Can my kitten eat rice and chicken?

Question

I found a kitten (think 7 months) crying outside my gate last Friday. Took him in and after talking to a few people found out that he had been abandonded. I took him to the vets on Sunday to see if he was chipped and health checked. He has no chip but suffering from gum disease, for which the vet is treating. Also given flea and worm treatment. The problem i have is he has very runny poos and going to the litter tray about 12 times a day. Maybe down to poor diet before i got him. He is always hungey and crys alot. Back down the vets yesturday for first injection to find could not have this done as poos a really big problem. Already ill dont want to make him sicker. I have got him on Science plan kitten food, as wet is too rich for his stomach. What the question is i heard that rice and plain chicken is good for balancing out the lining of the stomach. Is this true? . Do you think i should try it as a dinner meal? or should i just stick with science plan all the time? Thanks.

Answer 1

At that age it is best to keep them on dry food. and only cat food. No human food what so ever. After it hits 1 year you can start giving him occasional wet food. but only about once a week.

Answer 2

Cats can get diarrhea due to a many things:
1. Intestinal parasites(usually roundworm). If you just started treating him for that you can expect him to be pooping a lot more and it will probably be very runny for about 3 days or so as the worms die and fight to exit his system.
2. A change in diet. Since you don't know what he was eating before, I'm sure his diet has changed and you can expect diarrhea or even constipation.
3. The stress of being taken in and being in new surroundings that he is unfamiliar with.

Chicken and rice is a good bland diet for a cat which may help him for now. I read nothing but bad things about Science cat food so I wouldn't feed that as I wouldn't want to add to the problem.
Canned food is important as it contains water which prevents dehydration especially when a cat is having diarrhea. Regular adult canned food MAY be too rich for him. If you think that, choose a canned food formulated for KITTENS, those are really bland but very nutritious. Contrary to what many people believe, dry food is not better than canned for a kitten with diarrhea.

Also try mixing canned pumpkin(not pumpkin pie filling) that you can buy at a grocery store in equal amounts to the canned food. This is a commonly used, natural bulking that fights diarrhea and firms up the stools. This may help a lot. I aways add a little extra water to the canned food to help keep a cat well hydrated.

Once you pick a dry food to feed him, stick with it. Changing dry food should be done over a 3 day period by gradually increasing the amount of the new food that you put in the bowl or else, again, this could upset his stomach and lead to more diarrhea.

Gum disease can be very painful to a cat and this may be part of the reason he is crying. Often cats with red, sore gums won't eat hard food, only canned, as it hurts too much to chew it. Respect this if it happens and just keep him fed.

Best of luck to a very caring and thoughtful person.

Answer 3

Yes you can, I've fed rice and boiled meat to my cats before. I would also recommend some yogurt to help balance his system. Try to get organic, full fat (no diet), with live active cultures. Most of mine like the berry flavors. Boil the chicken in water, add the rice but you want the mixture to be somewhat soupy, not dry. This will help with any dehydration issues. Just give him a little bit at a time, maybe a tablespoon.
I would also recommend The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care by C J Puotinen. There is a raw food diet in there that is much healthier for them. You can implement it a little at a time. I have 17 strays I have taken in and I supplement their dry food with the raw food diet on a regular basis and have all but eliminated my vet bills since I started doing that.

Answer 4

I would go with Royal Canin Kitten food. I just got over the exact same problem with my kitten. I was trying to feed her Innova Evo (Which is the best dry food on the market) but it was too rich for her. She did just fine on the Royal Canin Kitten Food. I also fed her Merrick wet food. She did great on that as well. She finally was able to eat the Innova Evo after 4 months on the Royal Canin then gradually adding in the Innova Evo. When I say gradually, I mean like 10 % increase in Innova Evo like every two weeks. It isn't normally this slow but with my cat I'm afraid it had to be. Once you get her on a food that works well for her, don't try food hopping. Her stomach is too sensitive for that.

Try to feed her as much wet food as you can. Make sure it is high quality like Merrick or Wellness. These foods will give her the water that is so essential in a cat's diet. They really don't get enough water on a dry food diet. Yes, we all set out water bowls for our cats but that's not enough.

I would stay away from the Science Diet as it is loaded with grains and fillers and these can be the source of food allergies in cats which can produce the exact symptoms you are talking about, among others.

Answer 5

Science Diet anything is bad. So Sorry. Science Diet dry and wet and are made with the worst food.
Please read these links. There is Kitten food in this list.
You can feed some boiled chicken as that is good for the tummy and it won't hurt to go with that for a few days. Poor baby gum disease is painful. Chop the chicken in small pieces and let his tummy settle. Plain Yogurt is good for treats and Gerber 1st food the chicken with no garlic or onions is also good. It won't hurt to feed that a few days. But not always. You can feed all the time leave wet out for him and add some water and food can be left out for 12 hours.
Please don't feed dry. The link will explain it all. http://catinfo.org/ This will tell you the perfect diet for any cat.

http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/canfood.html chose a wet food with high protein and
under 10% carbs.
If you need help please contact me. Hugs to you and scritches for the kitty. Bonnie

Answer 6

I fed my kitty science diet, and it actually GAVE her firehose diarrhea. Your kitty could be allergic to the current food you're feeding him. Whether that's the case or not, I would definitely go with chicken and rice. That's what my vet recommended and the poo puddles ceased to dribble throughout the house. I used boneless skinless breasts boiled in water. I then used the water to make instant rice. About 2 breasts and a cup of rice was the ratio I used. Chop up the chicken really tiny and mix it in with the rice. Feed him small meals, like a few tablespoons every hour -- even if he cries for more. I know it's hard to resist, but it's for his own good. After his poo solidifies, you can start mixing in some dry food with the chicken and rice, increasing the quantity over a couple of weeks until he is back on dry food. Good luck, and be sure to go to the vet with a list of questions and just ask ask ask! That's what we pay them for!

Answer 7

If the kitten has the runs that is the best thing for the kitten and it will help the kitten. Make sure the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked also and the chicken is cut up really small and so the kitten won't choke on the pieces.

Answer 8

if you can find it in your area, "Wellness" makes some of the best food you can buy for your pet. It's a little expensive, but it might be worth it if your kitty gets better.
We feed Wellness brand food to our Boston Terrier because it's one of the only foods that her stomach will tolerate. A lot of other foods give her the runs.
I don't know if it's OK for cats, but when our dog gets the runs we do give her plain boiled chicken and rice for a few meals. It does seem to help.

Answer 9

I've heard this too, and I've given it a try when I found Momo was having diahreah. (Gross and true.) I wouldn't give him too much for as young as he is. Tuna can sized amount would be sufficient in his case, but not on a daily basis. 1x per week or two, depending on the severity of the case would work.

As far as food goes, Wellness seems good for starters, I've used Purina however, to keep the upkeep in his health and so far, he's had his normal runs.

Good job on bringing the poor kiddo home though to take care of him.

Answer 10

I have found that Science plan kitten gives them runny poop sometimes (or it doesn't help correcting it, to be more precise). Go for the boiled chicken, and a bit of rice. Ask your vet if he should take Flagyl syrup, it works well for chronic diarrheas, in case there is some bacteria in him. Also, if you find Canikur tablets (they are food supplements for diarrhea in dogs), give him 1/4 of a tablet morning and evening for 2 days.

Answer 11

Have his stool checked for the less-common parasites like giardia and coccidia, and stick with a dry sensitive stomach kitten food, switching back and forth will only make it worse. If he's on antibiotics, that'll give him the squirts too. A small amount of yogurt might help if he is on antibiotics.