Frustrated and confused!!!

Sarah Manolis

I wrote about this a few days ago, tagged onto an old topic where another person was having similar concerns, however I didn't get a response and I imagine the thread was too inactive for anyone to really have seen it. I decided to start my own and would really appreciate some sound advice or suggestions! When I got Jack from his foster home a few weeks ago, he had been eating Purina One kitten formula for about a month. I kept him on the Purina for the next two weeks just because I thought it would be best for his well-being. I knew he was getting used to his new home and new routine with me, as well as being weaned and more strictly box-trained, so I didn't want to put too much onto his plate (no pun intended). After doing a lot of research and talking to vets, I decided I would try him on Innova EVO. I had read nothing but good things and at the time of the recall mania, it seemed like a true safe haven in the food industry. Well, the first week I mixed 75% Purina and 25% Innova. He ate it very well and didn't leave any Innova behind (I know some cats tend to pick out the food they prefer). After that week, I upped it to about 60%, 40% and he still ate well. However, his stool became very loose and very, VERY smelly. I won't tell you how I described the smell to a friend but just know it involved a mexican dish and a dead person's hindquarters. :-# Anyway, I kept it up for a day or two and just thought it would work itself out, but it didn't. His loose stool never seemed to cause discomfort, however, I noticed it was very runny in the box, almost clumpy like urine. When I poked it open with my scooper, I noticed a streak of red in it. It was blood, or at least it looked that way to me. This worried me and immediately I backed down on his Innova intake, going back to the original 75%, 25%. His stool hardened up again and we continued on and recently this week I tried to up it again. Today when I walked into the kitchen, he was in the pantry, scooting around on his bottom. He would stop and lick his backside and then scoot some more. I looked at his bottom and it was clean. I sat him down and he just kept close to me, sitting at my feet while I did dishes. Well, eventually I smelled that horrible smell and when I looked down, he was gone. I looked into the pantry and I saw him scraping furiously at the lineoleum around a streak of smeared stool. I wasn't angry, but he seemed so embarrassed by it. I could tell he didn't mean to do it, especially after I saw his litter box, so I hugged him and shut him up in my bedroom, since it is IMPOSSIBLE to clean his litter box or go near it without him on top of me, trying to get between me and his "business". I looked in the litter box and there were those same runny clumps as before and even some that had gotten on the side of the box. I poked at it and saw a little streak of red again. After cleaning it and the floor, I called the pet store where I buy his Innova and asked the woman at the counter if this was normal. She said because of his age that the food might be too rich for him, but that it should settle itself down in a few days. Well, this is the second time it's happened and he's been mixing Innova for nearly two and a half weeks. Do I have anything to worry about? Should I just give up on him eating Innova, since it seems to not agree with him? I don't want to change his food right now, even to go back to the Purina because I am worried that might cause even another upset. I'm just keeping the mixing at the level it is right now, just for consistency's sake, but if this could be messing with his digestive system or hurting him at such a young age, I would like to discontinue it and find a good food that is healthy, but mild. Of course, if this is something he will work through, I'd like to know so I can at least be prepared. Thanks for reading this, if you made it all the way through. ANY help would be appreciated!! sarah & stinky jack

Patricia Parker

Dear little Jack, I don\'t have the right answer to your diet question. Sometimes when you post on the Forums the cat with the best answer doesn\'t see it right away. Ask your Mom to pmail Hunter at 321483 and his Mom will help you with your questions. She is a Vet Tech and always has good answers on these forums, but she may not have seen yours yet. Your Mom can ask her to read this forum and see what she thinks. Purrs, little kit, Vinnie :-k

Beastie_and_the_Boys

I have heard that scooting can be a symptom of worms or anal gland problems. Have you gotten checked for those? I don't know about the diarrhea, I would figure that going from a food that's mostly fillers to something as rich as EVO could be hard for a kitty to adjust to. :?

