Could use some positive vibes please

I haven't been on in a little while do to computer issues, but I think I have it all fixed.

I posted a few weeks ago about Whisper, my 6 month old Siamese (mix), having mushy poop with blood in it. Took him to the vet she gave him a prescription high fiber can food and Pancur C to take for three days. Last night he had poop that was completely liquid and bright red blood with some mucous in it.

I took him to the vet today and she said it's very rare for a cat his age to be having this much trouble with his poop. She took some blood to get a complete CBC and a blood chemistry panel and she also sent off a fecal culture. Until we get those results back she put him on Flagyl. Please send some positive vibes that he doesn't have anything seriously wrong.

Do you know what the fecal will test for? What is the kitten eating?

Originally Posted by sharky

Do you know what the fecal will test for? What is the kitten eating?

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They just said Fecal culture and sensitivity (Aerobic). She was going to hold off on the culture and get blood results first, but then when she remembered I have kids she went ahead and sent it in case he has a passable parasite. She said there are a few that can be passeed back and forth b/t humans and animals.

He is eating Nutro Naturals Indoor weight management b/c it has higher fiber to help the diarrhea and to help both of them feel fuller. I was told higher fiber would help them feel a bit fuller and wouldn't feel the need to cry for food all day.

I am sorry but high fiber fills humans ... It just causes more poop in 75% of cats... Higher protein and fat fills them.... example are you fuller from a cup of pop corn or a baked potato or a steak ? One is high fiber ... the other is moderate fiber with some protein... the other is high protein and depending on cut moderate to high fat

High fiber with cats works in cases like megacolon

Originally Posted by sharky

I am sorry but high fiber fills humans ... It just causes more poop in 75% of cats... Higher protein and fat fills them.... example are you fuller from a cup of pop corn or a baked potato or a steak ? One is high fiber ... the other is moderate fiber with some protein... the other is high protein and depending on cut moderate to high fat

High fiber with cats works in cases like megacolon

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The vet told me that the blood work could also give her an idea if he has a food allergy. I just haven't been able to find a food that really works for him yet. TOTW made him have diarrhea and my other cat have constipation, Science Diet seems to work, but they are so hungry no matter what, even if I supplement with wet food. I think the only time there wasn't a problem was when I had them on Authority food from Petsmart. The only reason I switched from that was to get a good all life stages food which was what I was hoping to get from TOTW.

I got the Nutro Natural Choice (I said Nutro Naturals before..oops) was because it was a higher end food than Authority and I thought the ingredients were better, Maybe if I anaylize all the ingredients from the different foods I can find what Authority did or didn't have that the others do or don't.

It sound like your cats may do best on a formula mainly meat with some corn( authority is such a food)... As much as I do not understand it , some cats require a moderate amount of grain...

Originally Posted by marinewife05

They just said Fecal culture and sensitivity (Aerobic). She was going to hold off on the culture and get blood results first, but then when she remembered I have kids she went ahead and sent it in case he has a passable parasite. She said there are a few that can be passeed back and forth b/t humans and animals.

He is eating Nutro Naturals Indoor weight management b/c it has higher fiber to help the diarrhea and to help both of them feel fuller. I was told higher fiber would help them feel a bit fuller and wouldn't feel the need to cry for food all day.

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First let me know say I am sorry to hear your little guy Whisper is having such problems. Certainly IMO the food you are feeding is ok. Of course with him still being a kitten it would be best for him to be on kitten food until closer to a year old. But with your vet recommending you have higher fiber I see why you went with the Nutro Natural Choice Indoor formula.

Now I know you said your vet did a fecal test, did she do a Giardia test?? This is different then the regular fecal float they do. It would require a smear test on microscope slide of the feces to see if Giardia is present. Some of the symptoms you describe could be cause by Giardia. I know they could be caused by many other things too. I would just inquiry specifically about the Giardia test to be sure if you haven't already.

Coccidia can be more common in kittens. They start out with no immunity to coccidia, immunity develops over time. It can be hard to diagnose on a fecal test because it may be hard to see on the microscope because the oocysts are much smaller than an intestinal parasite egg. Anyway, if your guy has this it would need to be treated for more than 3 days with a specific antibiotic. Typical treatment can be for a week or more.

I am sorry if this may repeat anything anyone else has touched on or if it seems long winded. It just breaks my heart to see such a young baby have to go through a thing this. I hope my info helps.

I would also like to add that if you don't see results soon I would maybe get a second opinion. I am sure your vet is a fine vet but sometimes a fresh mind can always add a new perspective on things. Any good vet will have no problem with you getting a second opinion.

