This is a specific conversation about Cat food for sensitive stomachs — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A house move plus a disrupted diet at the same time is actually one of the most common triggers for digestive upset in cats — the stress and the food change hit the gut together, which makes it hard to know which is the main culprit. Digestive sensitivity in cats is usually food intolerance rather than a true allergy, and limited-ingredient or novel-protein diets tend to work best for getting things back on track. To point you in the right direction: what symptoms is your Exotic Shorthair showing — vomiting, loose stools, or something else — how long has it been going on, and what were they eating before the move versus what are they on now?
She's been having loose stools and vomiting occasionally, maybe once a day. It started about two weeks ago when we moved. Before the move she was on a dry kibble, I can't remember the brand, but during the move I just grabbed whatever was at the local shop — some Felix pouches — and now she's refusing to go back to the kibble.
inparticular.ai
That timeline makes a lot of sense. Two weeks of loose stools and occasional vomiting following a diet switch and a move is classic gut disruption — her digestive system has been destabilised by both at once. Exotic Shorthairs can also be prone to digestive sensitivity as a breed. The Felix pouches are fine as an emergency fix but they're quite rich and not formulated for a sensitive gut, which likely prolonged the issue. Now she's also decided she prefers wet food, which is actually not a bad thing — wet food is often easier on the digestive tract. Can I ask: is she otherwise her normal self, eating willingly, drinking normally, and is there any blood in the stools?
Yes, she's eating fine, drinking normally, seems alert and herself. No blood that I've seen. She's just clearly a bit uncomfortable.
inparticular.ai
Good — those are all reassuring signs. This sounds like straightforward diet-related disruption rather than anything that needs a vet visit right now, though if symptoms persist beyond another week or two it's worth getting her checked. Given that she's now preferring wet food, I'd work with that rather than fight it. My recommendation is Royal Canin Digestive Care in wet pouch form. It's specifically formulated to support gut transit, uses highly digestible proteins, and has a prebiotic profile that helps rebalance the gut after disruption. It's also breed-neutral enough to suit an Exotic Shorthair well. Introduce it gradually over four or five days — mix it with the Felix pouches she's currently on, increasing the ratio each day. That slow transition is important; another sudden switch will just restart the cycle.
That sounds really sensible. Should I be doing anything else alongside changing the food — like a probiotic or anything?
inparticular.ai
A probiotic can genuinely help during the transition period, especially given the stress of the move. Pro-Kolin Enterogenic paste for cats is a good option — it's vet-recommended, contains both a probiotic and a prebiotic, and you just add a small amount to food once a day for a week or two. It's not something she'd need long-term, just while her gut is restabilising. Between the gradual food transition to Royal Canin Digestive Care and a short course of Pro-Kolin, most cats are back to normal stools within ten to fourteen days. Keep the environment as calm and consistent as possible too — the stress component is real, and Exotic Shorthairs tend to be quite sensitive to change.
Perfect, thank you. I'll order both of those now.
inparticular.ai
You're in good shape. Stick to the slow transition, give the Pro-Kolin for about two weeks, and she should be settled well before the month is out. If the loose stools or vomiting get worse rather than better after a week on the new food, it's worth a vet check just to rule out anything else — but based on everything you've described, this is very likely just her system catching up after a disruptive few weeks.