Ragdoll cat with chronic soft stool & messy fur: Food or vet?

Hello Sometimes a food intolerance and/or allergy can cause loose/soft stools as well as various intestinal diseases that interfere with food absorption (less common though in cats Colby's age). There are various diets available for cats with food allergies/intolerance, some OTC and some require a vet to prescribe. You can ask your veterinarian if given Colby's medical history if they would recommend changing his food and, if so, what diet they recommend. If possible having a list of all prior diets is helpful.

A little added fiber or a daily pet probiotic can help firm up loose stools, however bringing a stool sample into the vet to rule out anything such as parasites or an underlying illness causing it is a good idea. In some cases, even normal stools can sometimes get stuck on long-haired cats. Gently trimming the area to make it less easy for stool to stick, or using a pet wipe after Pockey gets out of the litter box before the stool can dry may help make it easier to clean.

Please don't waste your money on those expensive grain free foods. They are not necessary to use except in extreme cases of an actual diagnosed grain allergy which is rare. Grain free diets are now linked to causing heart disease in dogs (we are not sure yet about cats). I recommend you discontinue use of that type of food. My suggestion would be to use a long term course of a probiotic called Fortiflora. Put one packet on his food every day for at least one month. This will help correct any imbalance in good vs bad intestinal bacteria. DO NOT use human probiotics or things like yogurt. Fortiflora is the best in my opinion and it is palatable so cats like to eat it. ( http://www.allivet.com/p-1890-purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets-fortiflora-cat-supplement-box-of-30.aspx ) As for diet. I would use this one: ( https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-feline-care-nutrition-digestive-care-dry-cat-food/2555 ) If your local pet store does not have this food they can surely order it for you or you can order it online. If these things dont' help, he may have inflammatory bowel disease or something along those lines. You would need to discuss diagnosis and treatment with your vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Loose stools can be from a number of things including food allergies, parasites, underlying illness, changes in diet, etc. If you haven't changed Felix's food at all, and he's still having loose stool, bringing him or a sample of his stool into your vet for a complete exam and fecal test is a good idea to help rule out common issues.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Because this has been going on for so long, I recommend taking Nuru to a vet for a physical exam and a stool sample test. He could have microscopic parasites that need to be treated. Not all dewormer medications treat all intestinal parasites so it helps to know what he has. If that test is negative, I would recommend an infectious disease test (leukemia/FIV). If all that is normal, the vet can discuss his nutrition. Good luck and kisses to Nuru!

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

Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Deworm him if indicated. You can also have the vet collect a sterile urine sample to submit for urinalysis and culture to rule out UTI or stones. In the meantime, try a 24 hour fast followed by a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with one tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount. Feed bland until the stool is normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. Consider a veterinary probiotic, such as FortiFlora, ProViable or ProStora, to promote gut health. A pheromone product such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser may decrease any anxiety. A small animal repellant along the border of your property will keep strange animals away and out of sight. Thoroughly clean soiled areas using an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle.