Diarrhea in a cat: how to properly treat an upset stomach

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Unfortunately, diarrhea in a kitten is by no means a rare phenomenon and indicates disturbances in the digestive process. But there are also more significant reasons for the occurrence of diarrhea in the smallest furry in the house: it is better to know what could cause such a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract and promptly eliminate the causes that are harmful to the baby’s health.

Symptoms of diarrhea in kittens

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It is not difficult to determine that a kitten has diarrhea. This is necessary in order to take health measures in a timely manner and prevent serious consequences for the life of the young cat.

So, we determine loose stools in kittens:

• the kitten’s state can easily be considered depressed;
• there are problems with appetite, more often it simply doesn’t exist;
• if diarrhea is prolonged, the animal’s weight will decrease;
• frequent bowel movements;
• dehydration (when taken by the scruff of the neck, the skin then straightens out for a long time);
• loose stools, possible admixtures of undigested food;
• your tummy may be bloated.

In general, it is clear from the baby that he is experiencing discomfort, so it is important to find out what could cause such a disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.

Prevention

You can prevent diarrhea in a kitten by following simple rules:

1. The diet must be balanced and contain only permitted foods. It is not allowed to feed animals table scraps, raw meat and fish, smoked or sweet.
2. The kitten should be in a comfortable environment. You should not keep your pet in the same room with aggressive dogs and cats, and you should also not hit or scare it.
3. Every pet must undergo up-to-date vaccinations. This will protect him from most dangerous infections and prevent possible infection of other animals and the owners themselves.
4. Pets should be treated for parasites every six months.
5. During a walk, you should not allow the kitten to drink water from a puddle or eat something from the ground.

Regular preventive examinations with a veterinarian and consultations on nutrition will also help maintain the health of your pets.

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Main causes of diarrhea

Diarrhea is the rapid passage of food through the digestive tract. There are quite a few reasons for this phenomenon:

• animal experience;
• nutritional errors;
• infection;
• parasites;
• allergy;
• fur accumulated in the stomach;
• sickness and poor health.

Let's look at each reason in more detail.

The emotional state of a small animal can tell on its digestion. This may be a reaction to a change of place of residence, the appearance of a new inhabitant or guest in the apartment, and especially gentle cats even react to a change in the tray and sleeping place that has become familiar.

Errors in diet planning definitely cause damage to health. Most often, owners worry about their pet and desperately overfeed it, especially by abusing cat treats. This also includes the kitten eating prohibited foods, such as smoked meats, spoiled food, or changing food.

Infections in the form of panleukopenia, coronavirus enteritis, toxoplasmosis and calicivirus can easily overcome a baby. But the stool will not tell you what exactly is to blame here; if an illness is suspected, the kitten is taken to the veterinarian.

The appearance of parasites in the body is also not uncommon. They can be brought in by people with food and land. Gradually there will be more and more of them, and the kitten will develop diarrhea as a reaction to intoxication of the body. Tape tapeworm and coccidia are especially guilty.

Allergies are also considered among the probable causes of loose stools. It could be your own fur or other irritants; it makes sense to visit a specialist at the veterinary clinic. Particular attention should be paid to kittens of the Somali cat, Pixie-Bob, Norwegian Forest, Maine Coon, Ragdoll: these long-haired beauties tend to swallow clumps of their fur.

When there are health problems, bowel dysfunction is the first thing that appears very often. These are viruses, chronic liver and kidney diseases, reduced immunity. This also includes diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, erosion and tumors.

If you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, mucus can often be found in the stool.

Poisoning and antibiotic treatment are also factors that affect the quality of a kitten’s stool. First, the intestinal microflora is restored, and then it is observed whether the loose stools have disappeared.

Treatment principle

The treatment regimen depends on the diagnosis. If salmonellosis is suspected, antibiotics are prescribed - Enteroseptol, Tetracycline, Fthalazol. The dosage is determined taking into account the kitten’s body weight.

The veterinarian may recommend giving your pet a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If there are obvious signs of dehydration, the animal is injected into a vein with a saline solution containing electrolytes.

If panleukopenia is suspected, diarrhea is treated symptomatically. The kitten is prescribed vitamins, glucose injections, and immunostimulants. It is recommended to take probiotics to restore intestinal microflora.

To prevent dehydration, Dufalight is prescribed, and in severe cases, Voluven in the form of injections is indicated.

In case of poisoning by poor-quality food, veterinarians use sorbents. Along with them, probiotics are prescribed. Feeding should be done in small portions so as not to put a lot of stress on the stomach and intestines. Drinking plenty of fluids is recommended.

Diarrhea, which is caused by helminthic infestation, is treated with anthelmintic drugs.

If a foreign body is detected in the intestines or stomach, surgical intervention is indicated.

How long can diarrhea last?

