Cat with chronic diarrhea?

Question

I have a seven year old cat that has had diarrhea for about 2 weeks now. Nothing I have tried has gotten her to clear up. I can't take her to the vet as I am out of work and therefore have no money to pay the vet. Is there anything I can try at home to clear this up. There have been no changes in diet.

If I have to choose between food for my children and taking my cat to the vet, I will choose my children. I did not post this question to be belittled for getting laid-off. I have enough problems paying my bills without a job. Other than she has diarreah, she is normal. Eats normal, plays normal, no change in behavior.

Answer 1

Hi Leslie.....diarrhoea in cats can be caused by multiple things:

Diary products: cats do not have the proper enzymes to properly break down the sugar in milk which is called 'lactose.' You may have heard of people who are lactose-intolerant. They are also missing these digestive enzymes. If the proper enzymes are not present, the lactose remains undigested and tends to ferment in the intestine and cause diarrhea.
For More on Milk and cats:http://www.cat-world.com.au/CatMilk.htm

The other culprit that could contribute to the diarrhoea may be parasites/worms (coccidia, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, etc) so consider a vet visit to have her dewormed since some of the over the counter treatments do not eliminate all the types of parasites. For more on feline parasites:
http://www.peteducation.com:80/category_summary.cfm?cls=1&cat=1357

For more on causes of Diarrhoea: http://www.fabcats.org/diarrhoea.html

Contrary to what people believe canned food is helpful for cats with diarrhoea as this is a symptomatic of dehydration. Canned diets can supplement the intake of moisture so having both dry and canned are helpful. Any vet can confirm this fact.

Canned pumpkin (without spices) will also help firm up the loose stool symptoms: http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-75.htm

Please keep in mind that also sudden changes in food brands, types will also contribute to diarrhoea symtoms as well. So as soon as your new kitty starts on the cat food she may have lingering symtpoms. For more on this: http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/diarrhea . Again any vet can confirm this fact. Switching foods should be done gradually over a course of several weeks. For example the first week would consist of 3/4 of old food mixed to 1/4 of new food then the next week 1/2 to 1/2 then the following week at 1/4 old to 3/4 new before completing the switch.

The above are just only a few causes as there are many more that can also cause diarrhoea such as diseases, illnesses, etc. Therefore, it is always recommended to consider contacting a vet and discussing if a visit is necessary for treatment.

Answer 2

I'm so sorry to hear that. Sudden diarrhea for 2 weeks is pretty serious. She may have eaten something toxic or she may have caught a parasite. If she's never had this before, you really should call a veterinarian. Most vets are quite compassionate. A checkup is generally no more than $35. If nothing else, they may offer you some advice over the phone. You certainly don't want to lose your kitty. Think of how sad you and your children might feel if that were to happen. Make the phone call if nothing else and tell them your financial situation. They may allow you to make small payments over time. If you decide to bring her in, bring a stool sample so you only need to visit with them one time. Obviously there is some underlying cause for this diarreah, but know that the biggest risk with diarreah is dehydration. Make sure she has plenty of fresh water and change it often. Try and observe that she drinks regularly. That is the most important thing. As for food, try and switch her to a sensitive stomach/easily digestible food, but do so gradually mixing the old with the new. If the diarreah continues much longer, you should maybe talk to friends and family about a small donation to get your kitty a visit with the vet. Your loved ones will know that you will repay them when you are working again. Compassion never goes unrewarded. Good luck.

NOTE TO JESSIEMINI - Your kitty may have inflammatory bowel disease or inflammatory bowel syndrome. It can only be diagnosed for sure with an intestinal biopsy which I know can be expensive, but it's the only way to know for sure. My cat had it. I found that adding a capsule of a quality fish oil supplement (EPA & DHA) to her food once daily did WONDERS. Try it. It's completely harmless and very healthful to both animals & humans. And of course, kitty will love it. Go with anything that says "MaxEPA Omega-3 Fish Oil" on the bottle. You can even find it quite cheap at Costco. Good luck.

Answer 3

have you changed the cat's food? An abrupt change in diet is sure to cause Diarrhea. It is tempting to try to buy what is on sale that week, when the money is low, but there is no quicker way to starting up a case of diarrhea. If this just began, and the cat is seven years old, that would be my first guess.

I'm not a veterinarian and I don't pretend to be, but I have been fostering cats for about 40 years, and I've pretty much seen it all. You can't do that for that long and not learn something.

Worms will cause diarrhea in small kittens, but not usually a case with sudden onset in mature cats. If your cat didn't have diarrhea until the last two weeks, it would, most likely, not suddenly get diarrhea from worms now. There is one type of worms that cause diarrhea and that is usually found only in small kittens as older cats have more established intestinal tracts. I believe it is spelled Coccidia or something like that.

