# Kitten loose poop at end



## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

Hey everyone,

One of my kittens seems to be having issues pooping. Her poop is solid until the end and then she has a small amount of loose stool. This has been happening for about a week, once I had to bathe her, a few times I've had to clean her bum and her feet with baby wipes, then a couple of times she's been fine. 

I haven't changed their food, she had been on extra fibre because she hasn't been emptying her anal glands. I reduced this after the time I had to bathe her but it doesn't seem to have stopped it. The only other thing I've changed is I've got then a water fountain but I've never seen them use it. 

Any idea what could be causing this?

Thanks


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## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

Anyone? 

Could she be constipated and it's making her poop out some that's not formed yet? She's still going every day though so not sure it could be that.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

What diet is she on? And what is the extra fibre you are adding?
Has she seen a vet?


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## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

Hi @moggie14, thanks for your reply. She eats grain free, they have James Wellbeloved. They had been having this and I was moving them on to Bozita but when this started I stopped the Bozita. The fibre they have is called Pro Fibre and it's in a tub of pellets.

I'm taking her sister to the vet tomorrow about something else so I'm going to mention it then.

It just happened again which is what caused my desperation. She had a normal, solid poo. Then got out of the tray and there was a blob of liquid poo on the floor and all in her fur at the back. Everything in the tray was solid. Obviously she absolutely hates me trying to clean it off and it's a nightmare.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

I'm sorry you are going through this. I don't really have any advice from experience so I'm hoping others come along with some help.
It's possible it's a parasite, if the vet recommends tests make sure they do everything as I understand some of the standard tests don't include all.
Please let me know how you get on xx


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## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

Thank you. I hadn't even considered a parasite because they only go out a couple of times a week because they are still only 8 months old. I know even indoor cats can get them though so perhaps it is that. 

I find it extra frustrating because since I got them they have had so many issues and vet trips. Giardia that took about a month to diagnose and treat, issues with anal glands, both had ear infections at the same time, one has idiopathic cystitis, one I'm currently treating with penecillin and cream for cat ache, one got stung on the nose by a wasp. It's like a never ending list that makes you feel like a bad cat parent even though there is nothing I could have done about any of them! When we went to the vet about the cat acne last week she went crazy and he couldn't even look at her chin. She's normally the most docile cat ever, it was horrible. 

I'll let you know what I can add to the list after tomorrow's trip!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Your poor kitties to have so many things wrong since you adopted them. !  You have my sympathies, it must be worrying.

The bit of loose poo at the end of a bowel movement may be the anal glands emptying. The glands empty at the end of defecation.

One of my girls has had anal gland issues since I adopted her at the age of 4 months. She had e-coli overgrowth when I got her, which may have caused inflammation around the perineal area and perhaps caused anal gland blockage. The e-coli was treated with antibiotic therapy but the anal gland problem remained. 

Like you I have been adding extra fibre to my kitty's diet and it has made her stool much firmer, which is intended to help put pressure on the anal glands to empty during defecation. But maybe once a week she still has a poo where the last half inch is soft. I think it is those times when her anal glands are emptying fully.

Perhaps the same is the case with your kitten. It is a nuisance the loose poo sticks to the fur round her bottom. I am fortunate that my cat's poo is all in the tray, but less fortunate that she scoots her bottom along the floor to clean off any 'debris' :Arghh. Though it is easily cleaned off the hard floors, but less easy to clean off the sitting room carpet!! :Yuck I dread the thought of her scooting her butt across the carpet one day in front of one my non-cat-owning visitors whilst we are enjoying a cup of tea and cake, lol!! :Shamefullyembarrased

I am still working out how to prevent these poos which are very soft at the end. Possibly the stools need to be even firmer than they are at present.

I know that veterinary experts don't approve of regular manual expression of anal glands (in cats or dogs) as it can lead to soreness and inflammation of the surrounding area and cause more trouble and blockage. Only if there is a history of anal gland infection, then regular expression may be necessary to avoid frequent courses of antibiotics being prescribed.

Are there any changes you made to kitty's diet immediately prior to the loose blobs appearing again? e.g. cat treats, cat milk etc.?

If your kitty is longhaired it may be better to carefully snip the fur away from the anus area so it is easier to clean her with a tissue or a scent free wet wipe (the type for babies). .


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## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

Hey @chillminx. Thanks for your reply. I did wonder if it could be related to her anal glands. Not sure if it's fortunate or unfortunate but she doesn't do the scooting, she just leaves it until she decides to groom herself but bless her it must be horrible :Yuck! I can see what you mean about having visitors round!

