# How to get firmer stool with a kitten?



## Mew (Nov 3, 2011)

Hello all,

I have had Mew for a month now. She came with Science Diet Healthy Development for Kittens and, wanting to get her the best, got her Blue Buffalo for Kittens before I got her. I started her off on a 50/50 mix and she got diarrhea the first night. At the time, I assumed it was due to stress. Her poos over the next several days were soft. I suspected it was the Blue Buffalo because her stool was more firm when the ratio of Science Diet was higher, so i returned the bag of Blue Buffalo. I then bought Wellness dry for kittens and decided to make the transition slower as it took me just about a week before I returned the Blue Buffalo. I've been transitioning her over the past 3 weeks, but now that I'm at the 75 Wellness 25 Science Diet, her poops are pretty solid but leaves some liquid residue on her bum. I've noticed that when she was at the vet for one day they fed her Kirkman which made her stool super solid (could also be because she did not drink much?) and when I feed her Wellness Kitten wet her stool is a lot smaller and very firm!

Pretty detailed...looking for some input. I wonder what it is in the ingredients that is causing her stool to be a little soft? Are the Blue Buffalo and Wellness too rich? Too much grains? Although Kirkman and Science Diet both have grains....Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm trying to get her poop as firm as possible because I may not be able to spend time with her soon to wipe her butt, and I'd like her to have more reign of the apartment instead of just the bathroom. I'm thinking of maybe doing a 50 wet 50 dry diet...


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## Beckie210789 (May 9, 2011)

I had this issue with Waffles, my bottle baby. When we transitioned him off of formula completely, he was a mess, tracking poo everywhere. His fecal turned up normal, so I started him on an anti-diarrhea medication for animals, with the ingredients Kaolin and Pectin in it. We didn't dose him per the bottle's instructions, rather gave him about .2cc per day and monitored. Once it firmed up, we stopped the medicine (took about 4 days) and a month later (knock wood) he's still fine. I often wonder if it was a combination of stress and food changes from weaning formula to soft food.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Depending on the cat, it's possible it's still stress. I mean they have a lot to get used to. New surroundings, new person, new food, new bed...everything is new.

Transition should be slower than 50/50. more like 25/75, then 50/50 then 75/25 and finally 100%.

Again, it really depends on the cat. When I got Cap'n Jack as a stray. I did a 100% since I had no idea what he was on b4. He had massive diarrhea for the first couple of days because of the stress and possibly food. Altho he's a very skittish one, his poop firmed up in about a week or so. 

I fed him high quality no grain dry (Acana/Orijen), then I switched to high quality no grain wet (Nature's Variety Instinct). After he was given free run of the house, I finally switched him to a 50/50 wet/raw diet. His poop is excellent.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Alpaca said:


> His poop is excellent.


This is so funny, that we're all sitting here thinking, "Yay! His poop is excellent!"


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## Mew (Nov 3, 2011)

Yeah, I guess it could be stress. The stool is nothing worrisome, completely normal just more wet residue on the bum with certain foods even after slowly transitioning for 3 weeks. I guess I was looking for someone who had a similar experience. Maybe I'll just switch her to kirklands dry if I can get my hands on the costco brand since it's been weeks and it's still, although shaped and formed, a little wet.


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## Mew (Nov 3, 2011)

Just want to update for anyone that does a search that she did much better on the Wellness Core dry. Her stool is more firm. It might've been the barley or something else in the Wellness Kitten dry that did not sit well with her. Yay for a solution!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Yep, feed them no veggies/fruit/grains and you're bound to have an improvement. Yay for Mew! By the way, one of mine's has the same name but spelt differently 'Miu Miu' like the handbags. One of the vet techs call her 'Moo ee' cuz she can't seem to pronounce 'Miu'. haha!


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## SpitFyRRe (Nov 18, 2011)

Benelli was immediately switched to Blue Buffalo as well, we did the mixing with the Purina Science Diet as well and had her switched over within 2 or 3 weeks. She had runny poo from when we got her at 3 months to about 5 or 6 months. As she got on the Blue Buffalo it solidified pretty well, but it was still mildly runny. I attributed it to being a kitten and still getting rid of the stuff from inside the womb.

Now she's got great poo but still gets stinky farts.


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## Niko's Cats (Aug 6, 2011)

My 16 year old cat Cleo's poops are so small and rock hard, I add 1/4 tsp. of psyllium to make sure she doesn't have an aneurysm when she goes. She gets approx. 2 oz. raw chicken or turkey/1 oz. Fancy Feast Flaked Fish & Shrimp (the only canned food she'll eat).


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