HELP PLEASE!

[MattMadrid]

I wasn't sure which forum to post this thread in, but this seemed like a logical one. Recently, my girlfriend and I have been experimenting with different goods for our F6, Heks. Ee switched her, gradually, from 'Nutro Kitten: Chicken and Whole Brown Rice' to 'Purina Pro Plan True Nature: Natural Turkey and Rice Recipe', and she took to it like white on rice. Then, switching from canned chicken, which is what the breeder we got her from was givng her every night, we started mixing in half a can of wet cat food, starting with a 'Purina Pro Plan Grain Free Turkey and Chicken Recipe', which she loved, to a half can of 'Purina Beyond Grain Free Turkey, Sweet Potato & Spinach Recipe', which she also enjoyed. After tgis last switch to the Beyond though, her stool became runny, foul smelling, and in some of them there seemed to be blood, and shes become very gassy. Was it the Beyond that did it? Should I take ger to a vet? She's about 5 months old so she's supposed to be losing 'baby teeth' could she have swallowed one and it cut her up inside? I'm a very worried Savannah parent, any help much appreciated!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think that if a diet change is involved, the most likely cause is that diet. There is likely some ingredient in this last diet change that is upsetting her system.

It's also not impossible that there is infection involved... sometimes cats carry something asymptomatically until something triggers a full-blown infection. So you could consider doing fecal testing. Additionally, something like giardia can be in your water supply (I know that where I live the giardia level has to be above a certain limit before it is treated or even reported in the water report for the city).

I think it highly unlikely that a baby tooth is the culprit for this.

How gradually was "gradually" for each change of diet?

 

[MattMadrid]

I think that if a diet change is involved, the most likely cause is that diet. There is likely some ingredient in this last diet change that is upsetting her system.

It's also not impossible that there is infection involved... sometimes cats carry something asymptomatically until something triggers a full-blown infection. So you could consider doing fecal testing. Additionally, something like giardia can be in your water supply (I know that where I live the giardia level has to be above a certain limit before it is treated or even reported in the water report for the city).

I think it highly unlikely that a baby tooth is the culprit for this.

How gradually was "gradually" for each change of diet?

We give her bottled, purified water. I wouldn't drink this city's tap eater myself, let alone give it to my fur baby. Gradually was, in the dry food, for three days we substituted 1/8th of the food we provide in a day to the new dry food, then for three days 1/4th was substuted, then 3 days at 1/2, and we're on day 2 of 3/4 of her food being the Purina Pro Plan. The canned food, we fed her the chicken that the breeder gave us for the first 2 nights, then no wet food for 2 days, then half a can of the Turkey and Chicken Grain Free Pro Plan for 6 nights (2 days with half a can, then 2 days without, then 2 days with half a can, all mixed into her dry food), then 2 days without, then half a can of the Beyond in her food for 2 days, then 2 without, and last night was the first half of the second can of Beyond, and the problem started the night before last.

 

[admin]

Purina Pro Plan always gave my cats loose, smelly stools, so I stopped feeding it. A great canned food is earthborn holistics chicken cacciatore or natural balance catatouille - all can be ordered from chewy.com

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

That may simply be too much change in a young kitten's life. You are changing both the dry and the wet food at the same time. Her system may have coped to a certain point and now has just had enough. Was the 2 days without canned food then 2 days with a new food then 2 days without canned food a suggested transition protocol? I've not heard of that at all...and it doesn't sound gradual to me at all.

I'm not a fan of Purina cat food, so have no experience with it to know how likely it is to cause issues versus just the way it was introduced to your kitten.

My vet always recommends feeding a bland diet of boiled chicken and white rice to settle an upset digestive system and then slowly reintroducing the commercial diet of choice once their system has settled, which can take a couple of weeks or more.

 

[MattMadrid]

That may simply be too much change in a young kitten's life. You are changing both the dry and the wet food at the same time. Her system may have coped to a certain point and now has just had enough. Was the 2 days without canned food then 2 days with a new food then 2 days without canned food a suggested transition protocol? I've not heard of that at all...and it doesn't sound gradual to me at all.

I'm not a fan of Purina cat food, so have no experience with it to know how likely it is to cause issues versus just the way it was introduced to your kitten.

My vet always recommends feeding a bland diet of boiled chicken and white rice to settle an upset digestive system and then slowly reintroducing the commercial diet of choice once their system has settled, which can take a couple of weeks or more.

So how do I let her try new wet foods to see what she likes? Mix them together in a ttansition feom one flavor to the next? x.x

 

[MattMadrid]

Purina Pro Plan always gave my cats loose, smelly stools, so I stopped feeding it. A great canned food is earthborn holistics chicken cacciatore or natural balance catatouille - all can be ordered from chewy.com

That stinks, just today I got 24 cans of the Pro Plan Grain Free Turkey and Chicken from Chewy.com because she really liked it XD

 

[admin]

That stinks, just today I got 24 cans of the Pro Plan Grain Free Turkey and Chicken from Chewy.com because she really liked it XD

You can send it back...or maybe just switch for a little while and make sure the proplan is the issue...

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

So how do I let her try new wet foods to see what she likes? Mix them together in a ttansition feom one flavor to the next? x.x

Yes, mixing them together as you did with the kibble would be the better way to transition. My only concern is that now that the kitten's system is disturbed you may not find that just going back to the original canned chicken is enough...try that and see I guess...

 

[Michele Patnode]

I completely agree with Paige and Brigitte. The last food change may have been the culprit but it's hard to tell because both dry and wet were changed. If her stools are really loose I would worry about dehydration. With that said I would stop the can and have her on the bland diet of cooked chicken and rice for a little bit. I would leave in some broth. I feed my Savannahs a grain free high protein dry food along with wet. I am lucky to have a good breeder that specializes in feline nutrition. Orijen Cat/Kitten is the best dry food and it is a balanced dry food it is a little pricey but she shouldn't be eating mostly dry anyways. Her diet she be mostly wet. Most of my cats are free fed and they don't eat a lot of the dry because they are getting what they need with the wet. Another good dry food that I like is Evo, it is grain free as well and high in protein but I don't feed it because it is very crumbly. Orijen holds together better. My cats are very picky when it comes to food. I have one that likes raw, one that likes grain free commercial and unfortunately my female who had a litter in May will only eat Friskier prime fillet. It sounds to me as if you want only the best for your kitty. If I were you find a dry grain free, high protein that doesn't have any fillers including potatoes. Compare ingredients, supplements, protein and crude fat. I would stay with the dry she is on for now because you don't want to switch both at the same time and feed the bland for a couple of days. If she still has loose stools I would bring her to the vet for a fecal test. After Comparing canned food slowly transition it into her diet. I would start with very little less then a 1/4 of a can for 3-4 days and then if she is doing good up it to 1/4 can for 3-4 days. Then 1/2 can also if you can feed her smaller portions throughout the day instead of twice a day this will help ease the new food into her diet. I would stay away from canned food that contains fish. After 3-4 weeks with a wet food she likes and that she can tolerate then you can switch the dry the same way. I have had trouble with my cats and this is what I did and it worked. I hope this helps.