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- Apr 26, 2013
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Hi all, I just want to start off by saying I'm planning on calling my vet in the morning but I'm driving myself crazy reading various forum threads and articles full of horror stories right now so I thought I'd get some opinions on my situation to hopefully put my mind at ease a little bit. I should also say that this may be a little gross, but then you probably expected that when you saw the thread title.
I have one almost two-year-old cat (Hawkeye) and have just adopted another almost eight-month-old kitty named Lucius. He was in great shape when I got him (he had been adopted from a shelter as a baby by a family, but they found they couldn't keep him and gave him up to a very nice rescue--no cages, good food, etc.). He is very playful, eats normally, drinks a good amount of water, has a glossy coat and overall seems very healthy. He passed his initial exam four weeks ago with flying colors and I just took him to be neutered last week and the vet said he was in good health. He has recently gotten a couple of doses of dewormer (within the last month).
The only problem is that he has had diarrhea since I brought him home 5 weeks ago. His stools are never formed at all (just a puddle) and very smelly. At first I assumed it was from the stress of moving to a new home, then I thought he might be adjusting to a new food. However, tonight I was changing the litter and he took the opportunity when I had the bare box sitting on the floor to get inside and poop, and I was kind of horrified since I hadn't ever seen exactly what one of his bowel movements looked like except in clumped form when I was scooping the box. What really worried me was that there was a tiny amount of bright red blood in the stool (a very small amount, and nothing tarry, black or mucus-y...just a tiny line of blood in the puddle). He wasn't straining and there did not seem to be any pain.
I have been feeding him and Hawkeye a half-cup each of California Natural chicken and rice kibble in the morning and a half-can (6 oz.) each of wet canned in the evening. I have been feeding a different brand/flavor of high-quality, grain-free canned almost every day trying to figure out what they like (since I only started feeding canned when I got Lucius; Hawkeye had been eating exclusively Pure Vita kibble before I got Lucius). I had heard that once they got used to canned, it would be fine to rotate brands/flavors as much as I like, but I am wondering if the constant rotation might be causing the diarrhea? Hawkeye hasn't been having any problems with diarrhea at all, but I know all cats are different.
So, could it just be a normal reaction to all the different foods they have been getting, or should I be worrying about IBD, food allergies, parasites, etc.? Any thoughts, things I should talk to my vet about tomorrow, etc.?
I have one almost two-year-old cat (Hawkeye) and have just adopted another almost eight-month-old kitty named Lucius. He was in great shape when I got him (he had been adopted from a shelter as a baby by a family, but they found they couldn't keep him and gave him up to a very nice rescue--no cages, good food, etc.). He is very playful, eats normally, drinks a good amount of water, has a glossy coat and overall seems very healthy. He passed his initial exam four weeks ago with flying colors and I just took him to be neutered last week and the vet said he was in good health. He has recently gotten a couple of doses of dewormer (within the last month).
The only problem is that he has had diarrhea since I brought him home 5 weeks ago. His stools are never formed at all (just a puddle) and very smelly. At first I assumed it was from the stress of moving to a new home, then I thought he might be adjusting to a new food. However, tonight I was changing the litter and he took the opportunity when I had the bare box sitting on the floor to get inside and poop, and I was kind of horrified since I hadn't ever seen exactly what one of his bowel movements looked like except in clumped form when I was scooping the box. What really worried me was that there was a tiny amount of bright red blood in the stool (a very small amount, and nothing tarry, black or mucus-y...just a tiny line of blood in the puddle). He wasn't straining and there did not seem to be any pain.
I have been feeding him and Hawkeye a half-cup each of California Natural chicken and rice kibble in the morning and a half-can (6 oz.) each of wet canned in the evening. I have been feeding a different brand/flavor of high-quality, grain-free canned almost every day trying to figure out what they like (since I only started feeding canned when I got Lucius; Hawkeye had been eating exclusively Pure Vita kibble before I got Lucius). I had heard that once they got used to canned, it would be fine to rotate brands/flavors as much as I like, but I am wondering if the constant rotation might be causing the diarrhea? Hawkeye hasn't been having any problems with diarrhea at all, but I know all cats are different.
So, could it just be a normal reaction to all the different foods they have been getting, or should I be worrying about IBD, food allergies, parasites, etc.? Any thoughts, things I should talk to my vet about tomorrow, etc.?