Archie's poo (nice title, huh?)

addiebee

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I have a foster cat right now named Archie - you can see a pic of him in this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=199290

Anyway - he had a really stinky butt when I got him that seemed to get better over the last few days. But his stool is soft and watery. Sometimes it is more formed than others.. but this evening was really soft and watery - not diarreah, but not tootsie rolls either. The other boys poos seem ok.

Could it be the food? I am using Authority dry and wet - the dry in particulat b/c when he goes into the Petsmart storefront (adoption center) that is what he will be given.

Or could it be something else? I have now had these guys for a week.
 

kittymonsters

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Yeah for fostering those beautiful cats!

I am guessing that Archie is in no way related to the others and did not get surrendered from the same home.

It very well could be that he has a bit of IBD or food intolerance ( most likely a grain). \\

How long was he at the shelter before you brought him home? I am wondering if he is just more sensitive to food changes and has not gotten over a rapid switch. Since he came to you with a stinky butt, this must have started at the shelter or he came with it.

If he had this for quite awhile, I say try switchig to a food with maybe only rice for a grain or no grain at all. I personally like California natural dry for this as it is relatively inexpensive compared to others. My IBD kitty can tolerate it as well.

If he has just recently had his food switch I am less likely to want to jump on the switch food right away thought.

Did these kitties come from the uncooperative shelter you are trying to educate and work with? If so, my guess is they didn't test for any kind of intestinal parasites, most notably coccidia and giardia. Both make that soft pudding like poop. Is the color of the poop normal?

There is a new treatment for giardia ( not available in the US yet but approved in Europe) it is the use of Panacur (fenbendazole). This is readily available at farm stores for horse worming and can be compounded down for off lable use in cats. It is a 3 day dose for a quick cure, which is great considering the old treatments took weeks and often didn't work. I don't think it works on Coccidia though.

Sorry I am not a lot of help. Just wanted to throw out some possibilities to think on.
 
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addiebee

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Originally Posted by kittymonsters

Yeah for fostering those beautiful cats!

I am guessing that Archie is in no way related to the others and did not get surrendered from the same home.

It very well could be that he has a bit of IBD or food intolerance ( most likely a grain). \\

How long was he at the shelter before you brought him home? I am wondering if he is just more sensitive to food changes and has not gotten over a rapid switch. Since he came to you with a stinky butt, this must have started at the shelter or he came with it.

If he had this for quite awhile, I say try switchig to a food with maybe only rice for a grain or no grain at all. I personally like California natural dry for this as it is relatively inexpensive compared to others. My IBD kitty can tolerate it as well.

If he has just recently had his food switch I am less likely to want to jump on the switch food right away thought.

Did these kitties come from the uncooperative shelter you are trying to educate and work with? If so, my guess is they didn't test for any kind of intestinal parasites, most notably coccidia and giardia. Both make that soft pudding like poop. Is the color of the poop normal?

There is a new treatment for giardia ( not available in the US yet but approved in Europe) it is the use of Panacur (fenbendazole). This is readily available at farm stores for horse worming and can be compounded down for off lable use in cats. It is a 3 day dose for a quick cure, which is great considering the old treatments took weeks and often didn't work. I don't think it works on Coccidia though.

Sorry I am not a lot of help. Just wanted to throw out some possibilities to think on.
Yes - he came from that same uncooperative shelter. The poop is a medium brown, somewhat lighter than the more formed stools of the other fosters. No blood that I can see. Nothing tarry.

My first thought was that the food wasn't agreeing with him, but if that is the case, I would have to switch three of them to a lower grain diet b/c they are sharing a room and I am free-feeding b/c I cannot be there all of the time. California Naturals doesn't sound familiar to me... I don't know if I have seen that on store shelves in SE Michigan.

If it is a nasty microbe like Giardia or Coccidia.. .I wouldn't just medicate him. Wouldn't I have to get a stool sample analyzed first so I know what we are dealing with here?