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Duration of diarrhea with a frequency of 2-3 times a day can very quickly lead a kitten to severe dehydration. Replenishing lost fluids at home can be challenging. Duration of up to three days is critical; it is better not to wait so long and consult a doctor.

Tick ​​bite

Spontaneous diarrhea may be a reaction to a tick bite. Moreover, it sometimes does not appear immediately, but after 2-3 weeks. Even if you did not see a tick on the cat’s body, it is not a fact that there was no bite. Other symptoms: elevated body temperature, refusal to eat, lethargy, pink urine, cough with shortness of breath, yellowness of the mucous membranes. The listed signs may indicate tick-borne diseases. In many cases, death occurs within 2 weeks after the first symptoms appear, so you should contact your veterinarian immediately.

The kitten has a bloated belly and diarrhea

Bloating with diarrhea is formed due to flatulence, less often due to overeating. This combination is caused by errors in the preparation of the kitten’s diet, which needs to be fed properly. Tender stomachs simply cannot digest adult food! As a result, food accumulation occurs, indigestion leading to diarrhea, flatulence and vitamin deficiency.

Worms also cause bloating; if deworming is not carried out, then this is the first thing that should come to the owner’s mind. If they exist, and the animal is not spared from such “neighbors,” then the death of the baby is quite likely. It is better to carefully study the material about parasites in cats and kittens, and not return to this problem.

If the kitten's tummy is swollen, it is better to go to the veterinarian, who will rule out serious illnesses and advise about loose stools.

What to do

If the cause is overeating, then it is important to adjust the diet itself and the portion size.

When the cause is parasites, then such a baby needs a certain dose of medication, and it should be agreed upon after examination at a veterinary clinic with a specialist. Self-treatment is fraught with violations in dosage and incorrect approach to the treatment regimen.

Flatulence appears as the kitten grows; if the diet is improved, the problem will quickly go away. The combination of loose stools and flatulence is painful; it is better to help the baby with activated carbon or enterosgel, while reviewing the diet. The coal tablet should be cut into 4 parts and mixed with water.

Additional "bells"

If loose stools appear, be sure to observe the cat.

If:

• Diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting;
• The cat often and forcefully licks its sides and belly;
• Sits hunched over, head down to front paws;
• Moans when changing position;
• Shortened, careful movements appeared;
• Does not respond to favorite food;
• Drinks water often and greedily;
• Reacts aggressively to attempts to pick him up;
• Tries to find a place in the shade and coolness;
• Urinates on himself;
• He falls on his side, throwing his head back.

Don't hesitate! Call the vet immediately: “The cat has diarrhea! What to do? What to give before your arrival? Step by step, please!

The doctor should receive all useful information from you:

1. Age and sex of the animal.
2. When and with what was the pet dewormed.
3. When and what was vaccinated?
4. Feeding regimen and what kind of food.
5. What was treated for and with what (if any).
6. Were antibiotics administered?
7. When did the illness begin?
8. When did the diarrhea start?
9. What changes in the animal’s well-being have occurred over the last hour or two.

Your pet’s life is in danger, so do not hesitate to describe all the symptoms of the disease to the doctor in detail, including the color and quality of feces.

If the cat does not have such obvious signs of serious illness, then you can alleviate the symptoms of diarrhea using home methods.

The kitten has diarrhea with blood and/or mucus

If it seems that a kitten’s diarrhea is due to an incorrect diet, then mucus in the stool is an indication that this opinion is wrong. The first step is to understand whether parasites are bothering your pet. It’s hard to believe how many parasites can torment cats, it’s a whole dominance of dangerous neighbors in the body!

If mucous diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting, drowsiness, and apathetic behavior, then there is a possibility of intestinal inflammation.

Bloody diarrhea is less common in kittens. If there is blood in the stool, there are probably several reasons for its appearance:

• poor vascular permeability;
• erosion, intestinal ulcer or perforation.

If the blood comes out directly from the stomach or small intestine, then the diarrhea will be red, and hemoglobin will not be digested in this case. When these are streaks of blood, it means that the problem happened in the large section or in the last segments of the small intestine.

What to do if you have bloody diarrhea

To treat bloody diarrhea in a small kitten, you need to use a diet, as well as eliminate all the symptoms and the causes that caused them. All this happens at the same time.

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It is advisable to donate feces for testing - they will tell you exactly what the reason is.

It is important to understand that losses of potassium and sodium during diarrhea are dangerous, as they lead to disruption of water-salt metabolism, which increases diarrhea. It turns out to be a vicious circle. Requires the introduction of Regidron, Hydrovit, Hydrolyte.

The kitten's diet begins on the first day of treatment, primarily by fasting for no more than 12 hours. After this time, the kitten must eat. During treatment, your child should drink clean boiled water at any time.

