cat with diarrhea?

Question

My 1 1/2 year old cat has been having diarehea for about a week. I'm calling the vet today, but could it just be a virus or could it be something serious? She's acting fine otherwise. She's eating and drinking regularly? I haven't changed her diet?

Answer 1

Diarrhea that lasts for longer than 24 hours is serious. Don't be surprised if your cat is a bit dehydrated and needs to be given fluids at your vets office.

Here's some info from vetinfo4cats.com

Whenever it is possible, it is best to get a specific diagnosis for the cause of the persistent diarrhea and then to treat that cause. This isn't always possible, though. These are the things that we do in these cases to try to figure out what the cause of the problem is, so that you can see what has and hasn't been done yet.

We check fecal examinations for parasites, just as your vets have done. It is helpful when a parasite is identified and can be specifically treated for. When we don't find anything on a fecal examination and diarrhea persists we usually go ahead and treat for several of the possible parasite infections, just to be sure they aren't present. We like to use fenbendazole (Panacur Rx) dewormer, because it kills hookworms, roundworms and giardia, which are three of the common parasites. Giardia can be really hard to find on fecal exams, which is why we think it is reasonable just to treat for it to rule it
out.

Early in the diagnostic process it is a good idea to check a complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry panel to try to be sure that some problem like kidney disease or liver disease is not contributing to the diarrhea. For cats over nine or ten years of age it is a good idea to check a total thyroxine (T4) value, as well. Hyperthyroidism can cause persistent diarrhea in some instances.

After treating for parasites we usually try two different dietary manipulations to see if they will help. If the cat will eat Hill's w/d (tm) diet, we usually try it. This is a low fat, moderate fiber diet and it will sometimes work to resolve chronic diarrhea. When this works it usually works quickly, so we try it first. If this does not work, then we try a diet that helps eliminate the possibility of food allergies. The best diet for doing this is probably Hill's z/d (tm) diet since it is thought to be truly "hypoallergenic" due to the hydrolyzed protein in it. However, there are alternatives to this diet that use proteins from unusual sources, such as duck, rabbit or deer which are not common in cat foods. It is usually necessary to feed these diets for six to eight weeks to be sure that food allergies are not the cause of the diarrhea. Adding fiber, as you are doing, does work for some cats. Our experience is that it works better when the diet is also low fat, though.

Once we get past the above steps, there is a decision to make. At this point, it is necessary to go to a "trial and error" approach or to consider obtaining biopsy samples of the intestines and possibly the pancreas and liver. Biopsy of the intestinal tract can be done in conjunction with endoscopic examination, which is less invasive than surgery. To obtain pancreas and liver samples surgery is usually necessary, though. I think that endoscopic examination and biopsy is the ideal next step but the cost and/or availability can limit access to this diagnostic test.

If we are going to use a trial and error approach I usually try metronidazole first but other vets like a different order. If it is successful I usually want to try sulfasalazine (Azulfidine Rx) when owners can readily give pills. If not, I might consider using injectable corticosteroids, usually methylprednisolone acetate (DepoMedrol Rx). In some cases, but not too often, we try to control the diarrhea using medications such as loperamide ( Immodium AD tm) or diphenoxylate (Lomotil Rx) for a few days.
For some reason, just stopping the diarrhea seems to help some patients recover. Either that, or some patients coincidentally get better after we use these medications for a few days. Since chronic diarrhea does sometimes stop on its own, especially in young and young adult cats, this is a possibility.

We are not adverse to going back to the beginning and starting this whole process over again when we are not having much success with treatment. For some reason, repeating the lab work sometimes shows a problem that wasn't there the first time or a cat will respond to a treatment we have already tried once, when it didn't the first time. While I can't always explain why these things occur, it is worth repeating some of the steps when therapy isn't working.

If you get really frustrated consider asking your vet to refer your cat to an internal medicine specialist or to a veterinary college. These folks tend to see the really difficult cases of things like diarrhea more frequently than general practitioners and sometimes there is something in that experience that makes it easier to recognize a particular problem.

Answer 2

Poor meow... She definitely ate something bad. Cat you get her to a patch of grass (that has not been sprayed with chemicals), or get her some cat grass from Petco? Often that helps them heal

Answer 3

YOUR CAT COULD HAVE AN INTESTINAL BLOCKAGE TAKE HER TO THE VET .
IF ITS NOTING SERIOUS THAN GIVE YOUR CAT SOME CANNED PUMPKIN 1/4 CUP A DAY IF SHE WILL EAT IT

I HOPE SHE GETS BETTER SOON!!!!

Answer 4

Sometimes my cat has diarreah becuse of the type of cat food it eats.Try changing the type of food that she eats.

Answer 5

Your trip to the vet is the thing to worry about; by the time you read this answerr you'll know...PUUUURRRRRR Stimpy! quit playing with my computer!

Answer 6

Do you give her milk? Milk can cause diarhea in adult cats.