Wellness Grain free & very soft stool?

heyboova

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
4
Purraise
1
I am having one heck of a month. Starbuck has been eating Wellness brand canned grain free chicken for a couple weeks and is having bathroom issues. Her stool is very soft, had a couple days of diarrhea (recently, not even right at the start). She is also going 2-3 times a day when it use to be once. She was originally on dry food, but because the vet found blood in her urine we switched to Evolve canned food, which solved that problem, however that food gave her an allergic reaction. A girl working at the desk at the vet convinced me to get hills prescription brand weight loss food, even though shes not really over weight. I just wanted to get her off the food that was making her itch so I got it.  Besides not being happy with what was in it, it seemed to make her constipated. I then switched the the grain free wellness because a friend recommended it. She likes it, but I am getting sick of checking her fur and feet for poop.

Two weeks seems like enough of a time to get use to a food. I've never tried grain free before so I don't know how cats usually react to it. I've heard it was good for their digestion so it seems weird this would be happening. I am apprehensive about switching her food so many times and not giving her time to adjust or running into another food allergy problem.  So any advice? Should I keep going with the grain free wellness or switch to something else. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

Every Life Should Have Nine Cats
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
16,451
Purraise
7,238
Location
Arizona
I don't think it's because it's grain free.  Cat's don't need grains at all.  It could be that Wellness just isn't for your furkid.  It might be too rich for her.  Have you tried giving her a little pumpkin to try to counteract the loose stools.  Maybe 1 teas per day?  And are you giving her any probiotics.  The human kind are find. Just open up the capsule and mix it into her food.  One capsule per day.  That might help.  But I would definititely stay away from the prescription diet food...it's full of carb (grain).

BTW, there are lots of other grain free canned foods out there to try.  What ingredient in the Evolve do you think she was allergic to?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

heyboova

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
4
Purraise
1
The vet wasn't sure which ingredient she was intolerant to, but ocean fish is the 5th one listed so I have my suspicions.

I would rather find a good food that doesn't give her problems than trying to figure out some concoction to counteract the food. I think today I'm going to get a different brand of food. Maybe get a cheaper brand and mix in a grain free brand to see if that is better.

Do you know the difference between the wellness grain free and the wellness core? Maybe the core would be less rich. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

Every Life Should Have Nine Cats
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
16,451
Purraise
7,238
Location
Arizona
Regular Wellness is higher in carbohydrates than the Core (per their website). 

If you get a cheaper brand and then mix in a grain free, you will have a hard time trying to figure out which food is causing her issues, if the problem continues.  If I were you, I really would try a good pro-biotic.  This is not a "concoction".  This is something that IMHO every cat should be taking daily anyway, as well as every human being, like a multi-vitamin.  My cats take them, so do I.  We take the same ones, as a matter of fact.  There are many, many people here at TCS (and probably elsewhere
) who give their cats probiotics, just to keep their colons healthy. 

I hear you in that you don't want to counteract "bad food", and I totally agree, if it's the food that is the problem, which very well may be the issue.  But if her colon is working at it's optimal, a richer food might not be a problem
.  My Stinkpot used to throw up frequently , but he hasn't done that in months and months since we started on probiotics.  I know it's the other end, but it does go to show that it changed something. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

heyboova

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
4
Purraise
1
Thanks for your suggestions. I ordered some probiotics so ill see if that helps. I agree about mixing foods being a problem. I found a cheap canned food made by mu local supermarket chain that I can afford and doesn't seem too bad (no artificial colors, etc). After a while on this food, which hopefully will not be a problem I may try and rotate in a premium food, but only after I get her on a stable diet fora while.
 

rose2015

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 1, 2016
Messages
87
Purraise
6
Location
Sydney, Australia
@heyboova  Had the same issue with Wellness grain-free canned. Swapped to Holistic Select and the problem was gone. Assuming the Wellness was just too rich.
 
Last edited:
Top