# Cat food and stool/ diarrhea help!



## Itty bitty Kitty

It's been a while since I've been active on this site! So here goes,

I'm currently fostering a male, stray cat who we suspect has been abandoned. His name is Milo.


*Long story short, I plan on adopting him but I have to wait. We don't know when but we predict within the year.* *My questions are below but here is some background first:*

He's been fixed and fully vaccinated, so he's perfectly healthy with no worms or FIV. I keep him indoors for the most part but allow him to get fresh air outside with supervision. He's in great shape, weighing at 9lbs and his ribs and spine can easily be felt. He's incredibly long and between 1 - 1/12 years of age.

We had him with us for a week now. Currently I've been feeding him a mix of *Fresh Pet Vital, Nutrience Holistic canned food and Natural Balance canned food.* However my mom insists on giving him some Blue Buffalo kibble. Currently, his absolute favorite is Fresh Pet and has been his main food. Every now and then I mix some canned food in but some flavors have been a completed turn off to him.

He gobbles up Fresh Pet all the time and has been selective with the canned food. *I've been keeping track of his stools and they always seem to be soft like toothpaste. He has about 1-2 bowl movements a day and drinks plenty of water. *However his stool has been like this since we took him in. I asked the vet about this but they ensured me, that since he does not have worms, that this is a result of me giving him new food.

*However, once he asked what I fed he immediately said I should not feed him moist food and I should feed him Royal Canin prescription kibble to prevent UTIs for him since males are more prone....correct me if I'm wrong but, shouldn't that be the opposite? Isn't moist food a lot healthier for your cats and its kibble that dehydrates your pet a lot more? I was tempted to confess I was planning on introducing him to a raw diet In the future but something tells me that wouldn't have gone well lol.*

My mother says that she thinks Fresh Pet has too many vegetables in it since he's and "outside" cat, his stomach can't take it. Is it because of the peas? So she wants me to find more kibble for him instead like Iams. She is also under the impression kibble cleans teeth. Personally, I'm not a fan of kibble for cats, I prefer wet food, and I'm certainly no fan of Iams. My mom is in search of a kibble brand that contains NO vegetables. Does anyone know of such exists? The closest thing I found was Taste The Wild and Natural Balance, but they still contain some. I think the only " all meat" food I can offer is literally meat. However I did get confirmation that Milo should be having about 200 - 230 calories a day.

*
What Milo was fed BEFORE I began fostering him*
_Everything. My mom would leave food out for the strays so they'd all
take turns eating. She fed them a combination of:_

Presidents Choice Finicky Eaters
Meow Mix
Some meat scraps
Buffalo Blue kibble
Science Diet Ideal kibble
Fancy Feast
Purina kibble

I'm u sure of the specifics of what they were, but that the basic list
of what mom fed them.

*What I have been feeding Milo*
_For the first few days I've been trying a variety of food since I was
trying to figure out what he liked and what he would eat. So I had to
mix some of the old food he was used to in order to introduce him to
the stuff I was getting him
_
Fresh Pet Vital
Natural Balance
Nutrience Holistic
Buffalo Blue Indoor cat * plan on removing or replacing, but my mom
wants to keep giving it to him*


_I feed him 3 meals a day at 8 am, then 12 pm and then at 8 pm. I may
switch to 2 meals a day.
_

Here is a track record of what he's been fed since March 2nd. On and
off my mom still gives him kibble, with or without my consent. I've
asked her to at least give no more than 1/4 cup for the day and I've
requested it not to be given until after lunch or dinner.

**********************************************************

*March 2nd*
Fresh Pet opened - served 2 Tsp worth ( mixed, half meal, lunch),
Natural Balance 6 oz open - served 3 Tsp worth ( mixed )
Fancy Feast 3 oz open - served 2 Tbs worth

*March 3*
Natural Balance - 3 Tbs, Fancy Feast - 1 Tbs ( breakfast)
Natural Balance - 2 1/2 Tbs (lunch)
FreshPet - 3 Tbs mixed w/ 1 Tbs Fancy Feast