BTW - at the shelter - there is no one food fed to these guys. It's surprise of the day - whatever they have... so his food had been topsy-turvey for a couple of weeks. So I think I will give his tummy a few more days to adjust to the Authority brand.
 

white cat lover

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He's been on Authority since you got him....when did you get him? (I want to say a week ago, but I can't remember anything right now)

IMO, if it was coccidia, you'd have constant puddles/loose stools, not improved/then worse. It might not be a bad idea to take in a stool sample as a precautionary measure. Also - have they been de-wormed?
 
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addiebee

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Yes - I have had them one week.

Animal control supposedly deworms, defleas, etc. I haven't seen any physical signs of worms in any of them... in their poos. I do inspections if I am there when they go #2.

I agree about the stool sample. I will talk to our rescue director about taking one to one of our vets. I have to catch him at it. And if it is cocc or giard - or some other intestinal bug - they will all have to be treated b/c they are sharing food dishes, litter pans, etc.

My first suspicions are/were food issues.
 

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Do they feed wet at the shelter you got him from?

I ask because: Kizzy can only tolerate small amounts of wet food, or he will have soft stools (not diarrhea). I tried many different wet foods...grains, grain free, 100% meat, pretty much every one on the shelf except the ones I would never ever feed, all with the same results. I ended up taking him off wet food for a few days, then giving him wet food in small quantities, bumping it up untill he would get soft stools.

He is good on one 3oz can/day....any more than that and he will have soft stools.

I also now add Holistic Solutions to his food, and it seems to work.... I haven't had to clean poo off his butt fur in a while now ( and he was sneaking more wet food than I normally give him, when he was playing with the kittens.... whatever they didn't eat, he'd help himself to).

My only point is, i wonder if he just can't tolerate the wet food..... In Kizzy's case, I think it is because he drinks alot of water on his own...then you add more water from wet food, and he got soft stools.
 
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addiebee

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Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Do they feed wet at the shelter you got him from?

I ask because: Kizzy can only tolerate small amounts of wet food, or he will have soft stools (not diarrhea). I tried many different wet foods...grains, grain free, 100% meat, pretty much every one on the shelf except the ones I would never ever feed, all with the same results. I ended up taking him off wet food for a few days, then giving him wet food in small quantities, bumping it up untill he would get soft stools.

He is good on one 3oz can/day....any more than that and he will have soft stools.

I also now add Holistic Solutions to his food, and it seems to work.... I haven't had to clean poo off his butt fur in a while now ( and he was sneaking more wet food than I normally give him, when he was playing with the kittens.... whatever they didn't eat, he'd help himself to).

My only point is, i wonder if he just can't tolerate the wet food..... In Kizzy's case, I think it is because he drinks alot of water on his own...then you add more water from wet food, and he got soft stools.
It's possible. They adore the wet food - beg for it... I think it would be really difficult to cut back on what I am giving them... about 5 oz each a day... but I can try. What is Holistic Solutions? I was thinking some sort of probiotic wouldn't be a bad idea.

ETA - yes I think they did sometimes... not sure they got it everyday. The poo is not plastered on his butt.... but it is soft and wet.
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by AddieBee

It's possible. They adore the wet food - beg for it... I think it would be really difficult to cut back on what I am giving them... about 5 oz each a day... but I can try. What is Holistic Solutions? I was thinking some sort of probiotic wouldn't be a bad idea.

ETA - yes I think they did sometimes... not sure they got it everyday. The poo is not plastered on his butt.... but it is soft and wet.
Holistic Solutions is made by Eagle Pack:
New Holistic Solutionâ„¢ is a biologic tool that naturally and holistically aids the prevention and relief of these problems. Prebiotics, Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes provide natural, 3-way, holistic approach to resolve symptoms
from: http://www.eaglepack.com/SP_DigestiveAids.html

Kizzy has really long butt fur, which is why any softer than a normal stool, would catch in it


If the stool sample comes back negative, and a grain free (Wellness is grainfree, but pricey) or limited ingred food don's illicit a change in poo, then I would think he is like Kizzy.

I do believe that some cats just can't handle the added moisture (they are desert animals after all). That is just my opinion based on what I went through with Kizzy: 2 fecals, tried many different brands of wet food, then went to feeding 1tbsp increments untill his stool got soft, then got the Holistic Solution which allows me to feed more wet food
 
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