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Mushy Stool
About two weeks ago I started giving my cat Madison "Natural Balance Sweet Pea and Duck formula". For the 1st. week in a half I mixed in with his old food but his stool was coming out soft and mushy. I thought his stool was getting better two days ago so I put him on just the Natural Balance but his stool is coming out mushy and soft again. Would this subside or should I still mix with his old food or just stop giving him this food completely. My vet said it could take up to a month for a cat to get adjusted to a new food. Please let me know your opinions. Thank you.
Best Answer
I haven't really heard anything here to suggest that your cat has either IBS or IBD. If he did, he would have digestive symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal distress, etc.). His current diarrhea seems to be only because of the change in diet. Thickening of the intestinal wall can occur for reasons that have nothing to do with IBS or IBD and the cyst near his heart certainly seems unrelated. His weight loss may be due to aging and a slowing metabolic rate.
good for you hon, it must have been some ingredient in the Natural Balance that wasn't agreeing with him....your right to do the transition slowly................so glad all is well, keep us updated and join in as often as your able, love to have you and Madison on the forum...-)
Just wanted to let you know that I switched Madison's food from Natural Balance to Orijen on Friday and by Sunday (today) his stool is back to normal. I am still giviing him a little Science Diet to make the transition a little bit easier. Just thought I'll let you know.
you mentioned an ultrasound showing part of his bowel was thickened and the Vet saying it maybe IBS
I am sending you a great site for information on both IBD and IBS.According to the reading on that site I have to disagree with your Vet diagnosing IBS...that is a psychosomatic disease and there are no tell tale signs seen on ultrasounds
however with IBD there can be seen a 'thickening of the bowel lining' as you described. Therefore I would assume the dx to be IBD.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_inflammatory_bowel_disease.html
I do not agree with the use of steroids as a mentioned treatment in the article, steroids can lead to diabetes and many other health problems...
I had a kitty with IBD and the use of steroids led to her death.
I have since read alot about diet and how this can lead to all the symptoms she was having.
The most common culprit are GRAINS in both dry and canned foods
Also a possible allergy to chicken or turkey, two of the most common proteins used in
cat foods.
So you are on the right track by trying Wellness duck/pea diet.
the best probiotics recommended for cats with IBD are as follows.
-JARROW PET DOPHILUS POWDER. this is avail thru iherb.com, a site I trust and order from regularly
http://www.iherb.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Pet-Dophilus-Powder-2-5-oz-70-5-g/4295?at=0
I hope this helps..♥
I am sending you a great site for information on both IBD and IBS.According to the reading on that site I have to disagree with your Vet diagnosing IBS...that is a psychosomatic disease and there are no tell tale signs seen on ultrasounds
however with IBD there can be seen a 'thickening of the bowel lining' as you described. Therefore I would assume the dx to be IBD.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_inflammatory_bowel_disease.html
I do not agree with the use of steroids as a mentioned treatment in the article, steroids can lead to diabetes and many other health problems...
I had a kitty with IBD and the use of steroids led to her death.
I have since read alot about diet and how this can lead to all the symptoms she was having.
The most common culprit are GRAINS in both dry and canned foods
Also a possible allergy to chicken or turkey, two of the most common proteins used in
cat foods.
So you are on the right track by trying Wellness duck/pea diet.
the best probiotics recommended for cats with IBD are as follows.
-JARROW PET DOPHILUS POWDER. this is avail thru iherb.com, a site I trust and order from regularly
http://www.iherb.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Pet-Dophilus-Powder-2-5-oz-70-5-g/4295?at=0
I hope this helps..♥
I am not sure just that a part of his intestine is thickened. For a complete dianosis I would have to have a biopsy for Madison which is unfortunately way out of my price range at close to $2000. Before giving him the Natural Balance food Sweet Pea and Duck Formula he was doing fine on Science Diet and showed no symptoms that something was wrong. In January of 2010 he weighed in at 11 lbs 9 ozs. In August 2010 the vet was concerned because Madison weighed in at exactly 11 lbs and took x-rays which showed a thickened intestine. She gave him an anti-inflammatory shot. In October, Madison had an ultrasound which showed he had a cyst by his heart and he weighed in at 10 lbs 8 ozs. and when I took him to the vet last Saturday, he weighed in at 10 lbs 7ozs. which means he lost only one ounce in almost 4 months (He was on both foods at this point for two weeks). I thought I would try the Natural Balance Sweet Pea and Duck formula as someone who had a cat with IBS said it helped their cat. Any comments you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
You can get probiotics at just about any drug store.
Does you cat have IBD or IBS? They are not the same. From your original response you said that an ultrasound indicated that your cat MAY have IBS. Has your vet actually diagnosed either IBS or IBD? Did your cat have any symptoms before the dietary changes? There is no such thing as an ideal IBD diet. It is whatever diet does not cause intestinal problems for a given cat. One cat could need a diet higher in fat while another could need one lower in fat. One cat could be sensitive to chicken while another could benefit from chicken.
Does you cat have IBD or IBS? They are not the same. From your original response you said that an ultrasound indicated that your cat MAY have IBS. Has your vet actually diagnosed either IBS or IBD? Did your cat have any symptoms before the dietary changes? There is no such thing as an ideal IBD diet. It is whatever diet does not cause intestinal problems for a given cat. One cat could need a diet higher in fat while another could need one lower in fat. One cat could be sensitive to chicken while another could benefit from chicken.
