When a cat begins vomiting more frequently, or having diarrhea, many cat owners become nervous; myself included. Often we begin internet search before a vet visit, or after one if the vet has no or few answers for us. Early in 2008, both my cats began vomiting a few times a week and, more upsetting, my 13 year old Persian cat started having chronic diarrhea. Here is my in-depth account about how I cured my cat of his chronic diarrhea. I made one change to his diet and the diarrhea never returned.
- Oscar in 2007 while eating Nutro. Once fluffy, he had lost his fuller undercoat and often suffered from vomiting and diarrhea.
A vet prescribed antibiotic, but the diarrhea only went away for 2 days and returned midway through the antibiotic treatment. The vet said if the antibiotic didn’t help, he would need to start performing tests for more serious ailments and it could be anything, even cancer. But I thought before going that route, I’d start researching cat food to get a better idea of what I was feeding them.
I had been feeding them Nutro dry and canned for years, and although I knew it wasn’t the healthiest brand available, I was comfortable with it because it was more healthy than the grocery store brands and one of the best at PetSmart.
After some research, I tried to switch him to California Natural, which was marketed as being free of fillers and better for “sensitive systems.” I started learning that cats bodies can start to reject a food that is fed to them too long, and their bodies can become “allergic” to it. No vet had ever said anything like that to me. I would later learn about IBD (Irritable bowel disease).
My cat’s diarrhea and vomiting did not improve even after a very slow, very careful switch to California Natural. The more reading I did, the more I kept seeing the phrases “grain free” and “raw food.” At first, I scanned completely over any article that said “raw” because that seemed too far off the deep end to me. I also didn’t think you could feed RAW food to a cat that was having diarrhea…after all, the vet had prescribed antibiotics because of bacteria, so how could I give my cat bacteria laden raw food?!
Then one day I stumbled upon a post from a cat owner on a pet forum whose cat was having the same symptoms as mine – diarrhea every day, vomiting every few days. She gave her cat raw food one day, and the diarrhea stopped that very same day. She said one month later, the diarrhea had not returned. Wow. If the result was that immediate for her, maybe I could give it a try. If the seemingly best commercial cat food out there (California Natural) and raw food didn’t help, then I’d go back to the vet for those tests.
I researched and researched raw food for cats and found a site by a veterinarian that explained it fully. She explained how to make it at home and even recommended a couple of pre-made brands that she felt were the next best thing if you really didn’t want to make it yourself. So I thought I’d buy one of these brands just to see if there was any change in my cat.
- Oscar in June of 2008, just 5 months after going on raw food and he is fluffy again!
The brand I bought was Nature’s Variety. (Side note here: although I would love to sell their food at my pet gift shop, GoFetchGifts.com, I am unable to get it from any distributor because I do not have a loading ramp. So rest assured I don’t sell this food, I simply love the brand for saving my cat.) They sell three pound bags of one-ounce medallions. My cat, being a small 8 pounds, would need about 3 medallions a day. I defrosted one and put it in his bowl. Much to my surprise, Oscar–who had always been an OK eater but not an enthusiastic one–wolfed this medallion down like it was his first meal in weeks, then stared at me waiting for more! He had NEVER been that excited to eat in his life, except maybe the day I found him in a cold alley in Chicago during the winter of 1997. He never wolfed down aroma filled canned food or even dry food that fast. I couldn’t believe it and quickly defrosted another medallion for him, which was again wolfed down. My other cat wanted nothing to do with this weird raw food but I didn’t care about that right now, he was more healthy than Oscar.
So I sat back and waited, and watched. At this point, about two months after Oscar’s diarrhea had begun, he was leaving me about 5 runny piles per day (all over the house!); so I didn’t have to wait long. For the rest of the day there was no diarrhea. The next morning, he used the litter box and left a mushy, but almost solid dropping. The next day, completely solid. And that’s it. I kept feeding him Nature’s Variety raw, and the diarrhea and vomiting NEVER returned!
I got another surprise, too. Being a Persian cat, Oscar at one time was very fluffy. He hadn’t been fluffy for years, and I attributed that to his age. I had told vets that he had lost his fluff, but none of them ever said anything about it or seemed worried about it. Two weeks after Oscar’s start on raw, I looked at him one day and said to my friend, “am I crazy or does Oscar look a little fuller in his coat?”
- Oscar in February of 2009. Exactly one year after starting raw, fluffy, beautiful, and still diarrhea-free!
One month later there was no mistaking it – Oscar’s fluffy undercoat was growing back for the first time in years!!! He was also more energetic. He was playing again. He was singing songs and chasing “ghosts.” He was a kitten again, at the ripe age of 13! Here I had been crying, thinking he was so old his body was failing him…thinking the tests at the vet would be so expensive I’d have to put him to sleep because I wouldn’t be able to afford care. And all I needed to do, for now, was change his diet.
So what had happened? Oscar had either become allergic to the food I’d fed him for so long, or his body could no longer break down and process any nutrition from dry food or even processed canned…possibly due to age. But I am now convinced that I hadn’t been giving his body the proper source of nutrients. He is a cat and I was not feeding him like one. And the entire pet food industry made me feel like I was feeding him the best. My friends and I had sworn by Nutro canned and dry for years. My cat was simply one of those cats that could not handle processed foods.
There are many options in feeding cats raw food. Click here to learn about the different ways to feed raw to cats. Some cats do fine on dry and canned food. But some cats don’t, and I would recommend all owners of cats suffering from diarrhea, allergies, and IBD to try raw food. It is unprocessed and grain-free, and it might be just what your cat needs.
There are also some natural treatments for diarrhea in cats that can be given instead of, or in conjunction with, antibiotics. These include probiotics and slippery elm, safe treatments you can buy today at a vitamin store.
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
What a great story. I’m so glad to hear that a change in diet fixed up your boy’s problems. The difference in his coat is truly amazing – he looks quite sickly in the before pictures and very healthy in the after pictures.
It can be difficult to wrap ones head around the idea of feeding raw at first – the idea of bacteria seems kind of contrary to good health until you stop and think about what cats evolved eating (and ate regularly up until the pet food industry really took hold a few years back.)
I know diet can’t cure everything, but I’m always amazed at how many chronic illnesses do get turned around by switching to a raw diet and dumping the commercial food.
Agreed, Anlina. I read just two days ago about an overweight cat who was diagnosed with diabetes. His owner put him on raw, and the cat is now FREE of diabetes! That shocked even me…I had always assumed feline diabetes could only be treated, not cured.
