Both our kitties have loose stools

[Sadie'smom]

Over the past three or four years, Sadie has had chronic digestive problems. Now our other cat, Moxie also has diarrhea. And to make matters worse we're leaving for vacation tomorrow.

We've taken Sadie to two separate vets, but the problems are only getting worse. I've made an appointment for both cats for later today, but I'm wondering if anyone here might help. Here's a quick history:

Sadie is a 7-year-old domestic short hair. We got her as a 7-week old rescue from a feral colony. Within about 2 years, she became overweight. She is now about 18 pounds. We try to ration her food, but she shares a small apartment with another cat who is a grazer and she often raids her mate's food when we're not looking.

We were also feeding her the prescription R/D diet from Hills. Over time, her stools got really hard and it was obvious she was straining in her litter box. Over the last few years, she usually poops right outside her box (on the tile floor in the bathroom). She still pees inside the box. Our Veterinarian examined Sadie and checked her stool for parasites, but found nothing wrong. During this time, she was forever hungry. We'd feed her, but immediately, she'd be ravenous for more.

So we changed her food to Wysong. Almost immediately, her stools got softer, but eventually they became too loose. She also seemed to still be straining, but she at least didn't seem hungry all the time. Sometimes, we'd find really loose stools near the door or the bathroom. We have to wipe her rear end after she craps because there's usually a lot of loose stool on it.

We've tried yet another variety of food called Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Feline Formula, but her straining and loose stools only seem to be getting worse. It's to the point now that we've finding small amounts of stool on the carpets and floors.

We're really at wit's end. Our carpets are getting stained everywhere, and of course we feel bad for our cats. They don't seem to have too much discomfort -- they still enjoy climbing up on their living room tree and sleeping there, and seem alert and happy -- but obviously, something is wrong.

Does anyone have practical advice for steps we can take?

[Owen Enterprises]

Abnormal and inappropriate stool is a mess that makes life miserable for both you and your kittens. I afraid there is not a simple solution to your problem. There are not any over the counter products that is really going to solve a problem of this nature. Also many of these products are not real safe in the cat. Besides diet changes and checking for parasites what tests has your Veterinarian performed? Have these cats been treated for Giardia? You may need an extensive diagnostic workup to solve this problem. Your Veterinarian depending on his interests and abilities may need to refer you to a specialist. As stupid as it sounds communicate to you Veterinarian that this is not acceptable for your cats and you want to find a solution. Good luck.

[gracegrecia]

Soft stool is caused by intestinal parasites, food intolerance, dietary indiscretion (eating things your cat shouldn't), inadequate fiber intake, stress, and disease such as colitis. If you feed your cats a variety of foods, treats, and table scraps, they will not be equally well digested thus lead to variations in stool. Cats that hunt or eat another cats food at a neighbors home, which may also cause soft stool.

If you can't identify food items that trigger soft stools, and cannot control stool consistency with one particular diet, try giving your cat a pet psyllium fiber supplement such as Vetasyl. If your cat's stools are still soft, take your cat to the Veterinarian