Concerns About New Kitten

Question
QUESTION: I recently adopted an 8 week old kitten from the SPCA. He is very active, purrs all of the time, and is very friendly. My concern is that since I brought him home he sneezes a lot. Today he sneezed about 8 or 9 times in a row. He seemed to have a bit of a cold in his eye, but this seems to be getting better. The people that I adopted him from said to bring him to PetSmart as they are there this weekend. They gave me some clavimox (as a precaution to prevent URI) and some eye gel. They also clipped his nails and gave him a worming pill. He also has diarrhea, but this could be due to his diet change and perhaps a bit of stress being in a new environment. I really want to give him the best food possible, especially the first year, but the more I look online the more confused I get. I heard Science Diet is supposed to be good, yet they use corn meal which isn't supposed to be good. The ingredients in Blue Buffalo seem good but then I read about the recall in 07. Plus the ash content seems a little high. I finally decided on Fancy Feast canned kitten food. The ingredients seemed pretty good and I didn't see any fillers such as corn meal. I still have Science Diet dry. Is this ok? What about Wellness brand? Do you have any other suggestions for canned and dry food? Also, my kitten likes the 97% lactose free cat milk. Is this ok or can it contribute to the diarrhea? I only use it as a treat. I was told I could use kitten formula to supplement his diet as this is good for him. I really want what's best for my little guy. He was bottle fed for about a week when he was found and I worry that his immune system could be week. I will keep an eye on him and if there is no improvement I will take him to the vet. He is eating well and drinking plenty of water and as I said he is very active. Oh, one more thing, I was told by the people from the SPCA that I could put a little bit of plain yoghurt in a syringe and give him that. I guess the yoghurt is supposed to replace the good bacteria. It's also important that I don't continue to change his diet, which is why I want to find the perfect food. Then I can be consistent. Thanks for any info.

Sheryl

ANSWER: Sheryl,

Since my cat nearly died as a result of eating tainted cat food during the Menu Foods recalls of 2007 I've taken considerable time to research pet foods and the regulations the companies must follow. Quite frankly most foods on the market today are absolute junk as far as a cat's nutritional needs go. My recommendations as far as commercially produced cat foods go include Wellness and Spot's Stew by Halo. Feline's Pride makes a very high quality raw cat food and I do believe that so long as the raw meats are properly handled homemade raw or high quality raw like Feline's Pride are best for the long term health and overall wellbeing of your new kitten. I would recommend that you check out the following websites, they'll provide you with great information about making cat food at home, feeding commercial diets or even purchasing a food like Feline's Pride:

- catinfo.org

- catnutrition.org

- http://www.felinespride.com/aboutus/mission.aspx

- http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/pet_food_what_you_need_to_kno

Below I've included a few websites to help you get started on your journey with your new feline companion:

- http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing.htm

- http://cats.about.com/od/newtocats/tp/topmistakes.htm

- http://www.sniksnak.com/overpopulation.html

- http://www.holisticat.com/vaccinations.html

- http://www.calgaryhumane.ca/Page.aspx?pid=310

Congratulations again on your new companion and please feel free to contact me again if you've got any further questions, concerns or you'd like me to clarify anything in this answer and I will do my best to help you out.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again. The people at the SPCA were nice enough to pay for a visit to their vet. I will take a stool sample. I got some Feline's Pride from the holistic pet place near my house. He really liked it, though he doesn't seem picky and will eat pretty much anything. I also got some canned pumpkin for the diarrhea and the holistic people told me about phytomucil. I wonder if the sneezing and diarrhea could be a reaction to his shots. He didn't have diarrhea when I got him. The holistic place sells avoderm and so does PetSmart, but it has avocado and I keep reading how avocado is toxic to cats. I may go back and get more Feline's Pride. I worry about his diarrhea and sneezing and I fear I could be making it worse. I even got better cat litter. I think it's called world's best cat litter or something like that. I'm really worried about my kitty. He eats well, but it's as if everything just goes right through him. He uses the litter box a lot and he is thin. He seemed to be doing better on the cheap cat chow the SPCA was giving him.