You have a great blog; I think I will add it to my links here tonight
I had recently rescued 2 cats. One was experiencing diarrhea. Soon after the other one did as well. The rescue had given us antibiotics thinking they had Giardia, a common stomach bug in cats. It had no effect. After a few incidences of uncontrollable defecation we looked online for a solution and found this site. We were feeding them what the rescue had been feeding them which is Natural Balance. We switched to the Natures Variety raw food diet, as well as supplemental dry food and the response was incredible. After only a few days the diarrhea was getting better. Besides that, they absolutely love it. They eat like it’s their last meal. And after a week they had completely solid stools. Also, there is a remarkable improvement in their coats which is also amazing. They are silkier and softer than before, and no accidents around the house.
Thank you Go Fetch Gifts. Your testimonials saved our cats. And our couch!
Jeff that is so great to hear! Just curious, why do you include dry food? Do you feed it separately from the raw? (Some raw feeders recommend feeding raw food in morning and dry at night if you wish to feed both, because raw food is digested within a few hours while dry food takes 8-12 hours to digest.)
Another note, remember that variety is key. Recently, Oscar started refusing the pre-made raw after over a year of eating it. He liked all the flavors, but Rabbit was his favorite so he got that more often than the rest. In some cats, it can backfire to feed them just one food. He started to develop some dandruff and his coat again was less fluffy. So I am now feeding him variety every day of actual raw food – chicken, veal, turkey, gizzards, heart, liver, and soft chicken bones. After about a two weeks of getting him lots of variety, his coat is fluffy again!
So don’t get stuck in a rut. Give them all the flavors, give them some real raw, some kibble if you want (I don’t recommend it, but if it doesn’t hurt them, the extra variety is good), and some grain free canned if they want.
Thank you so much for letting me know this worked for you. Do you know anything about the cats history? I wonder if they have IBD (irritable bowel disease) and the previous owner couldn’t deal with it….or if they had been strays eating raw for a while and couldn’t handle going back to processed foods? Or…….?
Thank you so much for the story about Oscar. We rescued Molly, a 4 year old Persian, from our local vet because the owner was going to put her down. She has been diagnosed with IBS. She is such a sweetheart but looks absolutely pitiful. She weighs only 4 lbs and the picture of Oscar before Natures Variety is pretty much what she looks like now. Her diarrhea is so severe that we are having to keep her locked up in the bathroom. The medicine the vet gave us helped for a day or two and we tried to bring her into the living room for long periods of time to acclimate her to the family. But then the diarrhea returned with a vengeance She is now once again holed up in the bathroom. I went to a local all natural pet food store and they gave me free samples of the Natures Variety raw food. By reading your testimonial and seeing the before and after pictures of Oscar- I am very encouraged. I will no longer be giving her the medicine from the vet and will start using the medallions tonight. I will keep you posted!
Oh my Cheryl, I wish you and poor Molly luck! In my research, I have found many articles that state tests that while not official or published yet, do suggest that raw food is the best therapy for cats with IBS. I have also come across many that claim the same about the possibility that non-domestic breeds such as Persians, Himalayans, Siamese etc are more prone to IBS. I certainly attract a lot of google searches regarding Persians with diarrhea!
Chances are Molly’s body might tell her she needs this food. If she isn’t drawn to it however, please start mixing into her canned food (if she eats canned). If she only eats dry and doesn’t like canned, I would suggest buying Nature’s Variety Freeze Dried medallions. You can crumble them up in with her dry food and then gradually switch her over to raw (or canned and then raw) with the freeze dried in there. This is how I switched my other kibble-addicted cat over to raw, which he now loves without the freeze-dried mixed in. (But, it took MONTHS.)
I will be thinking about you and hope to hear back from you!
Hello there,
I really enjoyed reading the wonderful story about Oscar and I’m so happy for him that he is a healthy beautiful playful looking fella!
I recently took one of my cats to the vet, yes I will admit she is a tad overweight. They x-rayed her and told me she had arthritis in her back knees and hips – 7yrs old, then the vet prescribed a terrible diet of pallet food and two types of medicine I had to give her daily. After one week of this I would wake up at night hearing her vomit prefusely and it would be all over the house. I called the Vet and they said it must be something else not the medicine, anyway I didnt believe them so I stopped giving her the medicine and have been feeding her normal food again, vomit has now stopped. My other cat vomits on a regular basis -6 years (once or twice weekly) but never appears sick and I’ve always wondered why. Reading your story tonight has made me realise things for both of my cats, firstly that the medication given to me for my first cat is probably a bad thing for her and secondly that my other cat who vomits regurarly obviously has issues with commercial pet food in his belly. Being that I’m in Australia I have no idea where to try and get some raw cat food, would you suggest pet shops or the supermarket?
Also exactly what is the raw food, what type of meet or vegetable?
Thanks I appreciate any advice you can give me! I love my cats and I want them to love their food and not get sick, don’t you just wish they could talk!
Hi Karen,
What type of medicine did the vet give you? Sometimes meds will make them sick, yes…were the meds to be used temporarily or forever?
Did you do a search to see if any pet stores around you sell healthy pet food? You might have to buy it online if no stores do. The supermarket won’t sell commercial raw cat food, but if your cats take to raw you can buy raw meat from the supermarket to feed them. This would be called the Prey model of raw feeding. Most of the diet is just plain raw meat. Usually it’s best to start with chicken, but SOME rare cats are allergic to chicken. You can also feed them lamb, turkey, rabbit, or even beef, although one of my cats cannot stomach beef and that is common. You’d need to include some raw heart as well, and liver and bone. 80% of the food is meat, 10% is organs, and 10% is bone. (My cat took to chewing up small raw chicken breast bone nicely.)
Cats do not need any fruits or vegetables.
Please visit this site to learn more about this diet: http://catinfo.org Note that some people grind the meat like she does, but I never did. I just cut up the meat, organ, and bone and fed to my cats. Right now however, I feed the Nature’s Variety or another ground mix that I buy online from a shop called Hare Today.
Thank you for sharing the great story about Oscar.
I have a 1 1/2 year old kitty, Sarah, that I adopted from a shelter. She has always been such a joy – playful and loving with tons of personality, but a total fussy pants princess.