Just before it happened we upped her Bozita, I'd been slowly introducing it, she's back on none now but no change. The only other thing is I bought them a water fountain, I don't think it could be that though?

She's short haired but her belly and round her back are extra fluffy! She hates me going after her with baby wipes, I've had to start running them under the hot tap because otherwise they are so cold she won't even let me touch her. With already having the cystitis I don't want her to stress about going in the litter tray even more!

I'll see what the vet says when we go this afternoon. Hopefully there is something that can help.


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## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

So we went to the vet and he thinks the poop issues are caused by kitty's diet. I'm not really sure I agree, but what do I know. He's said that because of her cystitis she should have some urinary tract specific dry food as 80% of her diet and then only 20% can be wet, he gave me Hills I/D as the wet. This also applies to the kitten that has nothing wrong with her. Does that sound right? We haven't tried Cystaid capsules with the UTI kitten yet, I hadn't really wanted to change her diet until after that. I will give it a go but I'm not convinced.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Well if it were me I wouldn't feed the special veterinary diet to the kitten who is well. Can't see the point of that. 

So does the poorly kitten actually have a UTI? It is very unusual for a kitten to have a UTI, though not unusual for one to have cystitis. Did the vet do a urinalysis and get a urine sample cultured at the lab? Also has any evidence of stones or crystals been found in the urine?

I don't understand why 80% of her special diet needs to be dry food? The remedial contents of the special urinary tract diet are the same in both dry and wet foods but with the wet food she gets all the fluids she needs. It will be hard to get enough fluids in to her with the dry food. If it were me I would give my cat 80% wet and 20% dry but I don't want to advise you to go against your vet's advice!  You must do what you think is right.

I am not a lover of Hills foods and would prefer the Royal Canin S/O Urinary tract diet wet food, which has the same special ingredients, but is cheaper to buy in bulk than the Hills I think, and liked better by kitties.

http://www.bitiba.co.uk/shop/cats/c...8440/518292?gclid=CLmXzLzc5dECFU06GwodAckMlw#

Possible the poo problems are caused by diet - are you feeding her JWB pouches did you say? (apologies if I got that wrong..). Has she ever had 3 days of poo samples tested at the lab? If she were to have e-coli overgrowth in the bowel it is possible it could be causing a bladder problem too. It was the case with my girl when she was a kitten.


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## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

The dry food we have is called Virbac Urology for Lower Urinary Tract Diseases. Sorry, she doesn't have a UTI, they did a urine sample about a month ago and it came back bacteria free but with blood in it and so they said it was cystitis. There was also no evidence of crystals. My brain is just fried after so many things being wrong with them!

He said that he thinks Virbac is the best and they don't do a wet urinary food. I'm also concerned about dehydration because they never really drink and get most of their water from their wet food. 

Yes, they do have JWB pouches. They have been having those since I got them though, could it suddenly be causing an issue? I'm pretty sure they both had a 3 day sample sent off when they had giardia but they were only 10 weeks old then so about 6 months ago.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I think you would remember collecting 3 days of stool samples from the trays as it can be quite a messy business when there is diarrhoea! You can ask the vet for a copy of the lab report giving the results. It would be very useful to know exactly what was tested for.

I would _*never ever*_ put a kitty with cystitis on a mainly dry food diet. In fact I always recommend cutting out dry food altogether when there is a bladder problem. Sometimes just the simple act of cutting out ALL dry food can be enough to clear up the cystitis for good. Have you tried cutting out all dry food to see how she is ?

Foods can suddenly cause an issue sometimes. Eating the same food every day can cause a sensitivity to develop, though perhaps not likely in a young kitten. Can you remind me - has the kitty been on the plain boiled chicken diet for several days with no improvement in her stools consistency? If not, that would be the first thing I'd do.


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## jemfiddlesticks (Aug 19, 2016)

When they were originally tested when they had diarrhoea it was at the vets attached to the rescue I got them from. I might be able to get the report from them. 

I asked the vet whether dry food was really the best option for cystitis and he said normally no but this dry food was better than non-urology wet food. I've never cut out all dry food, I've cut down but never removed it all completely. 

I got really cross about the whole thing today and rang the vet to talk to him and just ended up more cross. He told me the dry food is a long term solution and wouldn't help her with the cystitis right now anyway. SO WHY AM I FEEDING IT TO HER?! So basically I've binned it off, I'm feeding her wet with Cystaid capsules sprinkled on twice a day and I'm going to see how she goes from a weeing point of view. 

From the pooping side, I'm feeding her the Hills I/D pate-like tins. One thing I would say about her recent poops that we've been having issues with is they smell foul. Absolutely hideous. I haven't done the plain boiled chicken diet this time round, I definitely could do though. 