Sarah Manolis

I took him three weeks ago for his first set of shots and tests and while I was there the vet dewormed him. He's not an outdoor kitty and I've not seen any swelling on his anal glands, nor have I seen any worms on him or in his stool. He was scooting probably because he had just had diarrhea and it was pretty messy. I don't know. I just feel so bad that I'm hurting him or messing him up instead, but before I make another change, I want to at least be sure that I should. Thanks for your input guys! s & j

Melissa Ford

Since you were dewormed 3 weeks ago, you area probably due for the second round (it's usually repeated 2-3 weeks after the initial dose0. When I first read this post., I thought that the food is not agreeing with him. 9I still think this). I have heard that the Innova can be a bit rich for kitties, so going back to a diet that isn't so rich will be helpful. You can add some plain pureed canned pumpkin to the food once a day (about 1 tsp.) until the symptoms resolve. Make sure to stop the pumpkin when the diarrhea clears up or you could end up with constipation. As I continued through your post, I then thought anal glands. Based on your description, not only of the smell and scooting, but that there was a liquid from the ****. You will not notice a swelling from the anal sacs, as they are located inside the rectum and unless they are infected and rupture, the only symptoms are scooting. You are due to get vaccine boosters (every 3-4 weeks until 4 months of age) so when you go in, have them check his anal sacs. If the diarrhea still persists, ask your vet about doing a short term bland diet, such as Hills i/d or Eukanuba low residue. We use these all the time and they help get the stool normal again. Please feel free to pmail me, as I don't often frequent the food forums.

Sarah Manolis

Thanks, Hunter. I sent you a message and gave you a little more info. I appreciate you taking the time. s & j

Sarah Manolis

UPDATE: Since many of you have been so kind and concerned in both pawmails and on the board, I thought I'd post an update. Jack just got back from the vet. The vet said his eyes, teeth, and ears looked perfect and that he looked healthy and hydrated. He has gained 1 lb since our last visit three weeks ago and now weighs 4 lbs! I was thankful for that because, with the diarrhea and food issues, I was concerned that he wasn't getting enough hydration or nutrition. Good to know that he is! The vet gave him his second round of boosters, as well as his first rabies vac. I asked him questions about Jack's poopy problem in relation to the food, anal glands, and worms. He said that because Jack had no signs of liquid seeping from his bottom, nor any pain or discomfort while pooping, or any prolonged issues with scooting, he doesn't think it's anal glands. He also said that because I haven't seen any worms present on his bottom or in his stool, the worms are probably not an issue either. Just to be safe, he gave me a full tablet of Drontal and told me to keep an eye on him and his "business". He thinks it's the food and the fact that Jack is probably a little too young for Innova right now. He said to switch him back to Purina and try again when he's older. I feel a lot better and I appreciate all you guys' help. It felt good to go in there knowing what questions to ask and what concerns I should have. sarah & jack

Donna Lenz

That's great news! Purina One Kitten Food is a good food. Mom's raised a bunch of kittens on it. Friskies Kitten Can food is also good. And no worries - neither Friskies nor Purina had any recalls. They manufacture their own foods, and have always had high quality control.

Bonnie Heavens

When we first switched to Innova EVO dry (from Iams lite pouches and Science Diet lite dry)....even though we did it over the course of a week or two, mommy said the litter box was the stinkiest she's ever smelled it! Maybe the higher protien content of the EVO makes my poops stinkier, Im not sure!

Christine Unversaw

I had something similar happen. I ate wellness brand food, and one day mom noticed me having some runny visits to the box and I'd stopped eating. I was really gassy and bloated too. The vet tried me on new food and it helped. I just have a sensitive stomach...I'm on science diet and my tummy aches are gone. Maybe you just have a sensitive stomach like me? The bland diet for a few days did wonders though! -Captain

Sarah Manolis

Hey Captain (and everyone else!) - Thanks for your responses! You all are so sweet. Anyway, to answer your question, I do not know if Jack has a sensitive tummy in general or if it was just the level of protein was too much for him as a young kitten (he just turned 12 weeks yesterday; I introduced him to Innova at around 10 weeks). Did you eventually return to the Wellness, or did you stay on the Science Diet? I'm thinking of trying Jack on it again in about 8months to a year. If he responds the same way, I'll know it's the Innova. By the way, can anyone recommend some "bland" cat food that isn't as rich? What about Felidae, Orijen, or the organic Purina? Any opinions on those? sarah & jack

