Is this normal?? Please tell me this is normal...

Ok, so I have switched Kiwi from Iams for Kittens (wet) to Eagle Pack, and she seemed to be doing just fine with it, and LOVED it (well the Duck and Chicken one anyway) This morning I gave her Salmon and Shrimp to try and she wasn't too keen on it, but picked at it for most of the day. A few minutes ago I noticed that my poor Kiwi was COVERED in poop all over her backside, under the back side of her tail, and down one leg. (eww.) I went scooped her litter box right away, and found one foul-smelling loose stool. Is this normal after trying a new food??? Should I give her the other half of the can tomorrow morning as scheduled?? Or should I write off the salmon and shrimp one??? HELP please. I am freaking out.
My Poor Kiwi was scooting her bum along the floor, and trying to contort herself into wierd positions to clean herself, so I filled the sink with luke-warm water and put in a few (tiny) drops of baby bath (That I use for my infant son...I didn't know what else to use....) and washed her (which she co-operated VERY well for) now she is busy grooming away, because she is freaked out that her fur is wet. I tried to towel her off, and gave her some treats. Poor kitty..........................

No, do not give her the rest of the salmon and shrimp food. Seafood is not a natural food for cats and it's best to use it sparingly, if at all.

In fact, you might want to go back to the Iams for a few days until Kiwi's poops are back to normal. Then try a small amount of the Duck and Chicken and wait a day or two to make sure that's not the one that gave her diarrhea.

Hope she's feeling better soon.

Poor Kiwi! Poor you!
I know from experience that switching foods can cause problems, especially with diarrhea. I definitely wouldn't give Kiwi the other half of that can any time soon.
I really wouldn't worry unless this continues; if you want to add new/different foods do it gradually to see how she tolerates them.
Hope your baby girl is feeling better soon.

Did you slowly switch from one food to the other? I know that with dry food you are supposed to gradually decrease the amount of old food and increase the amount of new food over a period of 7-10 days. I'm not sure how this works with wet food, although I did try a pretty fast switch from Iams Kitten food (wet) to another brand because I couldn't get to the store once. It seemed to go okay at first, but a couple days in one of my kittens started throwing up after every meal. I went back to the Iams and once her food routine was completely normal again she was fine. So, it may be that you changed too quickly.

Also, you said that she was picking at her food most of the day. I wasn't clear if you meant that each time you fed her she just picked at it, or that you are leaving the food out for her to nibble all day long. It is my understanding that you should not leave wet food out for more than 30 minutes because it can spoil. If you are leaving it out all day, she could be getting sick from that. It's recommended that you cover and refrigerate unused portions of canned food rather than leaving them out for a long period of time. My kittens had trouble with diarrhea when I first got them as a result of bacterial overgrowth in their intestines. We don't know what caused it, but keeping a sharp eye on the quality and amount of food they eat seems to have helped prevent the problem from recurring!

May I ask why you switched in the first place? I have read elsewhere on TCS that Iams wet is one of the better canned food that you can get for a reasonable price. I don't know anything about Eagle Pack, so I'm asking out of curiousity.

I would agree with GoldlyCat totally!

Well so far so good...Kiwi seems to be her usual cheerful self. And I must say her fur is super fluffy since her bath. She has that baby-fresh smell too. I am going to keep an eye on her though.

I decided to switch from Iams because I don't know much about cat food at all. (nothing actually...) When I went to the pet store to see just what was out there for cat food, the lady working there basically told me that I was poisoning my kitten by feeding her Iams. It scared me to death. After reading the boards here, (specifically the "what do you feed/why?" posts) I thought I needed to feed Kiwi something 'better' and many people seemed happy with Eagle Pack. I am so terrified of "ruining" my kitten, I just love her so much. That is the only reason I switched.

Originally Posted by laureen227


that said - it could just be too rich for her. my Cable will get runny stools w/the higher quality kibbles [like the grain-frees].

Click to expand...

See, this is partly the reason I asked...because what I've always heard is that you should feed the highest quality food you can afford AND that works for your cat. Cable is an example of a cat who does not do well with some of what we would call "high quality" foods. I have looked at alot of information submitted by Sharky, and that has been helpful to me in choosing an affordable diet that me and my cats are can both live with. Don't let the pet store people scare you into buying certain brands of food. You need to do what is best for you and your pets! Search Sharky's posts about food and diet for cats. They have been helpful to me, and maybe they will help you, too!

In regards to the diarrhea, I'm glad to hear your baby is doing better today! I hope that will continue!