We just adopted our 10 month old female DSH a week ago. She is adorable, seems very relaxed and spends every second she can on our knees. Since we got her we she has had really smelly farts and she keeps leaving tiny poos on blankets and the sofa.
She seems to have a bit of diarrhoea too but it's not completely watery more just very soft. At the moment she is an indoor cat until she's used to our house and then possibly next week we will introduce her to outdoors.
She is eating Felix kitten wet and dry food.
The vet didn't seem concerned. He said it could be a parasite or virus which she'll fight on her own or an allergy. She doesn't seem ill at all. If it's an allergy how do we find out what she's allergic to? I don't want her to be on an expensive, bland diet forever!
Flatulence and leaving small poos
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Kay
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Re: Flatulence and leaving small poos
kitten food is richer than adult food, so I would suggest you switch over to see if that helps, as that would be the simplest and cheapest option to start with
also Felix dry is not very good quality, so I would try her on wet only, or switch the dry to something a bit better such as James Wellbeloved
also Felix dry is not very good quality, so I would try her on wet only, or switch the dry to something a bit better such as James Wellbeloved
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Ruth B
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Re: Flatulence and leaving small poos
Like Kay says the obvious starting point is a change of diet. Did you ask what she was eating before you adopted her, if she was eating something else then going back to that would be a good place to start. At 10 months she really doesn't need kitten food anymore, so changing to normal adult cat food might also help. The other main thing is to make sure she is up to date with her de worming, de fleaing etc. It could also just be the stress or excitement of a new home.
As far as allergies go then the best option is just trial and error with foods. Start reading the labels, some cat foods still contain wheat (sometimes just labeled as cereal) which is known to cause problems in some cats so that would be an obvious one to cut out. Rice on the other hand is also used and doesn't seem to give the same problem which can make understanding the labels a bit tricky.
The likes of Hills, Royal Canin and Purina all do sensitive variations that are readily available either at pet stores or on line, it might be worth trying one for a few weeks to give her stomach time to rest and recover, then go back to the normal brands to see what happens.
On a practical note, old towels on chairs and sofas can make cleaning up a lot easier until the problem is solved.
i will also add that when I got my lad several years ago, when he was 6 months, he had a similar problem, fortunately everything ended up in his litter tray, but it was more like a cow pat than what a cat normally produces, his farts could also empty a room. We never really found the reason, but as months turned into years he slowly grew out of it. The smelly farts do occasionally reoccur and what he puts in the litter tray is always softer than what the others produce, but he is happy and otherwise mostly healthy (he suffers from Calcivirus so always has bad breath, sometimes I'm not sure which end is stinking) so I'm not worried.
The other one is I would advise giving a few more weeks before you let her out, the normal recommendation now is to keep them in for 4 weeks and then only let them out for short periods before meal times to start with. it would also give her stomach more time to settle before adding more excitement to her life.
As far as allergies go then the best option is just trial and error with foods. Start reading the labels, some cat foods still contain wheat (sometimes just labeled as cereal) which is known to cause problems in some cats so that would be an obvious one to cut out. Rice on the other hand is also used and doesn't seem to give the same problem which can make understanding the labels a bit tricky.
The likes of Hills, Royal Canin and Purina all do sensitive variations that are readily available either at pet stores or on line, it might be worth trying one for a few weeks to give her stomach time to rest and recover, then go back to the normal brands to see what happens.
On a practical note, old towels on chairs and sofas can make cleaning up a lot easier until the problem is solved.
i will also add that when I got my lad several years ago, when he was 6 months, he had a similar problem, fortunately everything ended up in his litter tray, but it was more like a cow pat than what a cat normally produces, his farts could also empty a room. We never really found the reason, but as months turned into years he slowly grew out of it. The smelly farts do occasionally reoccur and what he puts in the litter tray is always softer than what the others produce, but he is happy and otherwise mostly healthy (he suffers from Calcivirus so always has bad breath, sometimes I'm not sure which end is stinking) so I'm not worried.
The other one is I would advise giving a few more weeks before you let her out, the normal recommendation now is to keep them in for 4 weeks and then only let them out for short periods before meal times to start with. it would also give her stomach more time to settle before adding more excitement to her life.
Re: Flatulence and leaving small poos
Newly rehomed cats often do have digestive problems through stress. She doesn't sound house-trained, so ensure she knows where her litterbox is. I wouldn't attempt to let her out until you've had her at least 3 weeks: this is standard rehoming advice & gives the cat a chance to settle down & become accustomed to her new home. Taking her out on a lead after that can give her a chance to see what her home looks like from outside.
Other advice: give her no milk. SOME cats (& I stress some, because many are perfectly OK with milk) are not capable of digesting it. I second the suggestion of trying Hills Sensitive dry diet. One of my cats is intolerant of some foods (particularly with her first meal of the day) but Hills sensitive is never regurgitated. Feeding 3x daily is best. Is she a single cat? If she is & likes to browse (a bit at a time) then food can be left down. If she eats it all at once, then divide the daily allowance into 3 meals.
Assuming she has been wormed recently, you might also buy some of the probiotics which you mix with wet food. They are always a good stand-by for the occasional digestive upset. Fortiflora is available online.
If you don't know if she has been wormed, then worm her now & keep to a regular schedule in future. She will NOT be able cure to worms on her own. Buy a good wormer online or from your vet - a spot-on will be easiest as pilling a cat (as you might know) is next best to impossible. Flea spot ons also need regular application, or your home will rapidly become infested by them & (best bit) they harbour the larval stages of worms, which get into the cat when the cat bites at the irritating animals.
Try these things plus plenty of clear water to drink & the problem will most likely resolve itself. It sounds as if her digestive system is profoundly upset, perhaps by a previous diet of cheap, unsuitable food.
Other advice: give her no milk. SOME cats (& I stress some, because many are perfectly OK with milk) are not capable of digesting it. I second the suggestion of trying Hills Sensitive dry diet. One of my cats is intolerant of some foods (particularly with her first meal of the day) but Hills sensitive is never regurgitated. Feeding 3x daily is best. Is she a single cat? If she is & likes to browse (a bit at a time) then food can be left down. If she eats it all at once, then divide the daily allowance into 3 meals.
Assuming she has been wormed recently, you might also buy some of the probiotics which you mix with wet food. They are always a good stand-by for the occasional digestive upset. Fortiflora is available online.
If you don't know if she has been wormed, then worm her now & keep to a regular schedule in future. She will NOT be able cure to worms on her own. Buy a good wormer online or from your vet - a spot-on will be easiest as pilling a cat (as you might know) is next best to impossible. Flea spot ons also need regular application, or your home will rapidly become infested by them & (best bit) they harbour the larval stages of worms, which get into the cat when the cat bites at the irritating animals.
Try these things plus plenty of clear water to drink & the problem will most likely resolve itself. It sounds as if her digestive system is profoundly upset, perhaps by a previous diet of cheap, unsuitable food.