New cat, bathroom issues

[adamantium]

About 2 month ago we adopted a cat from the same rescue we adopted our other 2 cats from (those cats have since passed away, one to an infection and the other this summer to a brain tumor). The second day we had him I woke up to howling and bloody urine. I called the rescue, took him to their vet and he stayed the weekend. He had a UTI and they ran fecal tests, looked for parasites and checked his glands. Lovely start, nothing say welcome home more then medicating a cat.

I have also noticed that he drags his butt like a dog after some bowel movements. He goes a lot for a cat, at least in comparison to our other cats. He seems to do this when his stomach is upset or from straining. I have wiped him to prevent the rubbing on the carpet (so gross) and on one occasion there was blood. Oh and I took him to the vet, nothing of note there.

At this point I think we have a food issue. He is currently eating Call of the Wild and Tikki Cat wet food. I wonder if it is too rich like CORE can be for some cats. EVO is similar so I think that might have the same reaction.

Ideas or other thoughts?

[calico]

I got nothing. Good luck figuring out the issue.

[greenandwhite]

I'm not sure I do know that mine tend to do the butt drag thing when they have soft stool or diarrhea. Not really helpful I know.

[kellbell191]

I would do grain free, try a probiotic like culturelle in his food and ask the vet about using metronidazole. To pill our cats we hide the pills in soft treats. They think its delicious!

Maybe try a grain free food that is less rich?

[niemand88f]

Dec 20, 2012 15:34:07 GMT -5 kellbell191 said:

I would do grain free, try a probiotic like culturelle in his food and ask the vet about using metronidazole. To pill our cats we hide the pills in soft treats. They think its delicious!

Maybe try a grain free food that is less rich?

Regular Wellness is a less rich option. Only some of the flavors are grain-free though, look for the little yellow "Grain Free" on the upper right of the label. If your cat prefers chunky foods, the canned "sliced" food is grain free too. EVO is a great food but quite rich too.

Good luck!

[katietornado]

Very interesting. We have a cat with urinary issues (Feline Interstitial Cystitis) and the best thing we've done for him has been to get him on a raw diet. It's $17 for a 48-ounce bag. We buy about two bags a month. So it's expensive but probably comparable to the Tiki cat...that stuff is $$$ if I remember correctly.

Since starting him on raw he has not had a single flareup, and it's been many months. He used to have one a month, or more.

Good luck!

[adamantium]

He has been grain free since we adopted him (we did a gradual transition). I swear the poor thing changes from liquid to huge stools, so if it isn't medical it has to be food.

I picked up Wellness cubed wet food and Chicken Soup dry. I think maybe limited grains would be helpful right now and then move him to something grain free but limited, like California Natural. He was on Nutro Max at his foster home so maybe it was too much too fast, IDK. We never seem to adopt normal/easy cats! They're always worth it, but sorting this out is maddening.

[adamantium]

Dec 20, 2012 15:34:07 GMT -5 kellbell191 said:

I would do grain free, try a probiotic like culturelle in his food and ask the vet about using metronidazole. To pill our cats we hide the pills in soft treats. They think its delicious!

Maybe try a grain free food that is less rich?

I will ask after the holiday. I really don't want to pill him, having done it for the UTI he is not easy and the pill pockets do not work. If I could sprinkle it on his wet food that would be great. I just don't want to ruin the trust we've finally built up. We're still working on trimming his nails. He was a stray until the beginning of August, so while super friendly some things still scare him.

[polarbearfans]

I would just stick with one brand for now instead of switching it up so much....ugh for a bit I used a mild prescription wet science diet for my little girl :/ ingredients total crap and I transitioned her to a grain free wet food but it helped with her issues of vommitting at the time. Some cats just need a super super slow transition. Like a tiny speck of the new food mixed with old food and very slowly increasing amounts.

[mustluvowls]

My cat has similar issues. She's had few instances where the stool was just to big to pass. The vet recommended food with more fiber in it. She was on CORE, but we've had them on Wellness indoor for a while now. She suggested feeding a wet diet with a small amount of laxative sprinkled on it (I got the Publix brand ClearLax) and she's on Metoclopramide. Seems to be helping some, but she still struggles with an upset stomach sometimes.