Hi all,

Sorry to be so new and immediately come on here and ask for help.. but needs must! My Tonk boy, now 4 months old has recently started doing some very odd, and smelly stools. They are extremely light and very fluffy. Because of the litter I use (Worlds Best) it is almost impossible to tell if they contain any mucous or blood; but he doesn't appear to be ill or in any pain. His sister is fine. They are both eating (lots!) on standard diets (whiskas adult pouches and Science Plan / James Welbeloved) and drinking plenty of water. They seem healthy. It seems that the stools are just occassionally "soft / fluffy" rather than all the time but this is difficult to monitor as he and his sister share the litter tray and I am out at work during the weekday.

I should point out that they have just spent 4 days in cattery (had a hard time getting them back as the owners had fallen for them!) but Sig was showing the odd sign of this before he went - so about 6 days in total - although sporadically, possibly.

Should I not worry too much and just monitor the situation or could this be serious? I am of the old school really thinking I should just see how it goes, but you know what it's like - my babies and all that... paranoid Mum I guess!
I would appreciate anyone that has advice and I'm looking forward to meeting you all.

Thank you,
Leigh-Emma (please call me Leigh)

I would suggest a Vet trip as he is a young kitten. Have they been wormed? Also Whiskas is not the best food you can feed. Full of cereals and additives and colours. You could try him on a bland diet for a few days and see how his stool is. Just boiled chicken and prehaps white rice too and lots of fresh water, no biscuits or commercial food.

Hi Leigh,

maybe a stool sample for the vet to check would be the easiest way to check for any problems - could just be a slight imbalance if he's happy within himself and not exhibiting any strange behaviours - better to be safe than sorry though, alot of the time cats will not always show that they're feeling ill x

Welcome to the forum x

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My eldest Tonk boy was like this when he was younger. I found feeding him on Whiskas made him worse - I switched him to Applaws and RC sensitivity control and that sorted him out.
I have to admit I have found the Tonks to have very delicate tummies although my girl - who is now 5 mths - has been fine but she has been on Applaws and Orijen since I got her.

I would try the bland foods with him and get the vet to check him over, you should be able to get the RC SC31 from the vets to try and see if it helps any.

Welcome to the forum xx

My cats could eat whiskas until they exploded with no issues. However, a bowl of Hills will go straight through them. I'd have a trip to the vets to check his stool but remove the Hills and the Whiskas until he is better and introduce one of them slowly to eliminate the problem.

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Karen

www.kiskasiberians.co.uk - The home of Hypoallergenic Siberian Cats
www.back-2-nature.co.uk - Raw Food for Dogs, Cats and Ferrets

www.rawfed.com - Information on Raw Feeding

Thank you all for the advice. I suspected it might be a food intolerance issue (although I had no idea that Tonks were susceptible to delicate tums...)

I will take Sig to the vets shortly, and meanwhile will see what I can do about changing their food - I assume it is probably best to do this slowly so as not to cause more upsets?

Otherwise, I am pleased to say that my kittens are no worse off from being at the cattery for a few days - in fact, they were the most loving they have ever been last night!

I'll let you know what the vet says and what we have done to cure Sig!

Leigh

Sorry - meant to say that they have been wormed and are indoor cats!

Thanks again!

This happened with my two kittens, they both have JWB down all day then i gave them 2 whiskars pouches per day, they had terrible poo's

I came on here did some research into foods, and swopped whiskars to Natures Menu pouches (i give them 1 pouch between them per day) and give them Applaws and Hi-life as a treat every few days, within a week the difference was unbelievable!!

They have excellent poos!! I know its a bit more expensive but in the long run its totally worth it!! HTH x

Thanks for everyone's help.

I have ordered some Applaws today so will let you know if this improves Sig's health.

Leigh

Quick update on this issue (for anyone that may be interested!).

I took Sig to the vets last night - he does have a slight temp and a loose tummy still - you will be pleased to know that the vet pretty much gave me the same advice as everyone on here!

He is on a starvation diet (unfortunately means that Mai, his sister, isn't getting much food either!) for 24 hours; has had a long lasting antibiotic injection and then is on small meals frequently of chicken and rice RC Sensitive pouches for a few days. I am then to introduce whatever food it is I want them to stay on slowly and see if his tummy copes with that.

I'm sure he will be fine (apart from reminding me of a slightly Asian "Puss in Boots" from the Shrek cartoon when begging to be fed!).

We go on holiday on Wed (to go and see some big cats in Africa ) so I am hoping he will have improved by then.

Thanks you to everyone once again.

Leigh