Feeding a 16 week old kitten with GI issues..

I just posted in the health section for ideas as to what to do next.  He's been dewormed, treated for coccidia, and his last two fecals(in-house) are currently free of parasites.  He defecates about twice a day(always smelly, sometimes loose & "cow patty-like"), eats a great deal(estimated 12 ounces of canned food), experiences bloating/sometimes smelly gas after meals, and appears to be healthy otherwise at a little over 4lbs.

I started with feeding him various canned foods but he's been on strictly NB venison/green pea canned for about a week now, without any improvement really.  I'm wanting to feed him a variety of foods, including some dry food possibly(to put in treat dispensing toys & assist in providing the large amount of calories he'll be consuming as he grows.  I'm on-the-fence about feeding any dry but am considering getting a bag of duck/turkey Wellness Core or Orijen).  I've been holding off on starting him on the commercial raw my adult cats eat, due to everything he has had going on & the cost(I feed Rad Cat, primarily with my oldest cat in mind.  I would like to switch my younger guys to something more affordable).  I do have some frozen Primal as well and have considered feeding this to him but I'm not sure if I should throw raw into the mix right now, as I said...

I'm open to any suggestions.  The vet prescribed Hill's PV to see if he has food allergies but, I'm just not feeling that that's likely and I'm worried that he will develop food allergies if I don't feed him a variety of protein sources right now.  I'm also concerned that I'm setting him up for life-long GI issues(he's on Clavamox right now & has been treated with Albon as well) so I'm eager to find something that works for him. 

Here are some of the brands I currently have(my cats do get some canned but mostly Rad Cat):

Holistic Select

Natural Balance(just venison)

Wellness

Weruva

Hounds & Gato

Redbarn

I and Love and You

Tiki Cat(just chicken)

Fancy Feast classics(poultry flavors)

And that's all I can think of at the moment.  Most of those foods are still packed from a move. 

Here's what I'm considering buying today:

Wellness Core Duck & Turkey dry food, and maybe a few of the cans.

My suggestion is to stick to one food brand/flavor until your little one's GI system is regulated. Then you can start introducing new proteins, one at a time.

The first thing I recommend is sending out a GI PCR panel to make sure there are no lingering parasites. This specific panel tests for things that can easily be overlooked in an in-house test. If this comes back negative, I would then absolutely suspect a dietary issue.

Natural Balance is very high in carbs and also contains carrageenan, which can cause GI issues in cats that already have a sensitive system.

I would recommend picking one of Nature's Variety's limited ingredient canned diet. This contain no gums or thickeners. They are also high protein and low carb. (They make a LID turkey, duck, rabbit and lamb formula in the can.)

I also recommend putting him on a good probiotic. I have used (regular) Culturelle and recently had a vet recommend Gerber Colic drops, which are simply a liquid probiotic. Several members here use this:

I was about to type in a response but then CatPack beat me to it! I don't know much about parasite panels but I'd suggest nearly the exact same things in terms of food, beginning with ditching the Natural Balance. (I'd probably suggest Rad Cat first because I think it's great food with simple recipes but I definitely understand your concerns there.)

It's the combination of high-protein, low-carb, and no thickeners that you're looking for, and the great thing about NVI, which seems to work very well for lots of cats with digestive issues, is that you can pick out the peas. Our cats like Tiki much better than NVI so they'd probably recommend that--Tiki is excellent canned food with very simple recipes. No matter what you choose, I'd suggest trying to avoid (or pick out in the case of NVI) any potato, peas, or similar starchy ingredients, as well as (at the very least for thickener ingredients) carrageenan.

I'd also recommend not trying dry food at all since any of it would have carby filler ingredients that cats have trouble digesting.

