# Kitten has black poop stools and on raw food diet



## hello_edie (Jan 16, 2016)

Hi all! I am new to the forum and was hoping some of you could help. Every now and again, my kitten will have black stools (well formed, not tarry). The other times it would be a dark brown. There is no smell whatsoever and she is otherwise acting normally. Should I be concerned or is this normal?

My cat
8.5 month old pure breed Russian Blue kitten.

Diet
Natural Instincts complete raw food. She alternates between beef & chicken, and venison. Fed twice a day (total 150g). She is currently on venison. After playtime with Flying Frenzy, I will feed her about 4-5 pieces of Science Plan kitten kibble as a reward.

Behaviour
Acting normally. Very active, loving, and needy (!).

Poop history

On raw and per day, an average 1 poop a day + 2-3 good sized wee balls
Well formed, varies from medium/dark brown to black
No smell whatsoever! Doesn't appear to strain in the box.
Health history

Fed a raw food diet & science plan kibble by the breeder
Was on science plan kibble for first two weeks since we got her at 5 months.
Fully transitioned to NI raw food from about 6 months of age. Fed Applaws grain free kibble when we run out.
At 7-months, she vomited 2 days in a row when we switched the flavour to Natural Instinct chicken & lamb. Stopped and gave her kibble exclusively for a few days as we were out of the other flavours.
Poop accident! She was yowling in the room (at first we thought it was just attention) and she pooped on our bed! Soft and smelly stool. Apparently they do this if they associate the litter box with pain, poor thing  I suspect both the lamb, and kibble is too harsh for her sensitive tummy.
Pooped on our bed again a few days later, this time the diarrhoea was runnier and had red blood. Took her to the vet immediately with stool sample and all tests (parasites, culture test) came back clear. Just a tiny bit of e.coli which the vet said was normal. She was put on antibiotics + given a shot of Vitamin B. Vet suspects it was just the change in diet (we are new cat owners and sadly didn't realise you had to transition them slowly). She was put on Science Plan prescription I/D for a few days, and now re-transitioned back to raw with no problems.

Side note: sometimes she has a gagging reflex after she eats.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Stools can be black on raw fed if there is a lot of iron in the diet. Do you notice the colour of the stools changes according to which type of meat you are feeding? 

With regards to the gagging - does this happen when she eats kibble? Or just when she eats raw? Again, is it connected with feeding her a particular meat? Is she gulping her food, eating too fast ? Do you feed her chunks of meat to gnaw as well as minced up meat?


----------



## TallulahCat (Dec 31, 2015)

That looks like a healthy poop to me. There will be some natural variation in the raw food which will affect the colour. 

She's very cute x


----------



## hello_edie (Jan 16, 2016)

Thanks for the reply!

Chillminx, yes now that I think about it, it tends to be more common with the venison. But I can't say for sure, although I will monitor it now. The gagging happens only very rarely and only with raw (not kibble). It sees to be with red meats again. All the meat is minced for now as it comes in a tub. Not sure what is fast (new cat owner!), but I would say that she takes about 2–3 minutes to eat a 60-75g serving.


----------



## Sh N (Dec 2, 2015)

Thats the poop standard I want Maya to have!  and thats a very very cute cat! 
My Maya has poop issues (blood in it) when she transitions from food- the vet put this down to a sensitive stomach. Dry kibble gave her blood- and we have cut it out completely from her diet. I'm transitioning her to the HKC foods and I'm having to do it super gradually as she will be irritated and pass blood if I do it very quickly.
From personal experience, I have found that chopping and changing diets too often will lead to this soft poo + bright red blood issues, and try to stick to one brand as much as I can. I also minimise any stress levels she has got and rigidly maintain a eating pattern for her. Episodes do happen, but they don't last forever, or aren't overly concerning.


----------



## VeeVee (Mar 24, 2014)

What a beauty! And thanks for your post. I've very recently switched my 2 to NI for half their food and the rest is wet food (Granatapet). I feel a bit better as Uma's poos are as large as your cat's but Alfie's are half the size. They have stopped using the litter recently for going outside and Uma finding a hidden spot in the cellar.....

Uma had a diarrhoea and bad wind after her Stronghold treatment 2 weeks ago or so. It was only her second treatment, first one was at the rescue and the second with us a couple of weeks ago. She had bad wind the first week with us and diarrhoea. She goes outside now or in the cellar under our lounge floorboards..... 

If anyone else has any idea about Stronghold and the bad tummy reaction?


----------



## Mum to Missy (Aug 13, 2013)

When I fed the Venison to my cats they sometimes gagged when eating it, I found that the Venison is very dense and quite stodgy, I added some water to it, not enough to make it sloppy, but enough to make it looser and easier to swallow. A bit like if we're eating half a dozen dry crackers, almost impossible without a drink, this cured my lot from gagging.

If your cat has a sensitive stomach maybe you are feeding to much of a variety for her to handle, I would try just sticking to one thing for now and see how she goes.


----------



## hello_edie (Jan 16, 2016)

Thanks, everyone! Mum to Missy, I put water in her venison today and she didn't gag 

VeeVee, not sure about Stronghold as I've never tried it. Hope little Uma is well soon!


----------



## pennycat (Jan 5, 2016)

Gorgeous cat!


----------