I'm considering taking her to a different vet because I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. My friend came with me when I took her on Saturday and said she thought he was unnecessarily rough with her too .


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sounds like a different vet might be a good idea! I could not stay with a vet who handled my cats roughly or without proper respect.  It would destroy my confidence in him/her. Hopefully you can find a vet who is tuned in to cats.

You could try kitty on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal wet food. I know lots of people find it very helpful if their cat has chronic diarrhoea. It is a similar recipe to Hills I/D. I have not heard that stools are smelly on this food. I think Hills ID contains a prebiotic which may be why the stools are smelly.

http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/royal...line-gastro-intestinal-wet-48x100g-pouch.html


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## Lilypops (Sep 23, 2016)

Sorry you are having problems , i have a kitten who has had constant poo problems on and off , and had vet visits, she is okay at the minute but the gastro wet pouches were a god send when she was at her worst it sorted her out in a few days, ask your new vet about them , but buy online as they are not cheap, i also found that raw beef mince settled her tummy and she loved it so now she has raw meat for every meal after weaning of the gastro, she did have the wellbeloved lamb pouches for a while she was okay for a month or two then her symptoms started again , she just has raw now, but i can recommend the royal canin gastro pouches as a temporary measure , poo went to normal after a few days.


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## KARYN SANDIFORD (Aug 21, 2019)

Lilypops said:


> Sorry you are having problems , i have a kitten who has had constant poo problems on and off , and had vet visits, she is okay at the minute but the gastro wet pouches were a god send when she was at her worst it sorted her out in a few days, ask your new vet about them , but buy online as they are not cheap, i also found that raw beef mince settled her tummy and she loved it so now she has raw meat for every meal after weaning of the gastro, she did have the wellbeloved lamb pouches for a while she was okay for a month or two then her symptoms started again , she just has raw now, but i can recommend the royal canin gastro pouches as a temporary measure , poo went to normal after a few days.


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## KARYN SANDIFORD (Aug 21, 2019)

Hi, I wondered how you got on with this? I'm a Ragdoll breeder and have never had any problems with any kitties but two that went to their new home three weeks ago have been getting the same problem, ok pops but every couple of days they have runny watery poo at the end and it gets on the fur around back side and can be messy. They have had same diet of 
*Purina Pro Plan Original Kitten with Chicken Dry all their lives, but the new owner has given them filtered water but I just gave them tap unfiltered tap water and never had any problems. The outcome of your experience with this problem would be very helpful thanks!*


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello @KARYN SANDIFORD - just to say, before Lilypops responds : watery stools can sometimes be due to overflow constipation. It depends on the consistency of the entire stool whether it is diarrhoea or constipation.

For cats or kittens with diarrhoea the solution is a bland home cooked chicken drumstick diet, with the cooking juices (stock) added. Nothing else except water (it doesn't matter if it is filtered or tap water, important thing is clean, fresh water). For maximum nutrients I pot roast the chicken drumsticks in the oven, (in a roasting pan with 4 cms ot water added for stock, covered with baking foil and cooked for one hour at gas mark 5. )

The kittens may not pass stools for a couple of days on this bland diet, but as soon as they do, they should be gradually transferred back to a cat food diet. A wet diet (or mainly wet food) is best for them, as it will ensure they are getting enough fluids with their food.


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## KARYN SANDIFORD (Aug 21, 2019)

chillminx said:


> Hello @KARYN SANDIFORD - just to say, before Lilypops responds : watery stools can sometimes be due to overflow constipation. It depends on the consistency of the entire stool whether it is diarrhoea or constipation.
> 
> For cats or kittens with diarrhoea the solution is a bland home cooked chicken drumstick diet, with the cooking juices (stock) added. Nothing else except water (it doesn't matter if it is filtered or tap water, important thing is clean, fresh water). For maximum nutrients I pot roast the chicken drumsticks in the oven, (in a roasting pan with 4 cms ot water added for stock, covered with baking foil and cooked for one hour at gas mark 5. )
> 
> The kittens may not pass stools for a couple of days on this bland diet, but as soon as they do, they should be gradually transferred back to a cat food diet. A wet diet (or mainly wet food) is best for them, as it will ensure they are getting enough fluids with their food.


