Ragdoll Cat with Projectile Diarrhea: Problem Solved =)
Marcia, a Floppycats reader, wrote me an email saying:
“I just wanted to say thank you again for the interest you took in my Floppy, Minkster-the-Jinxster! When I first got him 2.5 years ago, he had terrible gastrointestinal issues. Having never owned a cat before, I was stymied as to what I should do to correct the issue. We had to sleep with a large sheet over our heads because he was dripping all over from his problems. Anyway, I appreciated your encouragement and concern. In the end, I found a solution on-line…to feed him boiled organic chicken…within two days, the three-month siege, which neither our veterinarian or the breeder could solve, was over. Since then, he has become the dearest, sweetest, and most-beloved pet. He is now eating regular cat foods without a problem (knock on wood). Further, I so enjoy your Flobby site. Keep up the good work and showcasing these wonderful creatures!”
Our email correspondence continued – and as it continued, I had more questions – eventually requesting a post from Marcia! Marcia generously obliged – thank you! I wanted it on the site, so it might help other kitties and their parents in a similar situation.
THE CASE OF PROJECTILE DIARRHEA!
Submitted by Marcia Ray
As my husband and I huddled under our protective bed sheet, we wondered what in the world we were going to do with our newly acquired, adorable, three-month-old Ragdoll kitten who was plagued with projectile diarrhea from the moment we arrived home with him. We had never owned a cat before and always professed to be less-than-enthusiastic about having cats as pets. We were grieving over the death of the last of our beloved Lhasa Apso dog pack, all five of whom lived well into their senior years; and I happened to see a Ragdoll cat picture and personality description on-line—I was hooked! Within two weeks we drove ten hours round trip to pick up this beautiful creature. The breeder told us she had kept him for herself but decided to sell him after meeting us the first time we visited her cattery the week prior, which is why he was already three months old when we got him.
We didn’t have the heart to cage Minkster-the-Jinxster (Minkie for short) when he started dripping feces all over our house. He was great using the Litter Robot we had acquired; but we spent our days cleaning up behind him (kind of like the clown who follows the elephants or horses in a parade scooping the droppings). Further, we were constantly bathing him because he was soiling himself (he was not happy being bathed and we were inexperienced cat bathers… so my husband and I looked like we had been scratched by a tiger). The breeder reassured us that he had not had this problem in her cattery and even sent pictures of her cats’ litter box showing nicely formed poops! She was too far away and really couldn’t help which we understood. Besides, he was eating the same cat food that he had been fed at the breeder’s cattery. Our veterinarian did the usual battery of tests for parasites, worms, x-rays, etc., which cost a fortune; but nothing explained Minkie’s diarrhea. We were very worried about Minkie’s health. The vet gave us prescription canned food…didn’t help. After THREE MONTHS of no answers, we were getting close to giving up on this adorable cat with a personality so sweet and loving. We were heartbroken. I remember emailing Jenny of Floppycats who was very reassuring and supportive. I’m so appreciative of her encouragement during this time.
We were at our wits end….we felt dirty, always worrying that Minkie was going to soil our furniture or our bedding. Most of our upholstered furniture was covered in sheets or towels and Minkie was “locked out” of our favorite rooms so we could have friends over (if they plugged their noses). Concurrently, we had two new Lhasa Apso pups on order; and they would be arriving within the month. The addition of two pups to be housebroken upon arrival along with Minkie’s gastrointestinal problem seemed more than two retirees could manage.
Finally, it occurred to me that I had relied on other people to solve the problem. Having always been self-reliant, I started doing my own research on-line. Also, we had run out of our regular cat food…so my husband talked with the manufacturer about what we could feed the cat until the shipment arrived. Lo and behold…my research and my husband’s question to the food manufacturer both pointed to the same solution: feed Minkie boiled ORGANIC chicken. That night, we fed Minkie the boiled ORGANIC chicken. Within two days, his stools were normal—the projectile diarrhea and dripping stopped! After three months of trying everything, the chicken was a miracle! We continued feeding him the chicken and then gradually re-introduced both the dry and wet food over the next few weeks. That was over two years ago; and “knock on wood” our Minkie is in great health, keeping his dog brother and sister in line, and sleeping on our bed every night. And my husband and I don’t sleep with a protective sheet over our heads! Today, we feed Minkie both wet and dry food, boiled chicken, and his favorite, hard boiled egg yolk in water, which he laps up within minutes. Thank goodness we persevered with this adorable cat. I tell everyone that one of my life’s regrets is that it took me to age 65 before I discovered cats—Ragdoll cats, that is!
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
This worked for my 5 year old Ragdoll – thanks!
wonderful – glad to hear it =)
Hi there, thank you so much for sharing your story about your experience with Minkie and so glad you found a solution! We are experiencing something similar with our 7 month year old Ragnar and it’s comforting to hear, we are not alone! It’s so distressing for him and for us and we don’t seem to be getting any answers despite testing, changing food, getting rid of plants/flowers, trying to identify toxins etc. He is on a Z/D food diet with antibiotics now but day 4 and no improvement. He has been vomiting occasionally also. Can I please ask how you served the chicken? Ragnar’s only used to wet mousse food. When we tried Royal Canin thin slices kitten food, he vomits so not sure how to serve up the boiled chicken. Do you shred it? Any insight you can provide please share as want to get our little kitty better as soon as possible! Thank you!!
