Cat with diarrhoea - withhold food?

[HannahL]

Hi everyone,

Our foster cat had diarrhoea over last night and till about 1230 today. She hasn't had a change of diet but is fed on Sainsburys/Tescos pouches. (She has had more expensive foods but doesn't eat them!) So I removed her food at about 8am today and she has still had no food, shall I continue withholding food till tomorrow morning? Another 12 hours essentially. She is also completely fine in herself and I have seen her drink although that was earlier today.

Also I wondered opinions on cheap cat food? She is fed James Wellbeloved dry food, roughly the recommended amount (33-40g daily) and 1-2 pouches of Sainsbury's or Tesco's own brand wet food. I would prefer she ate a better quality food but she wastes a lot and prefers not to eat it. Her toilets are usually fine. What would be the opinion on these brands of wet food?

[SarahT1 [PLLE]]

Hi Hannah

Withholding food is not great as cats need to eat regularly. My feeling is that she should eat again today. If you have any chicken you can cook for her that is bland to settle her tummy. Otherwise, a little of what she usually has. When my boy has occasional diarrhoea he has Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal pouches for a few meals, or Bozita light/sensitive diet.

[Crewella]

To be honest I've not often done the witholding food after diarrhoea thing, I tend to feed plain boiled chicken breast or a bland food like Hills i/d or the RC Recovery or Gastro Intestinal for a couple of days and that usually does the trick.

In general, I feed a wide variety of foods as I get lots of donated food (usually tins) for the foster cats, and it's easier to just give everyone the same at each mealtime. I try to balance things out by buying better quality for my gang (usually pouches) and sharing that with the fosters and also feeding cooked white fish or chicken a couple of times a week, and I do try to keep the level of cereals down.

I do think it's much more important to read the labels and go by that rather than just price. There are some cheap brands that are really quite good (I like Butchers Classic which is cereal free with no added colours, sugars, etc.) and also sometimes the brands themselves vary depending on the flavour. Most importantly, if you do feed just one brand, make sure it is a complete food.

In general, the best food for a cat is the one it will eat, so as long as she's not eating nothing but jelly babies I'd give her what she likes!

[lilynmitz]

I always put mine on white fish when they have the runs. Usually does the trick. Easily digestible and will let the gut settle down.

[HannahL]

Thank you for that everyone. I boiled her some chicken and will feed her that little and often. She has done a wee but no poo yet so fingers crossed! How long should I feel her boiled chicken? I've got enough for today but I can always defrost more if I should feed it longer.

What should a typical wet food ingredients and composition look like? The wet food I am using is 8.5% protein and 6.5% fat.

[Crewella]

I usually just feed bland food for a day or two. If she uses a tray and you can see things are getting back to normal then it's a good idea to introduce normal food gently - maybe half and half and see how things go.

On the labels, ingredients are usually listed under 'composition' in order of what there's most of, and you want to avoid foods that are bulked out with cheap fillers like cereals, especially wheat, and minimise the added preservatives. colours, sugars etc. Something that confused me at first - on wet food in particular it will also usually say around 4% of whatever the flavour is; that doesn't mean only 4% meat or fish, it just means 4% of that specific named meat or fish! Dry food usually has more 'rubbish' in it than wet, so as I feed half wet/half dry I find it easiest to make the improvements in the dry half of their diet.

That sounds promising, I hope she's on the mend.

[HannahL]

Okay I will continue with the boiled chicken and start adding in some of her usual wet food tomorrow or the next day.

This is her usual food: http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/gro ... ly-12x100g

I don't think its too bad and and its the only one she eats without waste but I'd be happy to change if its not really suitable. She usually has 2 pouches a day.

The dry food is James Wellbeloved which she adores but I don't give her more than the recommended amount of this.

Thank you for your replies.

[Crewella]

Others may disagree, but I like the Sainsbury's foods, and of all the supermarket own brands my lot like the Sainsbury ones the best. James Wellbeloved is good stuff, but you're right to limit it as dry food is much more calorific than wet.

As long as she's not getting regulsr bouts of the runs, then she's doing fine and keep giving her what she likes.

[HannahL]

Yes Sainsbury's is her favourite and she is usually fine. As she is an indoor cat I cannot think what has caused this little bout. Also need to limit calorific food as she is indoor, although she does enough running around! Hoping that her forever home may come along soon (thought I don't want her to go) but she needs a home where she can access outdoors. Thank you for your help.