Animal Welfare Professionals

Funny topic but not so much if kitty is in your lap and cutting the cheese.  Sheesh. We adopted Emma on Saturday and this little girl has the smelliest gas I’ve ever experienced with a cat.  I imagine it’s stress, gentle change in diet, etc.  Just have to giggle and get up each time it happens.  

She has her first visit with our vet tomorrow so I’ll ask her.  

Since there are so few posts on this forum thought a catchy subject would generate some energy.  

Have a good day  ;-)

Hi Debbie. Did the vet suggest a probiotic/prebiotic?

Unfortunately a lot of things could be at play here.  If Emma experienced a sudden switch in diet, her tummy could be reacting negatively.  She could be stressed.  She could also have an intolerance to something in her food, which would be more serious.

My first go-to would be a probiotic like FortiFlora to add to her diet to see if helps.  I would also have the vet's office do a fecal check for any parasites that could be an issue.  If there is no resolution of the problem, either on its own or with the addition of an OTC probiotic, I'd have additional questions about switching food.  It is good to note that many of the higher quality diets include beneficial live bacteria to help with gut flora.  Scientists are learning that the microbe population in the human gut has a lot to do with more than just digestive health in humans...I suspect similar is true of cats and dogs.  We are all transitioning away from the diets that nature provides to eating more processed foods.  I don't have a value judgement on that, it's more of a comment(ary) on life.  It is what it is.

Keeping this all in mind, if you adopted her on the 12th, it may take some time for her tummy to settle.  Some of us are more prone to nervous tummies, after all!  Anything from a different water source to a different food to just a different environment can trigger it.  Was this a problem you noticed prior to adoption?  Was she in a shelter or foster home?  Did her food get changed?

I concur with PetsConnectKat on the Fortiflora. That stuff works. It cured my cat's IBD issues.

A Thanks for the thoughtful replies, everyone!  All our cats are fed Royal Canin, both dry and wet.

Emma has settled in beautifully.  She and The other cats are all getting along, so socially it “appears” to be going remarkably well. 

Thr vet gave her a parasite treatment by default when I introduced her to him.  But she still passes gas and the smell is horrific.  She has loose stools as well.  

She has some interesting behaviors that are obvious carry overs from her days as a stray, thr most unique one —- I’ve owned cats all my life — she jumps in the refrigerator when I open the door. She obviously seeks out sources of food and turns into a ferocious tiger when she gets her mouth on something.  

She got in thr garbage can a couple of days ago and found chicken thigh bone.  I heard growling in the other room and found her under the table with the bone in her mouth just growling at nothing. It made my heart hurt because it was obvious she was hardening back to survival mode.  I had a terrible time getting it away from her.  

She also jumps in the counters when I’m in the kitchen.  I gently push her off and don’t give her any attention. Don’t know what else to do there.