# kittens and poo



## helen of troy (Feb 2, 2010)

hi everyone , i have recently lost both my parents within a month or so of each other and my husband bought 2 kittens for me (from separate places) to take my mind off of my loss . the first was a little 8 week old bsh cross which is very cute and easy to love and the second is a pedigree bsh. both get on fine after the initial hissing and now 2weeks later are curling up together and endlessly chasing each other . my problem is that we have 2 litter trays and both cats use them but the small cross still has diarohea and has had from day one . we have tried changing foods, amounts , times etc but nothing . the vet has now taken a sample to see whats happening but not only that its she has decided if we leave any bedroom doors open to pooh in those rooms also - twice on my sons bed ,4 times in our bedroom , 1 in my daughters . its getting too stressfull for me at the moment and i need to get it sorted or we will have to let her go - the pedigree cat is fine she is 18wks old now and the cross is 11weeks - i just dont know what to do - please can someone offer some suggestions 
thanks


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## tagalong (Jan 28, 2010)

Get the vet to test for I-Giardia -Tri -Trichonomas and Campylobacta all treatable and all can cause this problem..
in the mean time try keeping the area they play in smaller so if it happens it won't be everywhere-if necessary but some dog training pads to protect the carpets -take care to wash your hands else you will need treating too if it is a bug 
Could also be a food intolerance so cut out all milky foods -feed small meals more often and make sure the kitty is drinking water as dehydration can be a real problem with acute diarrhoea.


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

has kitty been wormed?


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

With the not pooing in the proper place problem, I would restrict the space shes allowed into until she learns to use her tray, and gradually increase that space. What I mean is restrict her to (for instance) a small bedroom and once she uses her tray only then would I give add the hallway to her available space, if she can handle the hallways and the bedroom then gradually increase the space available to her. 

As for the runs 

Does she need de-worming? (if so, then de-worm her)

Does she appear at all sick or lethargic or is her stomach tender if you touch it? (if so, see a vet)

If no to both of the above

you can try pro-kaolin, its a pro-biotic in paste form that you can get from your vets. Most kittens like it so its easy to give and it does work wonderfully well with kittens and it comes in a pre-dosed syringe so weight appropriate amounts are easy to gauge. Another thing I do with my foster kittens is.. put them on a chicken rice diet. The rice (and rice water) works wonders with binding loose stools. Get some lean chicken filet, say 2 pieces and get 1/3 of a cup of rice. Put the rice and the chicken filet together in enough water just to cover it (dont add salt!!), then bring to the boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Dont throw out the water it was cooked in put the chicken the rice and a good amount of the rice water in a blender and zap it all together into a nice mushy consistency. If you feel its to thin then you can add a little bit of cornflour (which is also great for binding loose stools). 

Normally kittens love this mush but if they dont add small amounts of her dry food (crushed) to the mixture.

I would expect the runs to cease after 24 hours on chicken rice, if they didnt I would see a vet. 

If her stools get firmer then gradually put ther back on to her normal food (starting with 25% normal food on the first day and after 4 days she should be back on her own diet.)

Watch out she doesn't get constipated, rice and rice water can do this. if you see this happening cut out the rice immediately and just give her the chicken breast.


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## PinkPaws (Jan 4, 2010)

I read somewhere that when a cat poops on your bed it's because he/she is upset. It's something to do with intruders and they do it to 'mark' the bed because the bed has the strongest scent of you and by doing this they are mixing scents and making you a 'family' again. 

This could be a big reason for the behaviour if it's not a health problem.

Hope that helps!


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## helen of troy (Feb 2, 2010)

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and we will certainly look into everyone. Just to add that she was wormed and is gaining weight, she isn't lethargic at all and is very playful with our other kitten. She does drink a lot of water and has no loss of appetite, if this helps any?

Thanks again. 
Helen


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## Bellini (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your parents. The exact same thing happened to my husband last year and it was a terrible time so first of all a huge :hug:

As for the kitten. Well, I agree about keeping their freedom limited until you find the cause of the problem. I actually found that rice upset my kitten so I have banned it from her diet and she has gotten a lot better.

She also had a bout of diarreah and sickness when she was little and she had eukanuba food for a few days (prescribed from the vet) as well as plain chicken and some probiotic powder from the vets that we sprinkled on the chicken. 

I hope your little one gets better soon.

Love Bellini xxx


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Absolutely agree it could be a food allergy or intolerance. Thats always worth keeping an open mind for. Initially though you just have to rule out the "normal kitten runs" (for sake of a better term, lol). 

if shes not ill or lethargic and shes drinking okay and she has been de-wormed and she is gaining weight then I personally wouldnt be rushing to a vet Id be trying a bland chicken/rice diet first of all, some pro-kolin paste to settle her stomach flora and see how that goes. 

I have had so many kittens over the years that come to me with the runs, and 9 times out of 10 its nothing more than moving-house blues and a bland dry diet solves it. Also make sure she gets no treats. 

I also avoid wet food (tins & pouches etc) when kittens have the runs. I stick to rice/chicken when they have the bad runs, and dry biscuit food when they have the not-so-bad runs.


