rescue cat has chronic loose stools

I got him from a cat rescue right before new years - he had been wormed right before, then I took him to the vet and they wormed him again (2 days from the first I discovered after the fact)  and was on flagl for 10 days. The vet also gave me some i/d food for gastointestinal health and fortiflora which did not help. Howver there was also the stress of a new house, then I tried to change food too quickly before his stool had firmed up. So I put him on boiled chicken and pumpkin with some goats milk yogurt and his stool finally firmed up. After a week I tried to transition him to Wellness Core (the chicken and turkey one) figuring that I knew he wasn't allergic to chicken, but he started getting really bad diarrhea again. So now he's back on boiled chicken, but I know I can't feed him this forever because it is not balanced. Please note that I am not ready to go raw. Suggestions?

Also after speaking to rescue worker she told me the previous foster family  that had had him until Christmas "hadn't been keeping up on things" so that's why they wormed and defleaed him (covered in fleas when I got him but luckily revolution worked quickly) but she told me foster family had said he had been having loose stools for a while, and diarrhea for the last several weeks (which is why the dewormed him immediately upon getting him back from foster family).

His GI tract could still need some time to settle down after all the stresses he's been through and the worming.

Have you just tried the chicken & turkey flavour? How about using some novel protein like rabbit, lamb or beef and see if he settles down with that?
If you can get a hold of Hound & Gatos, that's a good brand with a nice selection of different proteins and they don't have certain additives that can cause issues. It probably isn't the chicken he's reacting to if he ate whole chicken just fine, but there could be something else (like carageenan for eg) that's upsetting him.

Also, have you got him on probiotics?  (I'm not talking about FortiFlora, but a good, multi strain one?)  Here is an article on it:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/should-i-give-my-cat-probiotics.  Then here's a thread that discusses different ones:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/246495/all-about-probiotics

I hope it's a case of him just needing to settle in and that he doesn't have IBD, but in case he does, here is a link to a website that discusses that too:  http://www.ibdkitties.net/

Keep us posted on whether or not these suggestions work.

pushylady said:

His GI tract could still need some time to settle down after all the stresses he's been through and the worming.

Have you just tried the chicken & turkey flavour? How about using some novel protein like rabbit, lamb or beef and see if he settles down with that?
If you can get a hold of Hound & Gatos, that's a good brand with a nice selection of different proteins and they don't have certain additives that can cause issues. It probably isn't the chicken he's reacting to if he ate whole chicken just fine, but there could be something else (like carageenan for eg) that's upsetting him.

Click to expand...

I haven't tried anything else because I'm concerned about this cycle ending soon - I'm afraid if the balanced cat food gives him diarrhea (meaning he doesn't get nutrients from it before it exits and makes him sick) and the chicken pumpkin yogurt helps (but he isn't getting enough vitamins) he's going to start having malnutrition. I will look into the other brands.

 I'm praying he doesn't have IBD as I went through that with another cat and it was rough.

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
Also, have you got him on probiotics?  (I'm not talking about FortiFlora, but a good, multi strain one?)  Here is an article on it:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/should-i-give-my-cat-probiotics.  Then here's a thread that discusses different ones:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/246495/all-about-probiotics

I hope it's a case of him just needing to settle in and that he doesn't have IBD, but in case he does, here is a link to a website that discusses that too:  http://www.ibdkitties.net/

Keep us posted on whether or not these suggestions work.

Click to expand...

i have him having goat's milk yogurt. The only other thing I tried briefly was Fortiflora while he was on flagyl. I know a lot about IBD as I previously had a cat that had it, am really hoping this cat doesn't have it.

Thanks MrsGreenJeans - I am giving goat's milk yogurt for probiotics but I will check that link. Hoping I just need to find the right food and its not IBD...