# How long does it take a kitten to get used to new food? Please help!



## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

Hi all, 

I have two 10 week old kittens, and they were in a pretty horrible home before and had to be taken out rather quickly. So, we don't know what food they were on before, so we put them on dry biscuits. Gizmo is perfectly fine no problems, but our little Loki has a bit of a dodgy stomach. Sometimes his stools are much firmer, but others are like liquid. 

He's still eating and drinking perfectly fine, and seems OK. He's been deflead, dewormed and had his first jabs. He's been with us since last Saturday (24th) I'm just wondering if it's the new food/new surroundings and how long it might take him to get used to it? Or if there's something I can give him to help his stomach. I'm based in the UK if this helps. 

I just feel horrible that he might be poorly, especially as he keeps stepping in it too, and we keep having to have emergency paw washes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

42 views and no suggestions?


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## duodallas (Jul 11, 2004)

My kitten is now 7 months old and still has soft stool, though occasionally there are some firm pieces. His gas is really bad. This morning I heard him fart for about 5 seconds. He has been treated for worms twice a month apart. I think the intestines need time to recover from de-worming treatment.

We mix 4 different kinds of dry food together, and give him canned, also.


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

When our stray litter were kittens, they were very touchy on food...even if it was the same brand but a different flavor. Once/week, I opened a capsule of acipophilous and it seemed to help, mixed into their canned food. 

As for how long it takes to adjust to new food...I thought you meant to decide to eat it. I am trying to switch our cats to EVO and they ate the canned at first and now, it is touch and go and rarely touch. They have exhibited gas even as adults with new food introduction, so I suppose it is like people upping their fiber...just the nature of the beast.


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## scottd (Jun 28, 2011)

duodallas said:


> My kitten is now 7 months old and still has soft stool, though occasionally there are some firm pieces. His gas is really bad. This morning I heard him fart for about 5 seconds. He has been treated for worms twice a month apart. I think the intestines need time to recover from de-worming treatment.
> 
> We mix 4 different kinds of dry food together, and give him canned, also.


Mixing dry food isn't a good idea. Each food is formulated to be complete when served alone. When you mix them, they're not complete.


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## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

scottd said:


> Mixing dry food isn't a good idea. Each food is formulated to be complete when served alone. When you mix them, they're not complete.


Sorry if this is a stupid question, but how does that work? If they are all complete when eaten alone, how can none of them be complete when eaten together? That doesn't make any sense to me.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I never (or very rarely) buy the same thing twice for my cats. I always switch the brand of food that I have fed them every time they run out of food. That said, I do have about 3-4 favorites that I will rotate between from now on. I also do canned and raw to get variety in their diet. I haven't had a problem with them not doing well on a food and I switch pretty much cold turkey.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

gizmoandloki said:


> 42 views and no suggestions?


I can understand, it can be quite discouraging when there are no responses. But I just realised, sometimes its cos those who view do not have the experiences or any suggestion to offer. I for one, have no experience with kittens, so nothing to suggest, sorry for going off topic.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Has a stool sample been tested? Giardia and coccidia are two microscopic parasites that would not be covered by a basic deworming. 

The stress of rehoming and new food could be causing their system to be upset. Could be an intolerance for the food, especially if it's a low quality brand (what brand are you feeding?). Or even an allergy to a particular protein or grain. 

If the stool test hasn't been done, that should be first. If negative, I would try some canned pumpkin, the fiber helps to bulk up the stool. A probiotic and digestive enzymes wouldn't hurt either. 

Overeating can also cause diarrhea. Kittens should be allowed to eat their fill, but not pig out and stuff themselves. 

And read up around here about food quality and the need for canned food (if you're not already educated on cat nutrition).


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

gizmoandloki said:


> 42 views and no suggestions?