When I first brought her home she would not eat more than a bite or two of anything, and that with a lot of coaxing. After trying everything on the market I found that she would eat best super premium/natural canned and packet foods that are either whole fish in jelly or nuggets in gravy. She ate this for a few months, and then switched to high-protein dry food like Orijen. Still, she often turned her nose up at the same food she gobbled down the day or week before. She always won these food stand offs, she was willing to go many more days without eating than I was willing to let her. I was constantly switching up her foods trying temp her appetite and to find something she would eat consistently.
I thought that I was doing the best possible for her feeding her only varieties of all natural, no by product, no trash canned and dry foods.
In the last few months she has been eating well but her personality began to be subtly different, she became increasingly less playful and spent more time alone. She got very bad fleas, and I originally thought she was uncomfortable and this caused her personality change. Then, I discovered an usual swollen condition in a few of her paw pads. A vet helped me diagnose the condition: a rare autoimmune/blood disorder called plasmacytic pododermatitis that there is no standard treatment for.
I went into a flurry of research, and saw many miraculous stories like this about cats turning around from changing their diet to raw. I thought that it wouldn’t make a difference, I was already feeding her “the best” foods, but my research did not turn up any other good solutions and I had to do something.
I bought some chicken thighs, chopped them and mixed in a bit of canned tuna (fish is still her favorite). She LOVED this. Ate it all, ran into the living room, and started playing. By the next day the difference in her energy level was so noticeable that even my boyfriend (very skeptical of all “natural” cures) agreed.
Two weeks later, she eats well and more than ever. Her personality is back to normal, she follows us around the house looking for things to play with. I am absolutely amazed at the difference! I have not seen any change in her swollen paws yet, but I realize that the change may take some months and am hopeful that her condition will improve.
Again, thank you for sharing and I hope that my story may also inspire someone. -Jane
Thank you so much for this. I am going today after work to buy this food. My cat is about 13 yrs old and for the past month (maybe longer) he has had diarrhea multiple times a day and vomits almost every day. We took him to the vet multiple times. He has been given fluids 2 or 3 times and has had blood tests done. No vet can tell us what is wrong. We’ve tried 2 kinds of medicine (tetracycline & prednisone.) We have tried “special” food from our vet, but he didn’t like it. And if he did eat it, it didn’t help. He is strictly an indoor cat and this was a sudden change. He diet has always been the same. He was overweight, but over the past few months he has thinned. He now looks so thin and frail. The last vet we took him to said it might be cancer, so she recommended an x-ray. Until now I have left all his care with my parents, but this is taking such a toll on our family, that I just had to search extensively online. I am so glad I found this site. I hope this works; I don’t believe he has cancer, I think the vets just want to give us an answer so we can try something different. I will definitely be posting again. Keep your fingers crossed! I am wondering if we should stop giving him his medication and see if the food cures him. Anyone know?
Marlene, good luck with your cat. What breed is it? If you have trouble switching over to raw, switch to canned first. You can mix canned and dry; You can mix canned and raw; You cannot mix raw and dry. However, you can put freeze-dried raw into dry and that helped me switch over my kibble addict cat by mixing it into the raw. He thought he was getting kibble.
One more thing Marlene – in the very beginning stages of Oscar getting sick, my experience was the same as yours. Blood tests normal, cancer a possibility. He never had cancer, he just wasn’t digesting nutrition from processed foods. If you see a big change after the raw, then yes you should try to wean him off the meds. But talk to your vet just to be sure. Those meds can reduce appetite!!
My male 9 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes 17 months ago.
He was eating Science Diet cat food. I searched the web for an alternative to insulin as he was not a good candidate for needles or regular visits(has an attitude)
I changed his food to Arusha (raw diet) Turkey for cats. Harvey is thriving. He is still chubby but alive and kickin. Please consider raw diet to help your cat if he is diagnosed. I did and Harvey is here with me for me to tell the story.
Just a little ditty for you
Janet and Harv the happy kitty
Janet, I just wrote an article regarding raw food for diabetes and found that insulin can be eliminated when the carbs take off the weight. Did you reduce the amount of insulin when the amount of carbs went down? That is important. Congrats to finding a great cure for your young 9 year old!!! And be sure to give him other meats than just turkey. Variety is important or he may one day become intolerant to the turkey.
Well he didn’t take to the food like I hoped. I tried feeding it to him tonight, but he really just licked it and maybe at a little bit. So I mixed some of his usual canned food in, and he ate a bit more. I think he may be expeirencing a reduce in his appetite. He looked very frail and dehydrated today, so tomorrow he’ll go to the vet for fluids. I am definately going to keep trying the raw food. I do believe it will help him. I guess we will just have to go at his pace. I’m going to continue to be hopeful!
Did you get Nature’s Variety? Yes just keep mixing it into canned food slowly to try to get him switched over. Raw food has a lesser smell than most canned foods, so some kitties need to get used to it. Good luck to you!!! Are you on Twitter or Catster? Have you had x-rays done?
Yes I got Nature’s Variety. I really hope he gets use to a raw diet. He is actually at the vet right now getting fluids and xrays done. And I am on twitter: MScott1027. It is so nice to find a place where other people are going through similar situtations! And the fact that this is a current board and people are still posting is even better! Thanks for all the helpful advice!
I am so sorry to read about Oscar. I just decided to read your other postings and was so suprised to come across that one. Oscar’s story is very similar to Abby’s, but he was found in our front yard on a summer afternoon starving. I remember keeping him in a small basket because he was so tiny. I must have been 10 yrs old at the time and begged to keep him. My family always joked that he never stopped eating once he made it into our home, hence why he was so overweight. But now over the past few months he has withered away to only 9 lbs. He is my last link to all my other pets that have come and gone over the past 14 years. It is very hard to see him like this. -So I just talked to the vet while writting this. Abby’s x-ray is done and the vet cannot find anything abnormal. So he suggested a stool sample first and then a possible digestion panel and he also mentioned something about Abby’s B12 levels maybe being low. And if none of that comes back with answers he said we mighy want to consider an ultrasound and/or surgery.I just hope we can figure out what is wrong before it gets that far…
Marlene, have they said that Diabetes isn’t a possibility? This is so sad to hear
Oscar lived a lovely last year of his life thanks to the raw food. I now believe that his problems started over a year ago, but the raw food put them on the shelf until just recently. He really was never healthier before the raw, but he was still a senior and they have to go sometime. Liver disease is common in seniors.
Please check out Catster.com. There is a raw feeders board and a health board. Another helpful group is the Yahoo Whole Cat Heath group at groups.yahoo.com. Search for Whole Cat Health. Good luck!
