Kitty - change in diet = change in bowel habits?

pinkteapot

We switched kitty's wet food from Sheba (4% meat!) to Thrive Complete (70% meat, no grain or rubbish!). He's been on it for two days now. Eats it just as happily as the Sheba, but in those two days he's only done one small poop. Normally he poops once a day, and a larger amount.

Is it him getting used to the new food? I'm not particularly worried at this point as he's happy and behaving normally and it may just be that the heat is affecting his guts anyway. And I know that not peeing is far more worrisome than less poop (he's peeing normally).

Just wondered if others had noticed poop changes when switching kitties to a more pure meat diet.

He's still having the same dry food alongside the new wet.

He's an indoor cat so can't be pooping anywhere else. He's not acting constipated - he's not whining or making attempts to poop or anything.

AylesburyDuck

Any change will take a week or so to settle, just keep an eye.
Any particular reason you serve both wet and dry?

pinkteapot

Thanks! He only gets a small amount of dry - makes up about a fifth of his calories. Reasons:

1) His previous owner always fed a wet/dry mix so he's used to it. We wouldn't take it away right now as he's getting used to the grain-filled to no-grain wet food change.

2) wet has always given him very occasional diarrheoa, his dry is one for sensitive stomachs and he goes all-dry for a couple of days to settle it again (plain chicken doesn't work), plus having a bit of dry seems to help his wet food settle

3) I thought it helped keep his teeth clean? (We don't clean his teeth - no idea how anyone does that!)

As I said though, his diet is mostly wet with just a tiny bit of dry on the side. He actually needs to lose about half a kilo so we're *very* slowly and carefully reducing his calories, by reducing the amount of accompanying dry.

takethatfan1978

If he is now getting a food that has no grain and nasties in he should poo less.

Our cat eats Millies Lionheart dry which is a good quality food, she also gets the odd tin of a decent wet food and she doesn't poo that much.

Our dog is also on a good grain free food and poos twice a day in small amounts. Absolutely happy with that, I would hate to think of the amount of she was on a rubbish food!

I think as long as the poo is very dry and hard then he should ever ok

pinkteapot

takethatfan1978 wrote: »

If he is now getting a food that has no grain and nasties in he should poo less.

Ooh - I didn't know that. Thanks!

As I mentioned above, he's had very occasional diarrhoea in the past so we are on the lookout for that following the change in food - we don't know for sure that he'll get on with it. But yes, the one poop so far was good and hard, just smaller than before.

Will just keep an eye on him.

Obligatory image as a thanks for helping.

takethatfan1978

He is beautiful, I hope eh continues to enjoy the food.

I have always had dogs but got our first kitten last year

Christine.Hamilton_2

First year a pet owner, two kittens, no regrets!!!!

Mupette

Oh what a cutie

pinkteapot

takethatfan1978 wrote: »

He is beautiful, I hope eh continues to enjoy the food.

Tried the tuna one for the first time last nigh and he demolished it. It's fab food - it looked just like tinned tuna. Though it would actually be cheaper to feed him normal tinned tuna. :rotfl:

(Note for anyone else reading - don't just feed your kitty tinned tuna - it's not a complete food for them )

tealady

He is gorgeous, more pics please! !!!!!

pinkteapot

Poop update! A week in and he's pooping daily and not much less (size) than previously, so he's settled into it.