# Older cat with sticky, soft, yellow poop



## rockstar11p (Jul 21, 2013)

My oldest cat tiger had been having really bad fecal problems for a while. About a year ago he began to have diarrhea that's was both liquidy and bloody. We talked to some people from our local shelter and they said to watch if it continued. It went away shortly after. However, he has continued to have very soft and stinky yellow poop for quite a long time. Besides this, he seems perfect my fine. I'm trying to persuade my mom to take him to the vet but right now I've just been trying to figure out what this could be. I don't believe it's a parasite because it hasn't spread to any of my other cats. His diet has been constant for years, though I do wish to upgrade to a higher quality food shortly. He has a devoted love for wet food, though his poop doesn't differ when he goes without it.

Any help is appreciated.


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

Hi *rockstar11p* !

First, some reading:


> *Poop Patrol – Table 1: *​ *General Guidelines of Feline Fecal Characteristics*​
> *COLOR*
> *Yellow* or Greenish *Stool = Rapid transit*
> Black Tarry Stool = Bleeding in upper digestive tract
> ...


So, from the chart, we have rapid transit accounting for the color and the softness ("watery" means too much water in stool) and a wetter stool causing the odour.

If, by, "his diet has been constant for years", you mean the brand and variety hasn't changed - but, yet his stool has, then I small a rat.....I suspect the good ol' petfood company has pulled a fast one, changed the ingredients...but not told you by announcing it. Or, perhaps "things" _have_ changed in Tiger's gut along the way.

"Rapid Transit" in that chart means the food is going through his gut too quickly and without complete digestion. It could be that the bacteria in the gut need a 'boost' and/or that the gut bacteria themselves are starving. We need to feed not only the cat, but the cat's gut bacteria.

For the 'boost' part: You can add some probiotics into his diet. A "human-grade" probiotic would be just fine - in fact, maybe better - here's what a very knowledgeable friend of mine writes about what she uses: "A couple brands of probiotics that I think are great for cats are Natural Factors Ultimate Multi and MegaFood's MegaFlora. They both have a wide variety of probiotic strains in a high potency (CFU or colony forming units), and are dairy/yeast/soy/wheat free. You only need to use a tiny pinch 2 or 3 times a day mixed into wet food." Also, that "_tiny pinch_" is important - too much can also result in gut bacteria upset.

For feeding the gut bacteria, you should add a small amount of an appropriate fiber into the mix. Plain pumpkin works well for many cats - small amount is 1/4 teaspoonful. More info here Prevention. _*That site*_ is one I think everyone with a cat should read.

After all of that, exactly what foods/varieties is he eating?


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## rockstar11p (Jul 21, 2013)

He's eaten friskies for a few years, but I'm trying to find a better food to switch. Thank you so much for the information it's very useful. We're in th process of moving so I don't want to upset his normal routine more than absolutely necessary. After that however, I definitely want to put all the cats on a new diet routine pronto. My mom and I are on a budget budget but anything is better than what they are on now. Would you have any links to daily feeding requirements possibly?


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

"Friskies" 

Wet? Dry? Variety/ies?


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