I have been fighting the same exact issue with my 14 year old siamese for 5 years! it was bad we thought we would have to put her down, she was going every and having litteraly projectile diahhrea. I read this article 3 days ago bought the food and I am happy to say all is well.
Thank you!
Dana, that is so great to hear. And the fact that your cat took to the food so quickly is wonderful too. Sometimes, they just know what they need
Well it worked for a few days now shes back to the normal very very discouraging, hopeully it will pass shortly, any ideas?
Dana, is she still eating the food? If so yes I have three ideas:
1) Purchase some slippery elm bark powder. You may be able to find it at a vitamin shop or health food store in capsules or powder form. Sprinkle some into her food and mix it in.
2) Purchase some probiotics and mix some of that into her food as well. I like the human probiotics with multiple strains because we don’t know what type of healthy bacteria a cat would need, so having multiple types is more promising. I give my kitten about 3 billion organisms a day, or half a capsule from the brand I currently have. Again, just purchase from a vitamin store or health food shop, but I prefer the refrigerated ones.
3) My final suggestion would be to try another raw food, such as the ground raw from http://www.hare-today.com/ if you live on the East coast or http://www.prey4pets.com/servlet/StoreFront if you live in the West. Their ground food is just the animal with no added fruits or vegetables. Nature’s Variety has about 5% fruits and vegetables, which some cats with IBD can handle but some cannot handle ANY.
Thx for the Info. My lil cat around the age of 1 1/2 yrs has been having diarhea but my Bigger cat shows no signs of it. I will try the raw cat food fo my lil one. Thx again.
Good luck Rob! Has the younger one been tested for medical issues? I would also suggest slippery elm. http://cat-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/feline_diarrhea
My 6-month-old kitten has had diarrhea since I rescued her 2 months ago. Her sister doesn’t. I’ve had them on Hill’s i/d food for the past 3 weeks, and there is no improvement. I’ve actually noticed a little bit of fresh blood on her diarrhea when it is a little better formed and not completely liquid. The vet says she’s not worried about that unless it’s dried blood, which it never is. Both kittens have very frequent flatulence. The problem kitten has been dewormed (twice), put on antibiotics and now switched to the i/d food (she was previously on Royal Canin). Now very frustrated, I stumbled upon this website and decided to give this a try. Well Nature’s Variety had a recall on all chicken products with a sell date before Feb 2011. I went to my pet store and they had a couple chicken medallion packages, but the sell date was March 2011 and that’s just too close for comfort. So instead, I bought the rabbit medallions. My question is, should the rabbit medallions yield the same results you had with the chicken/turkey? Do you think it’ll stop the diarrhea as quickly or at all?
Justin,
YES, if your cat will eat the rabbit, and it does the trick, it will get rid of the diarrhea just as well as the chicken will. Flavor has nothing to do with it UNLESS she is allergic to a particular meat. Rabbit is much more mild, and more cats from what I hear are allergic to chicken than to rabbit.
Oscar’s absolute favorite was the rabbit. My new kitten will only eat the rabbit, and it’s my older cat’s favorite as well.
I dont know if you were feeding i/d dry or canned, but if you were feeding the canned, you can mix the rabbit into the canned if she won’t eat it at first.
The deworming and the antibiotics are both very hard on the immune system, so they were not helping. (Were worms confirmed before she was dewormed?) If I were you I would start giving probiotics and slippery elm immediately. For info on that, read my post on treating diarrhea in cats naturally.
Good Luck!!
Thanks for the quick reply! The Hills i/d is dry food. They’ve only had canned food a few times because I didn’t want them to get too picky. Ironic that I’m about to give them the best food they’ve ever tasted
Both were tested negative for worms and parasites, but the vet thought it would be a good idea to do it anyway. I’m definitely going to check out the slippery elm and probiotics, but I just want to get them started on this food asap. Do you generally defrost the medallions in the microwave or do as the package says and let them defrost in the fridge overnight? I’m assuming you cut them up until little pieces, but do you warm them at all? Like 5 seconds in the microwave or something?
I hope they like the food! As you might remember, my Oscar loved it, but my other cat wouldn’t touch it for a while. If your cats don’t like it, either mix it in with canned food, or go back to the store and ask for Nature’s Variety DEHYDRATED raw, and sprinkle some of that crumbled up with the medallions. I had to use the dehydrated version to get my other cat to eat the raw. It took months before he would eat the raw without the dehydrated on it. If your store doesn’t have it, they can order it from their supplier.
It’s important to not microwave the food, or if you do, only for 3 seconds tops. The food has bones in it, and microwaving the bone bits will cook them and we don’t want that. It’s best to thaw in the fridge overnight, or in a bag immersed in luke warm water for ten minutes if you forget to thaw it out.
PS in the future, don’t let vets de-worm a cat that has tested negative for worms. Unnecessary medicine can mess with their system, digestive tract, etc.
My 15 year old cat, Buddy was diagnosed w/high blood sugar around 5 years ago and was put on a prescription died of D/M(diabetic management) dry and canned cat food. I bring in for a blood sugar test every 6 months and it remains about the normal, but in the safe range, sometimes higher, sometimes lower. When his can food runs out in around 6 weeks I am going to try the raw food diet. I will still have quite a bit of the dry food left. Can I safely combine the raw and the D/M dry food? I lost my 17 year old Ryan due to heart failure 3 weeks ago. He had been perfectly healthy, or so I thought. One morning my foodaholic, declined breakfast, a first, but I was running late and could I call my boss and say “I can’t come to work today because Ryan did not eat his breakfast”? But I did make an appointment for the following morning. When I came home that evening, Ryan was stretched out on the floor. At first I thought he was dead, he was completely unresponsive. I rushed him to the vet, but I knew he was already dying. After very much crying, the vet administered the shot. Ryan had heart failure, according to the vet. Ryan had labored breathing, he was cold, his mouth was blue, he was unresponsive. I stroked his beautiful coat, kissed his head, told him I loved him and I would miss him so much and then I cried some more, then left and went home – alone, without my friend
Hi Kay,
Actually you are not supposed to feed dry with raw. You can do it IF you space the two apart by at least 8 hours, for example raw for breakfast and dry food for supper, but no kibble left out for grazing. Now, Nature’s Variety claims that it is ok to feed their dry and their raw together. So I don’t know if those of us who are concerned with feeding raw and dry together are over-complicating the issue, or Nature’s Variety’s food is different some how. I can tell you that raw food is VERY helpful for cats with diabetes, and has been known to put diabetes in remission. See: http://catinfo.org/felinediabetes.htm It is not just feeding raw that is so beneficial; it is replacing kibble and grains with raw completely. But any step towards more fresh food is a great step.
