Trying for Tootsie Rolls (Poppy's Poop)

poppy0109 · Mar 20, 2009

This is funny because I'm totally examining Poppy's poop and getting all excited when he produces tootsie roll stools. But then it's not so funny because I'm worried about his digestive system and how he strains to poop when it is a looser stool.

I posted here last week that the vet wanted me to stop feeding Poppy wet food to see if his stools got harder. I didn't like the idea of not feeding him any wet food. So, I completely stopped feeding him dry Evo and his stools got a little harder but not complete tootsie rollish.

I called the vet yesterday and told them what I did and they still want me to take him off wet food for 2 weeks to see if it helps. I asked if we could just test it now, especially for TF, and they said no not until I try the no wet food for 2 weeks.

So, last night I gave Poppy a teaspoon of Pet Authority Organic Cat Acidophilus with about 1/2 teaspoon of AvoDerm wet food. This morning he pooped right before I left for work and they were perfectly formed, separated little tootsie rolls. YAY! I didn't realize I could get so excited over cat poop.

So, do I do this for 2 weeks or just completely take him off of the wet food like the vet wants?

Seriously, what is so important about a cat having tootsie roll like stools? Does this mean Poppy just has a really sensitive stomach or could it still be TF? Should I try feeding him other wet foods to see if his digestive system can tolerate a certain wet food? I'm so confused!

AND maybe I should stop worrying about it so much.

snake_lady · Mar 20, 2009

Kizzy gets loose stools every time I feed him wet... doesn't matter what kind it is (from expensive brands to cheap brands). He will get diarrhea if I feed him wet several days in a row.

Is your vet wanting a him off wet food solely for a firmer stool for testing purposes only? If so, if he has a firm stool before 2wks, can you take that in?

Or is there another reason for the vet saying no wet food for 2wks? If there's a good specific reason then definately do it... no wet food for 2wks won't hurt him, just make sure he drinks enough.

A couple of thoughts, if I'm understanding you correctly:

- if I don't feed Kizzy wet for 2 days, he has tootsie rolls. Try that, try not feeding wet for a couple days and see if his stools firm up. If they do, you will know its the wet, and how long it takes to get out of his system so you wouldn't have to remove all wet food except for a few days prior to the appt.

that would give you the firmer stool for the test purposes.... with the test out of the way, you can try different things with wet food.

So, last night I gave Poppy a teaspoon of Pet Authority Organic Cat Acidophilus with about 1/2 teaspoon of AvoDerm wet food. This morning he pooped right before I left for work and they were perfectly formed, separated little tootsie rolls

(my thoughts are based on the assumption that your vet just wants a firm stool but there's no medical reason Poppy shouldn't have wet food. )

How was the next stool? A thought on this: try it again tonight, see how the stool is tommorrow. If it's still ok, then increase the wet food to a full tsp, and observe the poo. Repeat x 2, then increase to a tbsp of wet food....etc. As soon as you have no tootsie rolls, you know how much wet Poppy's system can handle.

(Depending on what size of can you buy you may want to freeze the cat food by tsp so you aren't wasting it, then just pull out a frozen cube and thaw and serve)

Seriously, what is so important about a cat having tootsie roll like stools? Does this mean Poppy just has a really sensitive stomach or could it still be TF? Should I try feeding him other wet foods to see if his digestive system can tolerate a certain wet food? I'm so confused! AND maybe I should stop worrying about it so much?

- importance of firmer stools: it helps express the anal glands more than loose stools.
- less water expelled with firm stool than with soft/loose/diarrhea

Trying different wet foods- most recommend a variety anyways, so they don't get "hooked" on one flavor... wet food doesn't need the transition like dry food does.

We all worry... I know I sure as heck did.... then I got to the point where I KNOW my cat.... I know what's normal and what's not (Kizzy's poo habits, etc.). You'll get there too.

twokatz · Mar 20, 2009

Just wanted to clear up something on TF, the stools will go back and forth between normal and loose when they have TF. Also TO TEST FOR TF THE STOOLS HAVE TO BE DIARRHETIC AND FRESH. Normal stools won't work for TF testing.
I would follow what your Vet says, sounds like he is trying to do an elimination and see what works. If you chage too many things at once you won't know if something works. And by the way you are not silly, I have been inspecting poop for two years now and am ecstatic when they are
normal.