Oh my gosh I’m going through the same! Non stop and I’m constantly behind her with wipes and a mop!!!
EEK! Hope you can figure it out!
I’m curious as to what brand food the breeder feeds her kittens and adult cats. Would you remember?
Also, in what part of the U.S. is the breeder?
Thank you, and bless you for your patience and kindness towards that poor little kitty.
P.S. I forgot to mention this: Imodium ONLY! Don’t ever use Pepto Bismol; it’s dangerous for cats!
Bless your heart for persisting and hanging in there until you found a cure, Marcia! After dealing with a long bout of diarrhea which included 10 days in Kitty ICU (very expensive, no relief), I thought of a possible solution and ran it by my vet for approval. Over-the-counter Imodium did the trick. My Baby Mew is tiny, 5 to 6 pounds, so her dosage was half a tablet once a day. She never needed more than one day’s treatment to stop the diarrhea. Probably a big cat’s dosage would increase proportionately. She was finally diagnosed as hyperthyroid, has been on daily medication since 2014, and is a healthy, happy 17-year-old now. Thanks for sharing your beautiful Minkie’s story with us!
for a brief second when i saw what this post was going to be about i was laughing really hard .. just for a second mind you.. until i thought about having to deal with it. omg , i never even heard of such a thing. so glad you found a solution and your sweet boy is doing well now. that could not have been fun. especially it being your first kitty. wishing you and Minkie many years of happiness and love and firm poops!
Thanks for sharing your story, Marcia. So many things to look out for with cats and food, and it’s good reminder to take it back to the basics when you encounter problems. 🙂
Wonderful post, Jenny! 🙂 <3 Marcia, thank you so much for sharing your story with all of us Floppycatters! My goodness! What a horrid situation you and your hubby were in! God bless both of you for the patience you had with your adorable & gorgeous Minkie! Organic Boiled Chicken?! Who knew! So glad you and your hubby discovered that solution and it has all worked out so very well for all of you! 🙂 <3
Wishing you, your hubby, Minkie and those three sweet Lhaso Apso puppies many more years of good health, love, happiness and purry & barky adventures! 🙂 <3
Big hugs & lots of love!
Patti & Miss Pink Sugarbelle 🙂 <3
Thank you for sharing your story Marcia, and well done for persevering with Minxster-the-Jinxster with his gastrointestinal issues. I don’t think there are many people out there that would have had as much patience as you and your husband – thankfully your perseverance paid off and you now have an adorable healthy cat.
I adopted my two 11 month Ragdoll brothers in March, and I must admit, I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for. I’d not owned a pet before, and like you, knew very little about cats. In fact, I’d never even heard of the Ragdoll breed. I’m not sure that my vets have had that much experience of the breed either, as each time I’ve taken them in we’ve seen someone different, and they’ve commented on their size, colouring and blue eyes. Everyone who sees them seems to think they are show cats for some reason.
I’ve had a few concerns myself with my cats, and I’m not sure what I would have done myself without stumbling across the Floppycats’ website and Facebook page – thank you Jenny for all the hard work you put into it, for all the advice you share, the video reviews on products that you post, your recommended product guide and for engaging followers. Oh, and I mustn’t forget… the videos and photos that you share of Chiggy and Charlie – then Caymus, Murphy and not forgetting Parker. I’ve learned so much through your website and Facebook page about Ragdoll cats – particularly about their behaviour and the strange things they do. It gives me reassurance that my cats are normal (in terms of their Ragdoll “puppy dog” behaviour) when I see people responding to your posts with photos of their kitties.
I have a little understanding of what you may have been going through Marcia, as my two cats had sickness and diarrhea for 12 days between them. My vets weren’t particularly helpful and couldn’t find anything seriously wrong. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as your poor cat, as they had some control. My partner and I were constantly running around trying to catch them, then one of us would try and hold a cat while the other tried to clean it up. We had not had the experience of having children or changing nappies, so the first few times it happened, I was retching when we cleaned a cat up. By the 3rd day we had bought rubber gloves, dry shampoo for cats, pet wipes, nappy sacks, dog training pads and a bucket. If anyone had seen us, we would have looked so comical. I think it was us that caused more mess than the cats, as we were concerned about hurting or stressing them out and couldn’t keep hold of them. We ended up having to cut their fur. Like you, I spent ages researching online, and I found some information about giving them Chicken Breast cooked in water. Our cats went completely off their food and water, so we ended up just giving them the juice from the Chicken with a prescription prebiotic to start with, then we gradually introduced food from the vets then their gradually introduced their original food again. During this time I was so worried that they were getting dehydrated, but the vets didn’t seem that concerned. One of my cats still has a sensitive stomach from time to time, and he’ll only eat wet food now. As soon as I notice he’s not himself I’ll give him freshly cooked chicken in the chicken juice.
I’m sure your article will help lots of other people who are new to cats. It certainly would have helped me if I had found Floppycats before they were ill. Now each time something crops up, I’ll look for articles on the Floppycats’ website and Facebook page before looking anywhere else.
Thank you again for sharing.