Tiberius is sick :(

zed xyzed

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 10, 2015
Messages
3,786
Purraise
3,740
Location
Toronto Canada
what a beautiful little face, I am so happy your vet checked him over and thinks that it is nothing serious 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #23

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
Thank you! He's such a handsome lad
:)

Well its looking like either IBD or cancer, so both are still serious unfortunately. IBD we could likely deal with though.

@Donutte we're not really sure. She suggested it could be fat because he's being eating a lot and apparently that kind of steroids can cause muscle wasting? So maybe he just gained belly fat? But it seems like a lot it fat to gain quickly so I'm leery.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #24

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
I've been wondering if maybe it could be Cushing Syndrome? Would his blood tests and urinalysis rule this out?

Has anyone seen anything like this before?
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
I've been wondering if maybe it could be Cushing Syndrome? Would his blood tests and urinalysis rule this out?

Has anyone seen anything like this before?
You've been digging around google too much! 


It can make you crazy over all the things found there............

Cushings would clearly show in bloodwork, so if vet said things look pretty normal, then it is not that, Cushings changes the blood, many things are out of whack and would def. show high blood sugar, enough to be a red flag to the vet.

Now that fip is unlikely (thank your lucky stars for that!) I have re-read all here, and I say IBD is next possibility. 

I have one with IBD, it's confusing and complicated seeming at first, but in time and with us here who have or are dealing with it, it's rather basic to understand.

An ultrasound is the best way to diagnose it, I know, not sure about where you live, but for me, it cost me $450.00!! Once I had it done I was SO glad I did though, money well spent.

Just know, the ultrasound is only as good as the person performing it/reading the results.

So you really need to be sure that whoever did it, does these regularly, like all the time, where-as many vets of course can do it, but what a difference when that's all they do.

Mine was done by a former vet who travels all over to do them, that's all she does, and brings her own machine.

Can you tell me what all food he eats daily, include treats?

Also, what lesions do you mean??

While re-reading your first post it said he is skinny with muscle loss. If he is skinny and now eating alot he will have a big tummy, over time it will distribute better and his tum will get harder too, so if he is chowing down now where before he was limited, this would help explain.

It's like when I get underfed/undernourished kittens, they look boney and poor, but have a big pot belly like in Ethiopia how the kids appear.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #26

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
Hehe yes I have been. Okay that's good to know, I was getting worried about that too. The Internet is a blessing and a curse.

I'm elated it's likely not FIP that really is the worst thing I could imagine. I'm really hoping it's IBD, which is still overwhelming to think about but after reading everyone's posts on here it seems manangible.

They mentioned an ultrasound but I really can't afford it, especially because it won't help anything other than my peace of mind. It's about the same price here and I've already spent around $500 on care and I'll continue spending but I can only rationalize it if it will directly help him. I really wish I could though, I'd feel soooo much better knowing.

He refuses to eat any treats so right now he's eating Hill wd dry, I know the wet is better but at this point again I need to save where I can. Before this she told me to try him on Science Diet sensitive stomach but that didn't help. Prior to all this I was feeding him 50/50 Friskies pate and Purina One dry. If he doesn't improve on this I was thinking of maybe trying a novel protein?

He has these weird little wounds almost. And like scabs? He cultured negative for ringworm and she looked at them under a microscope and said they weren't bacterial. He had a bunch when I first got him and I was told it was ringworm so I treated them and they went away. I stopped and now they're back, but there's fewer.

That's an excellent point! He looks just like one of those starving children!

I just wanted to thank you for your thoughtful post, I really appreciate your expertise. It's really comforting.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #27

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
He's doing so much better today! He ran away from the vacuum today and jumped onto the window ledge and even played a little bit! Yay! I'm so happy that he seems to be feeling better today. This is huge, he was so lethargic I thought he was dying.

Physically he doesn't look any better, he still looks like a goat. I saw a clump of fur on the couch that was clearly pulled/fell out. So I think his skin is definitely bothering him or something, I never see him groom excessively though and when I'm home he's in sight almost the entire time.

He's hiding from the vacuum here
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Okay so let's assume we are dealing with IBD.

The first thing you want to do is stop all food completely.

Then for 3 days straight you will ONLY feed him TURKEY baby food and water of course.

This will get his system in check, settled down, and off of whatever it is he is reacting to.

On the 3rd day, you will start to slowly bring in turkey canned food. I use fancy feast classic in the olive green colored can.

It's grain free and he will like it much better then some of the "better" quality and much pricier foods.

No dry at all at first unless if he is a dry food addict then buy some Blue Buffalo Basics, limited ingredient turkey and potato dry food.

Use turkey as his novel protein, it's not the same as chicken.