If your cat will not eat the raw right away and you need to transition over, you could try slowly transitioning to grain-free canned first, then to raw. My 15 year old cat Charlie was a kibble ADDICT and it took MONTHS for me to get him off his dry kibble. He did like canned, but he would hold out for his darned kibble. I found that crumbling freeze dried raw on top of the raw helped a lot. I had to mix it in for a couple months, gradually decreasing the freeze dried and increasing the raw. I used Nature’s Variety Freeze Dried, which often is not carried in stores but any store than sells Nature’s Variety’s product can order any of their foods from their supplier. (PS it IS ok to feed raw and canned together, as well as freeze dried raw and canned together.)
I completely understand how you feel about going to work when your cat won’t eat breakfast. I had to deal with that so often, and those days at work were a blur and extremely stressful. I’m sorry to hear about Ryan. Good luck with the raw food for Buddy. Is Buddy overweight?
My husband got me a pursian cat for mothers day. I been wanting one for years and finally when he decide to please me. I find myself going crazy. My cat Kingston is 9 weeks old and has had diarrhea for 2 days and i dont know if i am over reacting at this time. but i cant sleep thinking if he is going to be okay. I was goin to put him on Pedialyte to make sure he dosent get dehydrate. Its been a weeks since i got him and now see him like one of my kids. The breeder gave my husband instructions about the food the cat should eat and i am following exactly what i was told. A friend suggested to take him to the vet and run some test on him. But i googling and find myself with artlicle that suggest RAW food. I am a little ify because he is so small.
My husband was told strictly to feed him Royal Canin baby cat 34 mixed with canned food.
Would i make it worst if i change his food to Raw?
Or should i switch his food from Royal Canin to Nature’s Variety. Any suggestations?
Poor Kingston! Really, at 9 weeks old it could be ANYTHING. But you will NOT make it worse by giving raw food. Right now is the best time to give it to him! He could eat a very healthy meal for the rest of his life!
But like I said, the diarrhea could be anything. A vet will help rule it out by checking over everything. But I will say that Persians are NOTORIOUS for having digestion problems like Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), and for that raw food is really the best medicine. Many vets don’t follow that school of thought, but that is because they are paid commission by companies like Royal Canin to “prescribe” it to their clients. If I were you I would try a cold turkey switch to Nature’s Variety or any other raw food you can find near you in stores. Make sure not to vaccinate Kingston while he has diarrhea, and only worm him if indeed worms are detected. I am not a vet but I do love spreading the word about raw food when so many vets just want to give your cat shots and antibiotics and send you on your way. Good luck!
Thanks for the response… I really appreaciate it. I will definately switch to RAW, and will watch him closely. If I don’t see no improvement I will take him to the vet to rule out the problem.
Hello there. My 9 year old cat, Graycie, has been vomiting for close to a year now. She seems fine otherwise but it is breaking my heart. I have tried switching her food to the one the vet recommended, hypoallergenic. It does not help. She throws up daily now and we have a small apartment that just can’t take much more vomiting. The vets have said it is IBS but none of the medications have worked! They just mixed up another one, 50 dollars for a 2 week supply! I was wondering if you would suggest raw? Where can I buy it? Should I do the meds as well?
Please help! My husband loves her dearly but thinks it might be time to put her down and I don’t want that!
Thank you! Abby
Hi there. My 9 year old cat has been vomiting for about a year. The vet says its IBS, but none of the meds they are trying are working AT ALL. I have her on hypoallergenic food as well…not working. I just bought the Nature’s Variety in chicken medallions and want to start on raw immediately. Do you recommend mixing in gradually with her hypoallergenic dry? Or since that seems to bother her, go to raw completely? If I gradually mix it in, how long should I do that?
Desperate! Thank you!
I am definitely going to try this starting tomorrow! I have tried everything! My cat is 16 years old and has exactly the same symptoms, I’ve tried everything else. Yogurt helped for a few months, but now she turns it away! Thank you I’ll let you know how we make out!
I was really worried when my Chakku and Mikku were down with diarrhea and vomiting! The medicines gave only a temporary relief. And I found that a poisonous plant somewhere around the yard of my neighbor is a root cause. From my experience I can tell you one thing a little investigative work may be necessary to determine the reason, and a lot of TLC may be necessary to resolve the diarrhea. Food allergies, renal failure, cancer, poisoning, parasites, and infectious disease etc can result in diarrhea. Also check your neighbors aren’t feeding your cat, when they go out coz eating food they aren’t used to can also be a reason. And try to avoid antibiotics too!
Hi, this is such a great blog. We have 3 kitties and a 4th showed up about 6 wks ago just skin and bones. We have saved and placed more cats and kittens than I can begin to tell you but this boy Paulie is an angel. Was no problem and fit right in and is just a love. After fattening him up for 2 weeks we got him neutered (think he’s around 1 yr) and ever since he’s had terrible diarrhea. It’s quite possible this was a problem before surgery but not sure. I know at one point he was using the litter box and he had formed stools, not puddles of poo like he does now. This problem has become an obsession. Have had him to more than one vet for antibiotics, testing, changed food, etc., and in a few days will be going for a fecal panel. We are at our wits end trying to help this poor boy and after reading all these comments I’m convinced I must try the Nature’s Variety raw diet. The writer of this blog as well as the follow-up comments have been so helpful and supportive. I pray I have the positive outcome that many of you have had.
Thank you so much Tina, I pray you have a positive outcome as well! If it works don’t be afraid to try other types of raw food. Our poor kitties just sometimes can’t handle all the over-processing and extra ingredients. GOOD LUCK! Maybe Paulie was meant to find you!
Hi! I just wanted to post and thank you for your suggestions. My cat has had severe diarrhea on and off for about a year and a half. The vet tested him for everything and they found nothing wrong. They diagnosed irritable bowel and gave him prednisolone to take. After all that we took him off the steriods, came upon your blog via google and we tried the Nature’s Variety RAW in conjunction with the Slippery Elm and the diarrhea is GONE. GONE. Amazing. I think you’ve saved my cats life. Thank you so much!!!!