Most views on our forum are from guests who can't post. If you look at the bottom, right now it says:

Currently Active Users: 510 (13 members and 497 guests) 

Almost 500 non-members are viewing the forum right now. And like Snowy mentioned, lots of us read posts but, unfortunately, have no advice.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Get the kittens onto a canned diet, grain free, and add a probiotic daily. Kibble is no good for kittens, they need moisture. Especially a kitten with soft stool. Soft stool, if there are no parasites, means the kitten is not absorbing the food properly. A probiotic will help. I like ProViable DC, made specifically for cats. I started my kitten on it when she was having a simialr problem (I did, however have a stool sample sent out for a complete lab work up to eliminate the possiblity of coccidia and giardia and trichomonas)




scottd said:


> Mixing dry food isn't a good idea. Each food is formulated to be complete when served alone. When you mix them, they're not complete.


This isn't true. Feeding a variety of brands is actually much better, as you are more likely to avoid any dietary omissions that way. But the kittens will do better on a wet diet anyway.


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

duodallas said:


> My kitten is now 7 months old and still has soft stool, though occasionally there are some firm pieces. His gas is really bad. This morning I heard him fart for about 5 seconds. He has been treated for worms twice a month apart. I think the intestines need time to recover from de-worming treatment.
> 
> We mix 4 different kinds of dry food together, and give him canned, also.


Thank you for your input!


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

wallycat said:


> When our stray litter were kittens, they were very touchy on food...even if it was the same brand but a different flavor. Once/week, I opened a capsule of acipophilous and it seemed to help, mixed into their canned food.
> 
> As for how long it takes to adjust to new food...I thought you meant to decide to eat it. I am trying to switch our cats to EVO and they ate the canned at first and now, it is touch and go and rarely touch. They have exhibited gas even as adults with new food introduction, so I suppose it is like people upping their fiber...just the nature of the beast.


Sorry, I should have been more specific! They eat it fine, it just didn't seem to agree with their stomachs too well. They seem to be a lot better now I think. Thanks!


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

3gatos said:


> I never (or very rarely) buy the same thing twice for my cats. I always switch the brand of food that I have fed them every time they run out of food. That said, I do have about 3-4 favorites that I will rotate between from now on. I also do canned and raw to get variety in their diet. I haven't had a problem with them not doing well on a food and I switch pretty much cold turkey.



Oh really, hmm maybe I might have to give that a go when they're a bit older. They're just on dry biscuits at the moment. Thanks !


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

snowy said:


> I can understand, it can be quite discouraging when there are no responses. But I just realised, sometimes its cos those who view do not have the experiences or any suggestion to offer. I for one, have no experience with kittens, so nothing to suggest, sorry for going off topic.


Yes, sorry I did think that. Apologies for the delay in replying, I didn't seem to get any emails telling about replies, so I thought there still were none! 

Thanks for your input though.


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> Has a stool sample been tested? Giardia and coccidia are two microscopic parasites that would not be covered by a basic deworming.
> 
> The stress of rehoming and new food could be causing their system to be upset. Could be an intolerance for the food, especially if it's a low quality brand (what brand are you feeding?). Or even an allergy to a particular protein or grain.
> 
> ...


Yes, I think it might have been the stress of rehoming and the new food causing the upset. He seems to be a lot better now.  

I also heard about canned pumpkin but I'm not sure where to find that in the UK? I'll definitely keep an eye on how much they're eating, thank you!


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

marie73 said:


> Most views on our forum are from guests who can't post. If you look at the bottom, right now it says:
> 
> Currently Active Users: 510 (13 members and 497 guests)
> 
> Almost 500 non-members are viewing the forum right now. And like Snowy mentioned, lots of us read posts but, unfortunately, have no advice.



My apologies.


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

lovetimesfour said:


> Get the kittens onto a canned diet, grain free, and add a probiotic daily. Kibble is no good for kittens, they need moisture. Especially a kitten with soft stool. Soft stool, if there are no parasites, means the kitten is not absorbing the food properly. A probiotic will help. I like ProViable DC, made specifically for cats. I started my kitten on it when she was having a simialr problem (I did, however have a stool sample sent out for a complete lab work up to eliminate the possiblity of coccidia and giardia and trichomonas)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for your advice. 