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## helen of troy (Feb 2, 2010)

thanks for the advice and kind words - i have some chicken fillets ready for tomorrow for her to try a bit . she unlike the older kitten doesnt cover her poo when she does it either and winds up normally stepping in it . my husband runs his own business and doesnt have much spare time but he's frantically running round emptying litter trays and checking the kittens but even he is showing signs of despair .
someone mentioned also cleaning the area where she's fouled with something which i'll have to look back on . 
also our elder kitten now seems to have the runs but always uses the litter tray thank god .
helen


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## The Twins (Oct 11, 2009)

helen of troy said:


> thanks for the advice and kind words - i have some chicken fillets ready for tomorrow for her to try a bit . she unlike the older kitten doesnt cover her poo when she does it either and winds up normally stepping in it . my husband runs his own business and doesnt have much spare time but he's frantically running round emptying litter trays and checking the kittens but even he is showing signs of despair .
> someone mentioned also cleaning the area where she's fouled with something which i'll have to look back on .
> also our elder kitten now seems to have the runs but always uses the litter tray thank god .
> helen


When we had our two from 8 weeks old, one of them had constant runs. It took 8 weeks of stress, heartache and vet trips to sort out. I'd be careful with giving your cat rice, it made mine worse- bright yellow liquid runs, yuk! Bland cooked chicken and white fish worked with some prokolin paste. Plenty of fluids to keep them hydrated. I'd avoid dry food too. We had tests for all sorts but basically it was just irritable bowel! I now feed mine on a raw diet, it's worked wonders. I felt awful tho when it was bad runs as its so smelly and messy and upsetting. But give them time and providing its not a bug it might just be a case of persevering... Hugs to u. X


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## tagalong (Jan 28, 2010)

if they both now seem to be doing it then definitely get them tested for these protozoan and bacterial infections-cats with these do not appear unwell-yes agreed with the bland diet but it won't help if they have got these problems
the other big issue with constsnt diarrhoea is it eventually destroys the villae in the intestine which control how the food moves through intestine -once destroyed they eventually stop drowing and this makes the cat feacally incontinent
please don't think I'm trying to be alarmist but a simple test and treatment could prevent a lot of future misery for you and them -believe me I'e been there with a much loved cat who went from 4.5 kg to 1.5 kg and despite every treatment and test available and the fact that it was my vet who I worked for who did everything he could we couldn't save her .


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

I cant argue with those who say see a vet . obviously a vet can give the best advice. And "see a vet" is always the best advice.

But just like with myself or my family, I wouldnt run to the doctor immediately if I had the runs I would try some simple dietary measures first (as long as weight gain, general health, alertness and hydration werent an issue).

And it is true, what is _stomach-settling_ for one cat, might be _stomach-irritating_ for another. So it is definitely a bit of suck it and see to see which bland diet they responds to. Ive possibly become a bit used to diarrhea in kittens as I must have had literally hundreds of foster kittens over the years with diarrhea, and the vast majority of them had nothing serious and their poops firmed up after a day or two on a chicken rice diet.

BUT If you want the best advice possible, then definitely go to a vet a get some tests done. :smile5:


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## helen of troy (Feb 2, 2010)

hello again
once again thanks for the advice ,we currently have them restricted to a bedroom as you all suggest and have put a tv on for company (lol) started them on the chicken and rice yesterday and the wofted it all down . they had some more yesterday evening and again this morning . there pooh is still runny but lighter -guess thats cos the chicken and rice are white .will monitor it for the next 48hrs to see changes and let you know .if nothing then its another trip to the vets and the bank !!
many thanks helen


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## The Twins (Oct 11, 2009)

helen of troy said:


> hello again
> once again thanks for the advice ,we currently have them restricted to a bedroom as you all suggest and have put a tv on for company (lol) started them on the chicken and rice yesterday and the wofted it all down . they had some more yesterday evening and again this morning . there pooh is still runny but lighter -guess thats cos the chicken and rice are white .will monitor it for the next 48hrs to see changes and let you know .if nothing then its another trip to the vets and the bank !!
> many thanks helen


Try leaving out the rice - they really dont need it and cant digest carbs very well... that'll be whats making their poop lighter/yellower... I'd just stick to cooked chicken or fish til their tummy settles and poss get some pro-kaolin paste (you can buy it online) as thats what i gave mine and it helped lots - its like our equivalent of probiotic yogs...


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## helen of troy (Feb 2, 2010)

hi all , they ran out of rice yesterday so have just been on the chicken only ever since . Still not any progress on the solid poo front though. the only thing noticeable is the older kitten has not been doing so many ,so cutting out the rice might be a good thing i think at this stage in case its causing some constipation.
Incidentally does anyone know exactly where i can go for the prokolin paste and how much to give them and when ?we are learning so much over this site and i cant thank everyone enough . It makes us realise how lucky we were when we got our original old moggy as a kitten - she lasted 14years and only eventually had to go to the vets because she received 2 ruptured retinas and was blinded - strangely enough whilst a supposed friend looked after our house when we went on holiday - he had his kids stay with him which was clearly too much for our old cat and we had to have here put to sleep -that was 2004. we havent had once since until these two came along a few weeks back and never spoke with the "friend " since.:nonod:


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## The Twins (Oct 11, 2009)

I got the prokolin from the vet but you can buy it online - i gave mine 1ml of paste at each meal for up to a week...

http://www.petmeds.co.uk/nsearch.aspx?keywords=pro-kolin&gclid=CP3D3aCW258CFZBb4wodWXGlGw

It def really helped. If they're now on just chicken they will poop less as there is less wastage and also will take longer for them to digest. One of mine didnt go for 2 days when he was on chicken but it was fine when he did go.

Zoe


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