My new kitten (7-8 weeks old) seems to have diarrhea. Help!?

Question

It is a pale whitish color, but not as runny as you would think. At first I thought she was throwing up, but then I noticed she has some stuck to her bum. I have been feeding her Whiskas, some kind of chicken and gravy mix, as well as hard kibble for kittens. Could it be her food? Thanks!

I've also been giving her Whiskas Cat milk.

Answer 1

Hi Kristin.....kittens are very fragile if they have diarrhoea as they can become dangerously dehydrated quickly. Diarrhoea in cats can be caused by multiple things:

Diary products: cats do not have the proper enzymes to properly break down the sugar in milk which is called 'lactose.' You may have heard of people who are lactose-intolerant. They are also missing these digestive enzymes. If the proper enzymes are not present, the lactose remains undigested and tends to ferment in the intestine and cause diarrhea.
For More on Milk and cats:http://www.cat-world.com.au/catmilk.htm

The other culprit that could contribute to the diarrhoea may be various parasites/worms (coccidia, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, etc). Kittens get parasites which are passed from the mother's colostrum milk. There are different types of dewormers for each of the types of parasites and kittens require multiple treatments of dewormers and sometimes different types of antibiotics for the type of parasite in question. Therefore consider a vet visit to have her dewormed since some of the over the counter treatments do not eliminate all the types of parasites. For more on feline parasites:
http://www.peteducation.com:80/category_summary.cfm?cls=1&cat=1357

For more on causes of Diarrhoea: http://www.fabcats.org/diarrhoea.html

Contrary to what people believe canned food is helpful for cats with diarrhoea as this is a symptomatic of dehydration. Canned diets can supplement the intake of moisture so having both dry and canned are helpful. Any vet can confirm this fact.

Canned pumpkin (without spices) will also help firm up the loose stool symptoms: http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-75.htm

Please keep in mind that also sudden changes in food brands, types will also contribute to diarrhoea symtoms as well. So as soon as your new kitty starts on the cat food she may have lingering symtpoms. For more on this: http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/diarrhea . Again any vet can confirm this fact. Switching foods should be done very gradually over a course of several weeks. For example the first week would consist of 3/4 of old food mixed to 1/4 of new food then the next week 1/2 to 1/2 then the following week at 1/4 old to 3/4 new before completing the switch.

The above are just only a few causes as there are many more that can also cause diarrhoea such as diseases, illnesses, etc. Therefore, it is always recommended to consider contacting a vet and discussing if a visit is necessary for treatment.

Answer 2

hmmm. It could be her food, because the type of foods you are feeding her are low-end foods. You should feed her a higher-end food, like Eukanuba, Iams, Nutro...they have more protein and less nasty by-products that can harm your kitty's digestive system. Look at the ingredient labels on your food and make sure that it doesn't list by-products, corn or wheat products or any unpronounceable chemicals in the first 4 ingredients.

Also, and this is very important - feed her KITTEN food.

At 7 to 8 weeks, your kitty is a little too young to be taken away from mommy...but since the damage is already done, are you feeding her the same food that she was being fed before you got her? If not, then she's just getting used to a different food, and it's normal for a kitten to get diahrrea from quickly changing her food over. Not really nice for her to have to deal with...but it should go away in a couple days. And from now on when you change over her food, do it slowly by mixing for a week or so before completely changing it over.

There are also other possibilities as to what's going wrong. She may have a number of possible infections. Monitor her food/water intake, and make sure she's not lethargic or hiding, or pooping/peeing outside her litterbox, all can be signs of more serious issues. Especially for kittens that young, diahrrea can really do a number on them...they can get dehydrated REALLY quickly. Feed her lots of (high quality!!) wet food to make sure she's getting plenty of water, and if it doesn't go away in 3-4 days, get her to a vet immediately.

Answer 3

no milk, definately. She's old enough that she should be fine without it. As for the white stuff, it's probably worms. Kittens get worms from their mother's milk. It's just one of those facts of life. She should have had a worming by now, but if not, get her in there to get them out of her system cuz it sounds like they've gotten out of control. If's she's had a worming, then she'll need another one, which is also not uncommon. sometimes it can take up to 3-4 wormings to get those nasties under control. The biggest problem with getting kitties as gifts is that you have no idea whether or not they've had any medical attention or not. Most definately get her into the vet as soon as you can. OH and cut back a little on the soft stuff and add more crunchies to the mix.
OH and according to my vet, kitten vs cat food debate, it's all a gimmick. Most companies are getting to the point as to where cat food in itself will provide any age cat all it needs unless it's needs are special (older kittied, kitties with health problems). From what I understand it's more of a if you buy our cat food then we need to capitalize and create kitten food, so that you'll buy more from us.

Answer 4

The kitten can definately be weened off of the formula now. Check with a local vet, you can do that by telephone and it won't cost you anything. As long as the kitten is eating and drinking kitten chow and water, you can ween it. Just don't stop all at once as the kitten's digestive system needs to get used to eating and processing solid foods. Your goal is to get the kitten to eat solid kitten food and drinking water, not milk or formula. Good luck. Peace;)

Answer 5

I am sorry your kitten doesn't feel well. We have always given our kittens (for their first full year of life)Purina Kitten Chow and only this. I have been through this same thing you and your kitten are going through. Keep her little bum clean-wash with warm water-don't rub-esp. if her bum is red. I put vaseline on my boys bums when they were red. no milk or milky products- that gives cats of all ages diarrhea. i hope you both start feeling better soon.

Answer 6

cut out the milk, and try to put some rice in withthe food. It will help bind the kittens digestive track. Just a little though

Answer 7

I have to kittens around 7-8 months, how old do they have to be before taking them off kitten food. Cuz

Dear Cuz,
Your kittens can begin eating adult food at 7-10 months. Be sure you transition them slowly. Simba

Answer 8

take a sample to the vet and have them test it to see if it has any thing wrong then go from there just feed it dry brand name kitten food and water, no milk

Answer 9

It could be from the food, and if U give it milk that might do it as well,but U might want to take it to the vet. or at least call the vet. and ask them and see what they say.

Answer 10

stop giving her dairy of any kind. get a food specifically made for kittens- it's easier to digest. go to a dry food. add a LITTLE bit of water to it so it's softer. but i think she just has too much liquidy stuff inher diet.