Loves pumpkin, but now won't eat her normal food AND...

[MCLetter]

Hi all! This is my first post here

I adopted my 4 year old Sphynx ,Cleo, from someone who could no longer keep her about 3 months ago. We've run the gamut on common issues (not going in the litter box, persistent neck scratching, refuses to take baths...) but have mostly resolved all but one. I need some serious help with her diet/poos! Her previous owner fed her the regular Iams kibble (orange bag) and I have kept her on that as she was originally so stressed out from the move and change of environment, I didn't want to throw her another big change so soon. Now that she has settled in nicely to my house, I'm working on fixing her digestive issues. The entire time I've had Cleo she has had very soft, almost like peanut butter poos that more often than not have a bit of mucus with a tiny bit of bright red blood at the end. The vet didn't find anything wrong with her stool sample, and she does not seem to be in any type of pain so I'm not terribly concerned after reading about so many similar issues here. But I of course want her to be healthy! So I have started giving her pumpkin which really helped, almost immediately. No more mucus, no more blood, much more firm poo! Everything was great for about a week until I found a little spot on the carpet. It was so small, I wasn't sure if it was poop or puke, but now I'm starting to find more of these little spots when I come home from work or wake up in the morning. They are about the size of two quarters and recently seem very orange, so I'm thinking they are the tiniest bits of puke. To top it all off, she loves the pumpkin so much she is almost refusing to eat her dry food at all and cries in the kitchen until I give her pumpkin. I've created a pumpkin addict, but the new puke makes me worried that it's not sitting right in her system! Has anyone else experienced these issues?? Any input is greatly appreciated!

Here's a photo of my beautiful new baby attached!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Glad you noticed and are looking for an answer. She definitely needs a well balanced diet or you are going to have other more serious issues. Are you mixing the pumpkin with wet food? You only need a nice tablespoon of pumpkin to usually do the trick.

Patti

 

[MCLetter]

@Catzzzmeow I was just giving her the pumpkin by itself - I've been giving her a 1/2 TBSP twice a day, since she gets fed twice a day (had some issues with free eating in the beginning). I can try mixing it with wet food, but then I still have the problem of her refusing her regular food, which she inhaled up until this point. Thanks so much for the input!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

I am not a vet. But many members feed wet food morning and night and leave kibble out during the day to graze on. Note that if you start wet, you might find some tummy issues until they adjust...but adding a tablespoon of pumpkin morning and night might help. I use grain free wet. And grain free dry. Pumpkin alone is not healthy, so you are smart in inquiring and trying to find a solution. Rule of thumb is buy the best food you can afford. You also might be able to give your vet a quick call for a consultation.

Patti

 

[Hairless Blessing]

She definitely needs wet morning and night. Quit giving her
the pumpkin, plus give her the dry food.
I would change her food to a good grain free brand.
But, you have to change slowly, you can't all at once.
Here's how.
1st week 1/4 New food and 3/4 old food.
2nd week 1/2 New food and 1/2 old food.
3rd week 3/4 New food and 1/4 old food.
4th week change completely.

 

[MCLetter]

@Hairless Blessing I totally agree - I meant to mention this earlier and totally forgot. I know most people agree that dry food is not the best for most kitties. I am definitely open to switching her to something better, but wanted to wait until she was settled in (which I think she is now). People definitely seem to have better results with wet food and raw diets in regards to digestive issues, except for a select few.

 

[Hairless Blessing]

@Hairless Blessing I totally agree - I meant to mention this earlier and totally forgot. I know most people agree that dry food is not the best for most kitties. I am definitely open to switching her to something better, but wanted to wait until she was settled in (which I think she is now). People definitely seem to have better results with wet food and raw diets in regards to digestive issues, except for a select few.

If you can't free feed dry, she needs it also about 3 times a day.
They, need more food than a regular cat with hair.

 

[MCLetter]

@Hairless Blessing Also good to know! Cleo is only 6 pounds, so she's a teeny thing, but definitely eats like a cat twice her size!

 

[MCLetter]

@Hairless Blessing do you have any recommendations for food brands? Both wet and grain-free?

 

[Hairless Blessing]

@Hairless Blessing do you have any recommendations for food brands? Both wet and grain-free?

I use Natural Balance Limited Ingredients.
Wet and dry. Very good food. Several choices.
But, I use Salmon and green peas. Because my Izmae has issues with
Poultry. This food is grain free and Izmae loves it. I'm very satisfied
with the results and ingredients. You can probably get it at other pet shops.
I get mine at Petsmart.

