem to have improved. He used the litter tray in full view of me this morning so I was able to have good check on it (the things we cat owners do, and are willing to talk about), no horrendous noise while he went and what he produced had some clear shape to it not the slop I was getting before. I am really starting to think the whole problem comes down to the wheat/cereal content in cat food.

I have been looking on line at food ingredients and what a minefield it is! The gourmet gold we had been giving him contains cereal (doesn't specify which cereal), the Gourmet Gold pate variants don't mention it, the Gourmet Perle, and Mon Petite, don't mention it (he does have the occasional pouch of Mon Petite when he is trying to convince me he is really starving, the Gourmet A La Carte, do contain cereal, one variety contains rice, one contains pasta (I would guess that this means wheat in the long run). Sheba seems like all varieties contain cereals, and Encore contains rice. Asda's own Tiger brand, seems to be cereal free.

The normal Purina One Adult that they have does mention Wheat, (along with a list of other cereals), but as he doesn't eat that much of it it could be he is alright on it. The sensitive still contains some cereals but doesn't seem to mention wheat, so it might be worth giving that a try.

I have always assumed that the more expensive brands would be better for the cats, now I am not so sure, it looks like we might be getting the odd box of Tiger when we want to ring the changes.

[lilynmitz]

I had two young rescue cats who had appalling squits for months, which one of them brought home from the rescue and passed on to the other. After many trips to the vet and loads of tests, in desperation we decided to put them on a diet with proteins that they wouldn't have encountered anywhere else, ie fresh venison and potato. Instant success! I had to keep them on it for a few months, then gradually weaned them onto Hills Sensitive, then ordinary Hills, and they never had it again.

[Ruth B]

I think the Hills ZD we tried him on was a venison based food. From what I found out most of the formulas for dodgy stomachs were based on venison as it isn't in normal cat food. I bought a tray of it on line (24 cans I think it was) and ended up giving the last half dozen to the charity he came from as he refused to eat it and I didn't want to throw anymore in the bin. We're keeping him on the Felix AGAIL for the time being and it does seem to be helping, I really think that the Gourmet Gold was the main culprit. Previously I had always looked more at meat variety than make. not considering things like cereal content.

[emmab]

We have had Grany for 3 weeks and has been fairly good on the whole but what with the stress of refuges, vets etc and change in diet he too gets a runny bum...today for eg. He was on wet food to help with his health problems but now he is better should I be putting him back on to just dry Iams again. Does wet food soften things up too much? We are trying to get his weight up a little too.

[Ruth B]

Just when I think I was getting somewhere with Saturn, he goes and proves me wrong. We had used up one of the old tins of Gourmet Gold a couple of days ago so maybe it was a delayed reaction to that, he certainly seems better on just the Felix. I also wonder if he is one of those cats that goes and sneaks a second breakfast somewhere which might also add to the irregular nature of the problem.

As for myself, I have been to the eye hospital and have an Epiretinal Membrane. They can operate but as it is major surgery and it isn't really bothering me I will leave it for the time being, which is pretty much what the consultant recommended. At least I now know what it is and that if it does get worse something can be done.

[LittlePenBigHeart]

Ruth, some cats just had a sensitivity to certain foods, so don't give up just yet!

Essentially, brands like Felix, Whiskas, etc contain onl 4% real meat, so they're kind of like McDonald's for cats. If you switch them right over to a high-meat food, or even one that just has a highER meat content, it can be like going from eatin nothing but junk to eating nothing but broccoli. And of course, if we did that as humans, we'd be stuck in the loo all day as well!

Obviously, the higher the meat content, the less there is of the fillers in the food - things like rice that have absolutely no nutritional benefit, so ideally, it would be better to feed cats something with closer to 70%-90% real meat, but you have to do it soooo gradually. I'm talking about replacing not even a quarter of their normal food with the good food to begin with...leave it like that for a couple of weeks, then move up to a quarter, leave it like that for a couple of weeks, etc, etc. You have to do it super slowly for them to adjust to it. It's becoming an incredibly common problem because of the rubbish manufacturers put in cat foods these days.

Obviously, this is a suggestion and I know it isn't always as easy as it sounds to do these things but in an ideal world, that would be the way to do it, if you wanted to get your cat onto a better quality food without constant runny tums!

[Crewella]

The 4% stated on cat food refers to the named meat, not the total meat content which is much higher. The ingredients are listed in order of the highest percentage first.