*March 4*
FreshPet - 3 Tbs mixed w/ 1 Tbs Fancy Feast ( Breakfeast)
Nutrience - 1 1/3 Tbs( lunch)
Fancy Feast - 1/2 Tps (lunch)
Nutrience - 1 TBs? ( Dinner but he left most of it)
*
March 5*
Nutrience - 3 Tbs mixed with 1 Tsp of Fancy feast ( Breakfeast ate about 1 Tsp)
Gave leftover of Breakfeast for lunch. 1 Tsp left over.
FreshPet - 2 1/2 Tbs mixed with 1 Tbs of Fancy Feast

*March 6*
FreshPet- 4 TBS w/ 1 TBS Nutrience( Breakfeast)
FreshPet -1 TBS w/ 1 TBs Nutrience ( Lunch)
Freahpet - 3 TBS w/ 1 TBS Nutrience( dinner)
* had 1 loose stool but one Solid over night*

*March 7*
FreshPet - 3 1/2 TBS w/ 1 TBS Nutrience ( Breakfeast)
FreshPet - 2 TBS ( lunch)
FreshPet - 4 TBS w/ 1 TBS Nutrience
* pooped twice today*
b
FreshPet - 4 TBS ( Breakfeast) * before vet visit*
FreshPet - 2 TBS ( lunch) * after vet visit*
FreshPet - 3 TBS w/ 1 TBS Nutrience
*
March 9*
1/4 cup of kibble, 1 TPS of Fancy Feast - not very hungry
Not very hungry today
FreshPet open- 2 TBS
Failed mixes w/ rice, kibble and Natural Balance Turkey, hates
* Pooped twice in a row*

*March 10*
FreshPet - 2 TBS ( Breakfeast)
FreshPet - 2 TBS with shredded beef as sprinkles ( lunch)

***********************************************


*So here are my questions:*

1. Milo loves Fresh Pet. If he really likes it and it seems fairly
well balanced, do I really need to mix or add other food in it?
However I am unsure if this is the cause of his pastey stools. I am
feeding him JUST Fresh Pet now with no mixes for the next week to
determine if it really is the cause or not. In the past I'd mix a TBS
of the other food.

2. If Fresh Pet is causing the pastey stools, what should I do? I've
read adding plain white rice can help but he didn't want to touch it.

3. I noticed he hasn't been as hungry since he came back from the vet
(March 8th) , so he's eating a little less, is this normal? It's only
been 2 days.

3. Was I going too fast? Maybe I was introducing him to new food too
quickly? Should I switch him to 2 meals a day?


Any advise or feedback welcome!


********************************************************************



*
For those wondering, here are the ingredient lists for the food I've
been giving Milo.*

Fresh Pet Vital:
Chicken, Chicken Liver, Ocean Whitefish, Natural Flavors, Eggs,
Carrots, Spinach, Pea Protein, Pea Fiber, Vinegar, Salt, Taurine.

Natural Balance Tuna and Shrimp (canned):
Tuna, Whitefish, Fish Broth, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Ground Brown
Rice, Shrimp, Carrots, Eggs, Guar Gum, Taurine, Dicalcium Phosphate,
Carrageenan, Dried Cranberries, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Sulfate,
Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Manganese
Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate,
Calcium Pantothenate, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
(Vitamin B6), Riboflavin, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin,
Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Nutrience Holistic Beef Stew (canned) * note, this is a Canadian only
brand, I cannot get a hold of this by the time I can adopt him*
Beef, cooking broth, tapioca, rice, salt, sodium tripoli phosphate,
vitamins and minerals and carrageenan.

Buffalo Blue indoor cat
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Whole
Ground Brown Rice, Fish Meal (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids),
Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried
Cellulose, Natural Chicken Flavor, Whole Potatoes, Peas, Whole
Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed
(natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Barley Grass, Dried
Parsley, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract,
L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Dried Chicory Root, Oil of Rosemary,
Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin
B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium
Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6),
Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement,
Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement,
Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid
Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate,
Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel,
Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium.


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## Squeeji

I think the situation is that Milo is just getting too much too fast...maybe pick one or two things for him to eat, let him get used to that, and then start adding more to his diet. But as it is, he's getting four very different complex foods that all together probably aren't agreeing with him. Keep it simple at first until his stool evens out and then add something new. If that makes sense?

