Intestinal Diet

[Lani]

My 3 older cats came to us with diarrhea. After several stool samples, Flagyl, and treatments for worms (just in case, although there was never any evidence they had them), our vet said they just have sensitive digestive systems and we should keep them on ID (Hill's intestinal diet food). When they were 8 months old I tried to gradually wean them off it and get them back on Science Diet kitten food, but by the time I got the mix up to 50/50, the diarrhea started again. So now they're 16 months old and still on ID.

Our 2 new kittens have no such issues. I'm feeding them a mix of dry Science Diet kitten food (which we were given by the SPCA when we adopted them) and dry ID. I've been splitting a small can of either Iams or Fancy Feast kitten food between them, one in the morning and one in the evening. No diarrhea at all, no matter what I feed them.

The problem I'm having now is that I only give the bigger cats canned food in the morning. We split one large can of ID between the 3 of them. But I'm giving the kittens canned food twice a day. So of course when the big cats see me going downstairs with the plates and fork, then know I'm feeding those new intruders! Yesterday we tried splitting the big can of ID between all 5 of them, giving the triplets some in the evening as well. The triplets were thrilled with that plan (they never really finished off a whole can between them anyway, so getting 1/5 each instead of 1/3 each in the morning was not an issue, and they got fed canned food in the evening again as well, so they're happy campers).  The problem is...the twins HATE the canned ID. I know the triplets aren't crazy about it either (which is why they never finish even their 1/3 of a can), but it's basically all they know, so they do eat some of it. But the twins look at me like I've lost my mind! "Who are you, and what have you done with our REAL mom who feeds us GOOD food?!!!!"

So, my question is - does anyone have experience with cats with intestinal issues?  I've tried giving the triplets Iams lamb and rice canned food, but they liked it so much that 2 of them tended to vomit after eating (from wolfing it down too fast, I think). I'm going to call the vet when they open in an hour and see if they have a different brand of food for diarrhea, but I spent a good hour last night looking online and didn't find anything.

When we finally get all 5 of the cats fully integrated, it will be easier to be able to feed them in the same room. I know Angus and Basil will try to eat what the twins are eating, if it's not ID canned. I've thought about getting some Iams lamb and rice again and mixing it in with the ID and see if that's better tolerated, both in taste and not causing vomiting or diarrhea.  I also wonder if we keep them all on ID dry, if giving them a "regular" canned meal (just 1/5 of a large can each twice a day) might not upset the triplets' apple carts, so to speak!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Lani

[mrsgreenjeens]

I don't have much experience with cats with diarrhea, but it so happens that today I was investigating where to purchase Purina Veterinary Diet for my constantly constipated kitty, and noticed there are several companies that sell RX food for gastrointestinal issues.  I don't know if you have tried them or not, but here is a website that shows the different varieties of RX foods, and who makes them.  Problem is, doesn't show the ingredients, but I guess if you were to go to each specific brand's website, you could probably then see the list of ingredients, if you are interested in what's in them.  But, the main reason thing I wanted you to see is this:

"PURINA FORTIFLORA FELINE (Nutritional Supplement)

Gastrointestinal tract conditions such as diarrhea are commonly seen in pets and are often associated with an imbalance in the intestinal microflora. Restoring microflora balance is a key component of the effective management of these conditions. FortiFlora is a nutritional supplement that contains a probiotic, Enterococcus faecium SF68, for the dietary management of pets with diarrhea. This probiotic has been shown to be safe, stable, and effective in restoring normal intestinal health and balance.

This unique supplement contains guaranteed levels of live active cultures in a digestible protein base. Sprinkle 1 packet on a pet's food daily for 30 days to achieve optimum intestinal health. It tastes so good it can be used to entice your pet to eat!"

Now, once when Sven had some teeth pulled he kept vomiting from the antibiotics the Vet had him on, so she said to feed him plain yogurt because of the probiotics in it.  He wouldn't eat it, but we found a cat food with yogurt in it, and that really helped. 

Anyway, here's the website where you can see other brands of RX gastrointestinal (and other what ails your cats) foods.  By the way, they advertise "best prices on-line for prescription pet diets", and I cannot attest to that or not, but can say that their price is exactly the same as what our Vet charges for the exact same product, and I don't have to pay for shipping from our Vet!  I was surprised to see our Vet is not overcharging on that, since I've found drugs to be far less expensive on-line!!

[mrsgreenjeens]

Oops!  Forgot to post the website...silly me.

Here it is:

http://animalhousemagazine.com

Hope this is somewhat helpful

[Lani]

Thanks Sally! I took a quick look at it, and the Hills i/d I've been getting is less expensive at my vet's office! The two other brands I saw so far that have intestinal diet foods are both more expensive than Hills.

My vet gave me some pro biotics for Basil a while back, when his diarrhea was really bad.  I'd forgotten all about that. It did seem to help, so I'll definitely look into that!

I got some Iams lamb and rice today, I'm going to try mixing a small can of that with the big can of i/d and see how the triplets like that. If they like it, and don't vomit or get diarrhea, I'll see how the twins like it. They all like the dry food, so fortunately I just have to work around the canned food.

Thanks a bunch!

Lani

[kb2zct]

I've used the Purina FortiFlora at my house several times, both canine and feline versions.  It appears to work as advertised.

Gracie, the golden retriever, developed pancreatitis, and this helped, especially as there were antibiotics in her medical care back then. 

