Desperate for advice from some cat experts

[Vinylsamso]

Desperate for advice from some cat experts:

Please help me someone!

I have a kitten that we collected a few days before xmas. She's now 4.5 months. I had no idea you couldn't change foods and unfortunately I did when I brought her home.

She has basically had diarrhoea since that day.

I was given advice about 3 weeks later to starve her for 24 hrs then start on science plan but feed every half an hr little and often. This worked but I cannot do it indefinitely! As soon as I try to up it she goes back to runnier and runnier poo. I have tried plain boiled chicken, which again she has no diarrhoea on but same as above when I transitioned slowly back.

Science plan kibble makes her fart, gassy, and have mushy light brown poos. That's if its spread over 6 meals a day. Anymore and we are heading towards liquid poo.

She's on pro kolin, I've tried another pro biotic and she's so far cost me over £300 in vets bills about this issue.

I'm so, so worried about her. I have no idea what to do.

Yesterday I tried to transition her to grain free wet- disaster. She had liquid diarrhoea and her stomach was going crazy. Her poor bottom was leaking and she has obsessively groomed all day. She's calmer now as I haven't fed her since 2.30pm.

I'm at my wits end! Luckily my works quite flexible but this can't go on! It's taken over my life and the stress that I'm making her I'll is heart breaking.

She is not going continuously usually. It's just eat - have diarrhoea- eat - have diarrhoea.

The one thing I'll say about today is although the new food definitely disagreed with her, her poo was darker, more normal colour. She's been very yellowy brown on science plan kibble.

I have no idea where to go from here. I feel like a damaging her.

She is playful and seems happy enough ( apart from today with that crazy tummy)

She's itchy though which I think is just part of the intolerance.

I'm so heartbroken, please somebody help me make my beautiful kitten better.

Thank you

[ChesterGreySideboard]

Didn’t want to post and run but I’m sorry I’ve got no advice.

You might want to post this again in The Litter Tray section of Mumsnet, there are many knowledgeable posters there.

[MiniMum97]

I was going to say try grain free as anything with grain in causes my cats to vomit. But see you've already tried that! We used something called Bozita and also Lucy's kitchen. They are also ok on wainwright's. Maybe try a different brand?

What a nightmare for you!

[gamerchick]

Who told you you can't change foods? It's not good for them to be on the same food all the time apparently I was reading recently.

How do you know this hasn't always been a problem and to weren't told? Stop blaming yourself.

It sounds as if she has some proper gut problems though, and itching would suggest allergy. No idea if allergy testing is available in cats.

[TheoriginalLEM]

What tests have your vets run?

Please dont starve her again - this used to be the standard advice until fairly recently but a little tiny kitten doesn't have the reserves to cope.

Have you tried feedind ad lib? Just leaving food down for her to graze on?

Can you keep a food diary to look for triggers?

Poor little kit and poor you.

[dementedpixie]

Does the science plan dry stuff have grains in it? And you can change foods but it should be done gradually by mixing old and new foods

[PottyPotterer]

Sounds really stressful, poor kitty and poor you! Has she had any investigations rather than just treatment for the symptoms? Poo sample sent to lab to rule out bugs like giardia or salmonella? If nothing showing up there then sounds like an allergy, there are specific veterinary allergy diets, Purina allergy ha is the one most commonly used in practice for ibs symptoms but it must be fed exclusively. You can always ask for a referral to a specialist but it won't be cheap.

[dementedpixie]

Have they been tested for giardia? Are they getting wormed regularly?

[billybagpuss]

Do I understand that she was ok with plain chicken? Try just that for a few weeks, you can also try plain white fish (Coley and pollock is cheap)and its very plain and easy for her to digest. just small meals twice a day will be fine.

Give her a good few weeks for it to properly settle and for her to grow and mature a bit.

If you do want to try dry food again, I use Canagan which isn't cheap at all but has a higher portion of meat in than regular commercial products so doesn't have the cheap fillers in it, but don't try switching again until she is really settled.

[InProgress]

I had a kitten that this happened to. I was told by the vet to feed him a diet fish, chicken as boiled rice. Fortunately a friend of mine worked in a fishing and brought me a load of fish tails.

It did help. As he got to be an older kitten he could tolerate some makes of cat food. Iams was ok. The one he really couldn't tolerate was Whiskas (wasn't the only brand though).

