OT - This is discouraging -- kitten diarrhea is back

[Hector]

For background information -- Skiziks (now 10-week-old kitten) got diarrhea for the first time on May 2nd. I took him to the vet on May 8th. A stool test for parasites was negative. The vet prescribed Rintal de-wormer (for 3 days) and Amoxicillin anti-biotic (for 5 days). The kitten's stool firmed up by May 11th. The last day of the Amoxicillin was May 12th.

 

I am feeding him Science Diet canned kitten food. Just a few minutes ago he had a BM that started out normal (fairly solid), but went runny at the end. The vet's office won't be open until Monday morning.

 

I just gave Skiziks another dose of the anti-biotic. And I fed him some Science Diet dry kitten kibble. He has been acting healthy and rambunctious today.

 

Anybody have any thoughts about what might be going on here?

[Beth G]

I so symphathize with you on this. We too are living through the same nightmare.

 

My husband's BC pup had the exact same problems too. Turned out to be a bacterial infection-and then food allergies.

 

Same deal here. As soon as Pepper ended the antibiotics her diarrhea returned. We tried yogurt to replace the good bacteria that the Flagyl had killed off but to no avail...

 

Two vets, and numerous tests later,(at the moment) Pepper is under control again. Vet suspects colitis caused by allergies.

 

But she has has a normal stool for 2 days- almost a record!!

 

Have they run tests to check for bacterial infections? Giardia or Coccidia?

 

Have you tried an all natural diet?

 

We did this and thank goodness it is working.

 

We may never know what Pepper is allergic to in her food- as an allery panel test costs $400oo!

 

(though we suspect dairy and corn- possibly wheat... among other things) but as long as she stays steady (and her stool is firm) we are happy!

 

I have been reading up that on almost any feline or canine diet they can put in anything!!!

 

Neck, intestines, pesticides, roadkill, cats and dogs-etc.

 

It's no wonder animals develope so many allergies or even why so much cancer is seen!!

 

The natural diets cost a little more but it is worth it. They donot use corn and by-products, and other highly allergic substances

 

 

Right now, we are using Nutro all natural.

[smileyzookie]

Rohan never got diarrhea after the antibiotics unless he got into something he shouldnt have. i.e. licking plates, eating something yummy off shoes or something. Could he have gotten into anything? If not, I think there may be deeper issues here that the vet hasnt figured out. I think you definately should watch this and go to the vet on Monday if it hasnt cleared up. In the meantime, make sure he's eating and drinking - the last thing you need is him dehydrated right now.

[Hector]

Beth -- that is a very good idea -- trying natural cat food. I have a dog that has a sensitive digestive system. Once I found the right food for him I have stayed with it and he has not had any more problems. There is a Nutro dealer a half mile from where I live so I will go there Monday and look at their natural cat food. Thanks.

[Beth G]

You are so very welcome. Glad to help. I know how it can be.

 

And, yes it has been a godsend for us and it has only been two days. It is a pleasure to wake up and not have to clean out a poopy dog crate and wash her every morning anymore!! All this bathing only dries out her poor skin more...

 

I wish you the best of luck. Please let us all know how it turns out.

 

I hear that both Nutro and Innova are both good. There are others but can't think of them off the top of my head. All I know, is that the more "natural" the diet the better.

 

Ps

 

Did your vet ever check for a bacterial infection? Our vet told me that among other things, a real bad case of worms can cause a bacteial infection too. And I remember reading that they gave you wormer for your kitten.

[karrie]

Milk will cause stomache upset.

 

Oddly enough Sam gets loose if he eats any cat food.

 

Every time I did canned food, the puppy or dog got loose. I'm not saying the same for the kitten. Since you have been feeding the can. Are you feeding the same flavor and brand?

 

Hang in there!

[juliepoudrier]

Hector,

Switching to dry food when the GI tract was still recovering from its previous problems could cause the diarrhea to return (dry food could be considered a bit more "roughage." For example, I feed my cats a kibble blend of Wellness, Chix Soup, and a vet diet called UR (because of urinary crystals some time back). I have one cat who has irritable bowel. A couple of weeks ago my vet didn't have the UR and had to order it, so I just mixed the other two and fed that. When I got the UR and went back to my normal blend, the IBD kitty went through a bout of diarrhea, even though it was a food she was used to. The switching off and switching back on was enough to upset her temporarily. I'm not implying that your kitten has IBD--just using this as an example of how even the regular food can cause an "upset" if the system is already sensitive (in Skiziks' case from recovering from the original bout of diarrhea).