My cats always get a little off in the litterbox department when I switch one food...so I can only imagine four would do the same.


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## Itty bitty Kitty

Squeeji said:


> I think the situation is that Milo is just getting too much too fast...maybe pick one or two things for him to eat, let him get used to that, and then start adding more to his diet. But as it is, he's getting four very different complex foods that all together probably aren't agreeing with him. Keep it simple at first until his stool evens out and then add something new. If that makes sense?
> 
> My cats always get a little off in the litterbox department when I switch one food...so I can only imagine four would do the same.



Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

I think you're right, so I'm going to stick with just Fresh Pet for now until he's adjusted. The only downside is my mom keeps sneaking in dry food for him. How long should I have him eating the same food before I consider adding and mixing?


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## Squeeji

Itty bitty Kitty said:


> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
> 
> I think you're right, so I'm going to stick with just Fresh Pet for now until he's adjusted. The only downside is my mom keeps sneaking in dry food for him. How long should I have him eating the same food before I consider adding and mixing?


I would wait until his stools go back to normal, for at least a week or two before trying anything else. If you try something new, don't just throw it in the bowl by itself but mix it with what is already working for them. Usually 50/50...or so and keep adding more and more of the new stuff until he can eat the new stuff by itself without getting toothpaste poos. Hopefully Milo will be able to keep eating the new stuff and the old stuff after that.

As for the BB, I know dry isn't ideal for cats (I feed mostly wet myself but have a bowl of dry out to keep them from destroying my house if they see the foodbowl empty), if Milo did really well on the BB dry maybe that should be the staple you add to? Or did he do best on the freshpet by itself? Just pick the one you've had best luck with and add from there.


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## MollyWoppy

I have a cat, but since she is my first cat ever, I don't profess to know too much about them. I just want to say though, that my cat Windy, has blood in her urine, (you can't see it, but urine tests pick it up), which means she has crystals in her bladder. Or a kidney disease. So, if she would eat wet food, whether it was canned, raw, cooked, pre-made raw, anything wet, I would be on my knees thanking the Gods. (She will only eat kibble, and a touch of cat mouthed sized raw chicken).
I would be very happy to put up with toothpaste poops. If I were you, I'd stick with the wet food he likes and willingly eat. I don't think dry kibble is natural or a good diet at all for cats. 
Wish I was you!


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## Itty bitty Kitty

Oh Windy, poor baby girl. I assume she doesn't eat watered/soaked kibble?

Honestly I have no problem with the toothpaste either, I just need to make sure if its healthy or not. Should consistent toothpaste poo be any cause of alarm? He has never vomited before or had runny/ watery stools. He still eats the same, excluding the day he came back from the vet and he's always very lively. For the most part he has 1 bowel movement but will sometimes have two in the same time frame. 

Regardless I intend on sticking with wet food, I don't believe kibble is good for them either. My biggest challenge is my mom, she is under the impression kibble is more balanced and cleans teeth. She still gives it to him behind my back and I'm sure when I'm gone (I will be moving back to NC and my parents agreed to look after Milo until my husband and I can get an apartment/ job) she still will. I just hope he's fed mostly Fresh Pet and she won't turn him I to a kibble junkie 




MollyWoppy said:


> I have a cat, but since she is my first cat ever, I don't profess to know too much about them. I just want to say though, that my cat Windy, has blood in her urine, (you can't see it, but urine tests pick it up), which means she has crystals in her bladder. Or a kidney disease. So, if she would eat wet food, whether it was canned, raw, cooked, pre-made raw, anything wet, I would be on my knees thanking the Gods. (She will only eat kibble, and a touch of cat mouthed sized raw chicken).
> I would be very happy to put up with toothpaste poops. If I were you, I'd stick with the wet food he likes and willingly eat. I don't think dry kibble is natural or a good diet at all for cats.
> Wish I was you!


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## MollyWoppy

For what it's worth, my friends dog always had soft poop on fresh pet. Have you thought of trying A balanced premade raw like natures variety, one balanced for cats. I know they do sample packs to see if the cat likes it or not. You could try a chicken wing bashed with a hammer to see if he'd eat that for teeth cleaning. Have you had bloodwork done on him? 
And, no, to my everlasting dismay, windy wont touch anything wet, wet kibble included. I know with UTI's, the single best thing you can do for them is to get the max amount of moisture you can into their diet.


