Why can't my kitten handle canned food without loose stools?

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!

Given that she gets loose stools with even a little Royal Canin, I would try a different food instead. Hill Science diet is great, as well as Purina ProPlan and Iams. If any of them give her loose stools even with switching slowly, then I would stick with the Whiskas only.

He could have a sensitive stomach or a malabsorption problem. Unfortunately KMR isn’t a well balanced meal for him to consume after the weaning age (3-5 weeks of age), so it’s best to keep him in a high quality kitten food such as Royal Canin, Hill’s Science diet, Evo, Eukanuba or California natural by Natura. Your vet can run a test to check for malabsorption. This is something that can be treated. I would also recommend trying a probiotic for a few weeks to see if this makes a difference. Over the counter Culturelle is comparable to a lot of the pet formulated probiotics we carry in the clinic. Adding in 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling), can also help solidify his stools. If all else fails then it’s best to go back to your vet to have a pcr fecal screening test, which is a little more in depth to check for bacterial infections that would not be detectable with just an in-hospital fecal exam. I hope this helps and best wishes moving forward with your pet Charlie and his loose stool. Take care.

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.

Blood in the stool can occur secondary to food sensitivity, but it can also be a sign of parasites or even occur secondary to stress, so I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian first to rule out these medical problems. Unfortunately if you're switching foods frequently it can be difficult to determine which is or isn't helping, so if your vet recommends a food trial you should stick to one specific food for at least 6 to 8 weeks before deciding if it is or isn't helping.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think that dietary indiscretion as you pointed out could certainly be a possible reason for Eddie to having diarrhea. You can try to switch to a sensitive stomach type diet like the Science Diet healthy development diet for kitties. If no improvement is noted then I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment as other things are possible like intestinal parasites. Good luck!

At 10 weeks of age your kitten should be able to eat kibble just fine. You should not need to add canned food to her diet unless you want to do it occasionally as a snack/treat. You may want to moisten the food with water before feeding her. Soft food can certainly lead to softer stools but you should make sure she has been dewormed too. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.