 

If you're giving liquid amoxicillin, I think there's enough in a bottle to do 10 days or so (can't remember exactly). I would finish the bottle. If the issue was giardia or something similar, it can take a little while to resolve. Hang in there. And do stay away from milk products for a kitten with diarrhea. You can do cats the same as dogs and feed something mild like boiled chicken (wouldn't bother with the rice as cats are a little more discriminating than dogs) and maybe even some fat-free chicken broth (lots of fat can cause diarrhea too, and cats need protein more than they need fat).

 

FWIW, regarding feeding, I split on 5.5-oz. can of canned food between six cats once a day. For the rest of their dietary needs, they have free choice kibble. They don't really need the canned food at all, but they like it, and when I had several with crystals it was an easy way to make them drink more water (by adding water to the canned food).

 

J.

[Hector]

Skiziks is still acting completely healthy. He is running around and playing and shows no sign of feeling ill. Geez, he will charge full speed across a 12 foot room in about half a second. He is eating well. I haven't seen a BM today, but I will watch for that.

 

Based on the advice given in this thread, I think I must experiment with food and try to figure out what he can tolerate. Right now I only have the Science Diet canned kitten food and the Science Diet kitten kibble.

 

Tomorrow I will check out the Nutro at the local pet store and see if they have a natural kitten food. And Julie, I will follow your advice to give him the remaining amount of amoxicillin.

[Beth G]

Our pup too acts just fine. Full of energy- despite dropping weight!! But her coat is dried out to beat heck! And she is itchy and has sores from scratching. Vet verifies this.

[Hector]

Skiziks just had a BM and the stool was mostly solid again. Since last evening's loose stool he has had two doses of amoxicillin. I wonder if this means that he still has some kind of bad bacteria in his intestinal track and that the amoxi keeps it in check? He has been eating both the canned Science Diet kitten food and the Science Diet kitten kibble.

 

Oh, and I just weighed him. He is now 1 lb. 12.5 oz., up from 1 lb. 7 oz. one week ago when I first got him (and he was sick with the diarrhea then). So that is very encouraging.

[smileyzookie]

Awesome!! He's gaining weight thats great!! He's gonna pork up before you know it!! lol :eek:

[Tammy525]

I would be a little careful about switching foods too much. Remember to mix in the old food with the new in decreasing proportions, like you would for a puppy. Abruptly changing foods can cause diarrhea even with no other variables.

 

Best of luck, our kitten had diarrhea on and off for the first couple of weeks, but nothing ever turned up as a cause. She didn't get any ATB's and the vet said that sometimes just the adjustment, change in diet, being away from "home" and stress can cause diarrhea in kittens. As long as the kitten acts fine, I wouldn't get too excited about it. And I would definitely stay away from dairy. All my cats get bad diarrhea from any type of dairy products.

 

But, I know you will check with your vet on Monday, better safe than sorry.

[Hector]

I phoned the vet today about Skiziks the Border Kitten and he told me what happened. For background, I first got him on May 7th, six days after he first had diarrhea. For the first 18 hours I had to re-hydrate him by feeding him Pedialyte with a dropper, and also I dropper-fed him some pureed canned cat food. That got him feeling better and he started eating on his own again. I went to the vet on May 8th, and a stool test was negative for parasites. The vet prescribed Rintal de-wormer and Amoxicillin anti-biotic (for 5 days). Skiziks got to feeling much better, eating well, and generally acting healthy. His stool returned to normal. But on the first day after the Amoxicillin was finished, he had a very loose stool.

 

The vet explained what happened. The fact that his stool got solid while taking the meds proved that they killed the bad stuff in his intestine. On Saturday, May 13th, he was eating ravenously to make up for lost time. He ate a lot of canned kitten food. Because of the quantity that he ate, that passed through him fast enough that the stool didn?t have time to have the water absorbed and firm up. That?s why he had the loose stool that day ? it wasn?t due to bad stuff in his intestine. The vet said that I should be changing him over to mostly dried food, with only a little canned food if I want to feed him that. This should help maintain a normal stool. So that is what I am now doing.

