Cat Question (kind of gross!)

[goldberry]

We got black kitty about 6 months ago. From the very first when we got her from the shelter she had...hmm...how do I say this...THE SMELLIEST POOP EVER. At that time though, DD would feed her people food behind my back. :glare: So I thought that might be the problem.

 

Our other kitty died of kidney failure recently, and so we got another kitten from the shelter. After not very much time, this kitty also developed smelly poop, but not quite as smelly as black kitty. The primary problem is in addition to the smell, it is very soft and sometimes get stuck to them and they drag it on the carpet!

 

First I stopped DD from giving her any people food. Then I changed from Cat Chow to an expensive well-reviewed food (Innova for cat/kittens). No change. Then I took poop samples to the vet to check for parasites - nothing.

 

We are getting new carpet this fall, and I cannot proceed until I figure this out! I am totally grossed out by them dragging poop on the carpet, and can't stand the thought of them doing that to new carpet.

 

Any ideas? Just keep changing food? Any ideas about food, since the one I got is supposed to be good?

 

Kitties are in great health otherwise, super active, shiny coats, etc

 

Please help!

 

(PS, thanks for reading a "smelly poop" thread!;))

[Giraffe]

Well, whenever my kitties had smelly poop it was the result of what we were feeding them. I will NEVER EVER EVER feed a cat Purina One again! We've had good results with Iams, but every cat is different. Are you sure your DD is not feeding people food at all? That would be my immediate guess. After that, I would switch foods again.

 

Does the vet have any suggestions?

[Pawz4me]

Have they been checked for worms?

[goldberry]

Yes, just checked for worms and nothing. Vet had no ideas expect keep switching food until something works. But everytime you switch it's a process to change over. I could spend months!

 

I want my carpet... (said in a whiny voice)

[Giraffe]

Yes, just checked for worms and nothing. Vet had no ideas expect keep switching food until something works. But everytime you switch it's a process to change over. I could spend months!

 

I want my carpet... (said in a whiny voice)

 

Why is it a process? I just feed the new food (she says naively....)

[Pawz4me]

Are you free feeding? Sometimes overeating can cause loose stools.

 

And have both kittens had loose stools while eating the same food? It doesn't seem likely to me that two kittens would react badly to the same food.

 

If they were mine and I was going to switch foods again, I'd look for something that's limited ingredient. Innova is a great food, but it has lots of things in it. Fewer ingredients means less chance they'll react to something. California Natural is a limited ingredient brand of food made by the same company as Innova, but it can be harder to find. You might also look for something that's meant for cats with sensitive skin/digestion. Contrary to the experience of a previous poster, one of my cats has IBD and does fabulously on Purina One sensitive systems dry cat food.

Edited September 12, 2012 by Pawz4me

[goldberry]

Why is it a process? I just feed the new food (she says naively....)

 

They say you are supposed to add the new food gradually with the old over two weeks until you are switched over. Does no one really do that?

[Pawz4me]

They say you are supposed to add the new food gradually with the old over two weeks until you are switched over. Does no one really do that?

 

I only do it when I know a pet has a sensitive digestion (like my IBD cat). Otherwise I do a cold turkey switch. Almost all of my pets are used to eating a wide variety of pet and healthy human foods and have cast iron stomachs.

[StephanieZ]

Back to the vet you go. :)

 

I suggest going ahead and trying another diet. Give it 2-4 weeks, and then try again if no significant improvment.

 

Try canned, and try a "limited ingredient" food. For cats, I like canned, and I like high protein.

 

If your cats are not on a routine dewormer, ask the vet about going on AdvantageMulti or Revolution monthly and/or doing a few doses of dewormer. No harm in deworming even if they didn't find parasites on the fecals. (You can't always find them on fecal exam.) I'd go ahead and do a broad spectrum dewormer for sure.

[Dory]

Blue buffalo is a good brand if they have sensitivities and go grain free (cats don't normally eat grain anyway). I would give them just a little yogurt with their food to re-build their guts. I'm guessing the lower quality cat food was hard on the system and because they are young, they are having a hard time recovering from that.

[BrookValley.]

I don't think Iams is any better quality than Cat Chow, but I may be a total pet food snob, so take that as you will. ;) I have cat with IBD, and putting him on a limited ingredient, grain-free diet worked MIRACLES. He came to us eating Purina One, and his digestive troubles were so bad he was in pain every time he had to use the litterbox. He eventually developed litter box aversion and started pooping outside the litterbox. If you think the smelly poop is an issue, trust me, having a kitty that poops elsewhere is a road you don't want to travel down! :ack2: I would highly suggest trying a truly high-quality food. At least ditch any with grain, that's for sure.

 

The one my kitty is on is Nature's Variety Instinct Turkey Meal Formula. There are a few others out there. At the suggestion of my veterinarian, we tried a diet that didn't have any of the proteins he'd already been regularly exposed to. So, chicken and fish were out, and turkey it ended up being. After a few weeks (and you may need to give it a few weeks), he finally had normal stools and no more digestive upset. We were eventually able to smooth out his litter box troubles, too. It was truly only because the poor cat was associating pain with going in the box.