When the hunger strike period has passed, you need to start complementary feeding with boiled rice porridge, then add boiled chicken or beef. If all is well, you can add a hard-boiled egg.

When the owner is convinced that the diarrhea has passed, you need to feed the kitten with fermented milk products and Bifidumbacterin.

Acute attack of diarrhea

A small kitten runs to the litter box quite often - this is normal if the stool has a normal color, smell and consistency. Changes in food, imperfections in the gastrointestinal tract, physical or nervous “overload,” overheating or, conversely, hypothermia, the first day of vaccination – all this often leads to diarrhea in a cat.

The appearance of mucus, blood in the stool, and changes in density should alert the owner.

In an old cat, alternating constipation with isolated cases of diarrhea is an almost normal phenomenon associated with decreased intestinal motility due to age. Preventive advice from a veterinarian, correction of diet and nutrition, encouragement to do more physical activity and possible use of appropriate medications will help here.

In adult healthy animals, a short-term "stomach upset" called "acute diarrhea" is most common. Acute diarrhea begins suddenly, without external changes in the cat’s behavior.

Diarrhea with acute diarrhea does not have a pronounced, sharp putrefactive odor, and ends just as suddenly (in a day or two). This can be attributed to the natural cleansing of the intestines, characteristic of all types of living beings on Earth.

Chronic diarrhea (diarrhea), accompanied by the loss of large amounts of water from the body, flatulence, stench, discoloration of feces, blood clots and mucus in the feces, is dangerous for the animal because it can last for weeks or even months.

Diarrhea with vomiting

When, as a result of reflection, the contents of the stomach are thrown out through the oral cavity, we call it vomiting. It is evidence of irritation of the central nervous system - the signal came there from the stomach or intestines, most likely the problem is inflammation, which will be indicative in the presence of concomitant diarrhea.

When in doubt, you need to look at the animal carefully: coughing is different from vomiting. When coughing, the chest works, this is a rapid movement, and when vomiting, spasms of the abdominal wall are visible, the back can also arch, the action can be prolonged and repeated.

What to do for diarrhea and vomiting in kittens

First aid for diarrhea with vomiting is provided at home by the beloved owner. Vomiting greatly depletes the kitten’s strength; in combination with diarrhea, it quickly contributes to the disruption of the water-salt balance, which leads to recurrence of vomiting and loose stools, and it will not be easy to get out of the vicious circle.

The first step is to stop the vomiting. Metoclopramide with a dosage of 0.2-0.4 mg/kg helps with this; the drug can be used 3-4 times a day. This product is in the form of a solution for subcutaneous injection or tablets.

Symptomatic treatment is also carried out with tablets and solutions of ondansetron and dolasetron. Ondasetron is given twice a day at a rate of 0.5 mg/kg. Dolasetron is dosed at 0.6-1 mg/kg and given once.

Vomiting will be stopped by prochlorpromazine and chlorpromazine at a dosage of 0.1-0.5 mg/kg three times a day. Then they look for the cause of diarrhea and eliminate it by carrying out symptomatic therapy.

If the diarrhea is black

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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> Mustard-colored liquid feces in kittens is normal, but the black color called “melena” is not at all present. This is evidence of problems in the body, unless, of course, there are preparations containing iron in the diet, or there is an excessive amount of raw meat or blood meal.

The list of diseases associated with red-black diarrhea is long; you cannot cope with this on your own; consult a doctor.

The Scotsman vilifies - what to give?

Before starting treatment, you need to find out why your Scottish kitten or adult cat has diarrhea. Therapy depends on the cause. If this is, for example, one-time stress or intolerance to a product, then you don’t need to do anything. If the problem is poisoning, then you can give a sorbent. However, if the diarrhea is severe, does not stop and some other symptoms are observed, an urgent call to the veterinarian is required, because with a number of infections (for example, with distemper), such a symptom is observed and, if you do not get qualified help on time, you can lose the animal.

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The kitten has yellow diarrhea

If the diarrhea is yellow in color, then the kitten’s feces move too quickly towards the exit, but there may be enough reasons for this, namely the presence of:

• infections;
• worms;
• allergies;
• lactose intolerance.

Normally, bile with yellow bilirubin should enter the intestines. As stool passes through the intestines, digestive enzymes cause bilirubin to turn into brown stercobilin. With diarrhea, peristalsis is disrupted and increased, so the transformation process does not occur.

In addition, the kitten may have jaundice, in which case there is too much bilirubin in the stool, which is why it is yellow.

How to treat

Here's how to help a child with diarrhea of ​​this color: first you should take a blood test and check the liver. At the same time, the cat’s diet is adjusted to normalize stool quality.

Kittens are not allowed out of care at first, because this causes dehydration, which can end in the most disastrous way. The water should be nearby, clean and fresh! Drink only boiled water to avoid the development of secondary infection.