Good luck!

awww...the poor sweet little guy!

have you considered a probiotic? i'd definitely discuss with your vet before starting with a probiotic, just to be cautious. i have all 3 of my cats (one adult, and two 11 month old kittens) on a good probiotic.

our little punky (currently just over 11 months old) has had a history of gastro upsets in the 7 1/2 months since we adopted her. the most recent 'flare up' was just this past week, and the vet and i are agreeing that having an ultrasound done is a good idea now. ultrasounds can show so much, tell the vet so very much, that exams and blood work and xrays just aren't able to. i'm not sure you'll be at the point yet where you and your vet will be considering an ultrasound, but it's something you might keep in mind for the future -- should it be needed/helpful.

you might give the NB venison/green pea more time. years ago, with my mickey  and snick and their newly diagnosed IBD, it took one full month on just Natural Balance canned and dry before their explosive diarrhea subsided. something you might discuss with your vet too, is possibly adding some plain unflavored metamucil to the canned food for your little boy. my vet recommended that for my two IBD cats, for the fiber. metamucil can actually firm things up, as well as soften things. definitely discuss with your vet before trying, and make sure to get an appropriate dosage for your boy from the vet.

We have been using PONAZURIL, made from a horse medication called Marquis Paste.  It works wonders on kitten diarrhea.  Some small animal vets are still  using the older medications but those only hold coccidia in check, they do not kill it, so it comes back when you go off the medications.  Check out this article and pass it on to your vet.  Try it. 

http://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/diluting-marquis-paste

I had read about the Ponazuril but, at the time, I felt his infection wasn't severe & the vet went with Albon. I brought the little guy back in along with print-outs(thank you!) on Ponazuril. The vet we saw(different vet, much older) had not heard of it but he called a younger vet in and they said they could do it. I opted for a PCR diarrhea panel. If he tests positive at any point for coccidia, I'll be getting the treatment via Road Runner pharmacy. I was happy to see that was an option as the clinic didn't have any on hand.

mickNsnicks2mom said:

awww...the poor sweet little guy!

have you considered a probiotic? i'd definitely discuss with your vet before starting with a probiotic, just to be cautious. i have all 3 of my cats (one adult, and two 11 month old kittens) on a good probiotic.

our little punky (currently just over 11 months old) has had a history of gastro upsets in the 7 1/2 months since we adopted her. the most recent 'flare up' was just this past week, and the vet and i are agreeing that having an ultrasound done is a good idea now. ultrasounds can show so much, tell the vet so very much, that exams and blood work and xrays just aren't able to. i'm not sure you'll be at the point yet where you and your vet will be considering an ultrasound, but it's something you might keep in mind for the future -- should it be needed/helpful.

you might give the NB venison/green pea more time. years ago, with my mickey  and snick and their newly diagnosed IBD, it took one full month on just Natural Balance canned and dry before their explosive diarrhea subsided. something you might discuss with your vet too, is possibly adding some plain unflavored metamucil to the canned food for your little boy. my vet recommended that for my two IBD cats, for the fiber. metamucil can actually firm things up, as well as soften things. definitely discuss with your vet before trying, and make sure to get an appropriate dosage for your boy from the vet.

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I have also had good results feeding the NB LID to two former cats(one with IBD, the other with IBS/poultry allergy). I know it's not ideal but I've kept it on hand; it was my oldest cats favorite food until he tasted the Rad Cat venison flavor(he likes the turkey & lamb as well but not nearly as much; he is obsessed with the venison & weighs the most he's weighed in several years, which is wonderful!)

The little guy has been on probiotics but they haven't really had an opportunity to work their magic as he's been on the antibiotics. He's off of them now and I'm hoping he responds.

Best of luck with your Punky's ultrasound. I also had a Punky(male) who had IBD; I hope that's not the case for your girl.

LisaHE said:

I was about to type in a response but then CatPack beat me to it! I don't know much about parasite panels but I'd suggest nearly the exact same things in terms of food, beginning with ditching the Natural Balance. (I'd probably suggest Rad Cat first because I think it's great food with simple recipes but I definitely understand your concerns there.)

