Diarrhea

[CindiLu]

Our rescued kitten was struck with a bad bout of diarrhea right about the time of her first heat in March. The vet did a full fecal workup and nothing was found except for some inflammation from the diarrhea. She suggested that it might be due to the heat cycle. Dia-Gel and antibiotics provided relief for ALL of us. Things were fine for about 4 weeks then Lola went into heat again and had diarrhea again. More Dia-gel and things were fine. We had her spayed 4  weeks ago, everything has been great but last night she had a minor bout of the poops.
We feed her and our 4 year old male Purina Indoor dry food. Could it be that she's still too young for grown up food? Could it be the Indoor Formula itself?
The diarrhea is pretty sporadic.

Thanks for any help,
CindiLu

[CindiLu]

Dr. Cheng, the best we could do around here for now was Iams Digestive formula and canned Friskies Select Indoor with brown rice and garden greens. I also got some plain Yogurt with Probiotics (my vet recommended that awhile back) and give her a teaspoon in the a.m.

Lola still has diarrhea! I realize the switch to new food may take some getting used to but any idea how long? This is the only symptom she has; she's PLENTY active and happy!

Since times are tough and I laid out a chunk o' money for the Iams, can you recommend anything else in the meantime until the Iams is gone?

Thanks
Cindi

[CindiLu]

Thank you! Will try the switch to canned this weekend.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Dry food is no longer advised for any cat.  With advanced nutritional research on feline dietary requirements it has been found that cat's of any age should be on all canned, or home-made, grain-free, very low to zero carbohydrate diets.  The ideal diet for a cat is a whole mouse, bird or fish.  Since cat's historically came from a desert climate, they derived all of their liquid intake from their prey, and did not have to drink.  Domestic cat's have evolved of course, but many cat's still don't drink enough to optimally support their kidney's (and other organs) when consuming a dry diet.  Additionally, most dry diets are loaded with carbohydrates which are unnecessary additions to an obligate carnovores diet.

Many cats can suffer from inflammatory bowel disease and food allergies, which cause gastrointestinal issues.  Try switching your cat as advised above.  Good brands of canned cat food are Evo/Innova, Orijin, Wellness, Nature's Variety and many others (since new brands are coming out every day).  Read the labels!  You will want human grade meat, fish, or fowl, zero carbs, etc.  If your cat continues to have GI problems than a hypoallergenic, novel protein diet should be tried.  These diets consist of a novel protein, such as lamb or venison, which are not typically used in cat foods, or a prescription hypoallergenic diet available from your veterinarian.