My cat has diarrhoea

aussie_cat · 02-09-2005, 04:56 AM

Recently I have switched my cat to Whiskas kitten satchels and since the swap she has been suffering from diarrhoea. I am under the impression that Whiskas is a bad pet food, and that this is the cause of my problem. However I didn’t know about this when I bought it and it is the only cat food available from my area (I live in a small country town far away from any major cities, vets and the like). It will be a while before we will have any access to better cat food or veterinary services, so I was wondering whether I should continue feeding my cat Whiskas and if not what should I do. Also when I manege to get to the city what type of foods should I get and where to find them.

AddFran · 02-09-2005, 08:01 AM

Hi There!
You are correct, Whiskas is one of the worst foods out there. Diet is very important and could certainly be causing your cats problem. You should also check for internal parasites as well, to be sure. Also, you could give your cat some plain/boiled chicken and rice and see if this helps.

Do you have any recollection of what is available to you at the stores near you or even the ones you have to drive further to get to?

One thing you want to start out doing is reading the ingredients, this is a VERY important step in finding a good cat food. You want to look for NAMED meat ingredients in the first ingredient and the 2nd ingredient at least.

For example:
You DO want to see:
Chicken, Turkey Meal

You do NOT want to see:
Chicken-by-pruducts, corn gluten

The ingredients are listed by their weight content in the food, so the first ingredient on the listed makes up the most weight of the food and then it trickles down the list. So, the higher on the ingredient list, the higher the content in the food (typically, there are a few exceptions for ingredients that are more dense, but we'll save that for another time).

THIS is NOT the only list of good catfoods typically (but not always) found in more independent pet stores, but here are some common ones that may be a start for you:

Blue (sold at PetsMart)
California Natural
Chicken Soup for the Cat lovers soul
Felidae
Innova
Nature's Variety
Natural Balance (sold at Petco)
Pinnacle
Precise
Petguard
Wellness
Most recently we've made the discoverly that Timberwolf Organics seems to be a great food, however, you can usually only find it online.

Some of these may be a bit more expensive than what you are looking for. In that case, Chicken Soup is relatively inexpensive (there have been a few mixed reviews on this one, but the ones that love it tend to swear by it and it's very, decently priced). Felidae is another really good food that is not going to break the pocket book. If you only have access to a Petco or PetsMart, you could buy Nutro, which is more middle of the road in terms of quality, but certainly WAY better then Whiskas. If you do go to Petco though, I'd recommend the Natural Balance over the Nutro anyday. Much better food and higher quality ingredients.

Um, I hope that helps, the others are sure to make recommendations on food. It's often a hot topic on pet forums.

emma_pen · 02-09-2005, 02:54 PM

Why is Whiskas so bad, then? None of the food brands on your list are available in pet shops in the UK that I am aware of...

I guess they'd be equivalent to James Wellbeloved, Burns, & Hills?

coaster · 02-09-2005, 07:21 PM

I'm guessing aussie_cat is in Australia, which makes getting the foods we know about problematic. aussie_cat, can you make your own cat food? another member in the Perth area grinds up 'roo meat to feed her cats.

brians · 02-09-2005, 09:19 PM

Our cat, Puff, suffered from diahrea when she was young... the only thing that worked for her was IAMS (in the orange bag) if it is available to you, give it a try. Best of luck.

aussie_cat · 02-10-2005, 03:05 AM

Thank you all for your suggestions, i am trying to arrange dad to give me a lift to Perth as soon as possible, while we are there I shall get her checked out by our vet for internal parasites, I will probably also ask him what good cat foods are available in Perth. I am going to stop using Whiskas and try the chicken and rice and search around town for someone who sells roo meat and see how that goes. Thankyou again you were all very helpful.

Sashka · 02-10-2005, 03:20 AM

Hi aussie-cat,

I'm in Perth. If you come down and the vet suggests some other food, go to on of the City Farmers stores, you'll probably get much cheaper there.

I'm feeding my kitten Advance Kitten Food at the moment coz my vet was using it, but I'm trying to find something better too.

If you here of anything better let me know, or if I do I'll let you know

brians · 02-10-2005, 08:17 PM

Sashka, if your friend's kitten has bad breath it may be a sign of underlying health problems, please check this link for more info & urge your friend to schedule a visit to the vet if the problem persists.

http://www.2ndchance.info/badbreath.htm

NewRagdoll · 02-10-2005, 08:44 PM

Where did you get the previous food and what was it? Get her back on it fast....order it on line for rush delivery.....then pick out a good food and start the conversion slowly, a little at a time by mixing them.

Sashka · 02-11-2005, 01:36 AM

brians, Thx, I'll take a look at the website tonight .

I honestly thought it was probably only the food.

I'm only very new to the pussycat experience, I've had german shepherd dogs my whole life - so its all a learning experience.

