Diarrhea and the Runs in Kittens?! Help- Time limit

Hello once again everyone! I hope it was okay to create a new thread. The old thread was about something else so it was difficult to get new answers to my problems.

It's a long story, but recently two kittens( 6 or 7 weeks) were put on my lap along with Archie. I believe they were taken away from their mother way too soon, but the reaction I get is pretty much an "Oh well. I believe their recent weaning a week 1/2(approx. Maybe just a week) prior has something to do with it as well. They both have persistent runs and Diarrhea. Since I got them...which was I believe a week ago today. The Diarrhea is somewhat of a new thing and now it's so bad that they have it all over the house. I don't know what to do. We took them to the vet for it and she gave us this medicine to give them to get rid of any worms and to also give them vitamins & other nutrients to stop the runs. Unfortunately, it's not working. Just yesterday I learned that 9 Lives canned gives many cats loose or runny stools. They were on Friskies with the runs when I first got them(which is about the time they were weaned, so I"m not sure if that was a cause or not) I was low on money that week and had heard bad things about Friskies and was in a Grocery store with limited choice...so i ended up picking 9 Lives, thinking they would be fine. My mistake. =/ They absolutely love 9 Lives, but I believe it may be the cause of the runs and Diarrhea.

With the kittens being sick and getting more and more dehydrated my roommates are completely blaming Canned Food in general(They believe in the old myths like a mule so it's practically impossible to get them off it. They wont' even listen to a vet) so they are trying to force the switch to dry. I'm trying to stop them at every turn. I know Canned Food is better for them, and I don't want to ruin their start in life by putting them on junk. I'm also terrified that putting them on dry, which makes them dehydrated, in their current dehydrated condition could cause serious illness....which would definitely be fatal at this point. They gave me two(Yes, two) days to stop the runny stools with a different canned food or they're switching to dry. I'm unsure if I'll make it in two, but if it looks to be improving drastically that could help me as well.

Please understand I have not been paid yet so I need something CHEAP but EFFECTIVE. Also, I have to stay in my local area(no gas =/) so my choices are even more limited to Dollar Stores and Grocery Markets. I can't get to a pet store with good food.

1) My vet recommended Iams, but they're also funded my Iams so I'm not sure if it's really them talking. Would Iams be a good switch? Would it stop the runs in record time?

2) Is it really 9 Lives doing this? Could there be other reasons?

3) I've heard mixed on Friskies, but I've heard a lot of stories where switching from 9 Lives to Friskies stops the runs/Diarrhea. Would that be easier on their stomachs as well, since 9 Lives and Friskies have similar types of food? (I'd probably stick to their Turkey in Gravy until their stomachs cool down)

4) I've been feeding them both 9 Lives Turkey in Gravy and Tuna & Egg. Like, twice a day the Turkey, once the Egg, etc etc. Could that be causing it? Should I be feeding only one?

5) How do you switch Wet Food? Can you just give a different brand cold turkey? Or would that make them worse? Should I mix two types?

Don't get any of the Friskies in gravy. . .get the "classic paté" kind. The gravy varieties have wheat gluten in them and that can cause issues. My cats eat mostly Friskies, I'm not sure what problems you've heard abouut but I've never had any problems with it. Yes, you can switch cold turkey. Get a good variety of the non-fish/seafood flavors (fish/seafood should only be fed occasionally). It's fine to feed different flavors in the same day. Hopefully using only Friskies paté will firm up their stools, but if not mix a teaspoon of canned pumpkin (not spiced pie mix, plain pumpkin only) into the food and that should do it.

You could also get Fancy Feast Kitten and Classics. But FF is more expensive.

That should fix the problem IF it's caused by the food. Kittens from bad backgrounds (as I'm sure they are) frequently have parasites/bacteria--like giardia or coccidia--that aren't affected by normal de-wormers. Did the vet do a fecal test or just give the de-wormer? If it doesn't clear up with a diet change, call the vet and see if they'll run a fecal test without seeing the kittens. Usually they'll do it if the kittens were just in.

Thank you for the quick answer!

What I heard about Friskies was that it was a junk brand, on the bottom of the scale for proper nutrition. I suppose what I heard was wrong?

Yes, they are from a bad background. She did a fecal test and gave me 3 different shots that will be used every 2 weeks to get rid of any parasites. All she saw was eggs so.  I'll definitely do that if it doesn't clear up. The one kitten is yowling for food early...I suppose all this is making her hungrier faster. I'll have to run out to the store soon. When I go out to the store I'll pick up some pumpkin for sure. Thank you for that tip.
 

Friskies isn't top-quality, but isn't terrible. The canned food anyway; the dry food is pretty bad.

Willowy said:

Don't get any of the Friskies in gravy. . .get the "classic paté" kind. The gravy varieties have wheat gluten in them and that can cause issues. My cats eat mostly Friskies, I'm not sure what problems you've heard abouut but I've never had any problems with it. Yes, you can switch cold turkey. Get a good variety of the non-fish/seafood flavors (fish/seafood should only be fed occasionally). It's fine to feed different flavors in the same day. Hopefully using only Friskies paté will firm up their stools, but if not mix a teaspoon of canned pumpkin (not spiced pie mix, plain pumpkin only) into the food and that should do it.
You could also get Fancy Feast Kitten and Classics. But FF is more expensive.
That should fix the problem IF it's caused by the food. Kittens from bad backgrounds (as I'm sure they are) frequently have parasites/bacteria--like giardia or coccidia--that aren't affected by normal de-wormers. Did the vet do a fecal test or just give the de-wormer? If it doesn't clear up with a diet change, call the vet and see if they'll run a fecal test without seeing the kittens. Usually they'll do it if the kittens were just in.

