What to feed? Increasing fiber intake is an option since it is considered a great ‘equalizer’ (good for constipation but also good for diarrhea).So withholding food will not be recommended. That is true with vomiting, but nowadays, we realize that your cat’s intestines need nutrition in order to heal themselves. To feed or not to feed? Years ago, many vets always thought that GI upsets required some brief period of fasting to ‘rest’ the bowels.In those cases what might your veterinarian advise you can you do at home? Obviously some of these causes need specific therapy, but some of the others may resolve on their own with simple, supportive care. How may you be able to help stop cat diarrhea?īecause there are so many potential causes of diarrhea in cats, you should check with your veterinarian if your cat is having it regularly. In these cases, the cats often manage to only pass small amount of more liquid stools around the obstruction. Constipation– Constipation may seem counterintuitive, but I mention it because older cats are prone to developing motility problems in their colons leading to constipation.Medications/toxins– Most know that certain antibiotics can upset the GI tract but other medications and certain toxins can also cause diarrhea.Metabolic diseases– From disorders of the pancreas or liver to thyroid imbalances, there are many other problems that upset the motility or environment in the GI tract resulting in diarrhea.Primary inflammatory disorders– Like inflammatory bowel disease in people, inflammatory disorders can cause your cat to develop diarrhea.Stress– Just like with people, stress/anxiety/excitement can result in GI upset (especially lower bowel irritation or colitis).Even a purposeful change in diet from one food to another can cause diarrhea Dietary indiscretion or diet change– Cats tend to be more careful about what they eat than dogs are, but sometimes they do eat inappropriate things like grass, string, etc.Infections– Viral or bacterial infections can also cause diarrhea and also occur more frequently in younger cats.Significant numbers of parasites that cause diarrhea are more common in younger kittens Parasites – Parasites can definitely irritate your cat’s gastrointestinal, causing all kinds of diarrhea involving the small and/or large bowels.This would be an exhaustively long list if we went into everything that can cause your cat to have loose stools, but here are some of the general categories: If you do notice your cat has diarrhea between visits, what could be the cause? When should you worry and consult your veterinarian? What can you do at home? I’ll discuss these answers here. For this reason, routine veterinary visits are important. In addition, cats are very fastidious about grooming so the tell-tale (or tell-tail) signs of diarrhea may be missed-especially in the early stages. Depending on your cat’s lifestyle, you may or may not be readily aware of the details of her bathroom habits. One of the most common problems we see in veterinary medicine is gastrointestinal (GI) upset/ diarrhea.
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