 

ETA: Ignore my first sentence. I see the OP said she switched to Innova, not Iams. Apparently I can't read today. :) I would still suggest at least going grain-free, if not trying a single protein, limited ingredient diet for awhile!

Edited September 12, 2012 by BrookValley

[Unicorn.]

They say you are supposed to add the new food gradually with the old over two weeks until you are switched over. Does no one really do that?

 

Only with dogs, and even then, not so much. :D Are they indoor only cats? You might look into kitty grass for them, in case they have stomach aches/issues.

[Dory]

They say you are supposed to add the new food gradually with the old over two weeks until you are switched over. Does no one really do that?

 

I don't do that. For dogs or cats that are new here, on the first couple switches I add a little Metamucil to their first couple dishes to help them out. I have found that my dogs and cats with sensitivities do better if the diet varies from week to week, and I never change them over slowly.

[mchel210]

I switched both my cats to Natural balance. I can switch between indoor and regular both in pink bags and I have had no issues. They get nothing additional to eat. NO wet foods, people food ...or treats. They are fine. I only give the measured amounts. I havent had issues with poopies since we started this food.

 

I also had been given I believe L-Lysine granules from the adoption people for my kitty when she was adjusting. It just got added into the food and really helped her. I added it in her food when she had upset tummy.

 

Sorry I have no answers for you...hope you figure it out.

[Dobela]

What kind of cat litter are you using? Some litters can upset digestive systems in cats when they lick the dust off paws later.

[plain jane]

Switch your cat to a raw diet!

 

After switching our cat to raw meat we've never had a problem (ever!) with poop stuck to its rear end or any gross things like that. (Yes, this was a big issue before and the #1 reason for going raw with our kitty.) The litter box has minimal smell and the cat doesn't smell "catty." Plus, the poops just dry out and turn sort of dusty. I've had people come over and be very surprised we have a cat. Kitty also has nice breath and no farts, which, let me tell you, is a VERY welcome change. Hairballs have also never been an issue. Only once the last 3 years has the cat coughed or done anything to remotely suggest hairballs.

 

It's been over 2 years of raw now and while it is more expensive, we'll never go back.

 

Here's some of the health benefits for feeding cats a raw diet:

Improved digestion

Greatly reduced stool odor and volume

Healthy coat, less shedding, fewer hairballs

Increased energy

Weight loss, if overweight

Better dental health

Better urinary health

[goldberry]

Switch your cat to a raw diet!

 

After switching our cat to raw meat we've never had a problem (ever!) with poop stuck to its rear end or any gross things like that. (Yes, this was a big issue before and the #1 reason for going raw with our kitty.) The litter box has minimal smell and the cat doesn't smell "catty." Plus, the poops just dry out and turn sort of dusty. I've had people come over and be very surprised we have a cat. Kitty also has nice breath and no farts, which, let me tell you, is a VERY welcome change. Hairballs have also never been an issue. Only once the last 3 years has the cat coughed or done anything to remotely suggest hairballs.

 

It's been over 2 years of raw now and while it is more expensive, we'll never go back.

 

Here's some of the health benefits for feeding cats a raw diet:

Improved digestion

Greatly reduced stool odor and volume

Healthy coat, less shedding, fewer hairballs

Increased energy

Weight loss, if overweight

Better dental health

Better urinary health

 

Do you have to deal with actual raw meat?

 

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! (I told DD I was getting some advice from my homeschool board..she was like, "ok...homeschool moms are cat experts also?" :D I said, "honey, they are EVERYTHING experts!")

[fraidycat]

I had forgotten how stinky our cats' poop was a few months back until DH went to get cat food and got the old brand. He didn't realize I had switched them. Oooooooooooooooohhhhh, this week - They just about stunk us out of the house! :ack2::ack2:

 

Does the gratuitous use of "O"s and "H"s help to explain how absolutely nasty the smell was? I hope so. Half of the house stunk. You could smell the litter box from two rooms away.

 

Anyway. Last night, I tossed the rest of the other stuff and went and picked up some of the "new" that we'd be using for a couple months again. Blue Buffalo. We can actually walk in the same end of the house that the litter box is again.

[GailV]

Do you have to deal with actual raw meat?

 

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! (I told DD I was getting some advice from my homeschool board..she was like, "ok...homeschool moms are cat experts also?" :D I said, "honey, they are EVERYTHING experts!")

 

When we did raw (which was with a cat who has since died of old age) I used raw meat, and had a product I ordered online that I mixed into it.

 

I've noticed that Whole Foods has/had some sort of frozen raw food. I think the Upscale Locally Owned Pet Food store has/had something like that too. But maybe it was for dogs rather than cats -- the store is actually a dog treat bakery that also sells premium pet food.

 

There are entire websites devoted to this, by the way. It's quite a rabbit hole to tumble into.

 

ETA: That cat needed raw due to various health issues, plus she happened to really like raw meat. Our other cat didn't, so when Cat A passed away we went back to canned.

