Wet food + diarhea ‐ help needed

[Mici&Golf]

Hi everyone
First I would like to apologize because I write in English, if you have an advice for us, please don't hesitate to respond in German.

Recently I started introducing our 2 cats to wet food. I want them on healthier diet and one of them needs to loose weight (currently he's at 6kg).

They were both fed with dry food until now. One is 3 years old, other is 7. The older one (that's the one who needs loosing weight) accepted food instantly. The other one was a bit reluctant at first, but is now ok with it. For a week I mixed new wet food with dry. After that I only mixed their breakfast, other 3 meals were only wet food. I give them 4 meals a day, because in other case they leave some of the food in a bowl.

After feeding only wet they both got diarrhea. The older cat especially seems to have problems to digest it. He meows a lot more and I suspect his tummy hurts. Both of cats stools are super soft, but not totally fluid.

I am mostly feeding them MjamMjam. They seem to like it most. We also ordered Granatapet, but are still waiting for the order to arrive.

I doubt this could be specific protein intolerance, since cats are not genetically related. They only ate cans containing turkey, chicken, duck or salmon. Those are all ingredients they previously already ate without side effects.

Cat with supposed tummy ache seems to get them mostly 2 hours after eating salmon + chicken.

This morning I feed them only dry as a precaution.

Is this a normal occurrence when transitioning to wet food, will soon get better and I should continue? (Of course eliminating salmon because tummy ache)

Did I transition too quickly and I'm making them harm?

Should I start again with dry and only a spoon or two of wet food?

If anyone has experience in diarrhea when changing to wet food we would be greatly grateful for your help 🙏 ☺

Mici, Golf and Kristina

 

[Polayuki]

Hello there!

Its great that u started to change your food to a healthier one. Dry food is quite unhealthy and more comparable to junkfood then ot anything else.
Since they already accepted the wet food so quick, you dont need to mix it with the dry food. Just feed them the wet food. You should feed them "all you can eat" 24 hours per day 7 days per week. Simple: as much as they want to. If there is some food left in the bowl, its perfect.
Tho you need to make sure, that the food is high quality. More precisely: a high amount of meat (at least 60%), no grains and no sugar.
But Mjamjam sounds great already!

How long are they receiving wet food already? You should give it a bit more time, so the stomach and the intestinal can adapt to the new food. It is normal, that the change can cause a bit of dirrhea in the first time.

they also could have problems with dirrhea before already, but the dry food covered it. Thats one of the huge problems with dry food, that this food absorbs the water and thus mask the dirrhea or other problems, eventhough the source is still there.

I would suggest you to feed mostly monoprotein. For example mjamjam with only one source of meat. The same goes for other brands. I can recommend you Catz finefood purrr, but it is more expensive then mjamjam. Feed it for a while (only one source of meat) and check out if its getting better.

Also maybe keep a diary with the food and the output, so you can notice changes. Also dont give any treats in the next time.
You can give them one spoon of yoghurt per day, it is supporting the intestinals

lg

 

[cakehole]

Hi and welcome!

I hope your cats will get better soon. 🍀

It's great that you are switching from dry to wet food!

There are other members in this forum who will know a lot more about this than me, but I do have some ideas about your current situation - maybe someone could please confirm or debunk this, though:
- I guess, your cats' intestines maybe need some time to adjust, now that you're switching from dry to wet food
- you wrote that you mixed wet and dry food - somewhere in this forum I read about how dry and wet food do have different times of digestion and it could be that this maybe upset their tummies? There are different amounts of protein, carbohydrates... and of course water in dry and wet food
- also, in theory, it could be possible that your cats do both have some sort of protein intolerance

I will try to freely translate what I wrote so all people are able to understand me, alright?
---
Nochmal auf Deutsch, frei übersetzt:

Habe den TE begrüßt und gesagt, dass ich hoffe, dass es den Katzen schnell besser geht und, dass ich es gut finde, dass auf Nassfutter umgestellt wird von Trockenfutter.

Hier gibt es mit Leute, die mehr Ahnung haben als ich, aber ich habe ein paar Ideen, die gerne bestätigt oder widerlegt werden können:
- evtl. dauert es eine Weile bis der Darm sich umgestellt hat auf Nassfutter
- durch mischen von Trocken- u. Nassfutter könnte es wg. unterschiedlichen Verdauungszeiten zu Durchfall gekommen sein; Hinweis auf unterschiedliche Anteile von Protein, Kohlenhdraten und natürlich Wasser
- evtl. könnte, auch wenn es unwahrscheinlich erscheint, eine Proteinsensibilität vorliegen

 

[Angellike]

Hi and welcome 🙂
a) can I please see the cat, who have to lost weight?
b) I agree with @cakehole that dry and wet food has different digestion times, thats what made a balloon of my Kalle's (7kg) tummy!

