My cat has bad diarrhea!!!

maddybelle

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Hi there! Just joined so we'll see how this goes..

  My boyfriend and I decided a while back that a kitten would be a good addition to our little family (Him, our 2 year old morkie, and I). I've always been a cat person and haven't had one in years so I was excited when we finally agreed we would start looking. Well, a few months back he surprised me and brought home a sweet little black kitten we named Archer from a rescue here in town. Because he had surprised me, we didn't have any supplies, so after saying hi and getting my kitty love on for a good thirty minutes, I rushed off to the only place open, Walmart. After reading and reading I finally decided on Purina One. For the sake of not changing food too quickly I kept him on it for a couple months. A few weeks ago the diarrhea began. I didn't notice at first, until it started smelling SO bad. The litter would clump before I would realize how loose it really was. I began my research. Fasted him for 13 hours or so, providing plenty of fresh water, then for a few days fed boiled rice and chicken. Plus a Tbsp a day of pumpkin puree. In the meantime I visited a small pet store we have in our town and decided on Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach. I transitioned him into that, but he HATES it so far. Unless of course you give the dog a kibble or two and then he gets jealous and will eat it. But not near as much. I know with higher protein and such foods your don't have to feed them as much. But I think he just really doesn't like it. Also, in the last couple days the throwing up has began.

So basically I'm asking... food suggestions? I'm pretty much sold on the raw food diet. But need to be able to buy commercially made. Not sure I completely trust myself with making it on my own, plus with our location it may be hard to get a hold of a few ingrediants I've seen others are making their's with. The pet store here has Nature's Variety Frozen Raw medallions and such, which some reviewers have said are basically a God-sent product for problems like Archer's. I would order online, but I need to get a new food asap and don't want to wait for a shipment, and the nearest Petsmart or anything like it is a nice 45 min drive away. If this is an ok food source to try, are there any suggestions on transitioning.. or links for me to read so you don't have to re-type answers I'm sure you type all the time.  And to get all the nutrients and such, any extra food I need to add? Kibble.. canned.. whatever. I just want him to feel better! Oh and probiotics were mentioned too somewhere on here.

By the way Archer is now 5 months old. Healthy seeming as can be. I did the scruff hydration test and all seems well. He acts like nothing is wrong. The only problems are his diarrhea and the few times he did throw up. He has been spayed and had his shots, but those have been his only vet visits.  I'll end up taking him if my next food attempt fails, but for now, I'd rather spend a bit extra on food, rather than the possible hundreds of dollars or more on a vet bill I may get, if food could be the answer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And I know Archer will appreciate it too. :)

OH and I wanteed to apologize if these questions were already answered on another thread,  but I felt like I read a lot and can't figure out exactly what I need to know.
 

vball91

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The most common cause of diarrhea in kittens is parasites. Was he dewormed at the rescue? Also, it may be something that isn't covered by regular dewormers, like giardia or tritrichomonas which requires a separate test.

It may be the food, and I will post some helpful links and threads in a bit, but Nature's Variety raw is a nutritionally complete food, so you can start feeding it immediately. You don't need any other foods or supplements. I would add a good probiotic in his case though and the Nexabiotic 19 strain which contains S. Boulardii may be a good choice for him.

More in a bit when I am on a PC.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Yes, the Natures Variety Frozen Raw Medallions (for Cats) are completely nutritional and you don't need to add anything to them.  That's the way I started on my journey to raw.  I was afraid to do it on my own too in the beginning.  Now I no longer purchase the commercially prepared stuff and save myself quite a bit of money.  But I completely understand your thinking, and there is no reason you can't start out with this and gradually learn your way around the raw world.

But, as Vball suggested, it could be worms or other "baddies" causing his problems. 

I would definitely add a probiotic, as Vball suggested, and for a kitten his age, would probably just give 1/2 capsule daily, divided between 2 meals.  When he gets a little holder, then you could bump that up to 1 capsule daily (or half a a human dose)

We have a Raw/Home Cooked Foods Forum here on this website.  It's a sub forum under Nutrition.  Here's just one resource link to get you started:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources 
 
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maddybelle

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Thank you for help! We started him on the frozen raw, and the very next day he was back to normal!!!
No throw up either. But he's hungry in between meals and has started snacking on the dog's food. Ordering another dry food, now that I know what to look for in the ingredients. I assume that's ok if I balance out how much he's eating of each?
 

vball91

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Hooray that the raw resolved his diarrhea.

Given that the raw worked, I am not sure why you want to add dry food back into his diet? It may bring back his diarrhea as it seems he has a sensitivity to something in his previous foods. Without knowing what that is, how do know what's safe to feed him?
 

mrsgreenjeens

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You said you have ordered the dry food.  What are you getting?  Is it one of those new Zero Carb foods or Epigen 90 or something like that?  I'm wondering why not just feed him more of the raw, more often, or is there a logistics problem with that?  It is true that growing kittens need lots of food, and often, so if you're not home all day, it's tough to feed them a raw only diet.  OH, but I see he's already 5 months old so he can go longer between meals now even though he still needs LOTS of food 
.  .   Did you know they make Dehydrated or freeze dried raw foods that can be left out similar to dry food.  They aren't meant to be fed that way, but can be fed dry as long as your cat eats other moist meals and/or drinks water. Stella and Chewys and Primal both make them (along with frozen foods), and maybe even Natures Variety (not sure on that one)  I use them for treats for my little ones.  

Note:   If you get the Stella and Chewy's freeze dried, get the large sizes.  The .8 oz size (single serving size basically) are NOT in chunks, but rather in crumbs.  Also, the regular size of the freeze dried nuggets might be too big for a kitten, so you might have to break them in half.  Depends. Sometimes the bags have 1/2 inch cube sized pieces.  Other times they are about 3/4 inch cubes.   I've never called to find out why, but I should 
 
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maddybelle

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I only talk about adding a dry because I did the math on how much to feed him with the amount of activity he has, and his weight, and he's still hungry even though I feed him a bit over what it says. I just don't want him becoming over-weight . So I had thought maybe with a dry food it might make him feel like he's getting more food, but not having to give him all the extra raw. And because he keeps attempting to eat the dog food he obviously is still hungry. Now I'm rambling... One hour left of my twelve hour shift. :/

I haven't ordered anything yet. I had been doing research on different types. Actually going to look today when I restock on the frozen raw.  After a few hours of sleep that is!

My boyfriend has been doing research on food too.. He's an avid Amazon-er and loves reviews. Heard anything about Halo Spot's Stew Natural Dry Cat Food - Sensitive Stomach? He's kinda stuck on it. It's cheaper.. But I completely don't mind paying more for what he needs. He feeds our morkie a raw freeze dried food from Nature's Variety. I had thought about that, but the cat formula of course.  I'll take a look at the other suggestions. Thankyou!!
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Raw food is actually more satisfying than kibble.  You can feed less of it than even canned and cats feel more  full ounce for ounce.  If you are worried about him becoming overweight, then leaving out kibble is the last thing you should do
.  I'm pretty sure that Halo Spot's Stew kibble is pretty high in carbs,(not a good thing)  but I'm running late and have to leave so don't have time to check it out right now. 

I just have to ask...what's a Morkie?  something crossed with a Yorkie?
 
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