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Still having soft stool, very stinky, gas, etc

post #1 of 24
1/11/11 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
My cat Da-Ku has had this problem for a long time. I have tried a handful of different foods. The latest is Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Formula with turkey and potato. He has been on it for months now. I thought it was getting better. But he goes to the box and passes loud gas and it just smells horrendous. It is always stuck around his behind. I am really at a loss of what to do next. Other then the fact that it is gross and I am getting sick of it, I feel bad for the poor guy.

I am tempted to just pick up a Purina One sensitive systems and see if the regular stuff works out lol. What do they put in sensitive systems food to make it help that problem?
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post #2 of 24
1/11/11 at 6:23pm
BLUE basics is = to most holistic formulas in the number of grains...

IMHO if you have access try something like Natural choice or California Natural

Or go to a no grain with one or two meats
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post #3 of 24
1/11/11 at 6:36pm
Thread Starter 
Are Natural choice and California Natural grain free with one or two meats?
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post #4 of 24
1/11/11 at 6:40pm
no they are one /two grains with one or two meats... Acana comes to mind as a simplier grain free ... Instinct is also fairly basic( ie chicken and turkey vs chicken , fish and lamb)

but you have a one meat 3 grain 3 starch ... ie complicated for sensitive tummys
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post #5 of 24
1/11/11 at 6:46pm
Thread Starter 
You are the best, thank you! Acana and Instinct I can get easily. Grain free is the route I want to go. I was thinking limited ingredients would work but apparently that is still too much for Da-Ku's little sensitive tummy.
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post #6 of 24
1/12/11 at 11:44am
Is DaKu a male? I have read that some grain-free foods with a combination of resulting in higher urine PH and slightly bumped mercury levels and contribute to UTI risks, particularly those w/ fish in the first few ingredients.

I am thinking of switching to a sensitive tummy formula too, as Buttercup never has solid poos like Wesley if she eats too much dry (wet she's fine though, but it also has some pumpkin mixed in to each 12oz tub of it w/ is their primary food).
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post #7 of 24
1/12/11 at 7:39pm
Just a thought have you had your cat checked by your vet?Soft stinky stool can sometimes be more then a wrong type of food problem..
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post #8 of 24
1/12/11 at 8:06pm
Hi one of my cats,pipsqueak, had terrible bouts of diarrhea and gas on and off for the first four years of his life. I tried every supplement and diet with no luck. Then I tried the grain free. He was on Fromm surf and turf and this helped him and made my life less stinky too but his stools were still a bit loose. Then I tried wellness core. That was eight months ago and his poops are very firm now all of my cats eat wellness core now and are doing great. Even the new ferals I took in are eating it and love it. I was going to try instinct but since the Core worked so well I stayed with it. They also get wellness canned varieties mixed in.

I totally understand the frustration and stink you are dealing with. It is a food ingredient issue and you just have to keep trying different brands. But for sure grain free is the way to go. Keep posting to let us know what is working for your baby!!
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post #9 of 24
1/12/11 at 9:34pm
If nothing else works, ask a vet if you can try Royal Canin Hypoallergenic food. It's really expensive (the protein in it is soy), but it was the only thing that helped my cat Scarlett's constant gas and diarrhea. I had tried so many different things, I was thrilled to find it. It helped tremendously.
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post #10 of 24
1/12/11 at 10:20pm
i hate to be the bearer of bad news but please get the vet to check your cat out

I read somewhere that offensive stools are a sign of cancer in ppl and in animals so a vet visit is recommended and then a change of diet could help

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/fo...ling_stool.htm

the link is about human health but perhaps there is a clue there for you to adapt to your situation

there is a good list of food intolerances there that you could try to work through with your cat

good luck

this seems to be a good article about dry foods and they have a canned food section done in this way also and that may be helpful

http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-healt...food-cats.html
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post #11 of 24
1/13/11 at 10:33am
Just 3 weeks ago my 13 year old yowdy was found to have Intestinial Lymphoma his symptoms where stinky stools very gasey and soft to liquid stools. I had him to the vet many times for this problem.They treated him with flagly diet changes..But it was not food problems it was the Lymphoma which by the time it was found he had the problem it was too late.
They tried to remove the tumor but during surgery they found many smaller secondary tumors and called during surgery and said it would be best to not let him wake from the surgery ... I miss him so much..Thats why I would not always anymore think that bowel problems where always food issues..
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post #12 of 24
1/13/11 at 2:20pm
We adopted two kittens last September and one of them had horrible stinky gas and diahhrea. We had all kinds of tests done and they wormed her "just in case". When nothing showed, we went through changing her food several times. No help. Finally right around Thanksgiving I noticed some worms and blood in her stool. Our regular vet was closed for the holiday so we went to a new one. After a fecal sample, the problem was identified. Coccidia. I guess it's VERY difficult to detect and unless that particular sample has one of the organisms in it you won't know he has it. Luckily it showed up on Lacy's test. 10 days of meds and she was good as new!

Have a fecal done just to rule out other problems. Good luck!
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post #13 of 24
1/14/11 at 2:02pm
Thread Starter 
I have had him to the vet and his stool tested. It was negative.

I think grain free is my next test. Thanks to everyone for their comments. Is wellness core grain free?
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post #14 of 24
1/14/11 at 2:07pm
Its gross, I know, but can you describe:
1) quantity of the movement
2) frequency
3) color (and uniform or spotted)
4) odor
5) consistency (water/pudding/mucousy/etc)

One thing that might help is that I have heard that many cats just don't do well if overfed, so it may not even be a food allergy, although switching foods to a less pallet-able one could end up fixing that problem too.