 

So everything is good with Skiziks. I am just learning about kittens for the first time and I got worried too quickly when he had that loose stool, but there was a reasonable answer for it. So I will just keep my fingers crossed and hope that he continues to be healthy now. He is eating well and gaining weight. He has a great personality, and gets along with our two dogs.

 

One problem I am going to have to solve now is how to keep him from messing with electric extension cords on the floor. He thinks they are toys. I have unplugged a couple of cords that he was playing with in case he bites into them. I am thinking I need to rub something on the cords that will be smelly and deter him from playing with them. Maybe some kind of bad-smelling analgesic cream?

[Tammy525]

Hector, I would be really careful about any creams, etc. I wouldn't use anything that wasn't specifically made for cats as a lot of people meds are very toxic to cats (as in deadly)

 

We always covered our exposed cords with flexible plastic tubing, like very thin vacuum cleaner hose. I am sure it has a real name, but anything like that would work from Home Depot and you can get it pretty cheap and whatever lengths you need. Be sure to get something thin enough to cut through with scissors to make things easy. If you or your wife are sewers, you could also make a padded sheath to go over them.

 

Good luck! I had one kitten that I kept crated when not supervised because he was so bad about getting into mischief. We used a big dog crate lined with flexible plastic fencing (the kitty could squeeze right through the crate sides). We put a cat tree, litter box, food and water and a bed and it made a nice kitty condo. I can't say the cat really liked it, but I could almost guarantee that is the only way he could have made it to adulthood!

 

My kittens that weren't serious chewers, loved batting aluminum foil balls,(small) you just have to stay around, you don't want them eating those.

[smileyzookie]

Hector - That is GREAT news!! Im so glad he's doin better. You're over reacting and I think its wonderful. I think most of us on the board over react, or get super concerned over small things. So I think it just means you're a caring dad to the little boy. I wish you much luck in caring for him.

 

I never had a problem with my cats chewing on cords so I really have no helpful advice, but I think Tammy had some good info, and maybe someone else will too.

[Lunar]

Whew, glad to hear that the little guy is on the mend and nothing is acting up again. Woo hoo!

 

I think the same bitter apple type stuff for dogs will work with cats. I'm not sure. I only have problems with my cat chewing ribbons, and we don't tend to have a lot of that laying around. It's the pup we worry about with electrical cords.

[Keith Ramsay]

Wiley likes to chew cell phone charger cords and phone cords.

 

Mostly I just try and cat proof everything so he does not have access. They sell a 1/2 round stick on thing you can put the cords into and stick to the baseboards or whatever... they actually look pretty nice.

[Hector]

Tammy -- we have a large wire dog crate that is the kitten's home when he is not being supervised. I have to get a better feel for how much he can be trusted before I turn him loose in the house. He seems to have two speeds -- full ahead and asleep. I will definitely check out any substance I use as a deterent for Skiziks chewing on stuff. So far he shows an interest in extension cords but I don't think he is actually chewing them. I need to watch him more in that area.

 

Natalie -- is the bitter apple something they sell at Petsmart? Or are there any other chewing deterent substances that are sold in pet stores? It would have to be something that wouldn't soil or gum-up carpets.

 

smileyzookie -- thanks, the coupons arrived in yesterday's mail. I appreciate that!

 

Keith -- thanks for the info on the stick-on cord protector. If I find out that Skiziks actually chews cords then I will probably need something like that. So far my prevention is to unplug the cord but that is a bother when I need to turn a lamp on.

 

I devised a good kitten toy this morning. I took a 1.5 inch plastic bottle cap, punched a small hole in the center and attached it to a 5-foot string. Then I make the cap jump and swing around. Skiziks had a great time chasing that for a half hour. It wore him out so now he is sleeping.

[Lunar]

Originally posted by Hector:

Natalie -- is the bitter apple something they sell at Petsmart? Or are there any other chewing deterent substances that are sold in pet stores? It would have to be something that wouldn't soil or gum-up carpets.