I just wish they would stay normal

poppy0109 · Mar 20, 2009

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Is your vet wanting a him off wet food solely for a firmer stool for testing purposes only? If so, if he has a firm stool before 2wks, can you take that in?

Or is there another reason for the vet saying no wet food for 2wks? If there's a good specific reason then definately do it... no wet food for 2wks won't hurt him, just make sure he drinks enough.

She didn't exactly tell me why. He did get a fecal exam in February and it came back negative...but they only normally test that for worms, correct? She did mention testing for something else but I don't remember if she said parasites or infection or what. Or she's hoping it firms up if I take him off the wet food and then she won't have to test him.

(I really should take notes on stuff like this so I remember.) I guess if his stools stay firm, I'll call and ask. They are really nice there and keep saying I can call whenever I want.

- if I don't feed Kizzy wet for 2 days, he has tootsie rolls. Try that, try not feeding wet for a couple days and see if his stools firm up. If they do, you will know its the wet, and how long it takes to get out of his system so you wouldn't have to remove all wet food except for a few days prior to the appt.

that would give you the firmer stool for the test purposes.... with the test out of the way, you can try different things with wet food.

Tomorrow & Sunday I will not give him any wet and see what happens. I do want to get this resolved so I can find a wet food he likes and won't give him the runs.

How was the next stool? A thought on this: try it again tonight, see how the stool is tommorrow. If it's still ok, then increase the wet food to a full tsp, and observe the poo. Repeat x 2, then increase to a tbsp of wet food....etc. As soon as you have no tootsie rolls, you know how much wet Poppy's system can handle.

His next one was firm, separated tootsie rolls again...but then this evening it wasn't and was back to being soft but not diarrhea. I did give him just a tiny bit more wet food this evening...but he pooped immediately after he ate. Would it affect him that quickly?

We all worry... I know I sure as heck did.... then I got to the point where I KNOW my cat.... I know what's normal and what's not (Kizzy's poo habits, etc.). You'll get there too.

I know I worry more because I don't want him to get sick and lose him like I lost my sweet, young Monti back in December.

Thank you Snake_Lady and twokatz.

kittybernard · Mar 20, 2009

This is the greatest poop thread EVER.

I was practically up Pumpkin's butt when he was still recovering, always there to examine. My brother walked in one night to find me hunched over the litter box looking completely enthralled.

All he said was "UM.." before backing away slowly. Whatever. We are the cat people!

Back to your delightful BM discussion..

snake_lady · Mar 21, 2009

Originally Posted by kittybernard

This is the greatest poop thread EVER.

I was practically up Pumpkin's butt when he was still recovering, always there to examine. My brother walked in one night to find me hunched over the litter box looking completely enthralled.

All he said was "UM.." before backing away slowly. Whatever. We are the cat people!

Back to your delightful BM discussion..

Just for you, some more discussion on feline fecal matter.

Originally Posted by Poppy0109

She didn't exactly tell me why. He did get a fecal exam in February and it came back negative...but they only normally test that for worms, correct? She did mention testing for something else but I don't remember if she said parasites or infection or what. Or she's hoping it firms up if I take him off the wet food and then she won't have to test him.

(I really should take notes on stuff like this so I remember.) I guess if his stools stay firm, I'll call and ask. They are really nice there and keep saying I can call whenever I want.

Could be they just want to take wet food out of the equation and see if the stools tootsie roll up. When you think about it, 2 wks would give his system time to get the wet food out and see if he has loose stools during the two wk period.

Fecals can test for worms, but I also believe they can test for other intestinal issues as well.

Tomorrow & Sunday I will not give him any wet and see what happens. I do want to get this resolved so I can find a wet food he likes and won't give him the runs.