Sheryl

Answer
Sheryl,

It's clear to me that you're anxious to do what's best for your new feline companion which is wonderful. Caring for cats doesn't have to be worriesome for both of you, take your time, be patient, read and absorb the information I've sent your way in the previous response. In this situation at this point the kitten has had some minor symptoms, you've taken care of the medical end of things, let nature do what it needs to for this little guy (be sure to watch him closely to be 100% certain that he's not getting any worse, but beyond that provide him with plenty of litter boxes, loads of love and attention and he'll recuperate in time. I suspect that his symptoms are probably 50% related to the stressful environment that a shelter or rescue group generally provides and another 50% comes from the changes in his environment, being on antibiotics, having several different kinds of food, vaccinations, etc.

At this point what this kitten needs is some time out from the hustle, bustle and changes - a chance to settle down. At this point you have absolutely done the right things for this little fellow, now you need to step back, keep an eye on him, provide plenty of TLC and be patient. This kitten's system really won't settle if things keep changing in his environment. Right now you're feeding probably the highest quality commercially produced cat food on the market so let him eat it, his system will adjust - if you're still seeing diarrea be sure to add a teaspoon or so of yogurt to each meal. Vaccines can cause negative side effects ranging from fatigue to very serious allergic or autoimmune reactions. For further information on vaccines I'd recommend checking out the info I've provided in my initial answer. There are homeopathic remedies that can get negative reactions out of the kitten's system but I do think that it's best for you to speak with a holistic vet about actual dosages and the frequency the remedies have to be administered in order to be effective. If you're interested in learning a little more about the holistic side of veterinary medicine I'd suggest contacting Dr. Chambreau in the Ask A Vet portion of the Allexperts site.

The canned pumpkin is best for constipation, it can actually cause diarrea or make it worse if your kitty isn't constipated. The safest, easiest way to help the kitten out with loose stool is to give him a teaspoon of plain, organic, unsweetened yogurt with each meal and maybe 1-2 times beyond that in any given day until his bowels settle down some. The yogurt simply helps to replenish the benefical bacteria that antibiotics kill off since they don't discriminate between bad bacteria and healthy enzymes normally found in the digestive tract. Be patient, right now everything is new to this kitten there's bound to be a few small issues. Keep this kitten on the Feline's Pride, make sure that you add a bit of extra water (a couple of teaspoons is absolutely fine and the kitten should eat 3-5 times daily if at all possible, you can make a small amount of high quality canned food available to your kitten during the workday if you use a dish with a timer (some come with a cooling system built right in, others will allow you to put ice inside so that the food stays fresh) to his meals to ensure that he stays hydrated and to minimize the stress on your little man's system it's best to serve the meals at roughly body temperature - I generally put a meal sized portion of food into a ziploc bag and float that sealed bag in a bowl filled with hot tap water until the food is body temperature.

As for the kitty litter my recommendation is to stick with basic UNSCENTED clumping kitty litter, the clay type is absolutely fine and generally well priced. Cats aren't designed to eat high vegetable diets or those who substitute part of their meat protein for cheaper plant based proteins - cats are obligate carnivores which means that their diet MUST be made up primarily of meat. Most commercially prepared dry foods are absolutely inappropriate for cats, they lack digestible nutrients. Since the Menu Foods recall in 2007 I've done tons of research on cat foods (my eldest cat nearly died of acute renal failure after eating tainted food, the reason she's alive in my opinion when so many others who were less seriously ill died is because of the holistic approach our vet used: fluids, lower protein diet to let the kidneys function on cruise control for a few days and several homeopathic remedies - she no longer needs any home nursing care, no fluids or special diet for maintenance and her kidney function is 100% normal). If you have any further questions, concerns or you'd like me to clarify anything in this answer please feel free to contact me again and I'll do my best to help you out.