Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat

1. 

   My cat is a year old and ever since I had him (at 1 month his age) he never really got the jist of ALWAYS using his litter box. Every now and then he would not go in his box.

   Also one thing I noticed was if he ate a centipede, he would have blood in his "#2". My landlord felt that wasn't normal and thought it could be parasites. She took a sample to her vet and nothing came back positive.

   I deeply feel that it isn't something internally and because I'm a student I don't have the money to pay for a vet visit and testing.

   I must also say that my friend just moved in with her cat a few months ago and because she feeds her cat wet & dry food, that is not Iams, that I feed my cat nor dry food, when he does #2 it is runny. Obviously because of his diet changing.

   My landlord is convinced it's parasites...I'm just torn on what to do. I don't want to seem selfish but if he has already been tested and it is not parasites, I'm just looking for suggestions. I love my cat very much.

   Posted 3 years ago by Romney #

2. 

   Romney, maybe you could collect a stool sample from your kitty and just take that to the vet to be tested. Explain to them that money is a bit tight. They can test the sample for parasites. It would be a starting place.

   Kitty's are really sensitive to diet change so I would try to keep your kitty's food and your friend's kitty's food separate.

   Let us know what happens!

   Oh, and I really like your avatar!

   Posted 3 years ago by WillowandWindismom #

3. 

   I agree with WWm Romney!

   Hey it's been a while since last we saw you! How's school going?

   Posted 3 years ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #

4. 

   He has already been tested, my landlord took a sample to her vet a few months ago possibly April or May because that had been happening and the tests came back negative.

   The food is kept separate, his in my room, hers in my roommates room. But the issue is he's a greedy cat and will eat anything, especially her food.

   Lol I had a gravatar awhile back didn't know DK updated the site, very fancy. And thank you :)

   Posted 3 years ago by Romney #

5. 

   Hi, Romney. Long time since you posted. Good to see you here!!

   The diarrhea could be from food change or from parasites. There is no way to know without a vet check. Have you noticed any critters in his feces or in his anal area? Some cats avoid the litter box because of urinary tract infections. UTIs cause pain when eliminating. Since cats eliminate in litter boxes, they sometimes associate the litter box with pain and avoid it.

   I recommend taking him to the vet. If you can't afford to do that right now, examine his stools to see if there are any wiggly critters in them and check his anal region. Worms are about the size of a kernal of rice.

   You can also try to set up feeding stations in areas that keep the kitties apart so your kit is not getting her kit's food.

   Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

6. 

   LOL Hey Lady yeah I've been working my butt off. School is going well how are you doing?

   Posted 3 years ago by Romney #

7. 

   If you and your roommate are leaving food out all day, you might try to switch to feeding once in the morning and once at night. When their alloted feeding time is over, pick up the food and put it away. They will object, but will soon realize that if they want to eat, they need to get to it when the food bowl shows up. Good luck!

   Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

8. 

   I am very well! I think last time you posted I was catless still! I am proud to say that gorgeous boy in my avatar is my 7 month old Maine coon baby! Romney This Is MaxMax. MaxMax this is Romney! heheheh!

   I remember school, all texts, study, homework, papers, midterms and final exams very little fun time heheheh!

   Posted 3 years ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #

9. 

   Oh and Romney I hope you still have some butt let! It will make it even more horrible in those uncomfy college desks and chairs if you have no butt left hehhehehhe!

   Posted 3 years ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #

10. 

    HEY KW!! Yeah I know I can always come here for some true guidance.

    Would there be any way of me being able to tell if he's having a problem with UTI or his anal area. I watch him when he uses the box and there doesn't seem to be a look of discomfort when he does so.

    It's kind of hard to keep the cats apart. When we leave for work of course we leave our doors open so they can play. And my cat is very sneaky.

    Any suggestions about what I should do then? I want to suggest our cats being on the same diet but I think his Iams is much more healthy than the food she feeds her cat.

    Posted 3 years ago by Romney #

11. 

    Oh man KW that sounds horrible. LOL my cat is a rebel he won't be a happy camper. But I will definitely do that and share this with her. Hopefully I don't come off as pushy or anything but I don't really like what she feeds her cat. I don't want Malachi eating it.

    Lady MaxMax is ADORABLE!! I'm actually taking online courses right now! Since they are really flexible hehehe.

    Posted 3 years ago by Romney #

12. 

    Well then Romney maybe you guys can split and each buy an 8 pound bag of Iams and share it! As for if he seems to have discomfort and bloody stoods I hate to say this but could be a blockage or something he might have ingested without your knowledge and he's unable to pass it! You may have to tak ehim to the vets! Is their a clinic or maybe a university vet area you can take him

    Posted 3 years ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #

13. 

    Have you asked your roommate if you could agree on one food for both cats? Does her cat seem to be having similar problems? Although yours was tested for parasites a few months ago, he could have been exposed to them since that time. Another cat living in the home could have brought them with it.

    If you can't agree on feeding both cats the same food, you need to agree on feeding separately and not leaving their respective food bowls out.

    I know there are some fancy contraptions that allow one cat to go through a cat door but not any other cat. This would be spendy and also require cutting a hole in the door to the room your roommate's cat would be fed. Not a very practical solution.

    Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

14. 

    Oh thank you i think he is heheheh! Total cuddle bug heheheh!

    Just discuss the health issues and how try the bag each/share idea! Ohh online courses! I could never do them! I found it so hard to keep up todate with it! Having to have my butt in a seat on campus kept me scheduled and grounded heheheh!

    Posted 3 years ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #

15. 

    Cat food is less expensive per pound when it's purchased in a larger bag anyhow. Please talk with your roommate and find out if you can split the cost of a larger bag of Iams multi-cat, or whichever kind of Iams you prefer. (8 lbs should last for a while.)

    With cat food, you largely get what you pay for. Years ago, when I worked as a pet store manager (we didn't sell dogs or cats), I'll never forget the ad I saw in one of the trade magazines. I think it was for Science Diet. It showed cuts of meat, a couple bones, and a smattering of vegetables & grains on one side of the page; a barrel of crude oil, pile of sawdust, shoe leather & cornstalks on the other side. The point was... both sets of ingredients had the same analysis, in terms of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. They were completely different in terms of nutrition bioavailability or digestibility, but those are not required on pet food labeling.

    The ingredients list makes all the difference in the world, in terms of the quality of nutrition going into one's pet. For a quick check on cat food, I look at the first 5 ingredients; I want 3 of those ingredients to be meat. I also check for gluten (I don't want any, after the melamine problems in the supply chain). As far as grains go, I want oats, flax, or perhaps rice or barley, not wheat or corn; I also try to avoid soybeans.

    Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

16. 

    If your roommate agrees to putting both cats on the same diet, don't just switch all at one time. Try mixing the two foods up in the same bowl and gradually decrease the amount of the other food.

    So far as not always using his box - do you always buy the exact same litter? Different litters can throw a cat off. If he seems to be doing well except for his toilet habits, you might try buying a product called Cat Attract. The scent is suppose to make the litter box irresistible to cats. It's not too expensive and you can mix it into the existing litter so it will last longer. There's a link below, but there are other places you can buy it.

    I'm not sure I would let him eat centipedes (assuming you have any control over what a cat does). They have sharp parts so he could be getting scratched internally when the centipedes are on the trip through.

    http://www.nextag.com/attract-cat-litter/search-html

    Posted 3 years ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

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