New Kitty Owner ... Help!

Hi, everyone.
I'm both new to the site and new to owning a kitten.
I adopted my handsome little buddy at 4 months about 3 weeks ago now. He was perfectly healthy; shots and neutering taken care of, normal behavior, bathroom situations, everything. He's so sweet and affectionate and I love him so much.
When I picked him up the woman at the store gave me the food they had been feeding him, and had me buy another bag of it, because that is the food he's used to, and said if I felt like it I could buy some canned food as well, since they had been feeding him that too (but I figured with as much as I had to bring home I would just stick with dry food at first).
About a week after I adopted him (fresh water every day, dry food, etc) he started to have softer stools that were a bit yellowish orange-ish in color, but I didn't think anything of it since everything I was doing was the same as they had been doing at the store where he was being kept. I introduced canned food again about a week and a half ago and it sat well with him the first few times, but then the other morning he got diarrhea, and I haven't fed it to him since. When he's on the dry food he seems fine except for the color and the smell. I'm not sure what I could be doing wrong??
The only thing I can imagine is that he is allergic to something I am wearing, whether it's my perfume, shampoo, soap, detergent, etc ... when I met him the first time and held him the woman said after I left he kept sneezing. He doesn't sneeze as much any more but could it possibly be a reaction to something in my apartment? He's completely healthy otherwise.
And if it's allergies, what in the world do I do about it??? Someone told me Childrens' Benadryl, but is that safe?

Thanks you guys; I'm sorry my question is so long.

Welcome to TCS. It's a great place to learn about taking care of a new kitten. What is your baby's name? We'd love to see pictures.

There are so many things that can cause diarrhea. A little more information would be helpful. What food are you giving him (specific brand and type)? Have you taken him to your own vet to have him checked out?

Was it a pet store you got him from, or a shelter? Not that it matters, I'm just curious

Anyway, have you taken your little buddy to the vet yet? It sounds like he might just have some internal parasites that need to be taken care of. (Nothing you're doing wrong, nearly all cats have them at one point or another in their life.)

If not, it could be a whole host of other things, including his diet, but he needs to go to the vet first so you can determine for sure what's causing it instead of playing a guessing game.

No do not give him Benadrly..Never give a cat or kitten any human meds with out your vets advice. If your kitten hasn't had a check up that would be your first step/ having a good check up. Has the kitten been wormed or even checked for worms? All this will be done by your vets.

Originally Posted by gardenandcats

No do not give him Benadrly..

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I have worked for veterinarians, some veterinarians do indeed tell cat owners to give there cat a child's Benadryl. The reasons very, but it is normally due to excessive itching at the injection site.

I have used a child's Benadryl on my personal cat Shadow when she had a reaction from vaccines.


However you should only use the medication when a veterinarian tells you to do so. So like Gardenandcats said, please take your cat to a veterinarian .

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can be used to treat allergic reactions in both cats and dogs, but the critical element here is that this is only the case if the vet is sure that an allergic reaction is indeed what is going on, and only then in very carefully controlled doses.

My initial reaction here would be to say you need to visit a vet. There could be all kinds of things going on here, from an infection, to parasites, to a simple stress reaction to the changing diet. All of the above are non serious as long as you get a professional to deal with it for you.

I just shouted the symptoms across the room to my wife (who is a vet) and she immediately replied "God knows I'd have to look at it, but don't tell them to start dosing it with whatever is in the bathroom cabinet", so I guess that tells you what you need to know .

G

Originally Posted by Cat Person

I have worked for veterinarians, some veterinarians do indeed tell cat owners to give there cat a child's Benadryl. The reasons very, but it is normally due to excessive itching at the injection site.

I have used a child's Benadryl on my personal cat Shadow when she had a reaction from vaccines.


However you should only use the medication when a veterinarian tells you to do so. So like Gardenandcats said, please take your cat to a veterinarian

.

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Originally Posted by Gareth

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can be used to treat allergic reactions in both cats and dogs, but the critical element here is that this is only the case if the vet is sure that an allergic reaction is indeed what is going on, and only then in very carefully controlled doses.

My initial reaction here would be to say you need to visit a vet. There could be all kinds of things going on here, from an infection, to parasites, to a simple stress reaction to the changing diet. All of the above are non serious as long as you get a professional to deal with it for you.

I just shouted the symptoms across the room to my wife (who is a vet) and she immediately replied "God knows I'd have to look at it, but don't tell them to start dosing it with whatever is in the bathroom cabinet", so I guess that tells you what you need to know .

G

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What I said came out wrong as usual. All I meant was that in some cases Benadryl could safely be used, under a veterinarians guidelines. Like as a general statement.

I did not mean it should be used in this case, without asking a veterinarian.

Lastly, any chance your wife would want to join the forum?

@GoldyCat: His name is Kevin :] or "The Don", because he's the man of the house, hahaha. I will have pictures up in my signature when I can get them (btw, how do you edit a signature?? I can't find it anywhere). I've been feeding him Max Cat for Kittens (for some reason I always want to call it MexiCat .... spicy!). I haven't taken him to the vet because I need to buy a carrier, and because the woman at the store said they had just taken him recently and that he was perfectly healthy. Could something have developed in just a few days??

@speakhandsforme: A little pet supply store around the corner :] They always have rescued cats or kittens for adoption in the window, and I was passing by one day before class and he came right up to the glass and was rubbing against it. So adorable and friendly. He's the best.

I will be sure to get on this right away ... probably this weekend at the soonest, just because my schedule is tight with school and work. Thanks everyone! :]

It's not impossible he has some sensitivity to some ingredient in one of the foods. Look around here, and you'll find others with that problem, too.

But, if you haven't had him to a vet, he should at least get a basic checkup, dewormed, etc.