Nothing but that particular dry food and canned fancy feast classic turkey or there is also a green can that is turkey chunky, this is just as good as the olive can but somehow different, it helps to rotate between the 2. I can't say why since I haven't nor will I ever taste it...........:)

No slipping anything else, let's see how he does on this.

Are you able to do this?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #29

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
Do you think that the food the vet prescribed won't work? I don't know if I feel like I can disregard her suggestions yet, I would feel bad. But if he doesn't improve then I will feel justified. How long does it normally take for cats to improve with IBD?

I actually have canned turkey baby food in the fridge that I got for him, he won't touch it. So we'll likely have to skip the baby food step, he's quite particular. He's had the turkey fancy feast (and Friskies) before, so is it no longer novel? Or would it still be novel because he likely hasn't had it most of his life?
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Do you think that the food the vet prescribed won't work? I don't know if I feel like I can disregard her suggestions yet, I would feel bad. But if he doesn't improve then I will feel justified. How long does it normally take for cats to improve with IBD?

I actually have canned turkey baby food in the fridge that I got for him, he won't touch it. So we'll likely have to skip the baby food step, he's quite particular. He's had the turkey fancy feast (and Friskies) before, so is it no longer novel? Or would it still be novel because he likely hasn't had it most of his life?
I want you to take a look at the ingredients of Hills W/D dry cat food.

Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Meal, Wheat Gluten, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken, Whole Grain Corn, Whole Grain Wheat, Pork Flavor, Pork Fat, Lactic Acid, Chicken Liver Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Soybean Oil, L-Lysine, Iodized Salt, Calcium Sulfate, DL-Methionine, L-Threonine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene

Now look at the ingredients in Purina One

Salmon, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Dried Yeast, Animal Liver Flavor, Tuna Meal, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Caramel Color, Choline Chloride, Mono and Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite. R-4168

Corn is the number one cause of allergies in cats. Corn gluten meal is purely crap, what it really is, corn cobs, all corn removed for canned corn, etc then the bare cobs are sent to brewing companies, once stripped of any contents and dehydrated, it is sold to pet food companies, it has absolutely no nutritional value left what-so-ever, cardboard would be better to feed as at least it doesn't trigger allergies!

The skin issue as well as possible IBD sounds to me like corn is the possible culprit. 

Vets carry Science Diet/Hills formulas for......well I hate to say it but it's a money maker, the company dramatically reduces their cost, for instance charge them $10.00 for a bag that sells for $40.00, if they agree to promote their foods, in hopes of acquiring another customer for life.

This means for each bag sold, the vet profits $30.00, so it's in their best interest.

Hills/Science Diet are notorious for this.

In fact, I have recently been working on making a decision on what food to feed our shelter cats and dogs, and Hills made me the same offer, in exchange for providing them with all adopters emails and sending them off with a sample bag of food, in hopes of acquiring new customers.

I won't do it to save money, it's about the animals and do not like their food ingredients.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #31

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
Ugh! I think he has ringworm. I talked to the vet again today and she told me that when they cultured him previously, they only took samples from his ears. His sores went away with the miconazole and lyme sulfur, and I stopped using it when they told me he cultured negative and what do you know here we are 3 weeks later and he has more sores. He isn't excessively grooming or itching either and he's almost always in sight when I'm home so I'm not feeling positive. They're really scabby too. So unless they start to go away over the weekend I'm going to take him to get his whole body cultured on Monday.

He had solid stools today! I've never been so happy to see cat poop before, but I think that's a good sign.

Darn, catwoman707 that is so upsetting. The food is so expensive I feel like it should be filet mignon for cats! You're doing them a favor then, because most people will think it's good food. I was convinced. Well in that case, I definitely want to get my money's worth and that doesn't seem to be it. The vet said she thinks he needs a high fiber diet so I want to keep that in mind. The Hill's wd is 10% fiber. I was looking online and the closest I could find was Holistic Select Grain Free Indoor Health and it looks better I think, but it only has 7.5% fiber. Do you think a fiber supplement would work? Here's the ingredients:

Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Chicken Meal, Dried Ground Potatoes, Turkey, Herring Meal, Pea Fiber, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potato Protein, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed, Pumpkin, Menhaden Fish Oil, Cranberries, Apples, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Minerals [Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodide], Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid], Papaya, Blueberries, DL-Methionine, Pomegranate, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Salt, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, L-Carnitine, Potassium Chloride, Inulin, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Fennel, Ground Peppermint, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract.
 
Last edited:

zed xyzed

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 10, 2015
Messages
3,786
Purraise
3,740
Location
Toronto Canada
I think a high-quality food would be key, you can alway add fibre to the food via supplementation if need be 
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Ugh! I think he has ringworm. I talked to the vet again today and she told me that when they cultured him previously, they only took samples from his ears. His sores went away with the miconazole and lyme sulfur, and I stopped using it when they told me he cultured negative and what do you know here we are 3 weeks later and he has more sores. He isn't excessively grooming or itching either and he's almost always in sight when I'm home so I'm not feeling positive. They're really scabby too. So unless they start to go away over the weekend I'm going to take him to get his whole body cultured on Monday.