Never did get to the bottom of what ingredient he couldn't tolerate more like I worked out what he could.

[PolarBearDisguisedAsAPenguin]

I think she would have adjusted to any change of food in that time so I suspect there is more to it. Has the vet run tests?

You can get timer bowls that remain closed until a certain time and then open, so you could get a couple of those to allow her little and often.

[InProgress]

Chicken and boiled rice!

[billybagpuss]

You can get timer bowls that remain closed until a certain time and then open, so you could get a couple of those to allow her little and often.

Mine could break into his, so we changed the type and he managed to flip it over so the batteries fell out. Have you ever really heard a cat swear, I would have loved a translator, we got home to a very hungry cat.

[dementedpixie]

Chicken and boiled rice wouldn't have all the nutrition a kitten needs. It's not a long term solution.

[rosydreams]

mine throws up everyday i just tried Sanabelle Sensitive with Poultry still throwing up so far only food that works is royal canin gastro but its so expensive.

going to try Purina ONE Sensitive next have you tried porta 21 sensible

[owl2015]

My dear lost cat had this type of thing (albeit when she was aged and not a kitten). In the end, on the advice of the vet we bought frozen turkey breasts in giant value bags, and cooked it fresh every meal. She loved it and it was suitably bland and simple for her tummy. Good luck, poor kitty xxx

[Sammy867]

We’ve always fed our cat applaws wet food. The chicken looks just like real chicken, the fish is definitely real fish etc. It all looks fresh and not just a generic brown animal food colour. It’s expensive but worth it- we transitioned onto this when she had upset stomachs. It’s not a complete food so she has a small bowl of dry food left out overnight that she snacks in between meals. I think it’s better to feed cats wet food but unsure why I feel that way, maybe because they are carnivores so it feels strange not to feed them actual meat when I feed her dry food.
She’s recently had her 6 year old vet check and the vet was very happy with her weight, health, eyes and especially happy with her teeth so it must be working for her
Since you’re little one is fine with actual chicken they’ll probably be fine with applaws I imagine

[IlovecatsIloveeverykindofcat]

Royal Canin Gastrointestinal! Worked wonders for my IBS kitty.

[Pegase]

1. allergy testing is available for cats so if the kitten is insured you could ask for a referral.
   
2. have they x rayed her stomach to check she hasn't eaten something she shouldn't that is stuck in there? Our kitten found some plastic and ate it. Cost a good £500...!

[Vinylsamso]

Hi all,

Thanks for advice so far.

Yes she's been wormed.

Pretty certain it's a food allergy and not anything else as she sometimes does a hard poo overnight and as I mentioned before she only has diarrhoea after feeds.

The vet today has given me royal canin sensitive but it's not kitten food so said it would need another transition in a week or so. If it doesn't work that's another diet change- 2 in fact!

My instincts say put her back on chicken for longer but I'm a terrible "googler" which tellls me that's really bad for her. Plus my instincts have been bad for her every other time!

I know I seem like a drama queen but I'm so upset. I just love her so much but I can't seem to make her better.

[Vinylsamso]

I don't want her on kibble from what I've read. I'd prefer wet food but after today that seems like a pipe dream.

[dementedpixie]

We do a mix of wet and dry. Maybe you could do that

[rosydreams]

yeah ideally i would have mine on wet food but i find they throw it up even more than dry its hard trying to find a balance

[QueenCelestia]

I don't know about kittens, but I had an older cat who lived on plain chicken/fish for about 7 years as she became intolerant to any cat food, so it is possible to do it long-term. Perhaps chicken would be ok short-term while you discuss some of the specialist cat foods mentioned with your vet?

[Vinylsamso]

I actually phoned the rescue centre today crying, to talk about giving her up. They said they'd take her but theyde have the same problems as me trying to get her better and re home her with a bad tummy. I said at least they would be able to tell if she was dying! Which I don't feel like I can . I'm way out of my league, I just don't know enough about cats to know if she's OK. I told them I couldn't do it right now in the end and that I'd give it another shot - hence the vet trip. Sounds dreadful that I'd give her up, I desperately don't want to but foolishly thought they might be able to get her better.

[Vinylsamso]

QueenCelestia

That's interesting. My sister said "forget google advice, cats lived fine without all this expert knowledge we have now." She thinks I should go boiled chicken for a month.
I just don't know but my baby is starving now so I have to feed her something in the morning.