Oh my god Jacqui you have just made my day!!! I’m so happy for your kitty! Thank god he doesn’t have to be on steroids! Don’t be bashful about experimenting with other raw foods and flavors. Natures Variety is so convenient, I usually feed it, but sometimes I experiment too
If it’s okay, this is to Jacqui. Just wondering how long it took for your kitty’s poo to firm up, and did you ONLY feed raw. My problem kitty Paulie has been on the raw diet not quite 3 days and while it appears firmer it does not have the “tootsie roll” form I’m hoping for. He is a bottomless pit so I am givning him minimal good grade kibble along with raw (although several hours after feeding raw. I am so afraid that the small amount of kibble could still be messing him up, yet throughout the day he is hungry and if I feed him a medallion every time he is hungry he will get too fat.! I am ever hopeful but insight from others is very helpful. Thanks!
Tina, you actually have it backwards. If you feed the KIBBLE he has a much higher chance of getting fat than if you feed the raw. If you just feed the raw, it has a lot of protein in it and he will stop eating it when he is full. The kibble is messing up the poo. Raw doesn’t work magic if you feed kibble too. Take a look at this book: Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life. Do some searches for the keywords kibble, carbohydrates, and raw and you will see what I mean.
Specifically see page 112 of that book, Tina.
Dear “Go Fetch,” thanks for your additional comments, I will definitely take a look at the book you mention! I do feed Paulie mostly raw, but on the days my boyfriend and I are both gone all day, I leave some kibble for him. I also wonder if he WILL ever feel full and stop eating. I think he was so starving when he first showed up he doesn’t know when to stop now that food is readily accessible. Anyway, for the next 10 days one of us will always be home and we can concentrate on ONLY feeding him raw, even throughout the day. Apologies for beating this to death, it’s just that, of all the forums I’ve been participating in about this subject, this one has been the most supportive and helpful (rather than some that have a condemnatory tone!), so thank you!
That is all wonderful to hear Tina, and I look forward to hearing if 10 days on all raw (or even 2 days on all raw) helps!!! I only feed my cats 2-3 times a day. You do not need to leave out kibble. I wonder how many medallions you feed per day? The calculator on the Nature’s Variety website is very helpful. And, my name is Leigh
Tina, you may also want to try the Slipper Elm Bark. Maybe mix it into this food once a week or so.
Leigh, I cannot thank you enough. Really.
Its been two weeks and my kitty’s coat looks shiny and smoother.
Leigh (thank you for your name!) and Jacqui, I’ve been dealing with an holistic vet and we do have Paulie on SEB as well as probiotics. I am pleased to say that this morning my sweet Paulie had the most formed poo yet. It’s soft but definitely resembled what one should look like – I truly believe we are on our way to a happy kitty with a healthy digestive tract! To be continued
……
Good day!My cat named toby,a 6 month old persian cat has diarrhea for more than a month.I dont know what to do since it was the very first time i am having a cat.his stool is soft and sometimes jelly-like.I am feeding him dry cat food.When i am searching for the treatments for him,i have found this post and we have the same situation. He stars to loss his hair too and his anus is irritated and reddish in color.I am afraid that this could be fatal.I am from the Philippines and I cant find that raw food for toby. Can i feed him with the literally raw meat?I will just grind it.I wish somebody will have answer for my case. If there is somebody who could help me please send it to my Y.M. aljon.montealto@yahoo.com..Thank you and more power to all of you!
have a god day!
Aljon, yes you can feed ground raw meat. You just have to follow the 80/10/10 rule. 80% raw meat, 10% bone and 10% organ, 5% of that being liver. When Oscar got really picky about food I would cut up raw chicken breasts for him, include some bone, and feed him some chicken liver and chicken hearts. He loved it and crunched the bone right up. But if you switch to raw food, you have to stop feeding the dry food completely. Here’s more info: http://www.rawfedcats.org/nature.htm
Hi, I’ve a cat named Yuri (like Yuri Gagarin). He’s 1,5 years old & male. After castration operation, vet gave Yuri some antibiotics and changed his diet. This treatment caused diarrhea and it has been 5 months and his diarrhea and sometimes vomiting haven’t stopped. I’ve tried gave him a fast and boiled chicken meat and rice but we had no improvement. We changed his vet and the new one gave him Proplan Sensitive Skin and Stomach (dry) and told me not to gave him canned food. Than Yuri stopped eating kibbles and began to loose weight. Than again we changed our vet doctor, the very new one take some blood and stool sample and said that he’s so anaemic, fortunately no other disease. He took some x-rays and said that Yuri’s intestine has been dilated because of diarrhea and gas. We have start to feed him with Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Dry and wet food. His diarrhea got normal and his stool had a shape for the first time but unfortunately he stopped eating Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal both wet and dry two days ago. Nowadays he’s just 2.1 kg and his diarrhea came back. He has bowel gas all the time and it’s so annoying for him. And my other cat is constipated unfortunately. Is raw diet suitable for them?
Yes, I would absolutely see if he would eat the raw food. His poor digestive system is going through a terrible time. It might be just the thing he needs. Try!
I purchased Natures Variety for my cat Binx. Been suffering with dia. since Ja. 2011. First week dia stopped completely., however on the eighth day stools got softer and dia. returned. My cat is on prednisolone and another drug for IBD. I guess I need to know is your cat still on raw and doing well? I am keeping him on the raw and will not let him eat any dry. Any suggestions? You do seem to know a lot about this subject. By the way my VET told me not to do it. My cat is an 8 yr. old rescue, one step from being put down when we got him.
Thank you.
Hi Bill! Raw food saved my cat’s life for well over a year. He did eventually pass away, but he never had diarrhea again a day in his life. I am wondering what the other drug is your cat is on? I’m also wondering how long he has been on the prednisolone? Are you going to wean him off of it? The problem *could* be those drugs or their combination. Another thing I would suggest is mixing some slippery elm into his food. If you get a bottle of capsules from the vitamin isle, just open one up and sprinkle about half of it in each bowl when there is diarrhea. But let me know about the drugs, too. Also I assume he has had blood work done? What about xrays or ultrasound?
The other med he takes 2X a day is 60 metronidazole benz 400mg/5ml suspended medisc. Binx has had all of the blood work, but no Xrays or ultrasound that I know of. as of right now, he is setting here just looking at me. He has not had any dia. since 9-19. He has been on the prednisolone since march, but only since april in liquid form and is givin once a day. The vet wants to run more test, but they are very expensive and I wonder if it will show anything other than what we already know? A large test was done at a gastrintestinal lab at the Texas A&M Univ. 3/24/11. It noted that the cat could have pancreatitis. or small intestinal dease or EPI? Today there is no dia and Binx seems fine and eating well. Thank you for your concern and info.