 

[Hairless Blessing]

I use Natural Balance Limited Ingredients.
Wet and dry. Very good food. Several choices.
But, I use Salmon and green peas. Because my Izmae has issues with
Poultry. This food is grain free and Izmae loves it. I'm very satisfied
with the results and ingredients. You can probably get it at other pet shops.
I get mine at Petsmart.

I meant to post this link for you.
Cat Food

 

[Xandria]

Hello and welcome.Cleo is a cutie.

I agree with the above. Wet food is important (grain free, high quality). Transition slowly and THEN determine if pumpkin is still required.

Admittedly I giggled over the pumpkin addict.

Oh, and yes, Sphynx eat a LOT. They need it, for sure.

Keep us updated!

 

[MCLetter]

Update here: we've started on the Natural Balance wet and dry food. Wet food went well for the first day, but then last night she threw up ALL of it. I mean more puke than I have seen come out of a cat in one go in a long time. The first day she was eating the chicken flavor, and last night I gave her salmon which is what came back up. All have been room temp, so I'm not sure if the salmon is what didn't agree or if I gave her too much in one go. This morning she had a small amount of the chicken and liver can and seems fine. Will keep everyone posted! Thanks again for all the info @Hairless Blessing @Xandria @Catzzzmeow

 

[MCLetter]

Update here: we've started on the Natural Balance wet and dry food. Wet food went well for the first day, but then last night she threw up ALL of it. I mean more puke than I have seen come out of a cat in one go in a long time. The first day she was eating the chicken flavor, and last night I gave her salmon which is what came back up. All have been room temp, so I'm not sure if the salmon is what didn't agree or if I gave her too much in one go. This morning she had a small amount of the chicken and liver can and seems fine. Will keep everyone posted! Thanks again for all the info @Hairless Blessing @Xandria @Catzzzmeow

Also forgot to mention the one poo I have seen looked really good! That was when she threw up by the way - pooed in her box and then 2 minutes later, throw up everywhere...

 

[Yoda mom]

@MCLetter, Cleo is adorable! Btw, I have a pumpkin addict too! I give him 1/2 teaspoon as a treat

I have a dry food addict who refused at least 20 different wet foods and various brands -
We have him on yes..A grain inclusive food formulated by a vet and never recalled-
Dr Tim's Chase cat food - for urinary health too- ironically, my dry food addict is the one that did Not get urine crystals-

He refuses grain free and I am I school of thought grain free is trading a grain for a starch- and many companies do "ingredient splitting " especially with peas in their ingredients- wonder too what the long term effects of all these starches are on their system- with that said - i have on grain free and the others on dr Tim's Chase food.
I have to go with what works -

My Bengal is puker- the only food she is holding downgreat is Fromm game bird recipe
Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain-Free Game Bird Recipe Dry Cat Food, 15-lb bag free bag program too on Fromm
I buy it and Dr Tim's Chase on chewy.com I get the 5 lb - has free bag program too
Dr. Tim's Chase All Life Stages Formula Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag
If a product doesn't work for your baby you can call them and they will work you with 100% guarantee

Zero poo issues with these two brands
FYI - 20 % off too for first time customers up to $15 with setting up autoship-which is the easiest to cancel change or update online @MCLetter -I get litter shipped free too with $49 orders- I did my first order over the phone - very very easy pleasant to deal with folks

 

[Xandria]

Sorry to hear about the puke-fest. It could be allergy related, so keep an eye on that.

Max turned out to be allergic to chicken, which took longer than I'd like to admit to diagnose.

Keep us posted. @Yoda mom has some great advice above.

 

[MCLetter]

@MCLetter, Cleo is adorable! Btw, I have a pumpkin addict too! I give him 1/2 teaspoon as a treat

I have a dry food addict who refused at least 20 different wet foods and various brands -
We have him on yes..A grain inclusive food formulated by a vet and never recalled-
Dr Tim's Chase cat food - for urinary health too- ironically, my dry food addict is the one that did Not get urine crystals-

He refuses grain free and I am I school of thought grain free is trading a grain for a starch- and many companies do "ingredient splitting " especially with peas in their ingredients- wonder too what the long term effects of all these starches are on their system- with that said - i have on grain free and the others on dr Tim's Chase food.
I have to go with what works -

My Bengal is puker- the only food she is holding downgreat is Fromm game bird recipe
Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain-Free Game Bird Recipe Dry Cat Food, 15-lb bag free bag program too on Fromm
I buy it and Dr Tim's Chase on chewy.com I get the 5 lb - has free bag program too
Dr. Tim's Chase All Life Stages Formula Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag
If a product doesn't work for your baby you can call them and they will work you with 100% guarantee

Zero poo issues with these two brands
FYI - 20 % off too for first time customers up to $15 with setting up autoship-which is the easiest to cancel change or update online @MCLetter -I get litter shipped free too with $49 orders- I did my first order over the phone - very very easy pleasant to deal with folks

Great thoughts! I live in NYC and there are ads for Chewy all over the subway, but I haven't tried it yet - definitely looking into it now since you've had such a good experience.