02-09-2005, 04:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
aussie_cat Kitten Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3	My cat has diarrhoea Recently I have switched my cat to Whiskas kitten satchels and since the swap she has been suffering from diarrhoea. I am under the impression that Whiskas is a bad pet food, and that this is the cause of my problem. However I didn’t know about this when I bought it and it is the only cat food available from my area (I live in a small country town far away from any major cities, vets and the like). It will be a while before we will have any access to better cat food or veterinary services, so I was wondering whether I should continue feeding my cat Whiskas and if not what should I do. Also when I manege to get to the city what type of foods should I get and where to find them.

02-09-2005, 08:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
AddFran Premier Cat Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,480	Hi There! You are correct, Whiskas is one of the worst foods out there. Diet is very important and could certainly be causing your cats problem. You should also check for internal parasites as well, to be sure. Also, you could give your cat some plain/boiled chicken and rice and see if this helps. Do you have any recollection of what is available to you at the stores near you or even the ones you have to drive further to get to? One thing you want to start out doing is reading the ingredients, this is a VERY important step in finding a good cat food. You want to look for NAMED meat ingredients in the first ingredient and the 2nd ingredient at least. For example: You DO want to see: Chicken, Turkey Meal You do NOT want to see: Chicken-by-pruducts, corn gluten The ingredients are listed by their weight content in the food, so the first ingredient on the listed makes up the most weight of the food and then it trickles down the list. So, the higher on the ingredient list, the higher the content in the food (typically, there are a few exceptions for ingredients that are more dense, but we'll save that for another time). THIS is NOT the only list of good catfoods typically (but not always) found in more independent pet stores, but here are some common ones that may be a start for you: Blue (sold at PetsMart) California Natural Chicken Soup for the Cat lovers soul Felidae Innova Nature's Variety Natural Balance (sold at Petco) Pinnacle Precise Petguard Wellness Most recently we've made the discoverly that Timberwolf Organics seems to be a great food, however, you can usually only find it online. Some of these may be a bit more expensive than what you are looking for. In that case, Chicken Soup is relatively inexpensive (there have been a few mixed reviews on this one, but the ones that love it tend to swear by it and it's very, decently priced). Felidae is another really good food that is not going to break the pocket book. If you only have access to a Petco or PetsMart, you could buy Nutro, which is more middle of the road in terms of quality, but certainly WAY better then Whiskas. If you do go to Petco though, I'd recommend the Natural Balance over the Nutro anyday. Much better food and higher quality ingredients. Um, I hope that helps, the others are sure to make recommendations on food. It's often a hot topic on pet forums.

02-09-2005, 02:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
emma_pen Cat Addict Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: UK Posts: 2,655	Why is Whiskas so bad, then? None of the food brands on your list are available in pet shops in the UK that I am aware of... I guess they'd be equivalent to James Wellbeloved, Burns, & Hills?

02-09-2005, 07:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
coaster Banned Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 17,798	I'm guessing aussie_cat is in Australia, which makes getting the foods we know about problematic. aussie_cat, can you make your own cat food? another member in the Perth area grinds up 'roo meat to feed her cats.

02-09-2005, 09:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
brians Kitten Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 10	Our cat, Puff, suffered from diahrea when she was young... the only thing that worked for her was IAMS (in the orange bag) if it is available to you, give it a try. Best of luck.

02-10-2005, 03:05 AM	#6 (permalink)
aussie_cat Kitten Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3	Thank you all for your suggestions, i am trying to arrange dad to give me a lift to Perth as soon as possible, while we are there I shall get her checked out by our vet for internal parasites, I will probably also ask him what good cat foods are available in Perth. I am going to stop using Whiskas and try the chicken and rice and search around town for someone who sells roo meat and see how that goes. Thankyou again you were all very helpful.

02-10-2005, 03:20 AM	#7 (permalink)
Sashka Cat Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 219	Hi aussie-cat, I'm in Perth. If you come down and the vet suggests some other food, go to on of the City Farmers stores, you'll probably get much cheaper there. I'm feeding my kitten Advance Kitten Food at the moment coz my vet was using it, but I'm trying to find something better too. If you here of anything better let me know, or if I do I'll let you know

02-10-2005, 08:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
brians Kitten Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 10	Sashka, if your friend's kitten has bad breath it may be a sign of underlying health problems, please check this link for more info & urge your friend to schedule a visit to the vet if the problem persists. http://www.2ndchance.info/badbreath.htm

02-10-2005, 08:44 PM	#9 (permalink)
NewRagdoll Senior Cat Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 600	Where did you get the previous food and what was it? Get her back on it fast....order it on line for rush delivery.....then pick out a good food and start the conversion slowly, a little at a time by mixing them.

02-11-2005, 01:36 AM	#10 (permalink)
Sashka Cat Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 219	brians, Thx, I'll take a look at the website tonight . I honestly thought it was probably only the food. I'm only very new to the pussycat experience, I've had german shepherd dogs my whole life - so its all a learning experience.

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