Thanks for the swift reply and also for the info., 
I'll pass on your suggestions and fingers crossed it's all ok x


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## Aleena Saeed (Apr 30, 2021)

Have you found out the cause? I'm desperate to find an asnwer for this anywhere on the internet but I can not. Please do update



jemfiddlesticks said:


> When they were originally tested when they had diarrhoea it was at the vets attached to the rescue I got them from. I might be able to get the report from them.
> 
> I asked the vet whether dry food was really the best option for cystitis and he said normally no but this dry food was better than non-urology wet food. I've never cut out all dry food, I've cut down but never removed it all completely.
> 
> ...


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## SmudgethePC (Feb 8, 2021)

I'm interested in a solution too as our kitty has similar issues. Initially was on whiskers wet kitten food and was generally fine. Then tried to move to Bozita but found that it resulted in a liquid mess, once in a blue moon it was good but mostly not. Now trying to introduce thrive wet (boiled chicken + 1 teaspoon of thrive) and has been on that for the last 2 days and that is not great as towards the end it leaves a little stuck on and runny towards the end. Going to continue with thrive and see how it goes but if that fails, then might just have to stick with Whiskers 

I have plain pumpkin in tins so might try adding that with each meal, but not sure if it's a good long term solution and if it can be fed with each meal.

Everything else has been stopped. Only treats he has is the thrive freeze dried chicken. 

Feel so bad for smudge, esp cos he's a white long haired kitten!


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## Aleena Saeed (Apr 30, 2021)

SmudgethePC said:


> I'm interested in a solution too as our kitty has similar issues. Initially was on whiskers wet kitten food and was generally fine. Then tried to move to Bozita but found that it resulted in a liquid mess, once in a blue moon it was good but mostly not. Now trying to introduce thrive wet (boiled chicken + 1 teaspoon of thrive) and has been on that for the last 2 days and that is not great as towards the end it leaves a little stuck on and runny towards the end. Going to continue with thrive and see how it goes but if that fails, then might just have to stick with Whiskers
> 
> I have plain pumpkin in tins so might try adding that with each meal, but not sure if it's a good long term solution and if it can be fed with each meal.
> 
> ...


I'm so sorry to read this. I absolutely understand how frustrating and sad it is to not know the cause. My cats pass stools at one time that are fine, but the next time will be soft towards the end then the normal stool and so on. Has been going on fir almost 10 days now.
The vet says it might be due to food allergies but they're not eating anything new and their diets arent 100% similar.


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## SmudgethePC (Feb 8, 2021)

Aleena Saeed said:


> I'm so sorry to read this. I absolutely understand how frustrating and sad it is to not know the cause. My cats pass stools at one time that are fine, but the next time will be soft towards the end then the normal stool and so on. Has been going on fir almost 10 days now.
> The vet says it might be due to food allergies but they're not eating anything new and their diets arent 100% similar.


Glad to know that I am not the only one in this boat! 
Whats your next idea or plan on this? Are you looking to move onto a special diet? 
Our plan is boiled chicken and continue with thrive to make sure it doesnt require sometime to settle in. If the next two poos are still runny, I might try with a teaspoon of pumpkin and if that fails, I will be officially giving up and doing chicken + whiskers and then move back to whiskers fully. 
It's just that I don't want to feed my kitty whiskers (It's not great but people have and do and there are no signs that it's "bad" ) He doesn't love it esp after I've seen how fast he gobbled down thrive and Bozita previously.


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## Aleena Saeed (Apr 30, 2021)

SmudgethePC said:


> Glad to know that I am not the only one in this boat!
> Whats your next idea or plan on this? Are you looking to move onto a special diet?
> Our plan is boiled chicken and continue with thrive to make sure it doesnt require sometime to settle in. If the next two poos are still runny, I might try with a teaspoon of pumpkin and if that fails, I will be officially giving up and doing chicken + whiskers and then move back to whiskers fully.
> It's just that I don't want to feed my kitty whiskers (It's not great but people have and do and there are no signs that it's "bad" ) He doesn't love it esp after I've seen how fast he gobbled down thrive and Bozita previously.


I don't know what to do next. I too was thinking of giving them both just boiled chicken along with their regular kibble but none of them likes boiled chicken at all. What bothers me the most is that the soft stools are intermittent, I even had one cat on Flagyl syrup for 3 days on the advice of my vet, didn't make any difference. One if these 2 eats whiskas wet, it has never caused any issues to her. If it's food related it can be either the kibbles they both eat or the similar wet food they both have, the royal canin persian wet food.
I can't tell you how stressful it is, everytime running to the litter box and literally praying their stools are normal, when they aren't I start losing it and imagine every stupid thing that can be a cause. I have informed the vet today again. He told me that slightly soft stools are acceptable in cats if they're eating and playing normally.
When this happens to my sisters kittens, she reduces the amount of wet food she gives them, that helps them both.


