issues switching cat food brands

[linatherese]

I have two 7 month kittens, Nico & Percy. When I first got Nico he had been fed whatever food was cheapest (it looked like dog food) and was having diarrhea. The vet put him on a dewormer for a week and had me start feeding the cats Royal Canine gastro intestinal high energy. I get this from my vet's office with a prescription card, and they charge a lot for it.

I decided to start switching the cats over to Wellness complete health kitten. I gradually switched them over and today went 100% wellness. Percy loves the new food, has so much more energy and is more playful. Nico on the other hand is gassy and having aweful smelling poo.

I've never had a cat before so I don't know what is normal. Is this something that will go away in a day or two when he adjusts or is there an ingredient in the new food that is (and may never) sit well with Nico? I would prefer to have the cats on a food that is bit more affordable and avaliable at the local pet stores, but I don't want to make my pet sick either. Nico seems happy, he isn't using the litter box more frequently or having diarrhea, it just smells much stonger than before.

Nico (on the left) thanks you for your advice!

Nic&per.jpg

• linatherese
• Jan 6, 2014

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

How gradual was the switch to the new food?  Did you very slowly make the switch, like over a period of at least one week, preferably two?  It's possible that he will eventually get used to the new food, but he may not.  Some cats just have very sensitive stomachs and need limited ingredient foods, however, the fact that he isn't having diarrhea is a good sign.  Are you giving them probiotics?  Also, are you giving them any wet food? 

You're in luck, because this month The Cat Site is focusing on Nutrition!  Here is an article that was recently updated and might be a good place to start learning all about it:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

Here's an article about probiotics, since I mentioned them

  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/should-i-give-my-cat-probiotics

 

[linatherese]

Thanks for your advice. I'll ask the vet about probiotics.

Yhe transition was over a period of 10 days, and I do give each cat about a quarter of a can of wet food a day. I'm only switching the dry food they eat though.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

My cats don't have any digestive issues, and I want to keep it that way, so I give them probiotics daily and stopped feeding kibble all together.  They get the same ones my hubby and I take

.  (meaning I don't buy Pet probiotics or anything special for them...tried that and they didn't like them )  I buy Natural Factors Acidophilus & Bifidus with 10 Billion Active Cells and just open up a capsule and mix it into their wet food.  Some people split one capsule into two meals.

One of my cats used to throw up quite a bit when we first got him, so I would say he had a very sensitive stomach.  That's when I started investigating cat nutrition and actually started feeding them raw!.   Now I tend to get on my soapbox a little too often

 

[dianamc]

Wellness has two lines so maybe the CORE one would sit better? We only tried a can of the kitten food and she didn't seem to like it and it has fish.

This is just strange but when I switched Dandy's dry food, I know the instructions I found were 1:10 first day, 1:9, 1:8, etc. (At that time, a part amounted to about 3 grains of kibble but whatever.) I thought it was on Purina's site but now I can't find that and even found much faster recs. for transitioning.

 

[linatherese]

Nico had diarrhea last night and was less energetic this morning. I felt so guilty I went to the vet before work and took the old food home so he would have something safe to eat. I'll look into probiotics though to see if it helps his sensitive stomach.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Another of our advisors @stephanietx has a cat with digestive issues, and she feeds him mainly grain free canned, however, she has stated that he cannot be fed all grain free, so he does get supplemented that Royal Canin Gastro High Energy food that you are again feeding for his kibble. Maybe she'll see this (now that I have tagged it

) and come on when she gets a free moment and add her two cents.  Also, I think once you have a prescription from your Vet, you can probably order it via the internet for less than you are paying AT your Vet.   Plus, if Percy is doing fine on the other food, no need for him to eat the prescription food.  He's better off with the Wellness (IMHO) anyway. 

Hopefully Nico will be back to normal shortly

.  If he continues to have issues, you might want to post in the health forum.  Has he been diagnosed with IBD?  If so, that's a whole other issue (with food). 

 

[stephanietx]

Mrsgreenjeans is correct.  I do supplement Tumbles' kibble with RC Gastro HE.  When we feed him a strictly grain free diet, he gets runny poops.  So, he gets 2 good servings of grain free canned (his main source of food) and then we give him a combination of RC Gastro HE and grain free dry (Taste of the Wild).  I think the total he gets is about 1/8 C a day and half of that is the Gastro HE.  One bag of food costs us about $40 at the vet, but it lasts us for months since we don't feed him much every day.  Since it's a RX food, you have to either get it from your vet or online with a vet's prescription. 

 

[linatherese]

I've been giving the cats a mix of 1/3 wellness 2/3 royal canin which both cats were doing ok on, until tonight when Nico has puked, had diarrhea and has been peeing excessively. I think something else is up. He is sleeping in my lap purring right now, but it's to the vet in the morning or during the night if he continues to get sick. Something is going on with him for sure! :/

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Oh dear

.  So what did the Vet say?

 

[linatherese]

The vet said she thinks the food change has thrown his digestive system off :/ poor little guy!