Has your vet mentioned anything about offering a bland diet to help with the diarrhea?? Like boiled Chicken & Rice for a few days to see if that may straighten out whatever else could be causing the issue? I have seen it recommended frequently when I was a vet tech.

Good luck to you and your baby Whisper.

another possible issue is either intolerance or allergy to wheat... I do not believe Authority has it but Natural choice recently added it ( a while ago when the bag s changed)

Originally Posted by sharky

It sound like your cats may do best on a formula mainly meat with some corn( authority is such a food)... As much as I do not understand it , some cats require a moderate amount of grain...

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I see what Sharky is saying and agree that every cat is different and my require certain things in there diet.

Now the food you are feeding does have corn gluten meal, which is a good protein source and very easily digestible. It does also have ground rice as well, also good. It is what I feed my fluffy kitty Chester. Now he is about 11 years old and needs the weight management. As I said before, if your vet thinks it is ok, you might try sticking with the kitten formula. I know it has less fiber but it has more protein and fat. He is still a growing guy and needs that extra protein and fat to help him with his growth spurts. Just like any growing child requires more as they grow. You might try the regular Natural Choice Kitten vs. the Indoor as that has the 43% Protein and 18% fat.

Now I have seen some cats that are just beggars and want food just because they like to eat. Maybe try offering him smaller amounts of food more frequently throughout the day. If he is an active guy, which I am sure he is, then he is going to burn through his ingested food faster. Therefore he may require you to feed more. If he were lazy like my guy(he only gets a 1/4 twice a day), then feed him accordingly. Factor in any treats & wet food you give as well. Even if you don't increase the amount he eats, feeding him more frequently may trick him into thinking he is getting more when he doesn't really need it (if he is just a guy that likes to eat)

You may or may not know all of what I have told you but I thought I would try to help.

Again, good luck!

Originally Posted by sharky

another possible issue is either intolerance or allergy to wheat... I do not believe Authority has it but Natural choice recently added it ( a while ago when the bag s changed)

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Sharky is correct that there is Wheat Flour in Natural Choice Cat foods. It is an easily digestible grain & a good carb for energy, but if your kitty has developed an allergy to wheat may not be good for him. You could check with your vet on doing some allergy testing to see if that is the case. I myself haven't seen too many cats with food allergies but I know they are out there, so it could be a possibility.

I'm curious NutroLori - do you work for Nutro?

To the OP - rule out any physical illness such as parasites, coccidia, giardia, etc before you look at the allergy route. Diagnosing allergies are very tricky and is more often than not discovered through trial and error. If you rule out illnesses, start with the allergens that are most prevalent in cats - wheat is one of them. Fish can be another (there are fish oils in most foods). I even know a cat that is allergic to chicken. A vet may be able to help you narrow down the allergen, but sometimes it does come down to trial and error before you find the allergen.

A lot of us with chronically ill or allergy cats have gone thru a lot of trial and error trying to find the food that works for their cats. While some foods look good on paper, if it makes them ill then it is bad for them.

Sending vibes that you can diagnose the problem and find a solution that works for you.

Good Health for Whisper. I hope they get to the bottom of this soon.

The description of the bloody diarrhea sounds classic for giardia.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

The description of the bloody diarrhea sounds classic for giardia.

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I asked about coccidia and giardia on my visit before last. She said this last time that the Pancur C would have taken care of any and all parasites, but she gave him Flagyl anyway. I don't know maybe the culture will show something?

The culture may help, depending on what they are testing with it.

In all my years dealing with digestive type disorders, I have noticed that some cats symptoms seem to get worse once you start putting medication after medication in them. Some of this could be in response to the pancur, then the flagyl. If your vet prescribes yet another medicine without finding the actual cause, question them on why they are giving it to you and raise the question on whether the meds could be worsening the problem.

All bloodwork came back normal. Now just waiting on fecal culture. She wanted to see a full stool sample, but he hasn't gone yet. I put him in the bathroom with food water a place to sleep toys and a litterbox lined with newspaper and he never went. He wouldn't even pee until I put a small amount of non clumping litter in the box.

I am not a vet, but I can tell you my experience. I have a cat named Tomtom, and when he was about 6 months old, he had the same problem, and we tried the same medications (Panacur, Flagyl). Nothing ever came back in his stool cultures, and it ended up going away on it's own. The vet suggested he might just have some minor digestive issues, and was straining to poop, thus the blood. I was very worried, too, as it doesn't seem right to have blood in the stool. But everything turned out fine!!

He finally pooped. I will be taking it to the vet tomorrow...and what do you know it was mostly solid. Maybe the Flagyl is working, or at least masking the problem for a bit.

I hope you finally get an answer!