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## SmudgethePC (Feb 8, 2021)

I know the feeling of chasing them around after a poo with wet wipes to the ready (during conf calls and during the night!) . I'll report back if the pumpkin helps as I've heard this increases the fibre intake to firm up the stools. 

Steamed fish could be alternative if they don't like chicken? I also have some thrive freeze dried tuna, which stinks, but crumbling some of that ontop of the chicken gets him interested again.


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## ktyvasilescu (May 30, 2020)

my cat had diarrhea when he was a kitten which turned out to be Tritrichomonas Foetus which took two courses to resolve but even after his stools were never perfect which on and off soft stools and sometimes they were half soft haft formed but the vet didn’t seem too worried about it. I’ve tried different brands (CF, Granatapet, Feringa) and his stools improved but always had the odd soft poo I have recently transitioned him on raw and to my surprise his pops are rock hard now


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## Aleena Saeed (Apr 30, 2021)

Fish actually isn't good for the long run. They might get hooked on it, when I gave my cat tuna on a bland food, she'd only eat the tuna. I'm thinking kibble might be the culprit. One of the 2 didn't have kibble in the evening and at night as she usually does but did have her regular wet food like daily and she hasn't passed any stools before sleeping at the end of the day, usually she passes a soft one at that time or 2 3 soft ones.
Also, the ither cat only ate whiskas early in the morning an hour after passing the stools and 2 hours after whiskas she had kibbles. Now after 10 and a half hours from her last poop she again pooped. It was one firm segmented stool plus some mushy poo covering it.
I gave her some egg yolk now. She's having food almost after 8 hours and will give her chicken after 8


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## Aleena Saeed (Apr 30, 2021)

ktyvasilescu said:


> my cat had diarrhea when he was a kitten which turned out to be Tritrichomonas Foetus which took two courses to resolve but even after his stools were never perfect which on and off soft stools and sometimes they were half soft haft formed but the vet didn't seem too worried about it. I've tried different brands (CF, Granatapet, Feringa) and his stools improved but always had the odd soft poo I have recently transitioned him on raw and to my surprise his pops are rock hard now


I do think about switching them both to raw but they won't even eat boiled  I have read many accounts where all digestive issues cleared up after being switched to raw and Dr Karen Becker advises to stop kibble first and move to completely canned. I don't know honestly what's wrong here.


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## ktyvasilescu (May 30, 2020)

Aleena Saeed said:


> I do think about switching them both to raw but they won't even eat boiled  I have read many accounts where all digestive issues cleared up after being switched to raw and Dr Karen Becker advises to stop kibble first and move to completely canned. I don't know honestly what's wrong here.


It might just be a sensitive tummy really and nothing else wrong. Mine had the intermittent soft poo for months until I changed to raw and he still was at a healthy weight and no other health issues.

Also, boiled chicken never worked for my cat- it actually made his poos worse.

I switched mine cold turkey and it worked. You can try putting some kibble on or sardines or nutritional yeast but they might take it on straight away.


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## Aleena Saeed (Apr 30, 2021)

ktyvasilescu said:


> It might just be a sensitive tummy really and nothing else wrong. Mine had the intermittent soft poo for months until I changed to raw and he still was at a healthy weight and no other health issues.
> 
> Also, boiled chicken never worked for my cat- it actually made his poos worse.
> 
> I switched mine cold turkey and it worked. You can try putting some kibble on or sardines or nutritional yeast but they might take it on straight away.


Almost a year ago i tried giving her raw, she didn't even consider it food. Will have to slowly transition her to raw or even homemade cat food. She was actually on just home grilled chicken which I'd wash afterwards before feeding her, egg yolk once a day and kibble for almost a month and a half, her stools were perfect on it. The stool issues started almost a week after i reintroduced the wet foods of whiskas and royal canin. I had to take them away in the first place because the vet thought her swollen lower lip was because of food intolerance when it was actually because of fleas.
So I'm thinking of switching back to that diet


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## SmudgethePC (Feb 8, 2021)

So as it stands now, he's not eating his whiskers or boiled chicken. The only food he'll eat is thrive or Bozita of which both cause bottom problems. Not sure what to do now. Likely to buy other brands tomorrow and see if that helps. Looking at Royal canin (heard from a previous litter from the same breeder that this worked for them) and lillys kitchen.


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## SmudgethePC (Feb 8, 2021)

Just as an update. Back on whiskers and full on solid business with no night time worries (a plus as I value my sleep!)
Currently working on trying lillys kitchen kitten for the last day with a small spoon as it's been going well! Will continue and hopefully have something better for Smudge to eat


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