Well, no diarhea for 2 days? That’s good. But why is he on an antibiotic? That would cause diarrhea in itself. If it comes back, get him some slippery elm and mix it into his food. Also mix in a probiotic. I also question what the metronidazole is for, and do any of these suspension formulas have alcohol in them? That’s not good, either. IBD can be difficult to diagnose, but giving him antibiotics and alcohol won’t help matters
I suggest you do some research on a good probiotic, ask if the antibiotics can be stopped, look into slippery elm, and check out the Whole Cat Health yahoo group. Lots of helpful people there. Good luck!!
Thought I would let you know about Binx. No dia. Icalled my vet and she took him off of the antibiotic and started reducing the prdnisolone. He is in love with the canned Natures Variety and eats very well. Note no dry food anymore…..
Thank you for answering my replys. It is nice to know that there are people who care and will give good advise.
That’s great Bill
Thank you for the update!!
hi my neighbor gave me a cat last week and its around a year old and ever since i got it the cat has done nothing but have diarrhea at first i thought it was because i had probable given it different food then it was used to but now im thinking something else is wrong with him because its been a wk and i am really getting tired of the constant bathroom and the horrible smell that goes with it and even worse for some reason i found my cat going to the restroom in my shower instead of the litterbox im starting to think my neighbor gave it to me because she knew it was sick and i do not know how to fix him and definetly do not have the money for a vet he doesnt puke just lots of diarreah
Hi Tiffany, did your neighbor not tell you anything about the cat? You really need to take it to the vet, it could be anything. It could be worms, cancer, allergies, or anything. Why did you take the cat if you can’t afford to care for it if it gets sick? My cat used to use the bathtub as well before I figured out that he had allergies and/or IBD. If you are feeding it dry food that is the worst thing for it, sorry to say. I know it’s cheap but it will not help the cat.
My cat Buddy turns 16 this Sunday (my new years baby girl). She has had diarrhea for the last few months. After reading your article I immediately went to the local pet store and purchased the trial size bag of raw food. I am hoping this will help. I will post again in a few days on her progress.
Poor Buddy! Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t like it right away. You can mix in some grain free cat food if you need to. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he ate it right up too. Has he been to the vet? Poor guy
Hi Leigh. I had the worst scare with my 4 year old cat, CoCo this week. I adopted her from a shelter when she was a kitten and has developed chronic diarrhea over the last year and began vomiting more frequently. She is incredibly finicky and I couldn’t seem to find a food that she could keep down.
I took her to the vet over the summer and they ran tests and did x-rays and $500 later, they couldn’t find anything wrong with her. I continued to play with her diet and she was ok eating canned cat food, but still wasn’t 100%.
This week her diarrhea became more severe and I found blood mixed in. She was also vomiting whatever she ate. She had been losing weight and couple w/ the other symptoms, I felt another vet visit was in order.
The vet ran the same tests and did the same x-rays, told me that “things don’t look good for her” and found nothing. She suggested we do an ultrasound and do other test for cancer, but I told her I would have to think about that.
After crying over the potential death of my cat and being a complete wreck, I began researching her symptoms and came across your website and read how your cat suffered from the same thing as CoCo and thought she might have IBS/IBD- something the vet did not even think of.
I would always give her raw or boiled chicken if she would have a flare up so I rant to get Nature’s Variety raw chicken. I am happy to say that after two days, CoCo hasn’t vomited and her poop was solid!
I will continue to monitor her, but I truly believe a raw food diet is best for her.
She is happy and playful and I have you to thank for it.
Thanks for saving her!
Oh my gosh Janis, I could cry. Your story sounds so much like Oscar’s. Many cats are put on steroids for IBD, which can help but is also pretty scary. I sure hope CoCo keeps eating the raw food. She is so young!!! Good luck to you guys, she is so lucky to have you!!
Hi Lee,
Did you only give your cat the raw food? CoCo’s diarrhea is back. She seems to have good weeks and bad weeks. This week is a bad week.
Janis, I don’t know how I missed your message. How is CoCo? Was she only eating the raw?
I took in a 14 yr old cat, Sylvester, from a friend who passed away. He is now 16 and has had chronic diarrhea since i got him! The vet put him on flagyl, dewormed him and put him in I/D. All of which helped a tiny little bit for a day or two. He has constant gas and squirts feces all over the house. Other than that, he is a happy cat. I am on the verge of having him euthanized or confining him to 1 room. The vet says this happens with some cats when they get old. I have another 18 year old cat who is fine but seems to be constantly hungry and never satisfied. I live in a small town in WV and cannot find the raw food locally. Ordering online is expensive! I would like to try making my own, what exactly should I use? Raw chicken, raw chicken liver, ground raw bone? What about the skin? Thank you for your help. Julie
We have an 8 month old kitten who appears to be healthy except for constant diarrhea, dripping through the house at times. The vet has dewormed him and put him on antibiotics on and off for a few months. Nothing has helped. We have 3 other healthy cats and feed them all a bit of canned shredded cat food in the morning and evening. They also have Iams hard cat food available throughout the day. The vet just recommended switching to Royal Canin Gastrointestinal food suspecing maybe the kitten has a problem abosorbing nutrients, unfortunately, the kitten doesn’t like it, so I’ve been doing some research today trying to find some options. I’ve come across the raw diet option a few times and planning on going out to get Natures Variety Raw Frozen tonight. I plan to feed the raw in the morning and put out the kibble to nibble at the rest of theday. The cost of feeding four cats raw is a little overwhelming so I’d like to do it safely and as healthy as possible. How much raw does a cat eat in a day? What would be healthy to try in the evening? A different soft food? More raw food? I just need help figuring out how to make the switch!!
Dawn, I’m sorry I didn’t see your question until just now. I’m sure by now you know there is a feeding guide right on the Natures Variety website. To answer your question about what else to feed besides raw, you should definitely feed a grain-free canned. There are lots of options, from Wellness, Nature’s Variety, and many more. Good Luck!
