[Kiddo]

I'm new to this site, but after some reading, I've bookmarked it because I think it's going to be a VERY useful tool.

I live on an acreage with a few "outside" cats. But just under 2 weeks ago I found a kitten with three legs in a bush near our house. So, we now have an "inside" cat. Not exactly sure how old the kitten is, but I'm guess about 8 - 10 weeks. Lucky (as we named him), is happy and active. When I first brought him in I unknowingly gave him some cow's milk. THEN I learned that was a mistake. He was only on the milk for maybe two days. The first stool I saw from him was hard and formed (typical kitty poop). After that it just got runnier and runnier. He was eating our cat food for a couple days until I switched him to kitten food (slowly changed over bit by bit). He's been on the kitten food for over a week now. Drinking lots of water.

Two days ago I thought I would try something I read on the internet for kitten diarrhea: 1/4 tsp of plain yogurt. Last night and this morning his stool was still soft but a bit formed. Then this afternoon it got runny again. Now I don't know if I should do another dose of the yogurt or not. It didn't make sense to me (yogurt comes from cow's milk, which is a no-no) but I found it on several websites. Lucky is a very happy kitten and just scampers around like nothing is wrong... until it's litterbox time.

Should I give more yogurt?

[froggy7]

The idea behind giving yogurt is that it contains bacteria and enzymes that are found in the intestines (if it's labeled as "active cultures"). And the lactose in the milk has been broken down into an easier-to-digest form. So if you eat it, it can help with intestinal problems caused by having imbalances in the intestinal flora, such as can happen after taking antibiotics.

Now, since cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive tract is different from a human or a dogs. So I don't know if the yogurt will actually help any. I don't think that it will hurt, though, because the lactose is what makes cats get diarrhea from cow's milk.

Has the kitten been to a vet yet? I'm thinking that there may be some medical issue going on. The other likely culprit is that the kitten hasn't adapted to the food yet, in which case this should get better in a bit without you doing anything.