crystals?

imogen · May 26, 2007

Hi, all! Long time, no post.

Things here have been crazy! We've had so many internet issues that I just haven't been online lately.

My cat, Beazy, who was so sick last fall has been doing great. But, she's just had a bout of loose stools and poor grooming. I'm wondering if the new crystal litter could be to blame. Have any of you experienced this?

I've switched back to our old litter and have been giving her Hill's i/d. It's been almost a week. She's much better, but still not quite well.

Thanks for your input!
Kate

ps For those who don't know, I live in Russia. A trip to the vet is not easy--and often does more harm than good.

ldg · May 26, 2007

I'm not familiar with litter causing loose stools or grooming problems, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

It does sound like your kitty was sick. If she had a virus, it's something that may be finishing running its course. Vets here in the States often prescribe some type of antibiotic when cats have an infection - though if the infection is viral, all antibiotics do is help prevent secondary infections they may get from immune response being depressed by the virus in the first place.

Cats, like people, simply have to fight the virus - there just aren't really drugs for it.

Actually, switching food is often difficult for cats - they tend to have very sensitive stomachs. If the Hill's i/d is new for her, that is more likely the cause of the loose stools.

When switching foods, it is usually recommended to add the new food gradually to the old food, increasing the ratio of new food to old food slowly, taking about a week until you're feeding kitty 100% "new" food. If you make a quick switch, the upset tummy fixes itself within a week or two as their bodies adjust to the new food.

Keep an eye on her, and help her with the grooming for now. If she continues to improve, then you have to assume it was the food or the litter. If this switch to new food coincides with the use of the new litter, and her body has adjusted to the new food, you can try using the new litter with crystals again, because like I said earlier, the problem was more likely the food switch, not the litter switch.

If she gets sick again, then you know for sure the problem was the litter and you'll just have to switch back to the original litter.

All my best,

Laurie

imogen · May 27, 2007

Thanks for answering! The food change is not the cause of her problems. I only changed her food to to i/d (vet rec for problems with vomitting or loose stools) after several days of her having trouble. She doesn't go out, and the only new thing in her kitty life was the crystal litter.

I was hoping that the crystal litter was safe b/c there is sooo much less odor with the crystals! I may try it again and see if she's okay with it. If she's not, it's back to basics.

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by LDG

I'm not familiar with litter causing loose stools or grooming problems, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

It does sound like your kitty was sick. If she had a virus, it's something that may be finishing running its course. Vets here in the States often prescribe some type of antibiotic when cats have an infection - though if the infection is viral, all antibiotics do is help prevent secondary infections they may get from immune response being depressed by the virus in the first place.

Cats, like people, simply have to fight the virus - there just aren't really drugs for it.

Actually, switching food is often difficult for cats - they tend to have very sensitive stomachs. If the Hill's i/d is new for her, that is more likely the cause of the loose stools.

When switching foods, it is usually recommended to add the new food gradually to the old food, increasing the ratio of new food to old food slowly, taking about a week until you're feeding kitty 100% "new" food. If you make a quick switch, the upset tummy fixes itself within a week or two as their bodies adjust to the new food.

Keep an eye on her, and help her with the grooming for now. If she continues to improve, then you have to assume it was the food or the litter. If this switch to new food coincides with the use of the new litter, and her body has adjusted to the new food, you can try using the new litter with crystals again, because like I said earlier, the problem was more likely the food switch, not the litter switch.

If she gets sick again, then you know for sure the problem was the litter and you'll just have to switch back to the original litter.

All my best,

Laurie

momto3cats · May 27, 2007

I have never heard of litter causing loose stools - though if she was stressed by the change, that might have made her ill. Maybe she doesn't like the crystals, or isn't used to them yet. Of my three cats, only one will use that type of litter (and she actually prefers it to others).

crystals?

imogen

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ldg

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imogen

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momto3cats

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