Fortaflora - my cat HATES it! Help!!

New to this Forum, so glad it's here!

I have a 10-yr old DSH male, Spike.  He's such a soldier!  And for the last 6 months or so, has experienced awful diarrhea (sp?).  I have tried, upon the recommendation of my vet, so many times, to get him to eat the food I have sprinkled with Fortaflora. But he can SMELL it!  He has a super-cat-powered nose!  Kidding aside, I am very concerned because his diarrhea is persisting. 

Does anyone have suggestions for another Probiotic?  I'm just confused because some websites warn against accepting advice from anyone other than a vet.  However, why does my vet only sell this ONE kind of Fortaflora, which is made be Nestle (I checked the label)?  Strange, I know, but it's how my thoughts ran.

THANK YOU! 

Most cats do love the Fortiflora because of the animal digest in the product. It is used as an appetite stimulant as well as for diarrhea. but not all cats like it.... Here is the brand most of us use and it is not made by Nestle I would definitely recommend talking with your vet before you try anything other than what your vet is suggesting......

You can add the people acidophilus that you get from the pharmacy. The capsule form. Sprinkle 1/2 capsule to start twice daily. Has Spike has a fecal check? Have you changed his diet before the diarrhea started? Could be an allergic response to diet as well. What was the vet's explanation/diagnosis for the diarrhea? So many reasons could be causing the diarrhea and I would want to get an answer from a vet as to the cause. After so many month's, I would want answers and not just use a product to stop the diarrhea. There must be a cause that needs to be addressed. Maybe a second opinion is in order :dk:..... Best of luck with your kitty.

Has he been tested for Tritrichomonas Foetus?  It requires a special test and isn't found in a regular fecal exam.

Bene-bac is a popular probiotic for cats with diarrhea.  I would also suggest that you send Carolina (that's her user name) a PM and ask her.  She has a cat that's had chronic diarrhea and has tried lots of different probiotics.  I have used human acidophilus with my kitties and it's helped.  I just crush 1/2 of a tablet into their canned food.

stephanietx said:

Has he been tested for Tritrichomonas Foetus?  It requires a special test and isn't found in a regular fecal exam.

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Beat me to it.  More about it from the FAB if you are interested:

http://fabcats.org/breeders/infosheets/tritrichomonas.html

Hello and welcome to the forum. Have you considered changing the food you are feeding?

What diagnostic tests has the vet done?

Proviable paste and Proviable DC are tolerated very well by cats and very effective.

http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/vet/products/Proviable-dc.aspx

Hi Otto,

I feel so trapped...Vet says Fancy Feast is ok, for example, while others say it's horrible.  I have tried some 'natural' products (mostly all meat, no cereal, etc.) and he keeps on with the diarrhea.  I have tried sprinkling just a little bit of the flora stuff and he can smell it, won't eat it!  My baby kitty (Gemma, 6 months) likes it of course!  So that's why I came to this forum, searching for other probiotic products which would taste better to Spike.  Since reading these posts, I'm gonna try human biotics.  Oh and I did try like yoghurt and stuff....nope.  spike wouldn't touch it. Just worried about the long-term affects of loose bowels, I know they're not good.  Want to avoid that!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure.  The vet did give him a fecal test, she's calling me later today and I'll ask her.  thanks!

thanks everyone.  I'm going to try sprinkling some human acidophilus onto his food.  And, when the vet calls, I'll talk to her about that test.  Spike has endured alot of upheaval from July to October of last year (my life turned upside down due to loss of a relationship, severe health crisis, and moving). I'm reassembling my life bit by bit.  So i think I'm to blame for some of his problems which makes me feel miserable!!!!!!  

Stress can contribute to tummy problems, and since you are almost certainly stressed your cat probably is.

On the probiotics front, I have found some cats happily lick up live plain unsweetened unflavoured yoghurt.

Hi there, I'd suggest using an animal probiotic. There's plenty of them out there and Fortiflora is not one I recommend due to the animal digest. I have a list of probiotics I feel are safe for cats, no fillers, sugars, sweeteners, etc. and they work well for cats with intestinal problems. I run a site for cats with IBD and other GI diseases. Feel free to email me if you'd like. I would start by asking what you cat is eating. Cut out grains altogether. Only a high quality protein, low carb, grain free wet food. Here's the link for the page on my site: http://ibdkitties.net/Probiotics.html. Probiotics for people may or may not work. A cat's intestinal system is very different.

finnlacey said:

Hi there, I'd suggest using an animal probiotic. There's plenty of them out there and Fortiflora is not one I recommend due to the animal digest. I have a list of probiotics I feel are safe for cats, no fillers, sugars, sweeteners, etc. and they work well for cats with intestinal problems. I run a site for cats with IBD and other GI diseases. Feel free to email me if you'd like. I would start by asking what you cat is eating. Cut out grains altogether. Only a high quality protein, low carb, grain free wet food.

Here's the link for the page on my site: http://ibdkitties.net/Probiotics.html. Probiotics for people may or may not work. A cat's intestinal system is very different.

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This is your site? Thank you - it has been very helpful to my IBD kitty!!

campbutt said:

New to this Forum, so glad it's here!

I have a 10-yr old DSH male, Spike.  He's such a soldier!  And for the last 6 months or so, has experienced awful diarrhea (sp?).  I have tried, upon the recommendation of my vet, so many times, to get him to eat the food I have sprinkled with Fortaflora. But he can SMELL it!  He has a super-cat-powered nose!  Kidding aside, I am very concerned because his diarrhea is persisting. 

Does anyone have suggestions for another Probiotic?  I'm just confused because some websites warn against accepting advice from anyone other than a vet.  However, why does my vet only sell this ONE kind of Fortaflora, which is made be Nestle (I checked the label)?  Strange, I know, but it's how my thoughts ran.

THANK YOU! 

Click to expand...

I started my kitty on Proviable DC probiotic a week ago.  Carolina recommended it to me - her kitty is on it also.  So far no issues - I'm waiting to see if it will help her vomiting.  We've never had diarrhea issues.  I bought it from Amazon, but I think it's really supposed to only be available through vets.

Oh I'm so glad my site has helped you. Is it Brandy that is your IBD Kitty? How sweet is she!!! So cute! I don't know how long she's had IBD but if you know that their systems can get used to food, medications, supplements, etc. faster than a healthy kitty, you may need at some point to change or rotate her probiotics. I wrote a blog about that subject, I don't know if you saw it or not: http://onlynaturalpetblog.com/2010/09/10/988/. Because her immune system is overactive with the inflammation, it's a constant battle to find things that work. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that! how is she doing by the way?