Cat/Kitten Diarrhea

Cat/kitten diarrhea: 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). Tritrichomonas is a parasite that is very difficult to diagnose but should be considered in kittens 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 metronidazole, tylosin, Albon or amphorol. 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 S ©Copyrights 2026