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Original poster

Desperate for advice from some cat experts

56 replies

Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 19:17

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

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 07/02/2019 20:35

If she's hungry can you not stick some of the dry food down

Batsypatsy · 07/02/2019 20:37

Ime vets deny that food containing grain can cause problems, I no longer trust them in that regard now.

My cat is a bit like this. He can't tolerate any grain and gets diarrhoea. I feed him either bozitas grim zooplus or butchers classic which are both wet grain free food and a little applaws chicken dry food. It's cheaper online than at pets at home etc and it's grain free. I too would put the kitten on booked chicken or white fish for a week or two then very very gradually introduce a tiny bit of grain free wet or dry at a time, i mean literally less than a mouthful mixed in. Don't feed too small a meal of chicken and fish, cats shouldn't starve, it makes them very ill.

lljkk · 07/02/2019 20:38

Chicken with taurine supplements? I'd ask vet about it.

Batsypatsy · 07/02/2019 20:38

Sorry for the typo, should read bozitas FROM Zooplus

Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:38

I could but resting her tummy has really worked before.

I know it says it's bad for kittens not to eat but I actually think animals and humans should not keep eating if they're ill?

See... I just do not know what's right or wrong and it does my head in. There's the definitive answer?

OP posts:
Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:40

Ok I'm going for two weeks on chicken with a spoonful at a time of grain free wet added after about 10 days???

Does that sound ok?

OP posts:
Batsypatsy · 07/02/2019 20:41

Aww bless you. Hopefully my advice will help. Just concentrate on getting some chicken into her first. You can buy taurine online which you can add so she's not missing anything essential.

Another alternative would be to feed her raw food, but again you'd need to look up what you'd need to add because cats need taurine.

Please don't listen to your sister, cats do need looking after. Cats may have survived but weren't very healthy before we had the knowledge we have today.

Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:42

Just to add.. I'm beyond caring about the cost now. I'm feed her liquid gold if she got better.

OP posts:
Batsypatsy · 07/02/2019 20:44

Cats really shouldn't go without food, it makes them very ill. This wouldn't be apparent immediately but would cause long term damage.

Yes go for a couple of weeks chicken then introduce a TINY bit of grain free wet food, maybe increasing every second or third day. If it starts to cause problems reduce the amount of wet food again and wait a another few days.

I'm not an expert, just have had this problem with my cat.

Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:44

I'd do raw but it's a daunting prospect to have a kitten that can't tolerate any normal food to them just throw her a chicken wing. It might work, but knowing our look it would be catastrophic

OP posts:
Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:45

Excuse all my typo's. I'm panic typing.

OP posts:
Batsypatsy · 07/02/2019 20:45

Humans shouldn't eat for 24 hours (Or so) with diarrhoea but this doesn't apply to cats because they're not to be starved.

Batsypatsy · 07/02/2019 20:46

You can buy minced chicken and other meats raw in large pet shops or online for delivery so it doesn't need to be a chicken wing. You'd need a freezer to keep it in.

Batsypatsy · 07/02/2019 20:48

Royal canin and Hills science diet both have grain in them.

dementedpixie · 07/02/2019 20:51

Batsypatsy that's not true. You don't need to starve yourself for sickness or diarrhoea

Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:51

Ok I have some chicken breast boiling now because I feel so bad now. I hope she's not poorly tonight. I feel like I'll have to stay up to keep an eye on her. She's not herself today. She still played but she's had much more down time.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 07/02/2019 20:51

Mine liked AVA grain free kitten food. Got it from pets at home

dementedpixie · 07/02/2019 20:52

That was dry food btw

Willow4987 · 07/02/2019 20:53

Hi Op!

I’ve got a cat with very similar sypmtoms to yours....cut to 2 years later and a lot of vets bills we finally had a “solution”

Essentially he’s a delicate flower and won’t ever have normal bowel movements but now they are much more normal and the loose bowel movements have all but stopped.

He’s on a strong probiotic once a day (Protexin Synbiotic D-C £18 on amazon for 50 capsules) and then special biscuits (hills prescription diet feline d/d venison and pea). We saw a specialist cat vet who said this was one of the best dry foods we could give him. It’s expensive but if you get it on zooplus it’s much much cheaper

They did say that a raw diet is the best for a cat but ours won’t even eat wet food so this was the next best thing

Also just to add we got a second kitten and our vets weren’t concerned about him eating the same food even though he’s younger etc if that’s a worry for you

Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:54

The strange thing is, I didn't think I particularly liked cats before I got this kitten but she's melted my heart so much. that I can't even think rationally 🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:55

This cat will eat ANYTHING so choosing for taste is not an issue

OP posts:
Original poster
Vinylsamso · 07/02/2019 20:58

Ok plan no. 5688965444 might be the boiled chicken then raw. If the specialist advised it, maybe it's the way to go. I thought they were supposed to be easy cats???? Pah

OP posts:
Catalicious · 07/02/2019 21:01

The golden rule for animals is that as long as they have their appetite, all is okay. If they don't want to eat, you know it's serious. Don't starve her if she wants to eat.

idlevice · 07/02/2019 21:01

I volunteer at a cat rescue centre and we've had a few cats come through that only tolerate raw food so that's worth a try, preferably with some advice from someone with experience. If I can get advice from our manager who is a cat guru I'll pm you.

We also use cat rescue remedy for cats that are stressed. It does seem to work on some. And we have an animal homeopath which I wouldn't endorse scientifically speaking but if you are desperate who knows...!

BlingLoving · 07/02/2019 21:03

What was he eating before you got him? And did he have the problem then? When we got our kitten the breeder gave me the food he was eating and insisted I keep using it for a while before attempting any transition. Is it possible to try whatever he had originally? So hard. Our cat friends are like babies.