food change -> poop change - advise?

[odigity]

Rescued my cat in 2019. Tried a bunch of different foods at first, and the only thing he liked was Sheba cuts in gravy, so I've been using that - which is expensive and inconvenient.

The only dry food I've seem him like are little square "treats" by a brand called Temptations: amazon.com/dp/B07QVSFB3T/
(I assumed it was the equivalent of cookies for cats.)

A few days ago, I decided to try one more time to see if he'll eat dry food, but this time using a bag from the same brand as the treats he likes:
walmart.com/ip/TEMPTATIONS-Tasty-Chicken-Flavor-Adult-Dry-Cat-Food-13-5-lb-Bag-Walmart-Exclusive/1582688558

To my surprise and relief, he started eating it. In fact, this morning, when I gave him Sheba, he kept meowing until I also gave him Temptations.

---

The problem is, around the same time I started with the dry food (three days ago), his bowel movements changed to the opposite extreme. He used to have small, thin, hard, black turds, and not very frequently. Now he has large mushy, massive wet brown turds, and 3-4/day. I'm hitting the litter box and scooping pellets over that stuff periodically like I was bailing water out of a raft. It's... impressive.

Now... is this bad? Is this good? (fiber cleaning him out?) Most importantly, is this temporary? I don't know how I feel about this becoming the norm.

PS - Pictures reluctantly available upon request.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Food changes, especially if they are abrupt and involve dry food, can cause loose stools for a while until a cat's digestive system adapts. And because there are more fillers in most dry foods, they will likely cause a cat to produce additional stool. So, it is a combination of both. Ideally, the loose stools should subside, but the quantity may stay greater than before.

I would continue to feed him Sheba too, as an all-dry food diet isn't necessarily the best idea for a number of reasons - moisture being one of them. Most dry foods also contain a lot more unnecessary fillers and usually less protein, both in terms of quality and quantity. Maybe try some of the Temptations canned foods? Or just go back again and try other canned foods with cuts in gravy to see if he may have changed his mind about some of them.

 

[odigity]

Food changes, especially if they are abrupt and involve dry food, can cause loose stools for a while until a cat's digestive system adapts. And because there are more fillers in most dry foods, they will likely cause a cat to produce additional stool. So, it is a combination of both. Ideally, the loose stools should subside, but the quantity may stay greater than before.

I would continue to feed him Sheba too, as an all-dry food diet isn't necessarily the best idea for a number of reasons - moisture being one of them. Most dry foods also contain a lot more unnecessary fillers and usually less protein, both in terms of quality and quantity. Maybe try some of the Temptations canned foods? Or just go back again and try other canned foods with cuts in gravy to see if he may have changed his mind about some of them.

Thanks for the insight - I think the worst part's over. Also, he's refusing the Sheba now that the other food is available.

I have $200 worth of Sheba in my closet I need to sell now...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is he eating any wet food at all? It would be best if he at least had some wet food in his diet.

You can also try crumbling up the dry food and use it as a topper to the Sheba to see if he will eat it that way.

 

[odigity]

Is he eating any wet food at all?

Basically not since the new stuff became an option. However, I've put a water bowl to compensate.

I'll try a few more times to get the wet food back in the mix, but if he doesn't want it, I'm inclined to stop trying and see what happens.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You know the adage - 'you feed a cat what they will eat'! It doesn't do any good to get them what one may think are 'better' foods if they won't eat them.