Stinky Kitty

I have a sweet, energetic, healthy cat, who's only problem seems to be the cat equivalent of IBS, and chronic bad breath.  When he grooms himself, I can smell his bad breath from a couple feet away.  He is also gassy and fails to produce solid stools.  He has been vaccinated for everything and has been tested for Giardia?...I'm not sure on the spelling of that one...and has been given a clean bill of health.  I feed him a limited ingredient food (approximately 1 can of canned + 1/4 c dry) every day.  Putting him on this sort of diet has helped quite a bit, but is there anything else I can do?  

[bermie]

Hello--I have a female tabby who had similar problems as a kitten--always gassy and loose stools, while stool and blood tests were all "normal."  I was feeding her (and my older male cat) Natural Choice food by Nutros, thinking it to be one of the best.  After speaking to my pet food specialist about it, she suggested upgrading hte food (as natural choice was apparently in the medium range) adn we ended up trying Wellness brand cat food (which has healthy colon bacteria as well, to aid in digestion).  She did warn me that it would get worse before getting better (and it got worse, her stool was MUCH looser and stinkier), but within about 2 weeks, she had solid stools ("regular" stinky) and has been fine ever since (she's 4 now, and I have yet not switched food since).  I can't remember if the canned also has the bacteria in it or not, but i give them the dry (free access) and a little bit canned morning and night, and i use Wellness treats for them as well.  It's also human-grade (ok, i wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole), but i guess that means it's a higher quality of meat and doesn't contain any fillers.  

As for hte bad breath, has your cat seen a dentist?  Could be bad teeth!

[therese83]

Mizneecie
Have you had a stool analysis for other bacteria.  He might need an antibiotic.  I trust he doesnt drink milk as this can be really bad.

For my dog a small amount of fibre psylum husk (spelling?) helps with diareah.  One teaspoon over the food helps with constipation also, it works for both.  In this part of the world it is called by brand 'pascomucil'.

Good luck, I dont think you should accept it as normal and it is good that you are trying to find a solution

[PrettyKitty1]

Please look into that diarrhea issue. He may have some sort of food intolerance which can be properly treated with the proper, perhaps prescribed food.

For the bad breath, check her teeth, maybe she is high maintenance with her mouth. There are several products on the market to help you deal with bad kitty breath including cat toothbrush and paste, cat treats that can help minimize tartar or freshen cat breath as welll as kitty breath drops.
You have to attach what's causing the bad breath. It may be a disease, like  gingivitis, an abscessed tooth, plant material or grass awns can also cause bad breath, tumors of the mouth, lung diseases, such as lung cancer and/or severe kidney disease. Please talk to the vet about this, don't leave it for later. The sooner you come to realize that what she has may be treatable and preventable, the better fo you and her.

Good Luck.