Yes, I believe so. If they don't have that particular brand they will have something similar. From what I've seen it's basically a clear liquid that won't stain or anything, just makes it taste bad. But you might still want to test a small area first, and ask one of the salespeople at the store.

 

Originally posted by Hector:

I devised a good kitten toy this morning. I took a 1.5 inch plastic bottle cap, punched a small hole in the center and attached it to a 5-foot string. Then I make the cap jump and swing around. Skiziks had a great time chasing that for a half hour. It wore him out so now he is sleeping.

That's so cute. A few other things that work well with cats: balled up tinfoil; milk jug lids (and the plastic strip that you take off to initially open the lid); flashlights. My cat LOVES to chase the flashlight beam. Now I know BCs can sometimes develop obsessions about it, and I guess cats could too - I know when Jo hears the "click" sound of a flashlight he goes bonkers trying to find the light, but when it's put away he doesn't seem affected.

 

Oh kittens are so much fun. And so destructive. I promised myself no more kittens after my last one. His name was "Angel" - and it was a very ironic name.

[Allie Oop]

Glad Skiziks is on the mend. He sure is cute.

 

Bitter apple works very well and you should be able to get it at most pet stores (definitely PetSmart or Petco). It has not stained or discolored any of the carpet, cloth or surface material of anything we have applied it to.

 

Our cat has chewed through a few electrical cords (and lived to tell about it), but I don't recommend it as a learning method. :eek:

 

Allie, our BC, has also destroyed a couple of electrical cords (but THEY were not plugged in, fortunately). Bitter apple and wire cord wrap has been the answer there!

[Tammy525]

We are using the Bitter Apple on stuffed animals we don't want chewed on. We get ours at Petsmart, they would know if it was ok for cats. They are online, as well.

 

It works amazingly well on the stuffed animals, dries quickly and we humans seem unable to detect the smell once its dried, but Scout avoids the animal like the plague! It does not make the fake fur rough or anything either, there is no texture change, so it might be effective for an area the cat is attacking with its mouth (like carpet or furniture).

 

Your toy sounds great fun, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on cat toys as our kittens always destroy ed any toys we forgot and left out. And watch the string, if you leave them alone with it, they could ingest it and that is a major disaster as it can wrap around the intestines.

 

Do I win the award for the gloom and doom lady yet? I seem to be be full of dire warnings, sorry!

[Hector]

Tammy -- I don't mind your warnings at all. I would much rather read a warning/caution message rather than have to haul my pet to the ER for a $600 surgery (assuming the problem is fixable). My adult son let his ACD/Catahoula-X chew on a toy that had rope built in. The dog ingested some of the rope, got an intestinal blockage, and that was a $600 vet bill for surgery to fix that. If he had read a warning about the danger of chewing ropes then that likely would not have happened.

 

Little (but growing fast) Skiziks did a first today. I am proud of him but it also hurt a bit. He has become accustomed to napping on my lap while I sit here at the computer. Always in the past I have picked him up and placed him on my lap. Today he was wandering around the room and he decided it was time to get on Dad's lap. So he jumped from the floor, but his leap is not strong enough yet to get that high. He did manage to get his front paws 2/3 of the way up onto my horizontal thighs and there he dug his claws in. I reached down and helped him the rest of the way, but I had bunch of little claw ouchies on my thigh. I was proud of the little guy for wanting to get on my lap. But next time I will try to anticipate WHEN he wants to do that. I expect that in another six weeks he will have no trouble jumping all the way up by himself.

[Lunar]

Oh ouch, that's always fun, LOL! But quite the compliment!

[smileyzookie]

Yikes. Rohan tried to do the whole jumping thing too. I had claw marks on me all the time. One thing Rohan hasnt realized is that he doesnt need his claws out every time he jumps. He loves my husbands computer chair, and is constantly getting his nails stuck in them. He's fine after the inital jump, but he'll stand there shaking his foot tryin to unhook it. Its pretty comical.

 

Im so glad you got the coupons! I think every little bit helps. I got inspired and got a free can of soft food off the new bag we bought. I fed him and he cried all night. He was gassy and bloated. I guess maybe no more canned food for him. I dont know Poor kitty.

 

Im happy he's doin well. Give him a hug and kiss for me lol