To be really irritated by how much our kittens are pooing?

[RUOKHon]

I have two kittens. They are about five months old and each do about five shits a day. The first thing they do when they wake up from a snooze is go and have a shit. After each meal they go and have a shit. I’m sick and tired of them shitting so much and having to clear it up. I change the litter tray twice a day and I am still convinced I can smell poo. I feed them the recommended amount of ludicrously expensive special food that I got from the vet. They are fine and healthy, they just won’t stop pooing! Is this normal?

Ask the vet. Poor things. You sound like you're fed up with them.

I love them, they’re adorable. I just hate the volume of poo.

It doesn’t help that I’m the only one at home all day so I’m the only one who deals with the litter tray

Yes it’s normal. Cats poo. It stinks. Don’t have cats if you can’t cope with it.

I’ve had cats all my life and have never known such prolific shitters.

Why are they on special food. Does the vet think they have digestion problems. Can they go outside at all.

Sounds normal.

They’re just on posh expensive vet-approved kitten food because we were a bit PFB about them . Maybe they’d be just as happy on Felix? They can’t go outside yet, but will eventually be outdoor cats. I want to wait until they’re a bit bigger so they don’t get bullied by the neighbourhood Tom.

Definitely try and change their food. We got grain-free that still disagreed with ours due to potato in it. Try and get one without both.

Sounds normal

@DobbyTheHouseElk

Sounds normal.

It's really not normal for cats to poo five times a day! Our kitten is seven months and poos once or twice a day, the same as our two adult cats.

What brand are you feeding them OP? Are they up to date on their worming treatments?

Human babies shit multiple times a day as well, whereas most adult humans don't.

It's normal. It will reduce as they get older. And definitely don't switch to cheap pouches; the fallout is positively eye scorching.

Gods, no. Dcat would poo this frequently when I took her out of the streets, but she was very sick! Every since she healed she poops once a day, which is much more manageable.

Does the vet know they're pooping this often?

I would get them to the vets for a once over to make sure there is nothing wrong .
Is their poo normal ? ie not got the runs or really hard ?
Kittens have a fast metabolism , my cat is a year old and use to poo 3 or four times a day but he tends to only go twice now.
Have you tried using dif' litter ? I use catsan non clumping and find it hides the smell quite well , and a hooded litter tray .
If you are going to swap litter do it over a week or 10 days by adding a little bit of the new one to the litter you already use . Also if you change to a hooded tray prop the door open for the 1st few days .

Are they on wet or dry food?

@RUOKHon

They’re just on posh expensive vet-approved kitten food because we were a bit PFB about them . Maybe they’d be just as happy on Felix? They can’t go outside yet, but will eventually be outdoor cats. I want to wait until they’re a bit bigger so they don’t get bullied by the neighbourhood Tom.

Most food sold by vets is very poor quality.

Check the ingredients and ask yourself if its a suitable food for an obligate carnivore.

Kittens do poor more than adult cats, but if the cat has a good diet the poo is firm (but not rock hard) and has very little odour (unless you get really close and have a good sniff).

My cat does a poo every 1/2 days, she is raw fed so unless you have a good sniff you cannot smell her poo.

Raw doesn’t suit some owners, but there are some good quality wet foods out there and they don’t all blow the bank. Lots of brands on zooplus are good.

Please avoid dry, not only is it carb heavy, cats have a poor thirst drive as they are designed to get their fluids from their food. And if you’re vet says “dry cleans their teeth” ask why dentists don’t advise us to clean with rusks.

The good news is that when they're old enough to go outside, you will rarely have to deal with inside poo at all.

Our cat is let out first thing and kept in at night, and she only uses her litter tray for wees and very very very occasionally a poo. But she hates pooing in her tray now, and will hold it as long as possible (meaning that tray poos aren't very nice at all!!!!)

We’ve got a hooded tray with Catsan litter. They were only last wormed about three weeks ago. They have their boosters at the vets this week so I will ask her if she thinks it’s a problem or not. It does remind me of having a baby and changing nappies 10 times a day.

I've no personal experience of this, but have been told that cats fed on a raw diet, do poos that dont smell at all. Perhaps this would be an option for you?

My cat used to poo after every meal, so several times a day when she was a kitten. She's three now and only poos once daily that I'm aware of. It still smells though! (Not raw fed).

@LindaEllen no then they go and crap in someone elses garden for someone else to clean up , be much better if cat owners encourages use of litter trays
As like OP im not keen on cleaning up cat pooh 3/4 times a day from my garden either

I know this is going to sound like a dumb question but what is raw fed? Like, you literally just give them some raw minced beef or something? Are they old enough to have that yet?

My kittens are the same age. They also shit multiple times a day and it stinks. I did start buying really expensive grain free food & it did reduce the smell but the cost is ridiculous I just can't justify it. I just make sure I scoop it as soon as they go.

Ex vet nurse here, it’s quite common whilst they’re young and growing. I’d recommend dry food over wet food in all cases where possible.
Mine agave always been on purina proplan junior which has colostrum boosters in it, when neutered if put them on the same but sterilised (neutered) version to aid weight control and renal stability.
I buy a huge 10/12kg sack from zooplus for about £45 with free delivery.
If you so change food ideally switch over a few days it avoids diarrhoea and vomiting.
A good quality dry food will help keep them healthy from the inside out.
Happy kitties 🐱

@RUOKHon

I know this is going to sound like a dumb question but what is raw fed? Like, you literally just give them some raw minced beef or something? Are they old enough to have that yet?

There are various ways of doing it.

Some people (like me) buy premade frozen raw, so I just defrost and serve.
Other people make their own mixes that are well balanced, so certain percentages of muscle meat, bone, offal, egg shell etc.
Others feed mince, chunks of chicken etc and add a supplement powder (like felini complete) to make a balanced meal.
Some people feed a whole prey diet and feed mice, chicks etc.

Are they old enough? Think about what a kitten would be eating if it wasn’t living in a lovely warm home, mice, birds etc, raw food.

I personally use Alaska Cat and Nutriment, but quite a few companies do it, it comes in the post in a polystyrene box. Petsathome sell naturesmenu and some morrisons sell raaw, which is ideal for people who don’t have as much freezer space.

@RUOKHon

I know this is going to sound like a dumb question but what is raw fed? Like, you literally just give them some raw minced beef or something? Are they old enough to have that yet?

Also, if you’re going to consider doing a raw diet, please do a lot of research and speak to a vet/nutritionist. I saw a lot of poorly dogs&cats from raw diets as they were just fed breast, mince etc when they should be eating virtually the whole animal to have a complete diet.

@RUOKHon It's not a dumb question at all! Most raw feeders buy commercially produced raw food (usually frozen) because it's quite difficult to get it right without lots of research and equipment. Raw mince wouldn't be suitable on its own because cats need certain nutrients (eg Taurine) which are only present in organ meat. Kittens in particular also require plenty of calcium for healthy growth, so commercial raw food contains ground bones. Probably not something that you can whizz up in your kitchen!