I've used it several times with cats, too.  Again, all of my comments about it are positive.

Lani:  Did you vet every try to determine if there was any ONE ingredient causing the problems?   For  example, Maple can't have anything with salmon in it, or she gets very foul smelling bowl movements.  Little Bit can't eat dry food with corn in it (even the prescription foods with corn in them cause him to have bouts of vomiting).

If your little ones are allergic to one item, you may be able to find commercial foods that exclude it, and not have to use the very expensive prescription foods.

Mark

[Lani]

Well, mixing a small can of Iams in with their I/D didn't work. The boys did fine but an hour later poor Daisy was vomiting. I felt so guilty, I made my little girl sick! An hour after that she was chasing her brothers all over the place, so at least she didn't feel sick for long!

Mark, no, we've never considered a food allergy. At this point, I don't know that I'm even up to trying to figure it out. I hate the thought of feeding them different foods to see if any of them get sick again. They do pretty well on the i/d, even though occasionally there's still some diarrhea. The last couple of weeks there's been some, but I guess that's to be expected with the arrival of the twins. The only problem I have with i/d is that the twins hate the canned food. I suppose I can just continue to give them their canned food in a separate room indefinitely. The big problem is feeding them in the evening, when we don't feed the triplets canned food. Just getting the plates and fork downstairs is a problem! I'm afraid if I keep using a wand to get them in the bedroom, then shutting them in there, it won't be long before they stop responding to the wand.

Lani

[mrsgreenjeens]

Can you not just feed the triplets their ID canned food, twice a day, and the twins something they like?  That's what we did while integrating our new guys.  We fed the "kittens" canned kitten food, and the old guys tuna or anything we could get them to eat, since they don't really like canned food at all. 

If they prefer dry food, why not just feed them that?  Is it because of the integration process?  Can you use treats instead, or do treats give them diarrhea too?  I think Margaret has integration procedures using only dry food, for those cats who don't like canned food.  Seems to me we tried that on some days too.

[Lani]

We don't really want to give the triplets 1/3 of a can twice a day. They usually don't eat all of the can they get in the morning. I have given them some a few nights, but they seem more interested in going back downstairs and eating whatever I'm giving the twins.  Angus ate about half of his, Basil ate a little bit, and Daisy sniffed and then walked away. I'm pretty sure feeding them all together wouldn't work unless they all had the same food on their plates. They have dry food available all the time, so that's not "special." We are giving them treats now. If hubby isn't busy and can give the triplets their treats while I go downstairs to feed the twins, it's not too bad. But if he's busy (he works from home a lot), I give the triplets their treats then try to get downstairs to feed the twins. Doesn't work too well!

The reason I was trying to figure out some way to feed the triplets something they like in the evening is because I feed the twins right after the integration, so they'll associate the big cats with something good, like food. I want the triplets to associate the twins with something good too, and i/d isn't special to them. Guess they'll have to settle for treats until we think of something better.

I checked at our vet's to see if they sell the FortiFlora. They don't. I found a pretty good price on it on Amazon, so I think I'll order some from there. The info says it tastes good, so hopefully if I sprinkle that on their i/d after the evening integration, they'll consider it special!

[mrsgreenjeens]

Unless you have hubby to help you, as you say, it would probably be difficult feeding them all together, especially if the twins are eating something tempting, while the triplets are stuck with something they are not that thrilled about anyway.  You'd probably have quite a circus on your hands.

Maybe Margaret will have some suggestions here, she usually has great ideas!!

[galensgranny]

Well, mixing a small can of Iams in with their I/D didn't work. The boys did fine but an hour later poor Daisy was vomiting. I felt so guilty, I made my little girl sick! An hour after that she was chasing her brothers all over the place, so at least she didn't feel sick for long!

Mark, no, we've never considered a food allergy. At this point, I don't know that I'm even up to trying to figure it out. I hate the thought of feeding them different foods to see if any of them get sick again. They do pretty well on the i/d, even though occasionally there's still some diarrhea. The last couple of weeks there's been some, but I guess that's to be expected with the arrival of the twins. The only problem I have with i/d is that the twins hate the canned food. I suppose I can just continue to give them their canned food in a separate room indefinitely. The big problem is feeding them in the evening, when we don't feed the triplets canned food. Just getting the plates and fork downstairs is a problem! I'm afraid if I keep using a wand to get them in the bedroom, then shutting them in there, it won't be long before they stop responding to the wand.

Lani

One of my former cats, Simon, got stinky diarrhea if he ate any food with herring it in.  Read the labels, since they stick herring in many foods that you would not expect.  One of my current cats, JoeBob, gets diarrhea from Friskies canned food, which all have fish in them even if the flavor is named Chicken or Beef.  So, I think he has a problem with fish, or maybe something else in Friskies canned.  He doesn't seem to have a problem with Fancy Feast canned that has no fish in it.  Fancy Feast doesn't stick fish in their chicken, turkey and beef flavors.

A cat can be sensitive or intolerant to any ingredient.  Fish seems to be a common problem. You do need to do a trial and error to try to figure out which ingredient is the problem.

The big problem is feeding them in the evening, when we don't feed the triplets canned food. Just getting the plates and fork downstairs is a problem!

You can give them a tiny bit of the canned food.  Just a small spoonful like a treat, not a meal.  Of course they don't want to feel left out. That should satisfy them.