New kittens - possible food issue?

Hi everyone,

I adopted two 6 month old kittens (Abbie & Allie) about 7 weeks ago. They were rescued and were in the care of a vet. They were being fed Science Diet kitten but I wanted them off that so I switched them over to Halo over about 2 weeks. I also added some wet food (Halo or merrick) to their diet in the morning and evening. The have had (mostly) soft stools since the switch. Their stools were fine when I first got them so I feel it is the food. I thought maybe I switched them over too fast or maybe added wet food too soon. I bought some other brands but have been holding off trying them for fear of making things worse. So they've been on a steady diet for over a month now and it's no better. Should I try different dry food? If so, what kind?

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Carol

Welcome to TCS! (And of course congrats on the new additions! )

Going to a new home compounded w/ food changes commonly makes kitties tummies upset. It is concerning that they still have soft stools after a month.

I'm hesitant to suggest trying a different food, as that may only make issues worse.

Instead, my first two thoughts are:
1) Have they ever had a stool sample tested to rule out any parasites?
2) Have you looked into trying probiotics?

I don't believe they were checked for parasites but their poop was normal when I brought them home. I haven't taken them to a vet yet since they were being cared for by a vet clinic and I know they were well taken care of. I will call them to find out for sure.

Unfortunately tonight they both had very loose stools, almost diarrhea. I gave them merrick cowboy cookout this morning, which they have had before but not recently.

I just read a little about probiotics and I would definitely consider trying them.

They act normal and are very playful. They are my first cats and I love them so much already. I just want them to be healthy.

Buttercup had loose stools on Blue Kitten Chicken and Rice dry food. I wasn't sure it was that, but I had a huge bag, so we quit it and put them back on Purina One and all was fine. Hated to waste the food, so tried finishing the Blue w/ them again, and again the soft stools returned.

Switched to Blue's Wilderness formula after that and all was well. Never did figure out which ingredient it was that was giving her trouble.

IMO, I would get just one flavor wet food for now (something simple), and slowly switch over to something you like for dry (I really do like the Wilderness for my two and recommend it, the Duck flavor at least).

I'd also swing by your grocery store's health food refrigerated section and pick up children's or low potency acidophilus probiotic capsules, and just crush one into their wet food mixed in. Its good for people and cats alike.

You can also get a can of organic pumpkin (not pie filling obviously, lol) and put a little into their wet food. It acts as a fiber matrix, and most cats like the taste. I wouldn't put in more than a teaspoon mixed into a 3oz can though. You can put a little into tupperware in the fridge for use in the next couple of days, and the rest I'd stick into a icecube tray and you'll have little frozen cubes of it for use later.

If the diarrhea persists, and it is very watery, you'll want to visit the vet. It can cause dehydration which can be very serious.

Thank you both for responding. I picked up some probiotics yesterday and gave them each 1/2 a capsule. I do think it is helping as there was formed stool in the litterbox this morning. It was little soft but nothing like it was on Wednesday. I believe that was from Allie so I'm still waiting to see if it helps Abbie. They were both very playful so I think they feel good.

One question--how long do I give them the probiotics?

Thanks,
Carol, Abbie & Allie

You can't really overdose on probiotics, but giving too much in humans makes you gassy from the overactive bacteria, and I would imagine its the same in cats.

Once the stools are firm, I wouldn't see any need to continue.

Just wanted to follow up....my girls are doing well. They had probiotics for a while then when I stopped them the soft stools returned. I had a feeling it was diet related so I bought a bag of merrick before grains chicken and gave them a small amount to try. They loved it so I've been mixing it with the halo and yesterday there were 2 normal poops in the litterboxes!!

Thanks to both of you!