[Brigitte]

One of our cats was like that as a kitten. Our vet had us give her a tsp-TBS of yogurt everyday. Within days it cleared up. We did the same with the kittens we got in 2011. Now we have 3 yogurt addicted cats in the house (they go bonkers when they hear you open the container). It might be worth a try for you.

[Ruby Rose]

:nopity:

"Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,

What are they feeding you?

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat

It's not your fault?"

 

-Phoebe Buffay from Friends

 

Sorry, I HAD to! :tongue_smilie:

[Tap]

Do they lick each other? Could they be reacting to something on their skin? Cat shampoo? Flea medicine?

 

 

Do they eat bugs? Could they be playing with or snacking on insects that have been poisoned?

 

 

What about liquids in their diet? Milk? Water?

 

In humans, sticky smelly poo is often due to a high fat diet, bacteria or malabsorbsion issues.

[Dina in Oklahoma]

Blue buffalo is a good brand if they have sensitivities and go grain free (cats don't normally eat grain anyway). I would give them just a little yogurt with their food to re-build their guts. I'm guessing the lower quality cat food was hard on the system and because they are young, they are having a hard time recovering from that.

 

:iagree:We just switched to Blue Buffalo for our dog with digestive problems and have had GREAT results! Also, the yogurt worked to get her back in balance. Just be certain it is ALL NATURAL PLAIN yogurt.

 

 

Hope you find an answer soon!

Edited September 13, 2012 by Dina in Oklahoma

[Dina in Oklahoma]

:nopity:

"Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,

What are they feeding you?

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat

It's not your fault?"

 

-Phoebe Buffay from Friends

 

Sorry, I HAD to! :tongue_smilie:

:rofl::rofl::smilielol5::smilielol5:

[nukeswife]

My cat is on Nutro Natural Choice indoor cat dry food and it's been great. I tried all the supposedly better grain free foods and he wouldn't touch them at all. The Blue Buffalo was the worst, it stunk so bad and then the cat wouldn't eat for 3 days, the BB rep at the store was amazed because he said he'd never had anyone return the grain free, usually the pickiest cats would still eat that.

 

I did try canned food but he's even more picky about that and it's a texture thing, if it's not Pate then he won't eat it. He doesn't have dental issues so the only thing I can think of is that he's 7 years old and set in his ways (although we've only had him a bit over a year)

 

I did notice that when we tried arm and hammar litter it didn't seem to deal with the stink as much. I recently switched to the Breeze litter box system and it's awesome, the only time it smells is right after he poops and then you have to be right by the box, after about 2-3 minutes it doesn't smell anymore and it never smells when he pees. I know some cats take time to transition to this box because it uses pellets so for some cats they need time to get used to the feel of the new texture.

[MamaJ & BabyK]

:nopity:

"Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,

What are they feeding you?

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat

It's not your fault?"

 

So funny! I think of this song EVERY time I clean the litter box :rofl:

:lol::lol:

[goldberry]

:nopity:

"Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,

What are they feeding you?

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat

It's not your fault?"

 

-Phoebe Buffay from Friends

 

Sorry, I HAD to! :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol::lol: I had totally forgotten about that!

[Hope in God]

You need to put the kitten on a grain free food with no chicken.

 

For some reasons dogs and cats tend to react to grains (I would avoid dairy, soy and corn as well as gluten) and the smell is the CHICKEN. They cannot digest it. If you google chicken and cat food you will get a lot of info on how bad it is for cats.

 

My kitten has begun to thrive on Orijen Fish Formula ( http://orijen.ca/products/six_fish_cat ) before this food he was very sick. My guess is that any grain free, chicken free food will fix the problem.

[Jpoy85]

My 2 cats dont have smelly poops, just A LOT! My friend has 5 cats and she doesnt clean out her litter box nearly as much as i do. I HATE HATE HATE cleaning out the litter box. :glare:

[CupOCoffee]

One of our new kitties has these issues! AAMOF, we just took him to the vet tonight. When we first brought them home, they tested for coccidia and were treated for 10 days. A 10th day poop check came back clear. But one kitty, his poop is stinky and looks like pudding. Vet wanted him checked out; she tested for giardia tonight, and that was negative.

 

She sent us home with a 1 month supply of special food (Hills prescription gastro), and a pro biotic. If he doesn't clear up in a month, she will do bloodwork to determine if there is anything worse wrong with him.

 

So I am seeing a pattern here of digestive issues and food with grains/chicken. Several of you have also said feeding yogurt...hmmm...gotta be cheaper than the stuff the vet charged me for.

 

We will do the special food, we paid for it. I hope we can clear up his issues. I will be coming back to this thread for more ideas!

[goldberry]

Thank you all! Problem solved!

 

Switched kitty to Natural Balance Pea and Salmon Limited Ingredient Diet. No grains, no chicken (figured I would knock both of them out at once). For a treat she yets a spoon of plain yogurt, which she loves.

 

It's been about 3 weeks, and no more smelly cat! Bring on the new carpet!

 

Thanks, everyone!