I was told not to feet the kittens wet food until they are a year old because it can damage their teeth. Is this not true, do you think they need wet food then?


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

gizmoandloki said:


> Thanks for your advice.
> 
> I was told not to feet the kittens wet food until they are a year old because it can damage their teeth. Is this not true, do you think they need wet food then?


If your vet gave you this piece of "wisdom" don't listen to them even though you probably think you should because they are your vet. Veterinarians didn't get a degree in nutrition. They got it in pet medicine. The few classes on nutrition they did take were more than likely run by big companies like Iams or science diet which are VERY horrible foods.... Starting kittens on a healthy diet from the start is way better than starting later on.... Healthy from the beginning and they will have a healthy life right??  wet food does no more damage than kibble does on teeth. If your really worried about their teeth there are many kits you can buy these days to clean their teeth with!  


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

CatMonkeys said:


> Sorry if this is a stupid question, but how does that work? If they are all complete when eaten alone, how can none of them be complete when eaten together? That doesn't make any sense to me.


Gotta concur with CatMonkeys here about mixing dry food! Just how is this possible?

As far as the loose stools in your new kitten, Loki, I would have a vet check him out again. If the conditions are as bad as you said there may be more underlying issues than his diet. Best wishes for this little guy!!!


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

I adopted a 10 week old from a shelter and he had runny and stinky diarrhea every day. He had been dewormed multiple times at the shelter , but it didn't help. For the first 2 months we assumed his diarrhea was from stress or new food or what not, but finally we decided to test his poop and it turns out he had giardia. It seemed to have made his poop less stinky, but it still usually is pretty gloppy and without shape. We put him on some high fiber food (w/d) and it might've helped a bit. We try new brands of wet and dry food and hopefully eventually well find something that works. I'd say get him checked for parasites/worms and then try some new foods till you find something that seems to sit well with him!

Good luck!


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

Zilla said:


> If your vet gave you this piece of "wisdom" don't listen to them even though you probably think you should because they are your vet. Veterinarians didn't get a degree in nutrition. They got it in pet medicine. The few classes on nutrition they did take were more than likely run by big companies like Iams or science diet which are VERY horrible foods.... Starting kittens on a healthy diet from the start is way better than starting later on.... Healthy from the beginning and they will have a healthy life right??  wet food does no more damage than kibble does on teeth. If your really worried about their teeth there are many kits you can buy these days to clean their teeth with!


Thanks Zilla!  OK, maybe I'll have to have a look into some wet food for them!


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

Marcia said:


> Gotta concur with CatMonkeys here about mixing dry food! Just how is this possible?
> 
> As far as the loose stools in your new kitten, Loki, I would have a vet check him out again. If the conditions are as bad as you said there may be more underlying issues than his diet. Best wishes for this little guy!!!


Thanks Marcia. He definitely seems to be better now, except for a couple of times he's had a bit of a dodgy stomach. It's really hard to tell though, because I have two kittens, and a lot of the time they go to the loo when I'm not there! So, I don't know which one's done what, and they've normally covered it over. I am keeping an eye on it though!


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## gizmoandloki (Nov 30, 2012)

MyBabiesDaddy said:


> I adopted a 10 week old from a shelter and he had runny and stinky diarrhea every day. He had been dewormed multiple times at the shelter , but it didn't help. For the first 2 months we assumed his diarrhea was from stress or new food or what not, but finally we decided to test his poop and it turns out he had giardia. It seemed to have made his poop less stinky, but it still usually is pretty gloppy and without shape. We put him on some high fiber food (w/d) and it might've helped a bit. We try new brands of wet and dry food and hopefully eventually well find something that works. I'd say get him checked for parasites/worms and then try some new foods till you find something that seems to sit well with him!
> 
> Good luck!


Hello MyBabiesDaddy!

Yes, he's been dewormed too, due for another one soon. Ok, I think I might get him tested actually, seems like a good idea. Just to make sure he doesn't have anything! They're actually both going in soon to be chipped and neutered, so maybe I could get it done then! 

Thanks


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