Their intestinal tract is very short in carnivores, and if they have a high hunger drive, then they can try to pack in more food too soon (think of it as a conveyor belt w/ cookies going through an oven), there isn't sufficient time for the nutrients and water to be absorbed into the system, and so it comes out only partially digested.

In large wild-cats in zoos for example, this is why some days no food is provided at all.

The easiest way I believe to determine if that might be the case is if the stool is uniform color brown pudding like and very large in quantity with considerable odor.
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post #15 of 24
1/14/11 at 5:15pm
I had this very same issue with my younger cat (which was what originally brought me to this forum, actually). We ruled out parasites and any other medical concerns and turned to diet. Grain-free ended up being the solution for me.

Adding grain-free canned food to her diet helped to firm up her stools a bit. I eventually took the step of removing kibble from her diet and saw more improvement then, and now am going the raw route (which so far is the only thing that's produced absolutely perfect stools on a consistent basis) but you may want to at least start with some grain-free canned and see how that goes, if you've ruled out medical concerns.

And yup, Wellness Core is grain-free. It's worth noting that a lot of their adult canned foods are actually grain-free as well, you just have to check labels. I think the grain-free ones are labeled as such on the front, but if not, just check the ingredients. I was feeding my cats a variety of Wellness, Merrick Before Grain, Merrick Gourmet Entrees (only some of these are grain-free, so check ingredients), and Blue Buffalo Wilderness (only their Wilderness line is grain-free).
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post #16 of 24
1/15/11 at 5:48am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
Its gross, I know, but can you describe:
1) quantity of the movement
2) frequency
3) color (and uniform or spotted)
4) odor
5) consistency (water/pudding/mucousy/etc)
1) just a normal sized pile... I am not sure how to measure that lol
2) usually just after he eats
3) uniform, it is almost always the same color
4) not sure how to describe, seems the same as any cat just stronger and lingers longer
5) anywhere from mushy stools to pudding

Also to saitenyo, he eats from a timed feeder that gives out 1/4 cup at 7am and 6 pm. He snacks throughout the day. Meaning he doesn't chow down on that 1/4 cup right away.
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post #17 of 24
1/15/11 at 7:12am
Ah, yeah if its not real big and 1/2 a cup is the feeding suggestion for that food for his age and weight, then at least we can rule out overfeeding.

Although sometimes withholding food for a day I heard can stop the cycle too for an upset tummy.
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post #18 of 24
1/15/11 at 11:55am
now that the vet has done some tests you are quite correct that you need to see how you can improve your cats diet

please also remember that a lot of people have allergy to wheat and grains and this may also be an issue for cats

I had a cat that did not have an enzyme to process cat food at all. I changed to human grade food and her problem disappeared completely until i tried giving her cat food and once again her problem started up

hers was that she did poos that stuck to her and so she made huge miles and miles of horrible brown skid marks on my light grey carpet and she had to be washed every day - that is when i came up with the idea of just rinsing the backside and not actually giving a cat a full bath because it took so long to dry her - she was a Persian.

incidentally she was never ever reprimanded for making skid marks on the carpet and she did that for 8 months every single day and every single day she had to be washed. When I put her in for her speying i asked the vet to do an exploratory and that is when he made the diagnosis

in the meantime 3 days before that I started feeding all my cats home made food only and the vet told me that she passed a normal stool on the operating table. that is when i knew what the answer was - never ever give her any cat food as long as she lived. and she lived happily ever after

good luck
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post #19 of 24
1/15/11 at 2:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by initforlove View Post
incidentally she was never ever reprimanded for making skid marks on the carpet and she did that for 8 months every single day and every single day she had to be washed.
Don't they hand out medals for that? Definitely went above and beyond the line of dooty.... er duty.
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post #20 of 24
1/15/11 at 5:24pm
Jen ,I am not a huge CORE fan mostly due to roughly 70% of the cats I have used it with and personally know it was too rich... Obviously if it is reasonably priced it is worth a shot but its typical side issues are what you have

A 12-24 hour fast may work that is a discuss with vet issue... Mine is not a fan of it for this issue...
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post #21 of 24
1/15/11 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
Don't they hand out medals for that? Definitely went above and beyond the line of dooty.... er duty.
thank you so much for that - that is so kind of you to say that
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post #22 of 24
1/15/11 at 11:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
Don't they hand out medals for that? Definitely went above and beyond the line of dooty.... er duty.
how is this for a medal from my cat?

picture me squatting in the bathtub with cat on my knees her butt under the tap and she reaches out and puts her paws gently on my face hugging my face as I wash her butt


and sometimes she lies on my pillow and has her paws crossed and with her outside paw she reaches out and places it gently on my forehead and rubs her paw down the centre of my forehead and then she puts her paw back beside her body. In a few seconds she does it again and again - just lying there beside my face and stroking my forehead with her paw gently
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post #23 of 24
1/16/11 at 12:36am
i put this in the wrong thread sorry
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post #24 of 24
2/1/11 at 3:05pm
Thread Starter 
Just a quick update...

I bought Acana about 2 weeks ago and I am already seeing a MAJOR improvement. So I wanted to thank everybody for no more litterbox farts, super foul smelling poo and a cat with a mushy pooey butt! I think HE even seems happier. He loves the new food.

It has seriously been 2 years of trying different foods. I wish I would have thought of grain-free sooner!
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