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- Aug 4, 2021
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Hi everyone.
Our cat, Puchi -- a tabby / Russian Blue mix, according to one vet -- came to live with us around four-and-a-half years ago. He belonged to a cousin's grandfather, and when he passed away, Puchi was rehomed several times in just a matter of weeks. We finally were able to adopt him (from his most-recent owner who, after two weeks, wanted to get rid of him because he wasn't getting along with the other cats or her kids) and brought him home in February 2017. Because of his many homes and how his original owner came about having him, we don't know how old he is but suspect somewhere between 10 and 12.
Puchi is one of the sweetest, most-gentle cats I've ever known (although I can see him not getting along well at first with other cats ... but he did fine with our other cat after a few weeks of integration). He also has chronic diarrhea.
I noticed this on his very first night with us. I chalked it up to nervousness and having been moved around so much in a short period of time. But the diarrhea never went away. Our vet put him on some prescription medication (unfortunately I cannot remember what it was), and while it seemed to help some, his stools were still very soft, and the pills were difficult to administer: so large they had to be broken into three or four pieces, then forced down his throat each time.
After a few months, we didn't really see any purpose in continuing the medication and stopped. Puchi's litterbox was outside on a screened-in porch at our previous home, so we rarely noticed the awful smell that accompanied every BM. Nine months ago, we moved, and the litterbox had to be placed inside. The severity of his diarrhea is now very apparent.
He doesn't appear to ever be in any pain. Only a handful of times over the years have I ever noticed blood in his stool. Different veterinarians have never been able to identify anything wrong despite blood tests, stool samples, and general exams. He just has horrible diarrhea. Every single time he uses the litterbox, he's leaving between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of what looks like butterscotch pudding. And every time is loud -- Puchi actually farts like a human every time he goes.
I've tried probiotics. They did nothing at best; one seemed to make things even worse. I've switched his diet -- we went grain-free several years ago (mostly for the other cat's stomach) and tried several variations of Blue Buffalo. A recent switch to duck flavor had him going five or six times per day. Most recently, I switched him to canned food: Friskies prime filets. He's going fewer times per day, but it seems even more watery than it was before. Poor Puchi sometimes steps in it and tracks it around the house, and he's always got a dirty butt which means he occasionally leaves prints on carpets or beds that he lays on. And those few occasions when he's gone outside the litter box are absolute messes to clean up ... particularly the time the Roomba ran over it.
He has lost weight. When we got him, he was 23 pounds. Today, he's closer to 17 or 18, though we've attributed that to a grain-free / healthier diet and scheduled, portioned feeding.
I'm not sure what else to try. Is there a particular type of food that is better for these situations? Is there a test that I haven't done, or some likely culprit that's causing this that we need to test? While Puchi doesn't seem to be particularly bothered by his diarrhea, I'd sure like to find a way to make things better for him -- healthier, less-frequent stools.
Our cat, Puchi -- a tabby / Russian Blue mix, according to one vet -- came to live with us around four-and-a-half years ago. He belonged to a cousin's grandfather, and when he passed away, Puchi was rehomed several times in just a matter of weeks. We finally were able to adopt him (from his most-recent owner who, after two weeks, wanted to get rid of him because he wasn't getting along with the other cats or her kids) and brought him home in February 2017. Because of his many homes and how his original owner came about having him, we don't know how old he is but suspect somewhere between 10 and 12.
Puchi is one of the sweetest, most-gentle cats I've ever known (although I can see him not getting along well at first with other cats ... but he did fine with our other cat after a few weeks of integration). He also has chronic diarrhea.
I noticed this on his very first night with us. I chalked it up to nervousness and having been moved around so much in a short period of time. But the diarrhea never went away. Our vet put him on some prescription medication (unfortunately I cannot remember what it was), and while it seemed to help some, his stools were still very soft, and the pills were difficult to administer: so large they had to be broken into three or four pieces, then forced down his throat each time.
After a few months, we didn't really see any purpose in continuing the medication and stopped. Puchi's litterbox was outside on a screened-in porch at our previous home, so we rarely noticed the awful smell that accompanied every BM. Nine months ago, we moved, and the litterbox had to be placed inside. The severity of his diarrhea is now very apparent.
He doesn't appear to ever be in any pain. Only a handful of times over the years have I ever noticed blood in his stool. Different veterinarians have never been able to identify anything wrong despite blood tests, stool samples, and general exams. He just has horrible diarrhea. Every single time he uses the litterbox, he's leaving between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of what looks like butterscotch pudding. And every time is loud -- Puchi actually farts like a human every time he goes.
I've tried probiotics. They did nothing at best; one seemed to make things even worse. I've switched his diet -- we went grain-free several years ago (mostly for the other cat's stomach) and tried several variations of Blue Buffalo. A recent switch to duck flavor had him going five or six times per day. Most recently, I switched him to canned food: Friskies prime filets. He's going fewer times per day, but it seems even more watery than it was before. Poor Puchi sometimes steps in it and tracks it around the house, and he's always got a dirty butt which means he occasionally leaves prints on carpets or beds that he lays on. And those few occasions when he's gone outside the litter box are absolute messes to clean up ... particularly the time the Roomba ran over it.
He has lost weight. When we got him, he was 23 pounds. Today, he's closer to 17 or 18, though we've attributed that to a grain-free / healthier diet and scheduled, portioned feeding.
I'm not sure what else to try. Is there a particular type of food that is better for these situations? Is there a test that I haven't done, or some likely culprit that's causing this that we need to test? While Puchi doesn't seem to be particularly bothered by his diarrhea, I'd sure like to find a way to make things better for him -- healthier, less-frequent stools.