Why do my cats get diarrhea after eating high-protein dry food?

This last decade has brought an incredible amount of new products to the shelves and I know it must be daunting and very confusing to consumers. Unfortunately, most information about these foods comes from the pet store employee or an equally unqualified source on the internet. It's very wise of you to ask an expert. The truth about most of these foods is that their claims usually amount to nothing more than that of a fad diet (i.e. paleo or atkins) and are not supported by sufficient evidence (even though they will make it sound like it is). As scientifically trained practitioners, us vets prefer to offer evidenced based treatment and the same goes for feeding suggestions. Wet food will encourage water intake and may make the stools more soft, but does not cause diarrhea. Lightly cooked, grain-free, natural, etc. are really just marketing gimmicks meant to increase sales. They mean essentially nothing and normally do not have any good evidence to back their claims. The most important thing on that bag is a tiny bit of writing under the guaranteed analysis called the AAFCO statement. This statement tells you what actual research went into making the product. Below is a link to an article that will help explain this more and give some other info about feeding your cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ High protein is nice and all of the foods with an AAFCO statement have the minimum necessary amount of protein (around 30%) in the diet. More importantly, they will have ensured the necessary amino acids are in the correct quantity. I know the answer may still be somewhat vague, but if you stick to the basic principles of choosing the right food, then you should be successful in feeding a good and nutritious food to your cats. Below is a link to another helpful resource with good information about pet foods. https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/ucm047113.htm I hope that helps and all is well for your cats.

Yes, it could be the amount of protein in Nymeria's food. While kittens do need higher amounts of protein to help support their growth, this is very high and too much protein can lead to diarrhea. In addition, there is no need for a kitten to be a on a grain free food unless the kitten has a grain allergy, which is actually rare in animals. Food allergies affect less than 10% of cats and dogs, and the most common food allergy is protein sources. I would considered switching Nymeria's food to a high quality kitten food such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. It's fine for her to have a kitten food with grain in it. Should you decide to switch her food, be sure to do it slowly to prevent any further GI upset. Mix together her old and new food, and over time gradually increase the amount of new food and decrease the amount of old food until she is eating the new food only.

I would recommend to try switching them to just a plain boiled chicken diet for a few days to see if this settles their stomach and add in some probiotics. I believe you can buy proviable paste online and give as directed. My concern though is that they may have a parasite or bacteria that they aren't finding in their fecal samples. If they aren't improving, contact your vet to see if you can either bring in just a fecal sample or deworm both of the prophylactically. I hope this helps!

It sounds like your cat has a severe case of colitis, or an inflammation of the colon. This condition causes diarrhea. Colitis can be caused by many different things. Some of the more common causes include intestinal parasites, dietary indiscretion, food intolerance, irritable bowel disease, pancreatitis, a foreign body/blockage and viruses. Food intolerances/allergies can start at any age. This is why it may only now be affecting Ella when she has been eating the same food for a long time. If the diarrhea is server you may want to consider taking Ella to the vet. She may need fluids to correct any dehydration, a fecal examination performed and antibiotics and/or probiotics to help the diarrhea clear up. There are specific prescription diets that your vet can recommend to help with this type of issue. Two I commonly recommend are Hill's i/d and Royal Canin GI low fat. A hydrolyzed protein diet may also be helpful. If you want to try an over the counter food first I would recommend something that is labeled as "limited ingredient" or for "sensitive stomachs". I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If your kitty is getting diarrhea on multiple different types of canned food then I would avoid canned diets for now. Maybe when she is older you can try introducing them again. I don't think you have to offer both canned or dry food in the first year of a cats life. I recommend any food that allows for healthy weight gain, no vomiting and no diarrhea. I hope this helps!

In an otherwise healthy cat that has chronic vomiting episodes, it sounds like Rigby may have a condition called inflammatory bowel disease. This is common in cats and is difficult to diagnose (requires an intestinal biopsy). I would ask the vet to consider this diagnosis and then they can prescribe the correct treatment for it to try and see if he has some improvement with his vomiting. Treatment usually involves a highly digestible prescription diet (or comparable over the counter diet such as California Natural by Natura) and steroids. Here is a website link with more information on IBD in pets. I hope this helps and best wishes at the vet. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend switching to a different food such as a hydrolyzed protein diet and feed this for the next 4 weeks to see if this makes a difference. I would also add in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora, which can be found online or at your local pet store. If the vomiting persists or worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.