Diarrhea in Cats: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment - Cats.com (2023)

FAQs

What is the most common cause of diarrhea in cats? ›

Infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses, coccidia, and intestinal worms (hookworms, roundworms, whipworms), or non-infectious irritants, such as chemical toxins or poisonous plants, are some of the more common causes of diarrhea.

Basic treatments often include intravenous fluids, medications to help stop the diarrhea (anti-diarrheal medications meant for cats), dewormers, medications to treat nausea, and possibly pain medications. There are also times basic treatments involve dietary changes.

Acute Diarrhea in Cats

Infectious (parasitic, protozoal, bacterial, fungal, or viral) Inflammatory (such as food allergies) Metabolic or endocrine (such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism) Cancerous.

If your cat has diarrhea that lasts more than a day or two, see your veterinarian to figure out the cause. Call your vet right away if the diarrhea is black or bloody, or if it happens along with fever, vomiting, sluggishness, or a loss of appetite.

Rich or fatty foods can cause digestive stress for your cat. For example, turkey, ham or other meats rich in fat will result in diarrhea. Excessive fat intake can also cause a life-threatening inflammatory disease called pancreatitis.

Add 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to your cat's food twice a day. Be sure to use real canned pumpkin and not spiced pumpkin pie mix.

A diet known as BRAT may also quickly relieve diarrhea. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. This diet is effective due to the bland nature of these foods, and the fact that they're starchy, low-fiber foods. These foods have a binding effect in the digestive tract to make stools bulkier.

Basic treatments often include intravenous fluids, medications to help stop the diarrhea (anti-diarrheal medications meant for dogs), dewormers, medications to treat nausea, and possibly pain medications. There are also times basic treatments involve dietary changes.

Similar to Tylenol, both aspirin and Pepto Bismol are highly toxic when used in treating cats. Both medicines contain salicylates which can cause respiratory failure and hyperglycemia.

Though most cases of cat diarrhea resolve in a matter of hours or days without intervention, cats who have it for more than a few days, or that show more severe signs (such as vomiting, appetite loss, bloody stools, watery stools or tiredness), should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Why does my indoor cat keep getting diarrhea? ›

Other health conditions that can cause diarrhea in cats include bacterial infections, viral infections, and infections with protozoal organisms such as Giardia. Dietary sensitivities and dietary imbalances may cause diarrhea. Inflammatory bowel disease and a lack of digestive enzymes can lead to diarrhea in cats.

The fiber in pumpkin can both reduce excess moisture in your pet's digestive tract and add bulk to stools, helping to remedy diarrhea. The water in pumpkin also helps to alleviate constipation.

Rotavirus Infections in Cats. The rotavirus is a double-stranded, wheel-shaped RNA virus which causes inflammation of the intestines and in severe cases, dysfunction in the intestinal walls. This virus is the leading cause of diarrhea and gastrointestinal upset in cats.

Many cases of diarrhoea are mild, short-lived (last for only a few days), and spontaneously resolve. In many of these cases a specific underlying disease is never diagnosed and cats may get better by themselves or respond to symptomatic and supportive treatment (see later).

Some options are a fat-free prepared/canned cat food, cooked, ground turkey and canned 100 percent pumpkin. If canned pumpkin is not easily found, try fresh, cooked sweet potato. Pets with diarrhea usually tolerate and digest pumpkin or sweet potato.

A liquid bowel movement, or diarrhea, is usually caused by short-term illnesses like food poisoning or a virus. However, it can result from a different underlying medical condition. Diarrhea can happen to everyone from time to time. It occurs when you pass liquid instead of formed stool.

If wet food is too rich for your kitty, then switching over to dry food can absolutely help to alleviate the symptoms of diarrhea. However, wet food has a much higher moisture content than dry food, which helps to keep your cat hydrated.

How Long Does Pumpkin Take to Work? Most cases of simple diarrhea will resolve with pumpkin and a bland diet in one to three days.

Adding half a teaspoon of unflavored Metamucil into your cat's food once or twice a day for 5-7 days may help firm things up. Canned plain pumpkin may do the same thing. Both Metamucil and canned pumpkin are high in fiber.

If you decide to help treat your cat's constipation or diarrhea by adding pumpkin to his diet, you should see improvements within a few hours to 1-2 days. Most cats will enjoy a bit of pumpkin mixed in with their wet food, or all by itself.

