Expert: Ali - 9/26/2009

Question
I just brought a little kitten home from the vet. I believe it to be stressed due to the other animals at home.I am keeping this little one seperate from the other pets because I am not sure if she is ok. She came home yesterday afternoon, had a normal poop but it has been a little soft to almost runny poop. My daughter fed the litten some macaroni and I think this is contributing the poop issue. I gave her a little hard food with yougurt to try and settle her stomach. Should I be concerned? She is becoming a little more active but I am worried. We don't have the money to take her to the vet due layoffs. Any suggestions?

Answer
Carrie,

I doubt that macaroni would be causing the kitten's loose stool, depending on the age of the kitten and whether or not she's been dewormed for all types of intestinal parasite I'd suspect that worms are more likely to be the cause. It really is best for the kitten (and all cats) to be eating canned food since cats have evolved from the desert and they don't have as high of a drive to drink as other mammals (please check out catinfo.org for nutritional information and explanations). Plain, unsweetened yogurt may help to reduce the severity of diarrea but if the kitten is having digestive issues as a result of intestinal parasites then my recommendation would be to speak with your vet (since you say the kitten has just come home from the vet I would expect that the worst case scenario would have you taking the kitten for a weigh in before the meds were dispensed) and ask about a broad spectrum dewormer that kills tapeworms as well, something like Drontal would work. Stress can sometimes worsen things like diarrea and vomiting and feeding the kitten a tablespoon of yogurt mixed with her canned food two to three times daily should help to increase the beneficial bacteria in her digestive tract which if the diarrea is stress related should fix the problem over the course of several days. Contrary to popular belief cats and kittens shouldn't normally be given cow's milk or other dairy products because they tend to be lactose intolerant (I think human beings are the only species that continues to drink milk after being weaned) however yogurt seems to be the exception to the rule in this department because lactose has been digested by the bacteria that help to replenish intestinal flora. IF the kitten's diarrea continues in spite of being dewormed and given yogurt daily for at least a week then I'd have to suggest veterinary care to find out what else could be going on with her. I wish you the best of luck with your new addition. 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.