 

[Mici&Golf]

Thank you all for your kindness, tips and answers 💖 you are one of the nicest communities I came across 😻

@Polayuki
I never actually thought about dry food "masking" problems, but it sounds so logical. Golf (younger one) has an appointment at a vet tomorrow and I will also mention these concerns. (He has a leg problem. I suspect he somehow hurt himself because he's a clumsy cat, often loosing balance. Previous vet suspected neurological issue)
They are fed 200g wet + 14g dry for 2 weeks now. And had transition period of 1 week before, until they accepted new food. To be honest only Golf was reluctant, Mici likes it from the day one.

I will try with monoprotein from today on. We will go with chicken, since it's most common and all brands have it.
I only have two concerns about free feeding. They usually don't like their food to be dry and won't touch it. And how long can wet food stay "outside" and doesn't go bad.

@cakehole
I stopped mixing today 😉 that makes a lot of sense, I hope it helps.
Thank you 😊

@Angellike
Sure thing 😉
I tried to make a picture that shows his figure best. It's a bit of a challenge with him. He won't stand still, he wants to be scratched, to go in my lap ...🤪 Everyone who knows Mici says he's a biggest attention seeker.

His belly is firm and doesn't "flap" when running (last two pictures of him). Spine and especially ribs are not that obvious when touched, only with firmer touching. I estimate it would be healthier for him if he had around 5kg (6.1 kg now).

I will also share both of them together, so he doesn't steal the spotlight, if you don't mind 😉
Images are low quality because of loading.

 

[bohemian muse]

The two are very cute, but Mici is indeed a bit too chubby, as you have already pointed out yourself. In any case, it would not hurt him to lose at least 1kg to avoid that he gets problems in the long run by being overweight.

You can usually leave wet food out for up to 8-10 hours without any problems. If they don't like the food dried out there is either the option of adding a little water over it or, which keeps the food fresh even longer, using automatic feeders. These have a cover and open only when a cat approaches (e.g. by chip control), so that the food does not dry out even over hours.

This one is a very popular model:
SureFeed Mikrochip Futterautomat

 

[Angellike]

Thank you all for your kindness, tips and answers 💖 you are one of the nicest communities I came across 😻

@Polayuki
I never actually thought about dry food "masking" problems, but it sounds so logical. Golf (younger one) has an appointment at a vet tomorrow and I will also mention these concerns. (He has a leg problem. I suspect he somehow hurt himself because he's a clumsy cat, often loosing balance. Previous vet suspected neurological issue)
They are fed 200g wet + 14g dry for 2 weeks now. And had transition period of 1 week before, until they accepted new food. To be honest only Golf was reluctant, Mici likes it from the day one.

I will try with monoprotein from today on. We will go with chicken, since it's most common and all brands have it.
I only have two concerns about free feeding. They usually don't like their food to be dry and won't touch it. And how long can wet food stay "outside" and doesn't go bad.

@cakehole
I stopped mixing today 😉 that makes a lot of sense, I hope it helps.
Thank you 😊

@Angellike
Sure thing 😉
I tried to make a picture that shows his figure best. It's a bit of a challenge with him. He won't stand still, he wants to be scratched, to go in my lap ...🤪 Everyone who knows Mici says he's a biggest attention seeker.

His belly is firm and doesn't "flap" when running (last two pictures of him). Spine and especially ribs are not that obvious when touched, only with firmer touching. I estimate it would be healthier for him if he had around 5kg (6.1 kg now).

I will also share both of them together, so he doesn't steal the spotlight, if you don't mind 😉
Images are low quality because of loading.

Anhang anzeigen 136391

Anhang anzeigen 136380

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Anhang anzeigen 136386

Anhang anzeigen 136387

Sweet nose... Thank you.

 

[cakehole]

Good morning!

How are your cats? Do you probably already see some sort of small improvements? 🍀 🍀 🍀

 

[Polayuki]

Huhu!

The wet food can stay out up to 12 hours. If you are concerned you can also use surefeeds so the food stays more fresh and wet. You also could mix some water in the food, so it stays more wet during the time.
If you feed them "all you can eat" they should also loose weight. The most problem for weight gaining is anyway the dry food. High quality wet can be fed unhesitatingly.

I wish you the best. Keep us updated! =)

With best wishes,
Polar

 

[Mici&Golf]

Hey ☺️
I'm returning with an update. Last two nights were harsh on Mici, he was meowing all night and his visits to litter box were frequent. Yesterday he started to reject food. It probably reminds him of unpleasant feelings.

