My cat has soft stool. What diet changes can I make to firm it up?

If Simba is having no other symptoms other than soft stool you may want to consider adding fiber to his diet. There are some commercial diets that have increased fiber content (senior diets are typically higher in fiber). Another option would be to simply add a tablespoon of fiber powder (like Metamucil) to his food once a day. If this does not help then you may want to consider bringing a stool sample to your vet to be checked to ensure nothing else is going on. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Sometimes even a simple diet switch from one food to another is enough to cause intestinal inflammation or bacterial imbalance and diarrhea in cats. Though his risk is low, it's also possible he could have an intestinal parasite (cannot be ruled out without a fecal test). You can try adding one tbsp of canned pumpkin to his diet for fiber. If he does not improve soon, it would be best to take him to a vet. Sometimes a short course of medication is necessary to resolve this type of diarrhea.

Mix water into his food to increase fluid intake. A teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) added to his meals once or twice daily may also help. If this doesn't help, have Tiggs examined by your veterinarian. Prescription stool softeners can be dispensed if indicated along with other medications to aid defecation.

Dry food can cause softer stools if there is an ingredient that is causing irritation, however other issues such as parasites and illness may also cause soft stools, so regular fecal exams at your vet can help determine if this is the case and treat it. There are also many commercial dry and wet food diets for sensitive stomachs, such as Science Diet that are great to be free-fed and may help with the soft stools as well. Plain, unflavored yogurt can also be added to the food to help with soft stools as long as it doesn't contain any additives or fake sugars.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While adding fiber to the diet can firm up the stool, I do not recommend feeding dry bran to your cat as it can cause constipation. Daisy may be having runny stool due to parasites or inappropriate diet (too many treats, human food, etc) or because she only eats soft food. Because she is a little older, I recommend having her seen by a vet to rule out intestinal inflammation, cancer, and maldigestion. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can make sure that there is enough fiber in his diet. You can add canned pumpkin to add fiber to his diet which may help firm up his stools. You can add 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his meals. You can also add probiotics such as Fortiflora. Best of luck!

It's possible there could be something underlying such as a food allergy (protein sources can cause allergies in some pets!), or even something such as parasites or an infection causing excess gas. It would be a good idea to bring in a fecal sample to your vet to check for the most common causes of GI upset, and if nothing is found consider a food trial with your vet to rule out any possible food allergies that could be contributing.