If your cat goes outdoors, or hunts, there is the possibility it got something unwholesome outside. In which case, it would be anybody's guess what the culprit could be.

The main problem you have right now is the danger of your cat dehydrating. Get a package of white rice from the grocery store and use about 2 ounces of hamburger to a cup of rice. People will say to use chicken because of the fat, but the hamburger makes it more palatable to your cat. Boil the hamburger with the water and rice to cook it. Let is cool to room temperature and then let your cat eat that for a day or two. It can be stored in the refrigerator and fed as needed. See if that helps.

If the stool firms up, then I would get the best cat food I could buy, and stick to that brand. Do not switch unless you do it by mixing the food gradually, over the course of about a week, until the new food is the only food in the bowl. Some of the bargain brands are so much filler and fiber that they can be the cause of diarrhea.

If that doesn't help, then I am afraid you are going to have to find a way to get that cat some medical help. It's going to take more than a simple fix.

I hope your cat feels better soon and I wish you the best with you employment possibilities.

Answer 4

First 2 weeks is to long for diarrhea. Cut out the cat can food as well as milk. Just feed dry cat food- no people food either. Your kitty is not a youngster anymore which makes the situation worse. Find a vet that will work with u on an payment plan. See if you can borrow some money. Call a vet/ or animal shelter/ or ASPCA to find if you can give some kind of over the counter and the dose. Alot of our stuff is hazardous to pets, so check with a professional. Your kitty without plenty of fluids will dehydrate after 3 days, So this tells you to do something now! GOD BLESS YOU! [e-mail]

Answer 5

My cat is of the same age as yours. He is a Persian. He has the same problem - diarrhea and blood in his stool for quite some time, a few months actually. All the tests have been done, e.g. blood test, stool sample and even x-ray. I have even taken him to see two different vets. Unfortunately, they can't find out what has gone wrong. The results are good, not flea, no worm, no virus... Everything seems normal. He has taken two courses of medication but nothing change. Both vets says they don't even know why he has diarrhea.

Almost once every two days, we have to give hime a bath. He has just finished one an hour ago.

People talk about mixing rice with cat food to stop the cat from having diarrhea. My experience was pretty bad. It made my cat very sick and he got even more sick than before. So, this might help with some cat but not all. At least, not for my cat.

Therefore, I suggest you to call your local ASPCA and see if they can provide any medical help.

Or, if there is someone out there who has better solution, please come forward and share it with us. Thanks a lot!

With best wishes to you, your family and your cat, too!

Answer 6

Check the food situation first. If you've changed the cats food change it back. Also, if you give your cat wet food, try using a dry kind instead because maybe the cat has too much liquid in its diet.

My cat had a bad bout of diarrhea a couple of years ago after my, now ex, boyfriend gave him some smoked kippers. The poor thing didn't know what to do with himself he was so upset. I called my vet and she had me move him into a room to himself, limit the amount of water he was getting and give him a teaspoon of ketorolac four times a day. It is a common medication for humans with nausea and upset stomach. I was in the same boat as you at the time and really couldn't afford a vet visit so I really appreciated them helping me for free over the phone. The ketorolac is quite cheap as well and I bought a bag of plastic spoons to give him the medication since I didn't want him hurting his teeth if he bit on a metal spoon.

I know that finances are tight right now, but if you've had a vet that you've used for years they might be able to give you some free advice over the phone if you ask. The worst that will happen is they won't help you. But I've always found that they truly love animals and have the animals best interests at heart.

Answer 7

You can try some rice and boiled chicken but 2 weeks of diarrhea is really a vet visit - why not try your local SPCA - they can help people with minimum income when their animals need medical attention. Good luck and don't let this go too long... give your SPCA a call - I'd hate to see that it was something preventative and the kitty gets too sick and then can not be helped.

Answer 8

Call the SPCA or Humane Society and see if they know a vet who will let you work out a payment plan. Alternately, see if you can find someone who will loan you the money to get your cat taken care of. It sounds like she's got an infection, and home remedies aren't going to do the trick if it hasn't happened yet.

Answer 9

I would try to call the vet and see if they can figure it out over the phone, if they can't do this explain your situation and see if they can set up a payment plan for you. If worse comes to worse, borrow the money from someone. The vet visit shouldn't be that expensive and your cat's life might depend on it.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

Lots of things could be causing this, none of which are good for the cat. Be sure she's getting plenty of water because she can get dehydrated. Unfortunately, with so little information, and not being able to see the cat or discuss it's behavior and habits, you aren't going to get an accurate diagnosis on this website. If it continues, I'd do whatever it takes to get her to the vet.