Diarrhea in Cats

There are numerous causes for recurrent or chronic diarrhea in a kitten/cat. The most common cause would be unsuccessfully treated intestinal parasites or organisms – roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, Giardia (may need an ELISA test). Parasites do not show up in every stool sample, so deworming is often used as an empirical (best medical guess) treatment. In cats Tritrichomonas is a parasite that is very difficult to diagnose and treat (routine deworming products will NOT treat; needs special medication), but should be considered in kittens/cats with unrelenting diarrhea.

Even if a fecal analysis is negative, because all parasites or parasitic organisms do not show up in every stool sample, routine deworming is often used.

If FELV and FIV have not been ruled out blood tests can be performed. FIP is a viral disease that can be difficult to diagnose as there is no specific test for it, but rather, there is a test for Coronavirus of which FIP is one of many. If basic diagnostic tests for the various causes of diarrhea are not informative we often have to use empirical (best medical guess) treatment, which may include:

1) metronidazole, tylosin (tylosin powder is exquisitely bitter and most cats will not eat it added to food, so it usually has to be placed in capsules which can be administered orally. Thankfully, it takes less than a pinch of Tylan powder given with each meal to be effective in most cats).

2) Albon or amphorol.

3) Switching over-the-counter cat foods is rarely helpful. If a kitten/cat has a dietary intolerance it needs to be fed a hypoallergenic or hydrolyzed prescription veterinary diet for a minimum of 8 weeks to see if that helps.

Ultimately, more advanced diagnostics, such as intestinal biopsies may be needed. Because cats with intestinal disease often have low B12 levels, supplementation with B12 injections (more effective than oral) is often used as part of the treatment.

Although probiotics will usually not resolve diarrhea they can be helpful – Fortiflora Pro, Proviable, VSL#3, Visbiome.

See https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/article/purina-nutrition-exchange-october-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=Online+231201&oly_enc_id=2672G3252356G9W

Dr. Kathy

**The Vet Corner groups encourage members to establish a relationship with their local veterinarian, don’t wait until an emergency.**