Too Many Poops!

My cat Opeo (1 year, healthy weight) POOPS. ALL. THE. TIME! We have been living in our new apartment (he used to live with my roommates' cats, now he is by himself, and happy!) for about 3 months. For the past 4 weeks or so, he has been pooping upwards of 4 or more times a day. And believe me, we know when he poops, ugh!

We alternate between The Good LIfe indoor formula and Purina One (Yes, I realize these brands are not "high grade" foods, but we do what we can, money wise) And he eats them right up. We also occasionally give him wet food as a reward for good behavior.

What confuses me, is the fact that these are the only two foods he's eaten his whole life, and we've never had this problem until recently. Our vet said he needs new food, and suggested the most expensive brand in the store! Any suggestions or remedies? I feel bad for my little man pooping all day long

Just like with people, most allergies start as kittens but can develop at any time.

Unfortunately there is no easy way to narrow down what ingredient it may be if it really is a food issue.  I assume the real issue is that the stool is odorous and also probably quite soft, correct?  Are you free feeding or on a specific schedule?  At a year old, I'd definitely switch to schedule if not already on it.   Overeating can also certainly cause upset tummy.    To help things out, you can also pick up some Acidophilus in the refrigerated health food section of most grocery stores.   Get the child's or weakest potency ones, cut it in half with a sharp knife, smack it with the flat of the blade to make a powder, and sprinkle it on the dry food or into wet food.    And even if its just a cheapo like friskies, IMO it'd be good to have one wet meal a day just as added hydration insurance.  

For a new food, you could try Natural Balance Ultra Premium.   We use Blue Wilderness recipe, but the NB seems to be well reviewed, and its very economical in the 15 pound bags when you calculate out how many servings that is.  Any transitions to new foods should be done slowly over a period of about a week (first 25% mix gradually up to 100% of the new).

Ingredients:
Chicken Meal, Chicken, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat, Duck Meal, Potatoes, Carrots, Lamb Meal, Canola Oil, Natural Flavor, Salmon Meal, Dried Egg, Brewers Yeast, Duck, Potassium Chloride, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Spinach, Parsley Flakes, Cranberries............
Protein (min.) 34%, fat (min.) 18%, fiber (max.) 3%, moisture (max.) 10%, taurine (min.) 0.16%.

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luhhjane said:

My cat Opeo (1 year, healthy weight) POOPS. ALL. THE. TIME! We have been living in our new apartment (he used to live with my roommates' cats, now he is by himself, and happy!) for about 3 months. For the past 4 weeks or so, he has been pooping upwards of 4 or more times a day. And believe me, we know when he poops, ugh!

We alternate between The Good LIfe indoor formula and Purina One (Yes, I realize these brands are not "high grade" foods, but we do what we can, money wise) And he eats them right up. We also occasionally give him wet food as a reward for good behavior.

What confuses me, is the fact that these are the only two foods he's eaten his whole life, and we've never had this problem until recently. Our vet said he needs new food, and suggested the most expensive brand in the store! Any suggestions or remedies? I feel bad for my little man pooping all day long

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Hi, LuhhJane! Welcome to TCS!

You say this started recently? You might want to take a look at this thread: Potential Purina One Cat Food Problem. It's possible something's off about the kibble... I'd recommend you drop the Purina One altogether right away and see what happens. Either no harm's done, or your kitty gets better, so you've nothing to lose!

Also, your kitty's digestive system would probably benefit from a change to half dry / half wet or, better yet, all wet (take a look at CatInfo.org, LittleBigCat.com or Feline-Nutrition.org).

I hope you're able to resolve this very soon!!! It can't be at all comfortable for your little boy.

AC

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! It's so hard to find reputable cat food that's affordable. I really appreciate the advice, and hopefully my cat will be back to a normal digestive routine soon

When a cat poops that much, the food is not being digested and absorbed by the body. There are many reasons this could be, from parasites to IBD to an ingredient intolerance and everything in between.

My Queen Eva has a (possible) nutrient absorption problem. She was, like your Opeo, having these huge (soft) poops four times a day.

If Opeo has not been de-wormed she may need to be. I had Queen Eva's poop run through a ton of tests, all were negative. Blood work also showed no abnormalities.

Queen Eva was on a varied canned grain free diet, but my vet wanted me to keep her on just one food, to try to narrow things down. I tried, but she is picky and often won't eat the same food more than one or two days in a row.

Long story short, eventually we put her on ProViable DC probiotic, and her problem was resolved. Her system is still very sensitive, the slightest thing, such as if she steals a food she isn't supposed to have, or when she gets vaccines, can throw her off and cause diarrhea, or those large frequent poops again, but mostly she does fine now.

Vet wanted to try weaning her off the probiotic, but the experiment was not a success, she started having diarrhea again, so she will be on it for life.

(one of the things she goes crazy for is food with corn in it, such as Mazy's c/d. It makes her really really sick, but she is always trying to steal Mazy's c/d. I once tried the Worlds Best Litter, but she insisted on eating it, and that made her really sick too. Some cats can't tolerate corn, or other grains)

With all things considered, it looks like my best option is to get rid of his yucky foods. Hopefully with a little transition to a higher grade nom, Opeo will be back to his normal routine

Thank you so much for your advice!

Good luck with your little guy!  Hoping all goes well with his food transition

Using a probiotic during a food change can help kitty's body adjust to the change with less trouble (tummy upset and diarrhea)

Keep us posted on how Opeo is doing.

Hi . Glad you found TCS and Welcome I was just going to suggest a Probiotic too. You can easily use the people probiotics/acidolphilous at the pharmacy. Just sprinkle 1/2 capsule in the food during the transition period. There is no taste to it and mixes easily in to wet food. Might help. What a cute name for a kitty... Opeo . Much luck to him

UPDATE!

I'm happy to say, after a few trial sized bags of new foods, and about a month of waiting, Opeo is on a normal routine again! I no longer feel the need to monitor and count his visits to the litter! We've decided to go with Newman's Own Natural Cat Kibble. He loves the stuff, and the kibbles are the perfect size for his mouth. I do occasionally add a tiny amount of Iams' Healthy Naturals to change things up a little. And I have taken everyone's advice and incorporated wet foods as a constant, instead of a very-once-in-a-while treat.

Thanks from me, but mostly from Opeo! (As he sits and helps me type....haha. So glad for our kitties ) I appreciate everyone's input, thank you so much for the quick responses! This is certainly a community I will be visiting VERY often!

Good job!