 

[MCLetter]

Sorry to hear about the puke-fest. It could be allergy related, so keep an eye on that.

Max turned out to be allergic to chicken, which took longer than I'd like to admit to diagnose.

Keep us posted. @Yoda mom has some great advice above.

Definitely keeping allergies in the back of my mind since that was the first time (to my knowledge) that she's ever had salmon. No issues with tuna though, which she got when she needed meds when I first adopted her. As of now, it's been 5-6 hours since she ate the small bit of wet food this morning, and she is totally fine. Chicken seems to stay down great, but I'm still not ruling out that the possibility that I may just have given her too much last night as well. I don't think her previous owner EVER gave her wet food, so I'm sure her system will need plenty of time to adjust.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Sounds like you are all over it and you are right, could be the salmon or it could be she ate too fast. But overall glad to hear she is eating wet food and getting the necessary nutrients. Don't be surprised if the poop is an issue for a week or so. Might be good then bad again until tummy adjusts etc.

Patti

 

[naomi]

I agree with @Yoda mom that grain free does not mean healthier. The important thing to pay attention to is the carbohydrate levels and to where the protein is coming from. Proteins from corn is not equal to protein from meat. (Yes corn is a very common protein source for cat food, especially in dry foods) the best advice is to read the label and to pick the best you can afford. I believe any wet food is better than any dry simply because more moisture is healthier than less. I feed Frida a raw diet but my foster kitty gets a wet food called "boreal". It is a Canadian brand so I don't know where else it is available but it is great because there are no added carbohydrates. It is just meat, water, vitamins and some sort of preservative of course.

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Definitely keeping allergies in the back of my mind since that was the first time (to my knowledge) that she's ever had salmon. No issues with tuna though, which she got when she needed meds when I first adopted her. As of now, it's been 5-6 hours since she ate the small bit of wet food this morning, and she is totally fine. Chicken seems to stay down great, but I'm still not ruling out that the possibility that I may just have given her too much last night as well. I don't think her previous owner EVER gave her wet food, so I'm sure her system will need plenty of time to adjust.

Maybe that was it. You just gave her too much at once. If she eats fast and a lot
it will make them sick. So, she might be one you have to monitor.
I sure hope the food works for you. It's a good food.
But, if she keeps puking and poo problems. I would not hesitate to have
her tested for allergies. Since the poo was good that was a great sign
since it's been not good at all. Just take it slow and see.
You might have to give her more smaller meals.

 

[MCLetter]

Maybe that was it. You just gave her too much at once. If she eats fast and a lot
it will make them sick. So, she might be one you have to monitor.
I sure hope the food works for you. It's a good food.
But, if she keeps puking and poo problems. I would not hesitate to have
her tested for allergies. Since the poo was good that was a great sing
since it's been not good at all. Just take it slow and see.

She is definitely a very fast eater and that is not helping! Have her the same amount for dinner and it's been 3-4 hours and doing great - fingers crossed :cat:

 

[Hairless Blessing]

She is definitely a very fast eater and that is not helping! Have her the same amount for dinner and it's been 3-4 hours and doing great - fingers crossed :cat:

She might be one you have to give more smaller meals to.
Than, 3 regular size. As she gets adjusted you might be able to change
that, if she starts eating at a normal pace.

 

[MCLetter]

Sounds like you are all over it and you are right, could be the salmon or it could be she ate too fast. But overall glad to hear she is eating wet food and getting the necessary nutrients. Don't be surprised if the poop is an issue for a week or so. Might be good then bad again until tummy adjusts etc.

Patti

Okay Patti you called it - today we have very smelly wet poop So glad to be getting this info from you guys ahead of time!!!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Ughhh. Just try to be consistent with food for 2 weeks. If still having poop issues the food might be too rich. I see many members freak if poop is not firm, but our one 12 year old boy always had soft poop no matter what we fed the crew. I always remind myself poop stinks and as long as they are healthy poop consistency/smell is the least of my worries.

Patti