He had solid stools today! I've never been so happy to see cat poop before, but I think that's a good sign.

Darn, catwoman707 that is so upsetting. The food is so expensive I feel like it should be filet mignon for cats! You're doing them a favor then, because most people will think it's good food. I was convinced. Well in that case, I definitely want to get my money's worth and that doesn't seem to be it. The vet said she thinks he needs a high fiber diet so I want to keep that in mind. The Hill's wd is 10% fiber. I was looking online and the closest I could find was Holistic Select Grain Free Indoor Health and it looks better I think, but it only has 7.5% fiber. Do you think a fiber supplement would work? Here's the ingredients:

Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Chicken Meal, Dried Ground Potatoes, Turkey, Herring Meal, Pea Fiber, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potato Protein, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed, Pumpkin, Menhaden Fish Oil, Cranberries, Apples, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Minerals [Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodide], Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid], Papaya, Blueberries, DL-Methionine, Pomegranate, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Salt, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, L-Carnitine, Potassium Chloride, Inulin, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Fennel, Ground Peppermint, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract.
My opinion? Way too many ingredients here. 

MANY things he doesn't need in his diet, and the mix of proteins is a possible problem since we're assuming he had some IBD going on or starting.

As @Zed Xyzed  mentions, adding fiber to any diet is fine. Pure pumpkin is a good source, just add a spoon to his food daily.

This shouldn't be needed though once his system settles down and stops getting the problem ingredient that's irritating him.
 

lisahe

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
6,174
Purraise
5,012
Location
Maine
 
Okay so let's assume we are dealing with IBD.

The first thing you want to do is stop all food completely.

Then for 3 days straight you will ONLY feed him TURKEY baby food and water of course.

This will get his system in check, settled down, and off of whatever it is he is reacting to.

On the 3rd day, you will start to slowly bring in turkey canned food. I use fancy feast classic in the olive green colored can.

It's grain free and he will like it much better then some of the "better" quality and much pricier foods.

No dry at all at first unless if he is a dry food addict then buy some Blue Buffalo Basics, limited ingredient turkey and potato dry food.

Use turkey as his novel protein, it's not the same as chicken.

Nothing but that particular dry food and canned fancy feast classic turkey or there is also a green can that is turkey chunky, this is just as good as the olive can but somehow different, it helps to rotate between the 2. I can't say why since I haven't nor will I ever taste it...........:)

No slipping anything else, let's see how he does on this.

Are you able to do this?
 

lavishsqualor

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 27, 2015
Messages
1,954
Purraise
3,150
Yay Tiberius, namesake of the greatest general of the Roman Empire , , , AND Captain James "T" Kirk!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #36

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
@catwoman707  you're right it does seem like a lot of ingredients. I have tried adding pumpkin to his food, I did it for about a week to no avail. I suppose I could have better luck now with a better food? I still have a can of it frozen into an ice cube tray. What about like a power fiber supplement? I didn't see any online for cats, but could a human one work? I tried looking up limited ingredient foods with high fiber and I found BLUE Basics[emoji]174[/emoji] Limited Ingredient Grain Free Turkey & Potato Indoor Senior Cat Food, this one is 7% fiber. Although I'm not sure how I feel about potato's and pea's now. Here's its ingredients:

Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Tapioca Starch, Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Fiber, Potatoes, Canola Oil (Source of Omega-6 Fatty Acids), Natural Flavor, Fish Oil (Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Pumpkin, Dried Chicory Root, Flaxseed (Source of Omega-3 And -6 Fatty Acids), Potato Starch, Calcium Carbonate, Caramel, Alfalfa Meal, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Lysine, Mixed Tocopherols (Natural Preservative), L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Sulfate, Parsley, Kelp, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Turmeric, Ferrous Sulfate, Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Oil of Rosemary, L-Carnitine, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Copper Sulfate, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Calcium Iodate, Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract and Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract
 

Or any other suggestions? I would like to add some wet food back into his diet, but it will probably have to wait until my budget recovers a bit and I can figure out what exactly he can eat. He did really like FF Classics Turkey and Giblets but I'm admittedly afraid to put him back on it, considering he was having diarrhea on it. He's had somewhat of a pot belly the entire time I've had him, he didn't blow up like that until the Science Diet. Jeez that big belly is terrifying. 

I'll look into the PureBites treats, but so far he's rejected: Greenies, Temptations (multiple flavors), and some squishy chicken ones. I even offered him plain cooked chicken before and he refused to eat it. He's kind of a weirdo. Thank you LisaHE, he is a great guy!