It's the combination of high-protein, low-carb, and no thickeners that you're looking for, and the great thing about NVI, which seems to work very well for lots of cats with digestive issues, is that you can pick out the peas. Our cats like Tiki much better than NVI so they'd probably recommend that--Tiki is excellent canned food with very simple recipes. No matter what you choose, I'd suggest trying to avoid (or pick out in the case of NVI) any potato, peas, or similar starchy ingredients, as well as (at the very least for thickener ingredients) carrageenan.

I'd also recommend not trying dry food at all since any of it would have carby filler ingredients that cats have trouble digesting.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

I shied away from NVI as my cats have just not liked it/not done well on it(including a cat with IBD) but I do realize that doesn't mean he won't respond well to it. I'm currently slowly adding new foods(none of which contain carrageenan).

I would never feed my adult cats dry food but felt it might be okay for the kitten to supplement his diet. I bought a bag of Orijen(despite some fish ingredients) and he doesn't recognize it as food lol. I find this hilarious as my cats would be thrilled to be served dry food, especially my former kibble addict(he was fed only Meow Mix before I adopted him). So I'm ditching the idea.

Rad Cat, however, he absolutely recognizes as real food. I'm really hoping I'll get around to making my own raw as it's incredibly expensive with three cats & a kitten(bottomless pit)..

CatPack said:

My suggestion is to stick to one food brand/flavor until your little one's GI system is regulated. Then you can start introducing new proteins, one at a time.

The first thing I recommend is sending out a GI PCR panel to make sure there are no lingering parasites. This specific panel tests for things that can easily be overlooked in an in-house test. If this comes back negative, I would then absolutely suspect a dietary issue.

Natural Balance is very high in carbs and also contains carrageenan, which can cause GI issues in cats that already have a sensitive system.

I would recommend picking one of Nature's Variety's limited ingredient canned diet. This contain no gums or thickeners. They are also high protein and low carb. (They make a LID turkey, duck, rabbit and lamb formula in the can.)

Click to expand...

We will have his PCR diarrhea panel results on Monday.

I really hope he doesn't have long term GI issues

Thank you for your suggestions. He's been on probiotics since I adopted him but is just now getting off of the antibiotics so we'll see. I have used the Amazon one in the past. I've also used Culturelle & Jarrowdophilus but I'm not sure how helpful they were(they certainly help me, the latter). I'll look into the Gerber drops for him; thank you!

OceanBreathes said:

I have also had good results feeding the NB LID to two former cats(one with IBD, the other with IBS/poultry allergy). I know it's not ideal but I've kept it on hand; it was my oldest cats favorite food until he tasted the Rad Cat venison flavor(he likes the turkey & lamb as well but not nearly as much; he is obsessed with the venison & weighs the most he's weighed in several years, which is wonderful!)

The little guy has been on probiotics but they haven't really had an opportunity to work their magic as he's been on the antibiotics. He's off of them now and I'm hoping he responds.

Best of luck with your Punky's ultrasound. I also had a Punky(male) who had IBD; I hope that's not the case for your girl.

Click to expand...

thank you! our punky's ultrasound is scheduled for august 19th.

hoping your little boy feels better soon...

OceanBreathes said:

I shied away from NVI as my cats have just not liked it/not done well on it(including a cat with IBD) but I do realize that doesn't mean he won't respond well to it. I'm currently slowly adding new foods(none of which contain carrageenan).

I would never feed my adult cats dry food but felt it might be okay for the kitten to supplement his diet. I bought a bag of Orijen(despite some fish ingredients) and he doesn't recognize it as food lol. I find this hilarious as my cats would be thrilled to be served dry food, especially my former kibble addict(he was fed only Meow Mix before I adopted him). So I'm ditching the idea.

Rad Cat, however, he absolutely recognizes as real food. I'm really hoping I'll get around to making my own raw as it's incredibly expensive with three cats & a kitten(bottomless pit).