Mia McGregor

When I was found I had intermittent diarrhea with normal stools. My poops were very stinky (probably fit your description) and the area around my **** was very red/inflamed. I had been dewormed twice before with the Drontal tablet so the vet didn't think I had worms anymore and that the redness was just some irritation for whatever reason and I got some ointment to rub on the skin...My intermittent diarrhea and anal redness continued and another vet rechecked my stool and sure enough I had 3 kinds of worms -hookworms, roundworms and WHIPWORMS!!. She said she hadn't seen whipworms in a cat in over 10 years!!She tried to treat him with Drontal again but I vomited it that time and I ended up on Panacur which is something you do for 5 days and then 5 days a few weeks later and then 5 more days like 10 weeks later (the worms are susceptible to the medication only at certain stages of their life cycle, so you have to try to catch various batches of them as they go through the life cycle stages). Eveything resolved-stools firmed up and my butt was pale pink (normal). Then almost 6 months later mama noticed a yucky dead worm in my poop (which was still somewhat stinky-she almost named me "Stinky" because of this). I got another round of Panacur and we switched over to the disposable litter boxes so that I would have fresh litter daily and hopefully not keep re-infecting myself. I am now pleased to say everything is good-normal smelling poops and no red butt..but it took 2 doses of Drontal (which apparently didn't work) and then 2 courses of Panacur....

Kaitlin Corbeille

Felidae is a great food! It will be a lot less rich than the EVO too. I would give it a shot! The Orijen is also grain free like the EVO so it may still be a little to rich for you.

Karyn Lehmann

steer clear of purina ANYTHING, they are a milling company, therefore most of their diets are grain. not grain based, grain, you my meowy friend are a carnivore. and their "meat " sources are not specified. check it out on dogfoodproject.com or the whole dog journal (not cause your'e a dog cause your'e not, but they lay out ingredients, what they are & what they do. Not every cat does well on every food. try Natures Variety chicken & rice, or Felidae, or Eagle Pack. Some times the crappy foods give you good results in the beginning but the long term effects are not worth the short term gain. Keep trying till you find what works for your new kitty. My boys did not do well on the Evo, but did great on Innova adult, and do really well of Variety Instinct.

Sarah Manolis

I'm going to try Felidae next, I believe. If he responds well, I'll keep him on it until he reaches adulthood (then I'll try to Innova again). I just think from Purina to Innova was too big of a jump. Thanks for all of the imput guys! As for the worms, I haven't noticed anything and he hasn't scooted at all. His poop didn't smell this morning when I cleaned the litter box and I think that has a large part to do with the fact that I upped the Purina and removed the Innova. s & j

Carrie Comer

Poor Jack!! Mom had similar troubles with my little buddy Riley. He had about 6 weeks of, well um, poo issues after he arrived from the shelter. He had a bad case of worms when he got to the shelter and they were very aggresive in treating it. A bit to aggressive. He ended up with a depleted supply of good bacteria in his system. The vet had us try plain yogurt for a few days mixed in his food-didn\'t work. Then a supplement for rebuilding his good bacteria (don\'t recall the name of the stuff) was given. It was kinda like a brown gel-that did the trick. He had gotten to the point that if Riley sneezed or got scared, he would poo. Mom tossed countless pillows and had to keep the couch covered at all times-she now cringes to think it, but at one point in week 3 she said this was a deal breaker and thought of taking him back::o She is sooo glad she didn\'t and stuck it out. But we know how big of a pain it is to deal with. Since that time he has had no issue with his tummy-we figure we paid our dues those first weeks.:)) But like Jack-foul smell and went lots. The vet first suggested a new food, then said it was what the shelter fed, hence the 6 week time frame.

Alyssa Bell

Sorry I don't know much about this topic, but I hope everything turns out well for you Jack!! |bb|

Sarah Manolis

Thanks, Beatrix. Now that I've got Jack on a more bland food, his poopy issues are over and he is a much happier kitten. I think I just tried to go too healthy too fast! s & j

Sarah Manolis

By the way - I've updated Jack's profile with some new photos. He has recently been allowed to hang out on the front porch and he loves our little wicker couch. My favorite is the one with the leaf hanging from his mouth and paw. sarah & jack

Nicole Martin

Evo can be too rich for a baby that is so young. You could try Wellness kitten. It is a decent brand and usually isn't too bad for the tummy. Supplementing with probiotics will help too. The problem with foods like Purina is that sometimes animals don't develop enough beneficial bacteria in their intestines. He needs probiotics and time so that his stomach can adjust and bring back the beneficial bacteria.

melissa mutter

Sorry I didn't see this until just now. I ate Evo for 2 months, we got switched to grain free because of the recent crisis, but I am a 3-legger and already have issues with grooming, and I couldn't get rid of the runny butt, so Mom switched me to Felidae and no more issues. All of my siblings still eat a mixture of EVO and Raw Instinct dry, but apparently I can't handled it, even at my age! But anyhow Jack I am really glad you are feeling better!