Kitten - Occasional Diarhea?

[Kit]

I have two kittens. I scoop the litter boxes every day, and I fully clean them once a week. I've noticed only twice in the last few weeks that one of the kittens has had diarrhea. In maybe 2 weeks, it seems to have only happened twice. Otherwise all the poops look good.

Is this something to be concerned with, or is it normal? I've never had kittens before. I don't know which one is having the problem either.

[3gatos]

My kitten never had diarrhea except when he got into the EVO bag and ate his fill. What are you feeding/how much/frequency dry/canned etc. How old are the kittens? Have they been dewormed/vet checked? I would say diarrhea is NEVER normal in any cat, unless they are very very small and still drinking milk.

[anie]

If it happened twice in last two weeks and now kitten's poop is ok I wouldn't worry too much. Maybe it was new food or something that he/she ate.

But if it happens again, especially if it lasts longer, like your kitten has loose poops here and there, I would contact vet. maybe it's just worms and kitten needs to be dewormed.

BTW, did you change their food recently? One of my cats always has loose stools day after trying new food. Like his digestive tract is adjusting.

[Marcia]

I wouldn't worry too much unless it continues. My old girls get it once in awhile and I usually let it run it's course if everything else is ok like appetite, energy level (which is low when you are 15+), etc. They have 24/7 access to a screened in porch and occasionally find one of those big water bugs to eat (look like big cockroaches) - gross. No wonder their poop gets soft!!! I agree with anie, just like with us, it could have been a change in food or just something just didn't agree. Look at the total picture of health to determine if a vet is needed or not.

[Arianwen]

I agree with Marcia!

[Kit]

The cats have been dewormed and have all their shots.

If I feed them Chicken flavoured wet food and then switch to Beef flavoured of the same brand, does that require me to do the half and half thing to let their tummy's adjust? Or since it's the same brand, should it be okay?

[anie]

Originally Posted by Kit

The cats have been dewormed and have all their shots.

If I feed them Chicken flavoured wet food and then switch to Beef flavoured of the same brand, does that require me to do the half and half thing to let their tummy's adjust? Or since it's the same brand, should it be okay?

it really depends on a cat. some cats go no problem with brand and flavor change and have no gastrointestinal distress (like my Josie), other get loose stools and/or loose poops and other "side effects" even with minor change in diet (like my Blackberry). also, one flavor of food could have many different ingredients that the other, even if it's the same brand.

some cast, like people, are allergic to particular foods, if you notice that your kitten always have loose stools after eating chicken, but not after beef or rabbit, he might be allergic to poultry..


and yes, if your kitty has stomach sensitive to diet change, I would mix new food with old for first couple of days to let him adjust easily. it will not hurt.

[Kit]

Thanks for the info! I think one of the kittens has a problem with fish. I won't feed it to her any more, even if it was just a one time thing. I'm not sure, but I can manage not feeding it to her anymore.

Maybe I'll try just sticking to one flavour. See if it helps. There hasn't been any other side-effects I've noticed. Just some signs when I did a big clean of the litter box.

[anie]

I meant loose stools and diarrhea in my previous post, not loose stools and loose poops but too late to edit

[Ms. N]

Has the kitten been checked for giardia or coccidia? When I adopted my kitten, she seemed fine at first, but a couple days later became really sick with diarrhea. Turned out she had coccidia. If the diarrhea smells really bad (strange smell), I would have the kitten tested again.