What are the 4 types of diarrhea? ›

Over-the-counter options include Imodium (loperamide) and Pepto-Bismol or Kaopectate (bismuth subsalicylate).

The most common causes of acute and persistent diarrhea are infections, travelers' diarrhea, and side effects of medicines. Viral infections. Many viruses cause diarrhea, including norovirus link and rotavirus link. Viral gastroenteritis is a common cause of acute diarrhea.

Take your diarrhea dog to the vet immediately if…

Your dog is otherwise happy and tail wagging, but diarrhea continues more than 48 hours.

Watery diarrhea is commonly caused by a viral infection or food poisoning from eating undercooked meat or rotten foods. It can be serious if it causes dehydration. Keep an eye out for blood in the stool, and be sure to drink water and fluids with electrolytes. Ezekiel Richardson, MD.

Users of non-clumping litter may find themselves disposing the entire or more than half of the litter tray when their cats are down with diarrhoea. In the cases mentioned above, we highly recommend cat owners to try using clumping clay litter, Canada Litter, to better manage the after process of tidying up.

In the case of diarrhea, you should never use human medications like Pepto-Bismol, as these can be extremely harmful to your cat.

Pets metabolise medications very differently from people. Even seemingly benign over-the-counter or herbal medications may cause serious poisoning in pets. Never give your a cat human medication. Even in tiny doses it can be extremely harmful.

Serious medical conditions, bacteria not good for feline's health present in the colon and food consumed are some reasons your kitty's poop can smell so bad. Moreover, excess gas and diarrhea also tend to cause it to stink. Many kitty disorders often result in stool with a stinking smell and diarrhea.

In some cases, diarrhea can last up to several weeks or months. In many cases, however, milder diarrhea may resolve in a day or two. The longer diarrhea lasts, the more important it is that you get your cat professionally seen by a veterinarian.

What causes foul smelling diarrhea in cats? ›

Smelly faeces is usually a sign of an issue in the stomach or intestines – caused by a digestive disorder or parasites to bacteria and poor diet. 'There's also a distinctive metallic smell that results from digested blood,' says Brian. 'A bad smell alone isn't anything to be too concerned about.

They can help boost your pet's immune system and reduce diarrhea, among other benefits, too. It's also a good idea to sign your pet up for Fetch by The Dodo pet insurance in case they ever have a negative reaction to new foods, like yogurt.

Probiotics are also a safe way to provide your kitty with digestive relief if she's prone to diarrhea or other gastrointestinal ailments, like inflammatory bowel disease.

As mentioned earlier, rice works wonders when it comes to treating diarrhea in cats. Both brown and white can be offered for this purpose as long as they're cooked properly and served unseasoned. A small addition of cooked rice into your kitty's usual food can improve digestion by hardening the stool.

Common symptoms include loose stools, rapid weight loss, diarrhea, occasional vomiting and intestinal tract sounds (gurgling caused by gas).

Typical signs include mucus-laden, watery, or bile-streaked diarrhea (with or without blood) that lasts 5 to 15 days; reduced appetite; abdominal pain; and occasional vomiting. Fever may also be present. Intermittent diarrhea may persist for more than 2 weeks; in some, it may last for months.

Fortiflora from Purina is one of the most widely recommended pet probiotics by veterinarians. You can use this liver-flavored powder on both kittens and adult cats who suffer from diarrhea and other digestive issues.

What does yellow, liquid diarrhea mean? Yellow diarrhea can mean several things. It could be caused by a problem with one of your digestive organs, including your liver, gallbladder, or pancreas. It could also be caused by a germ, like a bacteria or virus, or a parasite.

Why won't my cats diarrhea go away? ›

Find Out What's Causing Your Cat's Diarrhea

Viruses. Bacteria. Parasites in the intestines, like Coccidia and intestinal worms. Conditions, like inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, pancreatic disease, cancer or hypothyroidism.

The primary bacteria associated with gastrointestinal tract disease in cats include Salmonella spp. (S,M,L), Campylobacter jejuni (M,L), Clostridium perfringens (L,rare), Helicobacter spp.

These parasites can be wormlike or one-celled protozoan organisms. They usually cause fairly nonspecific symptoms, such as a dull coat, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, mucousy or bloody feces, loss of appetite, pale mucous membranes, or a potbellied appearance.