TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › Gassy Kitten
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Gassy Kitten

post #1 of 17
8/28/10 at 9:01am
Thread Starter 
My kitten is extremely gassy. She farts probably hundreds of times a day and they are pretty powerful. Naturally I want to get her to stop. I feel her Iams dry kitten food and she's been dewormed. She is 14 weeks old. Any suggestions?
Reply
post #2 of 17
8/28/10 at 9:15am
The Iams may not be settling well with her, but remember if you experiment with food you have to do so slowly or you risk more gas and even runny stools.

That said, I've noticed that a lot of kittens are gassy. You could try a probiotic supplement for a couple weeks and see if it helps straighten her out. Bene-bac is usually an easier one to find.

Do mention her gas to the vet, though.
Reply
post #3 of 17
8/28/10 at 9:30am
Intestinal parasites cause gas in kittens. Has she been dewormed? It often takes more than one deworming treatment to get them all. If not, then have the vet do a fecal test to check for worms. If you can absolutely rule out worms, then I would say it's the food. Worms is my first guess, though.
Reply
post #4 of 17
8/28/10 at 2:02pm
^Sometimes if the deworming was recent (ie, within a few days) a cats GI can still be in a bit of an upheaval. Hopefully that's all that's going on - but yes, if only one deworming was done you might as well get a second one done and make sure you thoroughly clean to prevent re-infestation.
Reply
post #5 of 17
8/28/10 at 2:42pm
Try another deworming, although I've heard of this before with Iams because it is not considered the highest quality food. She also might be allergic to some of the ingredients. If you read the ingredients, you'll find the same junk by-products that are in the cheap foods like Meow Mix and Friskies.

So in the absence of any other symptoms (no vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, constipation...?) it's very possible that diet is the culprit for her upset stomach and flatulence. Make sure you haven't you given her cow's milk or milk by-products of course. That has a tendency to do it as well.
Reply
post #6 of 17
8/28/10 at 3:45pm
I had a gassy kitten last year and after deworming and determining it wasnt a health related problem I switched their food to Taste of the Wild. That firmed up her poo and also my other cats who had poo issues and stopped her gas. After reading the ingredients in Bene-Bac and TOTW I realized that the food has the same ingredients as TOTW which Im assuming is the cause for helping the situation. Id probably start switching the food once you determine its not health related.
Reply
post #7 of 17
8/28/10 at 8:55pm
Thread Starter 
She has a vet appointment in a few weeks, I'll ask the vet to check her over then. For now I'll try to switch out her food since there are absolutely no other signs of illness/disease (no diarrhea, etc). Is Hill's Science Diet good? I got a sample bag from my vet that I have yet to give her. I guess I'll try that out and see if it makes a difference.

What other kitten foods do you suggest? Should I feed her wet food as well? Please try to suggest things that are available at Walmart. The nearest pet store (Petsmart) is 45 minutes away.

Oh and thanks for the responses so far
Reply
post #8 of 17
8/29/10 at 8:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by breadsticks View Post
Is Hill's Science Diet good?
Regular science diet is about the same in quality as Iams is. Their veterinary diets are good - but only because they do what they're supposed to.

Walmart doesn't give you many options. Do you have a feed/farm supply store? Sometimes you can find some decent stuff at them. (including the bene-bac)
As far as a wet that walmart carries, Iams wet is ok - the recalled stuff should be long gone from shelves, but you can double check plant numbers on the cans.

Your best bet in the long run would be if you occasionally make trips to that nearby city that has a Petsmart and stock up on food while you're there. That's what I have to do for wet, I usually have to order my dry food online.
Reply
post #9 of 17
8/29/10 at 9:38am
If possible, I'd call the vet and ask if you can drop off a stool sample to be tested for worms. If she does have worms, you really want to get her treated for them quickly so she doesn't start losing weight and eating like her throat's been cut but not gaining weight. It's easy to collect a sample and you can store it for a short time overnight in the fridge (Gross, I know!) and drop off at the vet's in the morning.
Reply
post #10 of 17
8/29/10 at 11:53am
I second the poo testing for worms. And also, many will use a general dewormer, but still have a tapeworm infestation. Tapeworms take a special medicine. Stephanie knows about that!
Reply
post #11 of 17
8/29/10 at 12:27pm
I second the suggestion to order online if you can- I have my cats on Taste of the Wild- it's the cheapest grain free option that I've been able to find. I bet if you emailed the company, they'd be willing to send you a sample so you can see if your kitten will eat it.

I'd definitely do the worm testing if I were you. Though, my cat was very gassy as a kitten. At the shelter, I picked him up, he started purring, and then farted . He did it several times on the way home too, and for the next few months. He grew out of it, though, and never does it anymore, so I think maybe their digestive tracts just need to mature a bit. Baby humans tend to have troubles with gas themselves, lol.
Reply
post #12 of 17
8/29/10 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BreaMarie View Post
I second the suggestion to order online if you can- I have my cats on Taste of the Wild- it's the cheapest grain free option that I've been able to find. I bet if you emailed the company, they'd be willing to send you a sample so you can see if your kitten will eat it.

I'd definitely do the worm testing if I were you. Though, my cat was very gassy as a kitten. At the shelter, I picked him up, he started purring, and then farted . He did it several times on the way home too, and for the next few months. He grew out of it, though, and never does it anymore, so I think maybe their digestive tracts just need to mature a bit. Baby humans tend to have troubles with gas themselves, lol.
I agree. I've never had any under 6 mos, but I know that kittens especially do much better with small, frequent meals, rather than large ones because they are very hungry and tend to eat too much, too fast - which can cause gas and odorous pooping. As the kitten matures, gets used to the routine, and understands he'll get fed no matter what, this will stop...

But it is a good idea to transition off an unhealthy diet no matter what the immediate cause of the flatulence.

Any other symptoms besides these ?
Reply
post #13 of 17
8/30/10 at 9:07am
Thread Starter 
No other symptoms that I'm aware of. She seems to be a perfectly healthy kitten other than the gas!

Someone mentioned checking out a feed store. I have a Tractor Supply Company in my town where I could get food if anyone knows of any better foods available there.

Also, I'll drop a stool sample by the vet asap.
Reply
post #14 of 17
8/30/10 at 9:20am
Go check the store out. It looks like they may carry Blue buffalo and do carry Nutro. Most cats tend to like Blue's spa select can food.
Reply
post #15 of 17
9/2/10 at 9:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Go check the store out. It looks like they may carry Blue buffalo and do carry Nutro. Most cats tend to like Blue's spa select can food.
Awesome, I'll transition her to that food and see how it goes
Reply
post #16 of 17
9/7/10 at 7:57am
How's this going, Breadsticks?

I'm fostering a semi-feral, which is my first experience with a non-adult cat. Oh, my! The odour factor and the worms aspect are both new to me.

I don't have much faith in the accuracy of stool tests for helminths, and for now am presuming she has worms and trying to treat with DE. Her belly already seems a little less extremely bloated, but oh the stinkiness.

She's eating mostly raw chicken (breast, heart & liver) so at least there's not the unpleasant smell particular to k*bble-fed kitties. But still, this is less than charming.

Would love to hear how your cure is progressing ...
Reply
post #17 of 17
9/7/10 at 8:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by breadsticks View Post
Awesome, I'll transition her to that food and see how it goes
It is great store !!!
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cat Health
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › Gassy Kitten