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I agree! Friskies isn't that bad, compared to dry foods and other low quality canned foods. Stick with the pate flavors and avoid the fishy ones (except as a treat) and your kitties should do ok.

With insistent whining and crying I ran to the store and picked up some canned pumpkin and Classic Paté Turkey & Giblets Dinner. They took to it quite nicely and are grooming themselves now. Archie even chirped at me, which he does when he's happy. I hadn't heard that since feeding 9 Lives, now that I think of it. I'm going to keep a close eye on them tonight. Hopefully all goes well! -crosses fingers-

I feed them 3 times a day. Is it okay to mix in the pumpkin each time until they get better? Or should I only do it one feeding time?

Only give one teaspoon of pumpkin a day. So if you want to give it at every meal, give 1/3 teaspoon per meal. You could probably give a bit more than that without trouble, but you don't want to overdo it!

How long do you think this will take to work, do you think? especially the pumpkin?

So far I've fed them the new food 3 times since this post, and they still have the runs pretty bad. The one kitten has started to eat less and less too. About to call the vet later today.

Also, I've been looking up home remedies to try to help it, and I stumbled on this-

24 hour fast. This gives a kittens digestive system a rest. A kitten on a food fast still needs water. Owners are advised to ring their vet before putting their kitten on a food fast.

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Would that even help? I thought cats shouldn't be fasted? Also, it said something about giving them fiber. What in the world do I give them to give them fiber?

Pumpkin is fiber.

I do think you should call the vet. It's probably not the food at this point.

Babykitties said:

With insistent whining and crying I ran to the store and picked up some canned pumpkin and Classic Paté Turkey & Giblets Dinner. They took to it quite nicely and are grooming themselves now. Archie even chirped at me, which he does when he's happy. I hadn't heard that since feeding 9 Lives, now that I think of it. I'm going to keep a close eye on them tonight. Hopefully all goes well! -crosses fingers-

I feed them 3 times a day. Is it okay to mix in the pumpkin each time until they get better? Or should I only do it one feeding time?

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IIRC, in other threads, people recommended pumpkin for treating constipation, not diarrhea. If that is true, the runs will get worse.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

IIRC, in other threads, people recommended pumpkin for treating constipation, not diarrhea. If that is true, the runs will get worse.

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It's soluble fiber; it treats constipation AND diarrhea. By adding bulk to the stools, it firms up diarrhea and moves things along.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

IIRC, in other threads, people recommended pumpkin for treating constipation, not diarrhea. If that is true, the runs will get worse.

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Pumpkin works both ways. It can get things moving with constipation or it can help bulk up with diarrhea. If the pumpkin is not helping the kitten needs to be checked by the vet to rule out an parasites.

The pumpkin hasn't worked at all. =/ They're still running around and it's absolutely horrible. They literally don't even have time to get to a litter box. We called the vet, and she said it might be a parasite that causes diarrhea that they don't always detect. Going to pick up the meds tomorrow when I get gas. Hopefully, it works. Having kittens with diarrhea means crawling into the smallest places. -sigh-

Another question, if you guys don't seem to mind. When I picked up the Friskies Turkey Pate I accidentally picked up the Turkey Dinner in Gravy. Only thing I had left so I gave it to them, and apparently they loved it so much I almost had a few fights! I know it has Wheat Gluten in it, which is the reason that I'm not supposed to give it. How bad is Wheat Gluten? They didn't really take to the pate stuff so is there a brand somewhere that's healthier that has something similar to the Turkey Dinner in Gravy?
 

This certainly is a health issue with the kittens. I totally agree they need to stay on wet food exclusively while dehydrated. However, it also is true which cans you give them matters. Because they have been losing a lot of water, if you can buy it locally, I would try Weruva (80% water and a real chicken breast). But you should also talk to the vet about switching to raw if the diarrhea is caused by a food allergy or IBD.

Have they been tested for Giardia?

To update as I was on vacation...

When I was gone my one roommate went to one of the family who is a vet, although I have to admit, not a very educated one on cat nutrition. She told her to discard everything the other vet told/gave her and switch them to dry. I was gone two days, and the kittens are already on full dry. When I warned against the danger of giving them that so early I was told "everything on the internet isn't true". Apparently the cat manuals I bought written by high quality vets are wrong too, eh?

They didn't even give the medicine for the diarrhea parasite time to work. They had five shots. They gave two and gave up. I'm very frustrated right now.
 

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

Have the cats BEEN to a vet yet, and has a fecal sample been analyzed for parasites?

You say that while you were on vacation, they weren't given the meds "for the diarrhea parasite" to work, but you don't mention ever having taken them to the vet or what medication was prescribed. :dk:

What medication are they supposed to be taking? And what parasite are they being treated for?

Are you giving them probiotics?

When my boys were kittens one of them had really bad runs but he was also throwing up. Both of them had some type of parasite (unsure which one - I think coccidia).  I got meds for the parasite but the vet also gave me something to stop the vomitting and the diarhea (2 separate meds). I cannot remember the name of the meds to save my life - oh wait, I think I have their file....It was famotadine and reglan but they both seem to be for the vommiting.  I guess I wasn't given anything for the other end; however, as soon as he went on these meds and got subq fluids...he seemed to do better. I'm sorry this isn't any help.

I hope your kitty feels better real soon!