As previously mentioned Golf had an appointment at the vet, so I also asked her about diarrhea issue. She suggested to make transition period longer and start feeding dry with a spoonful of wet for the start. It will probably also show by the end of the transition period if problems were only masked by dry food.

The plan is to make transition period around 3 weeks long, gradually feeding les dry and more wet. Fingers crossed that by week 4 we can already feed all you can eat without digestive issues. I will also keep a diary.

We started this morning. They get 3 meals a day (as they are used to) with 15g of wet food and dry in a bit smaller amount than usual. Mici is eating, so I am greatly relieved 😌 I will keep you updated. We will figure this out one way or another, because healthy kitties are our goal 😋

I would also like to ask you, how long do you keep your cans opened in fridge? Currently we have pouches, so that's not yet a problem. But I would like to be sure for later (oh, and we have silicone lids to prevent drying out) 😊

Best regards and thank you again 😊

 

[bohemian muse]

Hey ☺️
I'm returning with an update. Last two nights were harsh on Mici, he was meowing all night and his visits to litter box were frequent. Yesterday he started to reject food. It probably reminds him of unpleasant feelings.

As previously mentioned Golf had an appointment at the vet, so I also asked her about diarrhea issue. She suggested to make transition period longer and start feeding dry with a spoonful of wet for the start. It will probably also show by the end of the transition period if problems were only masked by dry food.

The plan is to make transition period around 3 weeks long, gradually feeding les dry and more wet. Fingers crossed that by week 4 we can already feed all you can eat without digestive issues. I will also keep a diary.

We started this morning. They get 3 meals a day (as they are used to) with 15g of wet food and dry in a bit smaller amount than usual. Mici is eating, so I am greatly relieved 😌 I will keep you updated. We will figure this out one way or another, because healthy kitties are our goal 😋

I would also like to ask you, how long do you keep your cans opened in fridge? Currently we have pouches, so that's not yet a problem. But I would like to be sure for later (oh, and we have silicone lids to prevent drying out) 😊

Best regards and thank you again 😊

Have you also talked to your vet about having a fecal sample tested? That would be really very useful considering the severe and persistent diarrhea of the cats.

Refrigerated and sealed with a lid, wet food in a can keeps fresh for quite a long time. With currently 6 cats here even 800g cans are usually destroyed in a short time 😅
But in the summer when it is really hot and the cats eat much less, we sometimes keep wet food in the refrigerator 12 hours or even longer.

 

[Polayuki]

We keep cans arround 2 days in the fridge. If i know, that i cant empty the can within 2 days, i put half of it in the freezer.

 

[Angellike]

I put 800g cans in little Tupperware boxes, 2 in the freezer, 1 in the fridge. 1 for the day. It's the cheapest way to feed, but the cats are like

 

[Mici&Golf]

So, I'd like to report on our current situation. The diarrhea is gone for now, I'm hoping it stays that way. We started with small cans two days ago. And I think we are progressing well.

Meanwhile Mici also went to a vet and got diagnosed with asthma. Vet suggested to start with pills first and if they help, he will get inhaler afterwards. Therefore he will be getting some treats to hide pills, hopefully that won't mess with his digestion. 😉 We also took cups for stool samples in case diarrhea returns.

Haha, I bet 800g is vanishing in a heartbeat with that many cats. But with two 400g can will not be enough, 800g is way too much for 1 day ... But I guessed that 24h limit is a bit exaggerated 😉

Best regards,
Mic, Golf and Kristina

 

[Polayuki]

You should altreay start to train the inhalation with the inhaler by clickertraining. so it will go easy as soon as you have to do it! But i am very sure, @Cat_Berlin can tell you more about asthma and inhaling!

the diarrhea issue sounds very good! =) I am glad you got over it now. 800g is perfect for two days then

best regards!

 

[Mici&Golf]

You should altreay start to train the inhalation with the inhaler by clickertraining. so it will go easy as soon as you have to do it! But i am very sure, @Cat_Berlin can tell you more about asthma and inhaling!

the diarrhea issue sounds very good! =) I am glad you got over it now. 800g is perfect for two days then

best regards!

Oh, yes this will be a challenge 🥴 I already ordered the clicker. But currently we are trying to train how to follow the finger. That way we'll have some advantage when we get inhaler 😉

Yes, I'm counting on 800g to last a day and a half. At least at recommended dosage for their weight (around 240g per cat). Actually Golf also has 5.5kg, but he's not chubby or overweight. Vet said it's because his body is reaaally long. He looks more like Dachshund, haha 😂