@LavishSqualor  Yay! Haha, yes the Roman general was my inspiration, but Captain Tiberius is a funny namesake too. 
 
Last edited:

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
 
@catwoman707  you're right it does seem like a lot of ingredients. I have tried adding pumpkin to his food, I did it for about a week to no avail. I suppose I could have better luck now with a better food? I still have a can of it frozen into an ice cube tray. What about like a power fiber supplement? I didn't see any online for cats, but could a human one work? I tried looking up limited ingredient foods with high fiber and I found BLUE Basics[emoji]174[/emoji] Limited Ingredient Grain Free Turkey & Potato Indoor Senior Cat Food, this one is 7% fiber. Although I'm not sure how I feel about potato's and pea's now. Here's its ingredients:

Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Tapioca Starch, Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Fiber, Potatoes, Canola Oil (Source of Omega-6 Fatty Acids), Natural Flavor, Fish Oil (Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Pumpkin, Dried Chicory Root, Flaxseed (Source of Omega-3 And -6 Fatty Acids), Potato Starch, Calcium Carbonate, Caramel, Alfalfa Meal, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Lysine, Mixed Tocopherols (Natural Preservative), L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Sulfate, Parsley, Kelp, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Turmeric, Ferrous Sulfate, Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Oil of Rosemary, L-Carnitine, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Copper Sulfate, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Calcium Iodate, Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract and Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract
 

Or any other suggestions? I would like to add some wet food back into his diet, but it will probably have to wait until my budget recovers a bit and I can figure out what exactly he can eat. He did really like FF Classics Turkey and Giblets but I'm admittedly afraid to put him back on it, considering he was having diarrhea on it. He's had somewhat of a pot belly the entire time I've had him, he didn't blow up like that until the Science Diet. Jeez that big belly is terrifying. 

I'll look into the PureBites treats, but so far he's rejected: Greenies, Temptations (multiple flavors), and some squishy chicken ones. I even offered him plain cooked chicken before and he refused to eat it. He's kind of a weirdo. Thank you LisaHE, he is a great guy!

@LavishSqualor  Yay! Haha, yes the Roman general was my inspiration, but Captain Tiberius is a funny namesake too. 
This is the dry food I have been mentioning if you need to feed him dry, this is what my Krissy eats, 1/4 cup per day during the day, then canned ff turkey in the am and pm for dinner.

Then expensive darn treats at night, lucky you for not having to support that habit!

I haven't had any problem with the potato ingredient in it, and if I did, it would sure be easy to figure out it's that and not 1 thing in 80 other ingredients :))

They do need some sort of starch, it's carbohydrates. MUCH better then any grain around for sure!
 

molly92

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
1,689
Purraise
1,565
Location
Michigan
You want to be careful about adding fiber supplements because some have more insoluble fiber than others, and insoluble fiber will bulk up the stool a lot more, whereas soluble fiber will make the stool more cohesive and feed the good gut bacteria. Canned pumpkin is mostly soluble. A fiber supplement my vet (who's more knowledgeable about nutrition than most vets) recommended for my cat's constipation issues was acacia fiber powder because it's soluble and tasteless. I think guar gum is also an option. Psyllium (like Metamucil) has more insoluble fiber and might not be as good. You should consult with your own vet to make sure whatever you use is okay for Tiberius. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #39

kristenann

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
264
Purraise
469
@catwoman707 okay perfect! I thought it might have been the same food but I wanted to make sure. Once he normalizes I may try the FF again, I like the price and he likes the taste!

What type of treats does your Krissy like? I wished he liked something, it would be easier to train him if he did. But I suppose it's better he doesn't.

Yeah he definitely does seem to need some fiber, he's having solid poops! But I agree it should be a healthier source.

@Molly92 Yes I will definitely consult my vet before adding a supplement! I would be afraid I would pick the wrong one. Thank you for explaining the physiologic differences of soluble and insoluble I was a bit confused.

Those are really good suggestions I'll ask about them.
 

zellie1021

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
57
Purraise
17
Sorry to just jump in, but when you say turkey baby food, do you mean human baby food? Lol just wondering because my Ellie Mae has very funny stooles yesterday and the day before. She has never ever done this before so idk what could have happened! She is long hair so she had mess all over her tail, and backside not was horrible I had to give her a bath twice and she hates that. lol it was also very smelly. She is an indoor only cat, and has been checked at the vet for worms and everything. She will be one year old in April! I usually. Feed the good natured chicken pate. It seems to have decent ingredients, and it has pumpkin purée and broth so I was hoping the pumpkin would settle her tummy. I have never heard of the baby food suggestion so I became curious. Lol
 
Top