Anything else to help soft poop other than pumpkin?

Canned pumpkin used to help my cat, but lately I've had to use more and more of it and his poop texture is very inconsistent.  I'm hoping that there's some other natural remedy other than canned pumpkin that I can add to his food.  I only give him raw food from brands such as Instinct and Stella & Chewy's. He just has a hyper-sensitive digestive system!

Rice water may help. It is used to treat diarrhea, a small amount could help firm up soft poop. I would start with a Tablespoon and then adjust the amount when you see how well (or not) it is working. It can be mixed into his regular food.

One cup of white rice to three cups of water
Simmer for 15 minutes and then pour the water off into a container. It should still be the consistency of water, not too thick and starchy. It will be cloudy looking.
The rice can be used for people food or whatever

Edit: oops, I forgot! Use regular white rice, not minute or quick cooking rice.

Do you mean soak uncooked rice in water for 15 minutes?  Have you tried it yourself with success to firm up your cat's poop?

You have to bring the uncooked rice to a boil and then let it simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Just the starchy water is used to treat, not the actual rice.
I have used it to treat diarrhea, but not for just soft poop. It sounds like your cat's poop isn't runny, just a little softer than ideal?
Rice water is a common home remedy for pets and people and is recommended by the World Health Organization to treat diarrhea in developing countries. I like using natural remedies whenever possible. It worked for my cat and I used it often for my dog when she was very ill towards the end of her life.

Edit: Another idea is adding probiotics to his food. I tried to add a link to a thread about them, but can't get it to work. If you enter probiotics in the search bar for the site, there is a ton of info.

I also suggest using probiotics. They can do wonders at firming up stools. All three of mine are on human-grade probiotics. Many raw feeders also use digestive enzymes.

I have heard success stories of people using Luxolite by Vitality Science for their pets with diarrhea issues.

chowchow said:

 
Canned pumpkin used to help my cat, but lately I've had to use more and more of it and his poop texture is very inconsistent.  I'm hoping that there's some other natural remedy other than canned pumpkin that I can add to his food.  I only give him raw food from brands such as Instinct and Stella & Chewy's. He just has a hyper-sensitive digestive system!

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Hi there,

If the boiled rice water that Happy Bird suggested doesn't work, you might want to take a look at Slippery Elm Bark as an alternative holistic solution to diarrhea. SEB is a natural herb supplement which works by coating the mucous membranes to normalize the action of the digestive tract. It has worked wonders to relieve both diarrhea and constipation and symptoms of IBS in cats and dogs. Many members, including myself, have used this on our cats with great results. This might be something that can help your kitty. You can find Slippery Elm Bark at most health foods stores in bulk.

Here is a link to a page written by a vet, to learn more about Slippery Elm Bark : http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

If you would like to give this a try and have any questions, let me know and I or other members who are using this, can follow up.

Thank you so much for all your interesting suggestions!  Is it safe to give the rice water remedy or the slippery elm bark for a long period of time?  I just hope my cat will eat these remedies, he's super picky.

oneandahalfcats said:

 
Hi there,

If the boiled rice water that Happy Bird suggested doesn't work, you might want to take a look at Slippery Elm Bark as an alternative holistic solution to diarrhea. SEB is a natural herb supplement which works by coating the mucous membranes to normalize the action of the digestive tract. It has worked wonders to relieve both diarrhea and constipation and symptoms of IBS in cats and dogs. Many members, including myself, have used this on our cats with great results. This might be something that can help your kitty. You can find Slippery Elm Bark at most health foods stores in bulk.

Here is a link to a page written by a vet, to learn more about Slippery Elm Bark : http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

If you would like to give this a try and have any questions, let me know and I or other members who are using this, can follow up.

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i also highly recommend slippery elm bark.  It can be used long term.  My cats don't seem to mind the taste at all--they eat it mixed in their food.

How long have they been on the raw? Probiotics are recommended at least during the first month to help transition.

My cat has been on a raw diet for a couple of years now.  He used to love FortiFlora but got tired of it.  He's gotten tired of all his food -- I keep having to try different brands and flavors, it's so tiring for me.

chowchow said:

 
My cat has been on a raw diet for a couple of years now.  He used to love FortiFlora but got tired of it.  He's gotten tired of all his food -- I keep having to try different brands and flavors, it's so tiring for me.

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Oh, so maybe switching foods too often is causing problems? I know switching dry foods can cause diarrhea, wet food is usually OK, don't know about raw.

I only change his food when he's having soft poop/borderline diarrhea.  Would anyone know if it's okay to give slippery elm with each meal?  I feed him twice a day.

chowchow said:

 
I only change his food when he's having soft poop/borderline diarrhea.  Would anyone know if it's okay to give slippery elm with each meal?  I feed him twice a day.

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Yes, you can give SEB at each meal but it is important to observe proper dosages. You can start off with a 1/4 teaspoon of SEB powder and add this to about a tablespoon of cold water and mix well. Add this to wet canned food as BetsyGee mentioned above.