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## SuperPug

I believe it may also bee a case of too much too fast. When you started 100% Fresh Pet, you doubled how much he ate.


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## Itty bitty Kitty

Sorry for the late reply.

Good news everyone! Turns out it was him adjusting to the change since he's been used to eating at random intervals outside prior to being taken in. So it was his first week having solid and persistent food. His stools firmed up to normal  Thank you all for your reassurance and feedback! <3


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## Itty bitty Kitty

MollyWoppy said:


> For what it's worth, my friends dog always had soft poop on fresh pet. Have you thought of trying A balanced premade raw like natures variety, one balanced for cats. I know they do sample packs to see if the cat likes it or not. You could try a chicken wing bashed with a hammer to see if he'd eat that for teeth cleaning. Have you had bloodwork done on him?
> And, no, to my everlasting dismay, windy wont touch anything wet, wet kibble included. I know with UTI's, the single best thing you can do for them is to get the max amount of moisture you can into their diet.


I still have yet to find any premade raw stuff locally. I know I found a couple of shops in NC, so I'll definitely be picking up some stuff there when I take Milo with me. I need to brush up on my raw-feeding research and study here, but, I can't mix cooked food and raw mixed together right? Or at the very least they have to be served separately, say Frespet int he morning then raw at dinner?

For bloodwork, the vet drew out a sample and said there were no problems. As for his teeth, for now I'm trying to train him to tolerate teeth brushing. Thankfully he may have made my job easier since I've introduced the brush as a toy. He loves tossing it around and chewing at the bristles and handles by himself! and I haven't even put the toothpaste on! lol So let's hope that will be a worthy substitute until I can give him raw  

and aw, Windy! Windy why you so picky!? D: Cats and their finickiness, I swear! Does she manage to drink plenty of water? I've found setting up drinkwells help encourage them to drink more


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## SuperPug

Are you willing to get a grinder and grind the meat yourself? It may actually be cheaper in the long run than the premade raw.


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## Itty bitty Kitty

Oh! Now THAT I would certainly love to do! Do you have any meat types you'd recommend for a first timer? Though i may have to wait until I move out, lol my mom thinks raw will kill the cat. 



SuperPug said:


> Are you willing to get a grinder and grind the meat yourself? It may actually be cheaper in the long run than the premade raw.


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## SuperPug

Itty bitty Kitty said:


> Oh! Now THAT I would certainly love to do! Do you have any meat types you'd recommend for a first timer? Though i may have to wait until I move out, lol my mom thinks raw will kill the cat.


I would imagine you should start out on raw chicken. Grind it all, bone and meat. I'm will be following this Quick Start when my pup finishes off her kibble Quick Start | Prey Model Raw
I've also been reading through and following that whole site.

I heard of people not having to grind meat for their cats on a raw diet. But I would think grinding it all would be so much easier with how picky they are. My cat won't touch bones. So I'll be grinding her meat/bones.


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## mewlittle

I hope your cat feels better soon and i saw your thread on another site


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## Itty bitty Kitty

Yes, my cat is doing great now! He just needed time to adjust to everything.  thank you for the concern.




mewlittle said:


> I hope your cat feels better soon and i saw your thread on another site


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## Itty bitty Kitty

I admit I was also considering getting feeder fish or frozen feeder mice for Milo to try. Maybe sticking the fish in the tub and see how'd he react to them? Or do you think that's a step too far ahead?




SuperPug said:


> I would imagine you should start out on raw chicken. Grind it all, bone and meat. I'm will be following this Quick Start when my pup finishes off her kibble Quick Start | Prey Model Raw
> I've also been reading through and following that whole site.
> 
> I heard of people not having to grind meat for their cats on a raw diet. But I would think grinding it all would be so much easier with how picky they are. My cat won't touch bones. So I'll be grinding her meat/bones.


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## SuperPug

I think that's too far
You really want to start with a protein that won't cause upset.


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