Click to expand...

It's good to hear you're slowly adding news foods without carrageenan. Has your kitten improved? (What is his name, by the way?)

And you're so right about most cats wanting dry food: our two were kibble addicts when we adopted them, too, and it did take some time to wean them off it. My primary reason for suggesting against dry food for your kitten was his stomach issues since most dry food has very long ingredient lists, often with multiple fillers that can cause digestive distress in cats, making it difficult to sort out what's causing the problem. It sounds like it's a moot point in your case anyway--cats do have a way of making their preferences known.

Rad Cat, alas, is not cheap. I've been glad to add homemade food (cooked, not raw) to our cats' diet: I use EZcomplete and it really is easy. Depending on what cuts of meat you buy, it can be either very expensive (think duck breast, which haven't tried on them!) or very reasonable (think boneless pork chops and chicken thighs, which they eat frequently!). The best thing is that the cats just love it.

Good luck!

The PCR panel was "negative for everything."  He's still having some soft, smelly stools, gas, and some bloating here and there.  Aside from that, he's doing well.  He's down here with my adult cats now and therefore.. eating their food as well.  I'm wondering if he simply eats too much.  I wish I could say how many ounces he consumes in a day but I just constantly put food down for my guys and it's difficult to keep track of it.  However, he seems to eat a massive amount, even for a kitten.  He will eat anywhere from 3- close to 5 ounces of canned food, then suck down whatever is left after my cats eat their raw(RadCat), for example.  I have to restrain him so I'm sure my adult cats(ages 6-17) get enough food. 

I have had a cat who had an eating disorder(along with IBS/food allergies), presumably due to been a scrawny, sickly, & starving stray kitten when I found her.  That wasn't the case for this little guy(I'm a horrible person as I haven't named him yet lol.  I can't decide!).  His mom(who looked well-fed) was pulled from a shelter about 3 days after she gave birth.  I believe there were 5 total kittens and they were raised in a foster's home until I adopted him at 11 weeks of age.  I'm not sure when he was separated from his mom, however, and realize 12+ weeks is ideal.  I think he was with her up until the day I adopted him.  As far as his overall mental health, he is one of the most well-adjusted, fearless, & independent kittens I've known(so much that I struggle with guilt over not having adopted a feral or disabled kitten, as I had planned). He was, however, isolated from my cats for longer than I would have liked and I wonder if that had an impact on him.  He received attention from myself and sometimes my roommate and a visitor but I do feel he spent too much time alone as I needed to be down here with my geriatric cat who is facing his own health concerns/we are very attached(to put it lightly).  I don't know that that could have lead to an eating disorder, though...

So at this point I'm just hoping his little body recovers from all of the meds he's been on, he's getting probiotics(I just ordered a tube of benebac to give in addition to the capsules I put on their food), and he's thoroughly enjoying having feline companions again.

LisaHE said:

Rad Cat, alas, is not cheap. I've been glad to add homemade food (cooked, not raw) to our cats' diet: I use EZcomplete and it really is easy. Depending on what cuts of meat you buy, it can be either very expensive (think duck breast, which haven't tried on them!) or very reasonable (think boneless pork chops and chicken thighs, which they eat frequently!). The best thing is that the cats just love it.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Yeah, it is not cheap.  I was paying much less before I moved and now that my oldest has had the venison flavor, it's all he wants to eat.  Given how well he's done eating it almost exclusively and how much he loves it(and how much I love him), I'm not going to stop giving it to him despite the cost.  He's gained weight and his coat is beautiful.    That being said, I do want to look into homemade for the younger guys.  I've been saying that for years but I feel it's time to try as this has been very expensive(the biggest part of my monthly expenses).  They stuck their noses up at the frozen Primal I got, but I'm going to keep trying it until I'm ready to prepare my own.  Your suggestion does sound easy; I've been so worried about messing it up, plus I don't eat meat myself so it's somewhat foreign territory for me.