Thank you for your input. From what you are saying should I just give him the Science Diet. Also where would I get probiotics. Do I need to go to a vet or is it something in a pet supply store.
I agree that you shouldn't be trying a different food everyday...each brand has a different blend of ingredients and each should be fed on its own (except for the transition period when 2 are blended).....rapid changes in diet do tend to lead to diarrhea.
I read on another site this a.m. that Wellness appears to be giving alot of GI upsets to kitties for some reason. This is an excellent brand of food but for some unknown reason kitties are having problems with it, could there be a problem with one of the additives? I don't know, I will continue to monitor and post an update IF a reason or announcement comes from Wellness itself..
I read on another site this a.m. that Wellness appears to be giving alot of GI upsets to kitties for some reason. This is an excellent brand of food but for some unknown reason kitties are having problems with it, could there be a problem with one of the additives? I don't know, I will continue to monitor and post an update IF a reason or announcement comes from Wellness itself..
Actually, I would recommend you not do that. Cats with IBS are very sensitive to diet changes and giving him something different every day could contribute to that problem. While the duck food may be very high in protein and fat, what he needs is fiber. In this particular case, I would really recommend sticking with the Science Diet dry food and adding some probiotics as a supplement. Offer him small amounts of canned food separately and in addition to, but not in place of the dry food.
Thank you for your input. His stool last night did come out like diaherra which had me concerned. I am back to mixing the two foods (Natural Balance Sweet Pea and Duck Dry Formula and Science Diet Dry Formula) to see what happens.Unfortunately Madison does not like wet food too much and would eat very little of it even if it is the only food available to him for several hours unless it is fresh tuna (9 lives). He definitely prefers the dry. I am in the middle of doing an experiment with three top brands of wet cat food in the chicken flavor - Natural Balance, Wellness and Nature's Variety instinct. Yesterday I tried the Natural Balance which he did not touch. Today I am trying the wellness which I put in his bowl this morning but he has yet to touch it and tomorrow I will try the Nature's Variety. Ironically he begs and loves the cooked chicken that I make for myself which I read may not be the best for his digestion. I'll let you know what happens.
Linda you are doing excellent with the transition to a MUCH better diet for Madison, congratulations!!!
IMO your Vet is entirely correct, some kitties take a long time to transition....do it as slow as it takes....theres no time limit here, with one of mine I've been mixing for months..
having said that....IF his bowel movements AREN'T loose and watery I wouldn't worry about it, mushy is not a big deal...that should correct within a few days.
And MOST cats prefer the dry food, just like we prefer candy.....dry has tons of additives to MAKE it taste good. Keep up the good work, you will succeed!
IMO your Vet is entirely correct, some kitties take a long time to transition....do it as slow as it takes....theres no time limit here, with one of mine I've been mixing for months..
having said that....IF his bowel movements AREN'T loose and watery I wouldn't worry about it, mushy is not a big deal...that should correct within a few days.
And MOST cats prefer the dry food, just like we prefer candy.....dry has tons of additives to MAKE it taste good. Keep up the good work, you will succeed!
HI Nancy,
Thanks for reaching out to me. In September an ultrasound showed that part of Madison's intestine was thickened which meant that he could have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I felt Natural Balance would be beneficial to him as duck is known to have a lot of protein and it had natural ingredients compared to his old food which is Science Diet for Senior Cats. I am mixing the two foods now and if he doesn't adjust I may go back to Science Diet or try Wellness. Also Madison seems to prefer dry foods to wet foods.
If you have any other input, don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks!
Thanks for reaching out to me. In September an ultrasound showed that part of Madison's intestine was thickened which meant that he could have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I felt Natural Balance would be beneficial to him as duck is known to have a lot of protein and it had natural ingredients compared to his old food which is Science Diet for Senior Cats. I am mixing the two foods now and if he doesn't adjust I may go back to Science Diet or try Wellness. Also Madison seems to prefer dry foods to wet foods.
If you have any other input, don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks!
Was there a reason you changed his diet in the first place? I agree with your vet. I would even say it is possible he will never adjust to it. Unless there is some other medical reason that you have him on this food, I would go back to his old diet.
Hey,
I am familiar with the brand and formula you are using. Had an older cat with cancer who thrived on it when other food didn't appeal. Having said that, I'd follow your vet's instructions.
It takes awhile for a cat to adjust to new food. Mixing old with new is what many do to ease the transition.
The cat I befriend now eats Wellness wet and dry. He is not overly fond of the dry, which is fine with me. I'm trying to prevent urinary tract issues. He is an inside/outside cat who doesn't use litter box unless he absolutely has to.
What you are feeding kitty may be a tad too rich. Hope a few of our experts will weigh in on this. Best of luck.
I am familiar with the brand and formula you are using. Had an older cat with cancer who thrived on it when other food didn't appeal. Having said that, I'd follow your vet's instructions.
It takes awhile for a cat to adjust to new food. Mixing old with new is what many do to ease the transition.
The cat I befriend now eats Wellness wet and dry. He is not overly fond of the dry, which is fine with me. I'm trying to prevent urinary tract issues. He is an inside/outside cat who doesn't use litter box unless he absolutely has to.
What you are feeding kitty may be a tad too rich. Hope a few of our experts will weigh in on this. Best of luck.
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