Thank you so much for this website! My little angel, Fiona, aged three, had horrible, violent diarrhea. During the course of six weeks, I took her to the vet four times. She was on five pills per day and prescription food. As soon as the medicine ended, the diarrhea returned. Before bringing her to the vet a fifth time, I thought I would try the raw diet. After 5 days, her stool is solid. It is not the right color, but we seem to be headed in the right direction! I originally tried another brand but the Nature’s Variety is wonderful to use because the medallions are already portioned out for me. Thank you so much for sharing your story and helping others! Now I just need to get my other baby to switch to the raw diet!
That’s great Johanna! Any by the way, the stool color does change on a raw diet. It is probably much lighter in color now, right? That’s normal.
My Sarabi has had diarrhea now for a long time..over a year. Tried everything from meds, changing foods, vet appts. and tests. They can never find anything. She has diarrhea several times a day and also gas. Her tummy makes loud noises and she stretches like maybe she has gas pain. She is normal otherwise. Due to the diarrhea she has lost weight. We have had to confine her to a spare room that is basically empty. We had finally given up, when my husband started researching raw food diets as a last resort. We came across this website and we went immediately and bought the Natures Variety Medallions. We had to mix it with a small amount of canned food that we also got from this pet store that is basically grain free, etc. Overnight we saw improvement. After 2 weeks, the diarrhea has returned and I am so discouraged. I am going to the vet store today to see what else they have. Have your heard of the Primal raw foods?? Any suggestions??
Tammi, were you only feeding the Natures Variety or were you always mixing in canned food? “Basically” grain free isn’t grain free. Yes I’ve heard of Primal and it might help if you can get her to eat it. But she cannot have any grains. Even Natures Variety has a small amount of vegetables in it, and some cats can’t handle anything but a 100% carnivore diet. If you can’t get her to eat the raw plain on it’s own, either add in canned Nature’s Variety Instict or ask the pet store for some Nature’s Variety freeze dried raw and sprinkle some in. That worked for my one cat who was addicted to kibble and didn’t want plain raw.
My cat Lilly has had chronic diarrhea for years. Been diagnosed with IBD. And, of course, I’ve tried every available hypoallergenic, limited ingredient food available. Some help for a while, but the runs return.
Lilly is very finicky and won’t go near canned food. She used to eat some raw beef or cooked chicken, but lately doesn’t want it. So, Yes, I’ve read up and decided a raw diet was the way to go. I purchased the Natures Variety medallions on Sunday and removed the kibble. She won’t touch it. The store said not to give in. I’m now on day 5 and my cat has refused to eat anything. After 48 hours I tried raw ground lamb and steak, I’ve mixed it with chicken broth, but all to no avail. I’ve now relented to mixing a bit of the raw with her kibble, but if there’s one microscopic bit of raw food in it, she refuses. I know if I put her back on the kibble, the diarrhea will return. The vet has no suggestions other than steroids. I’m at a loss. Also, it’s impossible to get a pill or even liquid meds into my cat. Even a vet tech couldn’t do it. Any suggestions???
Wow Beverly, I’m so sorry about your finicky cat. I have one too and it is no fun. Have you tried Nature’s Variety freeze dried medallions? I once had a kibble addict cat and I had to s-l-o-w-l-y switch him to raw by adding freeze dried to his kibble, slowly changing the ratio over to more freeze dried, then making the freeze dried wetter and wetter, then adding in frozen raw, then changing the ratio over to more raw. The process took months – probably 8 months until she was finally on the frozen raw and off freeze dried.
OMG, you totally saved my Persian cat’s life cuz i was ready to kill him (not really). But I was on my last nerve. Every time he would go into the litter-box which was like 50 times a day I would stop what i was doing and listen to hear if he had diarrhea and then wait outside the box to see that he didn’t get it all over himself and track it all over the house. I was chained to this cat, if he wasn’t such an amazing creature with such a great personality i probably would have returned him to the breeder. He is only 1.5 years old but 1.5 years of diarrhea is a nightmare, seriously. I came across this website and tried the raw food thing and it is the only thing that worked. I have tried everything else. I have three cats and he is the only one with a sensitive stomach so he gets raw and the others get their regular food. I have tried a few different types of food and nothing ever worked. He is so much better now, so much happier, fluffier etc. I really owe you thank you so much for posting this – I was so sceptical so am I ever happy that it worked, you changed my life you really did. oh and just for other people reading this, when you feed them raw food the feces does not have an odour! Bonus!
All the best,
t
Hello I am hoping for a miracle!!
Harley was found under a car with her eyes sealed shut from the mucus. She quite literally had three paws in the grave. The fellow who initially rescued her took her to the vet where she was given drops for her eyes and she was dewormed. Unfortunately the fellow gave her crème and I was told that was when the severe diarrhea started. He was going to put her down so I took her as I thought with my heart rather than my head.
When I met Harley she was tiny and her back end was covered with her poop; she was a very stinky kitty! I took her to our vet who kept her for a couple of nights for some intensive treatment. Unfortunately while she was not as stinky the results were not what the vet had hoped for. Since then she has been on three antibiotics and resonantly something for IBS. Nothing seems to be working. I have also been giving her probiotics. The vet thought she was about six weeks old and that was at the end of October. She is also on a vet diet of Royal Canine for digestive issues
I am getting close to the point of giving up. However she has a huge appetite and loves to eat she is growing and besides the stinky back end which I have to bath regularly she is a mystery. I just read your posts and I am really hoping that switching her to raw freeze dried food will be the answer or the next step will be to put her to sleep. I feel very badly about this and I honestly don’t know if I will be able to follow through.
Hoping for miracle,
Shauna
Good luck! I would just try raw if I were you, but freeze dried raw might work too. You could even just start with little bits of raw chicken, but you can’t feed that for long because it isn’t nutritionally balanced. Good luck!!!
The diarrhea has stopped since giving the freeze dried food, however she seems very hungry still. This might be because she was used to having dried kibble available to her all of the time.
There is a lot less poop and it looks appears formed which it never has before.
Is there anything else that I could give in between her feedings to satisfy her hunger?
Well, she’s eating less carbs so seeming hungry is to be expected. Can you get the actual raw? What about some grain-free cat food? Good news about the poopers!!!!
I tried her on grain free a while back. It seemed a little better then but not by much. I just noticed today that her poop looks like it is getting soft again. But there still is a lot less of it. I read some where that a little plain yogurt before meals might also help.
Where did you get the food that you tried on your cat? I live in Canada so perhaps it not available here.
Thank you for your suggestions!
S
Shauna, according to the website, Nature’s Variety is sold in Canadian stores. http://www.naturesvariety.com/locator Good luck!