what causes?

Question

sunday and most of yesterday my kitten hadnt pooped...by time i went to get some hairball meds to help him he had gone...i looked at the ingrediants in all his food to see how much fiber was in there, i was just curious to see what may have caused it so it wont happen again, i felt bad for the little guy! im feeding him purina kitten as dry food...a few different science diet kitten moist food, and a snack once a day...any ideas?

when i say "gone" i mean he pooped...lol so for the misunderstandings!

Answer 1

I never cease to be amazed at the amount of people who seem to think canned food is bad for a cat's teeth, and dry food is good for them. This couldn't be more false. Cat teeth are not designed to mash food, so most dry kibble is designed to shatter when pressure is applied to it. This shattering results in your cat swallowing the pieces whole....with little-to-no abrasive effect on the teeth. To top it off, chunks of dry food can get stuck between the teeth where it turns acidic and forms plaque. In many ways, dry food can be worse for a cat's teeth.

That being said, dry food isn't as good as wet, and some brands aren't good at all. Whiskas, Iams, Nine Lives...and yes, even Science Diet....are all crap. Look at the ingredients list on a bag of Science Diet. It's full of meat byproducts and corn. By-products are NOT healthy, and corn is a filler with absolutely no nutritional value. This will simply make your cat fat, and usually causes them to eat more (the corn fills them up, but they're lacking in nutrition so therefore crave more food). And corn can lead to feline diabetes in old age thanks to way too much sugar.

Many dry foods are too high in carbohydrates and too low in real meat protein. You should look for a food that has some kind of meat (usually chicken) as the FIRST listed ingredient.

I recently switched both of my cats from free-fed dry food diets to two meals of high-quality soft food a day (half a can each for each meal). Since doing so, their eyes are brighter and clearer, their coats are softer and shinier, and my male (who was getting a bit tubby free-grazing on dry Science Crap) is losing weight. My female has stopped lapping water out of her bowl as if her life depended on it, and my male hasn't been seeking out other water sources such as my tubs, toilets, and sinks. Many cats who are fed on mostly-to-all dry food are usually dehydrated. This is because cats are designed to get the majority of their water from their food. A living thing, such as a mouse, is about 78% water.

If you want to know something that will really piss you off....Hill's (the manufacturer of Science Diet) spends their money on veterinary scholarships to build a good dealer base (ever wonder why so many vets recommend it?)....then they save money by producing a sub-par food chocked full of by-products and corn, and jack up the price. But don't feel bad, I bought into it, as well. I'm angry that I wasted money on that crap for over a year. Oh, they're also one of the few cat food manufacturers who continue to use the questionable preservatives BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin (all of which have been linked to certain cancers, liver failure, and kidney diseases in cats).

The best foods are made with real meat, and are usually fit for both cats and kittens. Wellness, Nature's Variety, Natural Balance, and Wysong's are all quality cat foods. The Nutro Max Cat food sold at PetSmart isn't too bad, either....it's not QUITE as good as the others, but it's better than most, and it costs a bit less. Wysong's is a bit expensive, and my cats don't really care much for Nature's Variety, so I've been sticking with Wellness. I haven't seen the Natural Balance in my area yet.

This is the site where I learned all this:
http://www.catinfo.org

That being said, your kitten's death may not have had anything to do with his diet. Although, it could've been related. Since he hadn't pooped, he may have had some sort of intestinal blockage. This can be caused by all sorts of things from eating clumping cat litter to a string....to what he was eating. If you want to know for sure, a necropsy by a vet would be necessary.

I'm very sorry you lost your kitten:( I can't imagine what you're going through. I hope all is well.

Edit: I'm REALLY glad he didn't die! That's a relief, lol.

Answer 2

if you want the best for your kitten, switch him to a better dry food. even science diet dry would be a few steps up from purina, see what you have access to (nutro max kitten, natural choice, professional, maybe even wellness.) a better food will do wonders for your kitty. while shopping look for foods that are all natural and have no by-products or corn. you always want the first two ingredients to be a meats or meat and rice. to be sure of your kittens best health don't feed canned food until about a year of age. this is important for healthy teeth and so he doesn't get used to it and want in in replacement of dry food. and be careful with treats his little little digestive track is not mature and may be upset easily. most commonly in the form of loose stool.
good luck!

Answer 3

he could have eaten something that's not supposed to be eaten. string, bugs, etc.. feed your cat something like iams with hairball treatment in it. give him wet food every now and then but not on a daily basis. it's not good for his teeth. giving your cat cheap cat food like whiskas, friskies, and purina is like feeding it mcdonalds everyday. it has some healthy things in it but for the most part it's junk food. humans love junk food more than healthy same with your pet. i'm sorry for your loss. another thing is get a short haired cat. not as many fur balls, and dander

Answer 4

I only feed mine Iams and they have no problems. I give them a can of wet food in the morning and then they get dry for the rest of the day along with plenty of water.

Answer 5

does the kitten have water down all day? Also milk is sure to give him diarea. Not enough liquid in his diet could cause this. This also might not of had anything to do with his diet.

Answer 6

Cleavage motives extra eeruptions yet only contained in the str8 international. perchance your use of terminology is what keeps getting the questions deleted. curiously there is a few woman who gadgets on your time period Boobquakes. Your scandalous frame of mind is nice with me for the reason that my Avatar ALREADY exhibits a lot of cleavage AND completely bare boobies. Amzing that Yahoo does no longer merchandise hostile to MY avatar. i wager women anybody is extra dainty and truthfully indignant with the help of their bodies. only yet an additional reason I favor adult adult males. i'm dartagnon

Answer 7

feed him whiskers and for the snack a small piece of meat