my kitten has diarrhea!?

Question

my 12 week old kitten has diarrhea. is it because it eats too much because it feed it mostly wet canned food. should i just feed him dry food for a while and give him canned food when hes better?

Answer 1

Hi Lainey.....kittens are very fragile if they have diarrhoea as they can become dangerously dehydrated quickly and ideally should be urgently seen by a veterinarian. 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 various parasites/worms (coccidia, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, etc). There are different types of dewormers for each of the types of parasites. Therefore 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

Go back to my previous answer, and do as I said, if those don't work in 1-2 days start meds. The things they may have gotten from the cattery are: a. worms, that's why I told you to deworm them to cover that. b. bacterial parasites, which you can treat with Flagyl (metronidazole) (that is very helpful in diarrhea cases, but you must get the right dosage from your vet and administer it for 1 week). You can also give them Flagyl anyway, just make sure you find out the right dosage and I 'd wait 1-2 days with i/d and Canikur, if it is food it will pass. c. panleucopenia, that's a serious disease and I doubt all of them have it. That has a high fever, vomiting, not eating, and it needs hospitalisation. That's why I said if they look sick like that take them to the vet ASAP. Don't worry awfully, kittens often get diarrhea. When I gave my kitten to a cattery she had so runny stools afterwards I thought she was peeing! She got well after 2 days of boiled chicken, Hill's i/d and Canikur. This Canikur really works, crush it into i/d food for 2 days, no more. It is no med, just a supplement that normalises intestine and makes the stool more dense. Let us know how it went!

Answer 3

Kitties with diarrhea certainly are no fun, and I'm sure the kitten isn't feeling all that spry either.

Simply make an appointment to have your kitten seen by a veterinarian and take a fecal sample with you.

Diarrhea may be as simple as a parasitic infection, to as serious as foreign body obstruction. As long as your kitten is acting normal, eating and drinking, and not vomiting, you can have it seen tomorrow, but I wouldn't wait any longer then that.

If your kitten becomes depressed, lethargic, vomits, act painful, etc then that would be an emergency and it would be best to have it seen sooner.

Any change in diet can have ill effects on any animal. Try to introduce the canned food slowly, offering little amounts at a time so that the cat eats more dry and the canned food is just a treat.

Answer 4

It's hard to say if it's the food that's causing the problem or if it's the kittens health in general.
Has the kitten been to the vets yet? Has it been dewormed and given its shots?
If so, and it was given a clean bill of health by the pet doctor, then it just might be the food.
Cheap foods are low in quality and contain things that are unsuitable for consumption. I believe a good quality canned food would not cause any problems.
But to see if it is the kitty's diet, you should feed it dry food for a while. If it still has the runs, then you really should take it to the vet and have him checked out. It might be something more serious than you think.
Good luck!

Answer 5

My question to you is this - have you been changing back and forth to different brands of food? If you are, this could likely be the problem because my kitten had the same problem before we adopted her. The shelter told us that due to the large amount of donations that they recieve, the cats/kittens rarely get the same brand/kind of food, and it can cause diarrhea. We noticed this after we brought her home, and after a quick visit to the vet to rule out anything potentially dangerous or life threatening, the vet told us to get one kind of food, preferably kitten food, and stick with it until she turns a year old. The vet recommended Pro Plan Kitten Food, and ever since we transitioned her to that, we haven't had one problem with diarrhea since. Please make an appointment with your veterinarian first, because you want to rule out any other health condition that could be causing this, but most likely, it's the food doing it. Another thing that the vet told us was that a kitten shouldn't be eating regular cat food because it is hard on their stomachs, so please, don't buy whatever is on sale just because it's cheaper. Stick to one kind of food. It will be better for your cat in the long run, but let the vet decide what is best for you and your kitten.

Answer 6

Dear Lainey,
Diarrhea is usually caused by bacterial infections, intestinal parasites, food intolerance to obstructions and a lot of things. Roundworms and loose stools usually go hand in hand with pregnancy. Either have your cat dewormed ASAP. or if she is nursing she should stop. Also,

There are a couple of things you could try. One is mixing small amounts of cat food with ground beef so as to build up resistance to whatever is causing her loose stools. You can also try Wysong Feline Biotic which assists cats’ digestive systems when on commercial diets. Missing Link Supplements provides good nutrients, as does second step, both of which are available at PetsMart. Lastly, don't give up on all cat foods. Avo Cat makes a no-preservative, no-color, no-sugar, no-additive cat food that may work for your little gal.

Take her to a vet if the problem persists or if the stool takes on a bad consistency

Answer 7

yes, wet food will cause diarrhea in both kittens and cats ... I have 2 cats and only feed them dry food on recommendation of my vet. try out some dry food (science diet, royal canin are good brands) and monitoring what your kitten eats - if the diarrhea is still really bad after another day (not sure how many days it's been sick), then call your vet. just like humans, cats can become dehydrated.

think of wet/canned food like a treat vs. a source of daily nutrition. good luck!!

Answer 8

No, this sounds like a more serious problem. If the diarrhea doesn't improve after one or two days, it's not the food, it could be a disease. Take it to the vet.

Answer 9

Probably something he ate. lol. No seriously, just feed him once a day. And since he has diarrhea make sure he gets plenty of water so he wont get dehydrated.

Answer 10

Canned food will definitely give them diarreah, and probably not all the nutrients they need, because they end up passing most of it. If you switch to dry food and the problem still persists, it may be worms and you'll have to get a one-time pill from the vet.