Hi this is my first post and I'd really love some advice. Our 13 week Bengal cross suffered an intussusception at 11 weeks following a period of chronic diarrhoea. Initially we put this down to the change in environment and a change in diet. Subsequently we returned to the food she was being fed by her breeder and wormed her. She appeared to recover well from the operation itself, eating by herself soon after and going to the toilet albeit still fairly loose. The operation required removed of one piece of intestine and also the pulling out of a second intussusception that was in the process of forming. She was fed Hills I/d during her stay at the vets (an out of hours emergency vet and not our local) we were then given Hills a/d by our local vet but the loose stools continued and she then proceeded to be sick. We were then given RC gastrointestinal wet pouches by our local vet but not enough to cover us over Christmas so we then had to get the nearest we could on Christmas eve which was Hills I/d.

She hasn't been sick again but has continued to suffer from diarrhoea which is sometimes more formed but never better than toothpaste. There is still occasionally blood also. She is fairly bright though definitely back to her very playful self before her illness. The vets who conducted the operation sent of the intestine they removed and a stool sample for testing which both came back as clear. The cause of the intussusception was cited as inflammation which doesn't really give much insight. We now continue to feed her I/d with some of her dry kitten food from Tesco mixed in. Our vet has suggested doing another stool sample over 3/4 days to retest as the previous sample could only have been over 48 hours as this was her length of stay at that vets. Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated. Getting a retest feels like the right thing to do but wasn't sure when would be sensible to try another diet in case this is the cause. Thanks!

This sounds like a nightmare for everyone! The poor kitten!

I highly recommend switching to a raw diet. Cats are designed in all ways to eat raw meat - they naturally digest it better and they process significantly more of it. This means less goes through to waste. Part of the problem with commercial cat foods is all of the filler that they can't process and just poop out.

There is a lot of places you can find out more on raw diets. I have some on my website, or you can view it on www.catinfo.org for lots of general info.
There is a facebook group - Cat CRAP (Completely Raw and Proud) which is very helpful.

I'm guessing your vet tested for Tritrichomonas foetus. A parasite that is extremely difficult to get rid of and contagious among cats that share the same litter box. I am so sorry your baby has had to go through of all of this -- and I know it hasn't been easy on you either. You've tried several different diets. Did the vet recommend a probiotic for the kitty? My bengal this morning has a very liquid stool. Yesterday, it was fine. Now, tomorrow it may be fine again. It's just the way he is. I've tried several special diet foods from the vet and my kitty likes NONE of them. I do have him on grain free now. He is not interested in raw at all. I hope you hit on something that will help your little one out. My heart aches for you.

For Shinobi it took about 3 months to move him to raw fully.

We had to do a lot of things and very slow transition including fortaflora to convince him to even try it the first time. Now he prefers it to most food. Cats are generally picky but we can eventually get them there with a lot of patience.

Thank you so much for all the replies and suggestions! We have finally found the cause of the chronic diarrhoea (which is almost certain to have also caused the intussusception) - Koda tested positive for Coronavirus. From my understanding of the research I have done so far this doesn't seem like that bad of a thing. She continues to have loose stools though we are currently transitioning to a hypoallergenic diet (wainright's kitten food from Petathome UK) so will wait the recommended 6 weeks to see if this improves things but will certainly consider a raw diet if this doesn't do the trick. It seems like until she gets to the stage where she has fought the virus off chronic diarrhoea may just be something we have to live with and hope that as she gets bigger she won't get another intussusception. Yes she is having a probiotic - Canikur Pro which we give her 1ml twice daily.

The most positive thing is that she is completely back to her normal self and then some - she is so lively and putting on weight again which is such a relief! Hopefully she has past the worst and is fighting off the virus ready to lead a normal life! We are waiting for her stools to firm up completely before going for vaccinations/sterilisation etc.

Any further advice from those who have experienced a positive coronavirus cat would be greatly appreciated and thanks again for all your kind words and advice!

There is a topic here (Health Care) on that subject. You might want to check it out. One has to hope that this does turn into FIP which is a rapid fatal disease. There is also much information online that you may want to check out. I am so sorry to hear this.

Yes of course that is a risk though as she seems so well in herself and has been so resilient to 'stressful' situations we're hoping that the risk is minimal. We have now fully transitioned her to Wainrights kitten food (fish only) and she seems to be much the same with still fairly loose stools though she does seem to be more gassy - has anyone had this before and is it just something that will pass once she gets used to the new food.

Realise you are supposed to be consistent with a food for up to 6 weeks to really get the cat used to it but just wondered if anyone has some anecdotal instances of how long it took for a cat to settle down after food being changed?

Thanks for your on-going responses and support!

Well, to be truthful, all cats produce gas. Fish may be more of a culprit than chicken, beef or turkey. How long it might take for her system to get used to the new food depends on the digestion and elimination rate. Usually, no more than 48 hours. However, if the fish is causing her to produce gas, that may take a while longer. Your baby is dealing with other health issues, so keep this in mind -- her body is not 100%. Naturally, you observe everything and bring in your vet if something doesn't seem just right.