The powdered SEB comes in a bulk powder and capsule form. You can mix a little SEB with cold water in a small dish for a single serving, or make a syrup that can lasts a few days in the fridge. If making the syrup, I would suggest looking for SEB that does not contain magnesium stearate (found in most capsule forms) as this can prevent SEB from gelling when you heat it to make the syrup.

Important Note :   As SEB works to coat the intestinal tract, it is important to give SEB at a separate time that you are administering any medications. 2 hours before or after meds should be sufficient.

Here is the recipe excerpt from the Little Big Cat site for making the SEB syrup:

Into a small saucepan place 1/2 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon powdered slippery elm bark. Whip with a fork. Bring to simmer over low flame, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 or 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool and refrigerate. Keeps 7 or 8 days. Give a teaspoon of syrup (5 cc) for an average-size cat (again, about 10 pounds) 5 minutes before a meal to minimize diarrhea, or to soothe and heal mouth ulcers.

As a side note, I would agree that cats don't normally get diarrhea from wet canned food. It could be that the diarrhea is happening due to a food ingredient, or IBS or that his digestive system is out of whack and just needs some support in the way of probiotics or digestive enzymes. It could be that some food is just too rich for him? The SEB should help to improve the diarrhea, but it would also be good to know why he is getting diarrhea in the first place. To help with this, you might want to start a journal to track foods, the amount and time that you are feeding, and makes notes as to how he is doing day to day with different foods. What's seems to be working, and what foods he is having problems with. Noting changes and patterns in his intake, may lead you to some answers.

Yes, my cat definitely has IBD.

I guess i was looking at the wrong spot, but this is perfect for our problem.  thank you so much for all these ideas.  our little bambolina is about 14 oz, 410 grams, and is about four weeks old.  She is our rescue kitten and it has been an up and down ride these past three weeks.  She has been undernourished, underweight, dehydrated, constipated and has had the runs.  She's been on antibiotics as well.  Right now she has diarrhea and i  am looking at natural remedies.  we are trying pumpkin, and wheat germ and thought i'd buy Gerber's baby rice cereal but i'm going to try the RICE WATER right now.  All these suggestions are amazing and I will be going through each one in an effort to cure our little one.   Thank you much.!!!!

The rice water didn't help.  The diarrhea is very bad.  I am getting so discouraged.  I'm still using pumpkin and wheat bran mixed in critical care kitten food and giving her 3 cc's of water every few hours.  I'll go out and buy some slippery elm bark tomorrow and the baby rice cereal.  

Bambolinas mum said:

The rice water didn't help.  The diarrhea is very bad.  I am getting so discouraged.  I'm still using pumpkin and wheat bran mixed in critical care kitten food and giving her 3 cc's of water every few hours.  I'll go out and buy some slippery elm bark tomorrow and the baby rice cereal.  

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I am going to be very blunt with you. As has been stated in your thread asking about this, parasites are the MOST common cause of diarrhea in kittens. No natural remedy is going to solve this if parasites are the cause. She must be treated by a vet. A kitten cannot wait for you to try various fruitless things as she does not have the reserves to suffer from diarrhea for long. Diarrhea means she is becoming dehydrated and not absorbing all the nutrients she needs. Please get her evaluated by a vet.

Bambolinas mum,

vball91 is correct. Although diarrhea does not seem life-threatening, for kittens it is. This is because their tiny bodies dehydrate very quickly--what seems like a little water to us amounts to a lot for a kitten, they are so much smaller. We had kittens with diarrhea once and the vet considered it an emergency and wanted us to leave them at the pet hospital overnight. Please get your kitty to the vet. I would call them ahead of time and ask for a dosage of unflavored Pedialyte to administer until the appointment time.

@Bambolinas mum: Your kitty's diarrhea should have shown some improvement by now if it was something that could cured with the holistic remedies that you have tried. The fact that the diarrhea isn't responding means that your kitty is likely dealing with parasites or serious bacterial infection. Dehydration in young cats, well any cat for that matter, is very serious, but its even more dire in young kittens as both vball91 and Raintyger have pointed out.

You need to get a stool sample and take your kitty into the vet to be examined. This could likely be Guardia which is a more common parasite in young cats under the age of 1 year and if the case, she will need specialized medication, but it is important to know for sure what you are dealing with so the right treatment can be administered.  Please follow up with your vet and get her in as soon as possible. 

Thank you for all your responses.  We are really not in a position to spend hundreds of dollars for these tests and i am assuming this would be the cost involved.  The vet was not really very encouraging in doing this; however, I will phone them and inquire further.  She is very lively and eating well, gaining a bit, but still the diarrhea is persisting.  Also, the vet didn't suggest giving her the worm meds:  I'll ask about that as well.  I did pick up some slippery elm bark and will be giving her a couple of drops a few times a day.  Again, I do appreciate all your answers.