kitty detox (warning:not so pleasant stool talk)

[Pitaya]

Hi everyone,

Kitty's gone 100% raw as of this week. It' s been a gradual transition and his abounding energy and enthusiasm when eating are good signs. His eye discharge I've also heard is quite common, and I doubt will last...but....his stool i'm not sure of:

1) he had a little accident on the way to the litter box once (really small, and he's done this maybe once or twice in the entire 6 years of his life, though it was much more liquid this time)

2) the length......WHOA!!!!!! they've been getting gradually longer, but today there was a 1/2 foot long stool in his litter box. everything i've read about carnivore's digestive system tells me cat's have very short tracts so i'm very confused.

3) texture......i've never seen anything like it.......rope texture! it's like little cords bound together like a thick piece of rope

anybody else have similar experiences?

gross as it is, i'd love to hear other stories too, so i know what to watch for

thanks

[blaqberry]

*bump*...

I'm curious too :)

[lafsalot]

If your cat has been on a commercial food for any length of time, it tends to lengthen the intestinal track and cause it to lose elasticity - hence, longer stools.

Since cats are obligate (strict) carnivores, the ratio guidelines are different from that of a dog's (cats need more rmbs and very little, if any, veggies and fruit.

The runny eyes and diarrhea are part of detox, and the stools should eventually get smaller, harder, and light colored. In the event it gets too hard, you can always give your kitty a little psyllium husk powder (diluted in water) and/or canned pumpkin. BTW, both can be given to treat diarrhea as well.

It's also not uncommon for transitioning pets to have strands of mucous surrounding their stools - could this be what you were referring to as rope-like?

At any rate, kudos to you for starting your little feline on raw ~ Cathy

[Pitaya]

thanks everyone for the bump and input....

interesting point about the intestinal track lengthening lafsalot!! you are correct, the stools have gotten shorter, lighter and less stinky!!! the rope like texture is still a mystery (no it wasn't mucous, he had that on another occassion and it was obvious)

in the scheme of things this all happened over about 5 days and was gone, so I don't want to discourage anyone from switching foods. I also was feeding a diet that included some veggies at first too, so that could have caused it. that changed as soon as I went 100% raw and kitty loves it, and so do i!

he is like a kitten again, and seems trimmer though i've yet to weigh him (i was at the vet last week but forgot...doh!)

anyway, thanks again everyone :)