George's Poop Predicament

Hi! I'm new here! I've been reading a lot of different threads, but I hoped I could ask some questions in regards to my specific situation to rack your brains for a bit. (:


I have a Persian kitten named George (he's a cutie, huh?):
 He has not been to the vet yet [so he is intact and has not received any vaccines], but  he has an appointment next week.

- 4.5 months old [born August 27th, 2015]

- Very fluffy little kitten!

- Eats Wellness Kitten: Grain Free mixed with water (because of his extreme face, he has issues eating dry kibble so wetting it helps him eat)

So, I have a little problem with his poop. He has loose stools, but not diarrhea. Unfortunately, this means his poop gets stuck on his little booty sometimes, which he now associates with the litter box. This unfortunate association means he now prefers to not  use the litter box (ugh). He used to use the litter box fine until his first poop-sticking incident. Now he only reliably uses the box for urination, and very rarely uses the box for defecation. I have trimmed the hair around the problem area, but because the stools are loose, it doesn't totally fix the issue.

He only eats the Wellness Kitten food with the water mixed in. When the food is dry, he has troubles keeping the food in his mouth while he tries to chew (poor Persians!), which is why the water came into play. I'm not sure if adding the water to the food could be causing an issue. I have not tried giving him a canned food diet yet, though. Because he hasn't been to the vet, I can't rule out parasites or worms. And again, his stools have never been the consistency of diarrhea - just stinky, soft poop.

So not only do I need help getting his stool firm, but I will likely also need pointers in re-training him to use the litter box consistently (although that will come secondarily since the poop is what's causing the unpleasant association). Do any of you have any recommendations or thoughts as to what I can do before he gets to the vet? It's very tiresome, as I'm sure you can imagine, having to clean stinky mush out of the carpets (and off his little booty). I will be asking about this at his vet appointment, but I'd still like to hear your thoughts as well. Any insight is deeply appreciated!

I'm not sure if this is common in pure-bred cats, but I know with most other cats it's quite common to have parasites. Was he at the vet before you got him? I'm assuming they would have found any then if so.

Do you know what he was being fed before you got him?

And yes, he's an absolute doll :heart2:

The previous owner hadn't taken him to the vet. I've had George since late October, so he was approximately 2 months when I got him. I know it's dumb, but I just graduated from college in December so I had been waiting to take him to the vet until I went back home after my last semester. And unfortunately, I don't know what food he was on previously. I've been feeding him Wellness: Grain Free since I've gotten him - I also cannot remember for certain whether he had runny poops when I got him or not, but since his hair was shorter as a kitten and his poop didn't get in his fur, it wasn't an issue at the time.

[A little background: he is a friend of a friend. My friend knew he could not keep George, so she put me in contact with him. He had George because he had two Persians, both intact, who he didn't realize had mated. George was the only one in his litter. I did not have much contact before or after getting George.]

I'm thinking a change of food may be in order. Maybe Wellness is too rich for him - but I suppose I can wait until his vet exam to make any changes. Waiting, and cleaning poop, just sucks.

Hello! I'm also new to the site, wanted to share some things I've tried with my cat who has had the same issues. I know what you mean when you say it's not diarrhea but it sticks to their bottoms and is very messy.

When I took him to the vet he was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. I can't remember the name of the medication but I believe it was a corticosteroid.

That initial dosage really helped him, but he hated it so I looked for other alternatives. I ended up adding a kitty probiotic to his food and switching to Wellness Core. Wellness is great food, but every cat is different so you could try different food but I think you're right in waiting until you take him to see the vet.

You could also try getting the fur by his behind trimmed so that when he does go it doesn't stick. I'm hoping that would make him feel cleaner and leave less of a mess for you.

Unfortunately it took a lot of trial and error with different foods to get my cat feeling better, but giving George some probiotics could make him feel better before he gets to the vet. You could also try some stress relieving techniques like Feliway or aromatherapy (Jackson Galaxy has a store that sells these.) I'm hoping for you that once he's feeling better he'll go right back to the litterbox. What's helped me in the past is adding more litter boxes in new locations.

He is so adorable, I love his markings!

When I got my kittens, they got Fancy Feast kitten food and Science Diet dry kitten food. They seem to have done well with that. They are still on the kibble for kitten, but have gone to adult canned a couple months back (they insisted on eating the adult food anyway).

Oh! Also wanted to add-

I would call the vet and see if they'd like a stool sample. My vet has asked for those in the past for testing and to see if there are any parasites in there. Wouldn't hurt to grab one and put it in several zip lock baggies to bring with you before the appointment.

burtney4617 said:

Oh! Also wanted to add-

I would call the vet and see if they'd like a stool sample. My vet has asked for those in the past for testing and to see if there are any parasites in there. Wouldn't hurt to grab one and put it in several zip lock baggies to bring with you before the appointment.

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Good call! I'll make sure to call and ask.

I have trimmed up his little behind, but I'm thinking I'll have to do a closer cut that extends further down his legs. He's not my first kitty (he has two "brothers"), but he's my first longhair so it's definitely brought some new challenges (and grooming techniques)!

Since we did move not too long ago, it may also be stress-related, which I didn't think about. I have a calming spray that's worked on his brothers so I'll see if that helps him out at all, too. I'll make sure to bring this all to the attention of the vet as well.

I refer to mine as brothers too even though they're not related lol (and I might refer to myself as their mommy). Looks like George has extra long hair too, hope the trimming further down his leg helps.

Let us know how George is doing . I'm curious to see what the vet says as well.

He almost definitely needs to be dewormed. Also, please be sure to get him fixed ASAP. It's best to do before they start exhibiting mature sexual behaviors, like spraying.

He could also have an allergy to the protein you're feeding him. Chicken allergies are common.

He's adorable!