You and me both. In my case, there's nothing like trying to comb poop out of a ragdolls butt fur (britches)

. Seriously I'm in that same battle, trying to figure out how much wet food I can give him without his stool becoming soft. Some cats just have sensitive tummies. (I can't feed a dry food like EVO or Wellness Core, way to rich, and we get soft stinky stools)

His next one was firm, separated tootsie rolls again...but then this evening it wasn't and was back to being soft but not diarrhea. I did give him just a tiny bit more wet food this evening...but he pooped immediately after he ate. Would it affect him that quickly?

Hmmm, it could be that the first TRP (tootsie roll poo) was before he fully digested the wet food...second TRP same thing, then it finally worked out of his system in the form of a soft stool. I do not know how fast cats digest their food. But I highly doubt it would affect his butt that quick...

My Kizzy's typical:

day 1 no wet food: TRP
day 2 one wet food feed: TRP
day 3 no wet food: soft stool
day 4 no wet food: firming up stool
day 5 no wet food: TRP

now if I were to feed wet food on day 3, stool would get softer and by the morning of day 4, he'd have very loose stools (not formed but not watery either).

One thing to mention is that I did do an elimination of wet food to make sure his poo issues were related to that and not something else. (one time his stool issues were because of feeding Wellness Core dry food, aside from that it is all related to wet food)

Please do keep in mind, I am not a vet and everything I've said is based on my experiences with Kizzy and his reaction to wet food.

I know I worry more because I don't want him to get sick and lose him like I lost my sweet, young Monti back in December.

Quite understandable

laureen227 · Mar 21, 2009

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Some cats just have sensitive tummies. (I can't feed a dry food like EVO or Wellness Core, way to rich, and we get soft stinky stools)

Cable's like that, too - if i try a grain-free kibble solo, she gets the soft, cow-pie stools. i've given up - they get a high-quality kibble, but not a grain-free one.
otoh, she doesn't seem to have a problem w/wet food.

poppy0109 · Mar 21, 2009

More TRP (tootsie roll poo) talk...

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

You and me both. In my case, there's nothing like trying to comb poop out of a ragdolls butt fur (britches)

. Seriously I'm in that same battle, trying to figure out how much wet food I can give him without his stool becoming soft. Some cats just have sensitive tummies. (I can't feed a dry food like EVO or Wellness Core, way to rich, and we get soft stinky stools)

I blot Poppy's butt all the time with wet toilet paper so there's no stinky poop following him out of the litter box. Does Kizzy have stinky farts too? Poppy farts like crazy....the silent but deadly ones. They smell like rotten chicken.

Please do keep in mind, I am not a vet and everything I've said is based on my experiences with Kizzy and his reaction to wet food.

You have totally helped though. Now I don't feel so 'in the dark' about TRP!

Thanks again.

snake_lady · Mar 24, 2009

Just curious....

How's the poo hangin? Do we have TRP or dingleberry caused by loose BM's?

Iz so funneh

But seriously, did the poo issue clear up after a couple days?

poppy0109 · Mar 25, 2009

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Iz so funneh

But seriously, did the poo issue clear up after a couple days?

Oh so funneh!

Sometimes it's all TRP and sometimes it's a mix of TRP with a topping of loose. I'm still giving him half a teaspoon of wet in the morning and in the evening.

I'll see what the vet says about it tomorrow. I'm taking in a sample so they can test it.

darkmavis · Mar 25, 2009

This really is quite the soap opera! (poop opera?)

carolina · Apr 2, 2009

If the test comes back clear, and there is no health issue related to his poop, here is a suggestion that completely stopped Bugsy's diarrhea (because of greenies) and transformed in nicely formed TRP in one day: One dose of Bene-bac, and daily Holistic Solution added to his food. It was almost like a miracle! Because Bugsy has a sensitive tommy, I will keep him on Holistic Solution on a regular basis.

Trying for Tootsie Rolls (Poppy's Poop)

poppy0109

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snake_lady

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twokatz

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kittybernard

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snake_lady

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laureen227

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