Has my cat got IBS ?

Hello

I am having a bit of trouble with my kitten's smelly body-movements. Last week he was constipated/ had very hard stool and ended up wiping hjis bottom on the kitchen floor. There also seemed to be slightly less of it (2 instead of 3 sausages for me to clean), the last 2 days his stool was very soft, one of them was runny and had a bit of blood in it, right at the end. Today it was soft-ish, but getting back to normal, no more blood.

He was always fed a mixture of Whiskas Pouches, Iams or Store Brand Kitten Kibble and Whiskas Supermeat (all of them the kitten versions). I have given up on the pouches and he hasn't had one for the last 2 days. He ended up licking off all the gravy and never eating the meat. And I guess, because I am home, he gets more wet food and very little dry food now, especially as he still refuses to drink anything.

Could the change given him a bit of a tummy upset ? It wasn't really a massive change ? I am worried he may be suffering from IBS. Is the cat-version the same as the human version (I suffer from it, and it tends to be a cycle of constipation and diarrhoea) ? If he is suffering from that, I would like to switch to a raw diet, but I am worried about how to make it work, as I am normally at work all day (hence leaving some dry food out for him) and he still seems a bit young for 2 feeds only (he is 5 1/2 months).

Any suggestions ?

Cheers
Mad

Talk to the vet ... I would recommend some higher quality food ... I choose not to use grocery foods... Some vets use a high fiber diet while others recommend homeade or raw... talk to your vet... I would dicuss a possible ellimination diet

He could also have a parasite, can you get his stool checked? If he was scooting, his anal glands could be full. They can fill up if the stool isn't hard enough to express them naturally, and the liquid inside them can harden. Then, the stool is kinda blocked by the glands, and only soft stuff like you are seeing can come through. And then he gets constipated...

Talk to the vet

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Yeah, I will, I have an appointment in 2 weeks and have to bring a stool sample anyway, as he had that blood thing before and the Vet thinks he may still have worms.

I would recommend some higher quality food

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I would like to feed better food, but sadly there aren't any other wet kitten foods available in the UK, apart from Felix and Whiskas. And my cat really doesn't do dry (he refuses to drink water and gets the runs from milk). Once he is older, it will be easier, as we can get Science Diet, several differnt foods from Purina, some Italian all natural stuff (packaged in Thailand from free range chicken ) and basically a whole range of stuff. I do sometimes feed the italian food, as it has no grain fillers and the guy at the petshop said that the kitten version of the stuff is exactly the same as the adult version, just with smaller chunks of meat, so I just cut it up a bit.

Some vets use a high fiber diet

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Some doctors recommend that for human IBS as well. I will never ever try it again. It made it a whole lot worse and it took me months to clear it up again.

others recommend homeade or raw

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thats what I would like to try, if he is really suffering from IBS. I had brilliant results on Atkins with IBS. It more or less cleared completley and I can even eat grains and sugar again, as long as I don't overdo it. And it still returns if I am stressed or ill. Bit like cold sores... but it's manageable now.

He could also have a parasite, can you get his stool checked?

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Thats one thing I want to do. I can see no worms or anything like that at all, but maybe it's something else. I will bring a stool sample to the vets appointment. He was dewormed when I first got him, and the Vet said he shouldn't need it again for about 4 months.

If he was scooting, his anal glands could be full.

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But it doesn't happen all the time ? It varies all the time. He had the diarrhoea with the blood when we first got him, then it stopped for weeks, then he had the hard stool last week, then it was soft, today it was back to more or less normal. Thats why I was thinking IBS. But I don't know much about Cat IBS.

Some parasites, you can't see. Even though he was "dewormed" when you got him, all parasites have different life cycles, a general deworming will not clear up all of the different types, and one deworming will not guarantee a recurrance. Usually you have to give 2 dewormings in a cycle, set up by your vet, for the parasite seen. Also, cut out commercial cat treats, as they can cause colitus, or blood in the stool. If you want to give a treat, give a hairball line of food, like a piece or two as a treat. They're generally oilier and more "treat-like" than their normal food, and healthier than cat treats. Keep us posted!

thank you, I will let you know what the Vet says.
I hope it's not IBS, as I know from own experience how horrible it is.

Thanks for all your answers.

You are wise to have scheduled an appt for your little boy to see his Vet, as his Dr. is the only one who can actually diagnose and treat him appropriately. There is always the possiblility this could be IBS, but is likely something completely different, such as parasites, which, again, only your Vet will be able to confirm.

In the meantime, here is a great Feline IBD support group which I joined when Sierra's Dr. was discussing testing her for this. It is very informative, so you may be interested in joining to further educate yourself on this condition in cats.

hey thanks, thats just what I needed.

Hi

There is one other brand of food available in the UK that is better than grocery (although stocked by some supermarkets) - it is called HiLife, and they do do a kitten version, although you may have to order it through their online supplier. Their adult complete food has between 28 and 60% meat/fish, depending on which variety you use, they do complimentary food which is also 60% meat content, and their biscuits have a 26% meat content - it is all I will feed my cats on now. Their website is www.hilifepet.co.uk and I think the suppliers is www.smyleepets.co.uk (their website isn't up to date, but if you e-mail them with what you want, they will send you prices lists).

I definitely think IBS is not the most likely possibility at this point. He should be thoroughly evaluated for parasites and infection, and dewormed again regardless of findings.

Today i will be getting an anti-inflammatory. Agnes has already tried special dry food from the vets office, she has had 2 anti-biotics , and still poops as loose as a goose. The only time she makes a semi-solid bowel movement is when i give her just rice(this also is what i have to do for my IBS), but she doesn't eat very much of it and i am afraid of her losing valuable nutrients. She is fine acting in every way here at home. I suppose it could be an organ breakdown, but i don't have the funds to pay for blood tests that are inconclusive and more than a hundred dollars EACH. And if we found out it was organ failure, we would have to put her down.
Last year my young male cat had bloody diherrea, and Baytril and rice cleared his problem up in less than a week.Good Luck.