Kitten Having Loose Stools

[tormund123]

My three month old kitten was doing fine with his poop for a few weeks until we brought him to the vet recently for a vaccine booster. The vet fed him Gerber chicken baby food as a treat as he got his shot and ever since then he's been having mushy poop. It's not quite diarrhea but it's soft enough such that when he steps on it in the litter box it gets stuck in his paws and he tracks poop everywhere. There's also mushy poop on his butt that he doesn't clean right away so we have to catch him when he comes out of the litter box (if we are home at the time) and wipe him down immediately. I know kittens have sensitive stomachs but I feel like it's not super likely that the baby food could've wrecked his digestive system this much where he's still having loose stools over a week later. We've been adding pumpkin to his wet food every day for the last five days and there's barely been an improvement. There have been fewer pieces of poop found on the ground but it's not very solid either.

Before anyone tells me he might have worms and needs a stool test, I am aware of that and unless this resolves itself soon, I will definitely do one. The problem is, our vet is booked so full that the earliest appointment we could get is two weeks from now. So I am writing this in hopes that people can offer other advice that has worked for them and can share their experience. We adore our kitten but we've tried everything and it's stressful and tiring cleaning after him multiple times a day and finding micro pieces of poop all over our house. We would like to let him roam around the whole space eventually but we have to keep him in the bathroom when we're not home for now in order to keep the poop mess confined to a smaller space.

 

[tormund123]

I also want to add that his behavior outside of litter box use is normal. He is energetic and plays a lot, sleeps regularly, and eats and drinks water as expected.

 

[verna davies]

Try mixing about a quarter of a teaspoon of pumpkin in his food, plain no additives, twice a day. Or you could add a pinch of psyllium on top of his food twice a day. If the baby food upset his tummy it should have cleared within a day or so.
I hope one of the above works , please let us know.

 

[tormund123]

Try mixing about a quarter of a teaspoon of pumpkin in his food, plain no additives, twice a day. Or you could add a pinch of psyllium on top of his food twice a day. If the baby food upset his tummy it should have cleared within a day or so.
I hope one of the above works , please let us know.

We've been feeding him pumpkin twice a day for the last five days and while there's been less poop cleanup in the last few days, his poop is still not as solid as it should be. I don't know what else I can do until we take him to the vet.

 

[verna davies]

It is difficult to get pure pumpkin other than through the internet where I live so I use psyllium and it works a treat. Its easily bought and is cheap. Might be worth giving it a go. The vaccine can also upset their tummies for a while.

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like he is having a reaction from the vaccine he was given. This is not unusual, and often includes lethargy, fever, or vomiting.

Try NOT giving him pumpkin for a couple of days. Pumpkin is interesting because it can work to firm stools as well as loosen them. It may be working to loosen them when they might otherwise be firming up now a few days after his booster.

Hopefully his poops will return to normal as the vaccine settles in his system. Like you, I don’t think it was the Gerber baby food. It’s good that he is acting normally otherwise.

Also, you can mix the powdered contents of a probiotic capsule into his wet food. It will help the flora in his intestines that I suspect are out of whack from the vaccine booster. It can take a while for these situations to right themselves.

Keep us posted!

T tormund123

 

[tormund123]

It sounds like he is having a reaction from the vaccine he was given. This is not unusual, and often includes lethargy, fever, or vomiting.

Try NOT giving him pumpkin for a couple of days. Pumpkin is interesting because it can work to firm stools as well as loosen them. It may be working to loosen them when they might otherwise be firming up now a few days after his booster.

Hopefully his poops will return to normal as the vaccine settles in his system. Like you, I don’t think it was the Gerber baby food. It’s good that he is acting normally otherwise.

Also, you can mix the powdered contents of a probiotic capsule into his wet food. It will help the flora in his intestines that I suspect are out of whack from the vaccine booster. It can take a while for these situations to right themselves.

Keep us posted!

T tormund123

Hmm I didn't consider the possibility that the vaccine could have upset his digestive system. He isn't showing any of the other side effects you listed and seems to be happy and energetic. Is it known that vaccines could cause loose stools? That's interesting and confusing that pumpkin can loosen and firm stools because I read about how it's effective for diarrhea...

We've been using forti flora for the last month and it helped with his gas significantly and I think it's why his poop was doing just fine before the last vet visit.

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh yes, many a kitten has experienced side effects from vaccines. My own kittens were sluggish and a little off for a couple of days after theirs. I hope his stools firm up soon!