Each act of defecation should end with washing the base of the tail with soapy warm water - bilirubin can irritate the skin. And if helminths are added to everything, then in this way the owner washes off their eggs.

If you are overfeeding your cat, you can add pumpkin puree to the food, the dosage is a teaspoon, three times a day.

Vaccinations for diarrhea cannot be carried out, even if the calendar date has come!

In what cases is it necessary to urgently consult a doctor?

It is necessary to go to the clinic if the animal received sorbents and was fasting, but the diarrhea does not go away. Other reasons to contact your veterinarian immediately:

• heat;
• vomit;
• depression, lethargy;
• symptoms of dehydration - dry mouth, pale gums, stringy saliva, sunken eyes;
• the presence of blood in the stool.

Foul diarrhea

If the cat was treated with antibiotics, then there may be a side effect in the form of foul-smelling diarrhea. This is an indirect sign that the medicine was chosen incorrectly. The veterinarian should decide this.

Sometimes there are no antibiotics, but the diarrhea still smells bad. This means that the food is of poor quality; you need to help the baby with a little fasting.

Treating a kitten for diarrhea at home

Let's talk about those cases when you can carry out treatment and adjustments at home yourself.

Treatment of newborn kittens

The normal state of the kittens’ body allows the intestines to function as expected, therefore, their feces can be mushy or shaped, yellow or mustard in color. Defecation can be seen up to 4 times a day. From this it follows that diarrhea will be considered liquid, semi-liquid and foamy consistency with a different color palette: black, red, green feces, as well as feces with the presence of gray mucus, helminths and their eggs.

If the cause is a bacterial infection, then you need to take antibiotics, and if the infection is viral, then, accordingly, an antiviral drug.

Worm infestation is treated with anthelmintics, allergies with antihistamines.

What to feed newborn kittens

Symptoms in newborn kittens increase quickly; it is not always possible to immediately seek qualified help - first aid is needed immediately. The cat needs to be given the drug “Smecta” or “Enterosgel”, they will remove toxins.

In case of severe stool upset, you can treat your baby with loperamide at the rate of 0.1 mg per 1 kg of weight.

If there is noticeable dehydration, you need an injection under the withers of Ringer-Locke drug or saline solution. In total, pour no more than 3 ml.

Useful information: How to give an injection to cats

Treatment of a one-month-old kitten

Symptoms of diarrhea in a one-month-old baby will include frequent loose bowel movements with an uncharacteristic odor and color. In the absence of high body temperature or pathological impurities in the stool, you can be treated at home, but otherwise you should take the patient to the doctor.

The first step is to remove from the menu the food that supposedly became the catalyst for diarrhea. You will have to remember what the baby ate in the last days before the illness. Especially if something new was introduced into complementary foods.

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Often, diarrhea at this age is only a reaction to the abrupt weaning of the mother cat with a change to fermented milk food, or cow's milk. Food for adult cats will cause the same reaction.

You should not feed your little cat food from the owner’s table, namely meat, fish, sausage, which is what you usually want to pamper your pet with. At this age this shouldn't happen at all.

What to feed kittens at 1 month

You can make the cat starve for up to 12 hours, and then they begin to feed the rice broth, namely the liquid in which it was boiled. You can give your baby Smecta and Enterosgel, but it is important to follow a diet.

It is important to provide the young body with peace: do not insist on games or frighten it with loud sounds. Stress is not the best help at this time.

Treatment of kittens at 2 months

When a kitten is two months old and suffers from diarrhea, this is often due to a change of place of residence - older cats are given to new owners. But they, in turn, are not very well prepared for such responsibility and have not clarified for themselves all the subtleties of the issues of feeding a pet.

The first thing that should come to mind is stress. For a small cat, this is a change from the familiar world to a new environment, new people, so the body can react in a similar way. It is important to make the new tenant feel that he will be comfortable, calm and happy here.

You can immediately take the baby to a cozy corner, where he himself would begin to master his future possessions. Adaptation will happen faster, diarrhea will be quickly forgotten.

What to give a kitten at two months

If the reasons are more significant, then you can relieve intestinal spasms with papaverine. You also need to thoroughly find out what diet the previous owners followed - if a different diet is planned, then the transition to it should be as smooth as possible.

Diarrhea in three month old kittens

Three-month-old male cats are already bundles of energy and strength, but diarrhea can overtake them too. The reasons may be overeating, eating dangerous substances, or the process of deworming.

Naturally, each body can react in its own way to getting rid of parasites, the main thing is that the loose stools are not prolonged.

Treatment of diarrhea in kittens at 4 and 5 months

When a cat reaches four months, he may already suffer from diarrhea, like his adult counterparts.

Stress can be cited as a cause if:

• a visit to the veterinary hospital took place;
• new pets have settled in the house;
• children showed excessive activity in games;
• there are fears of loud objects and sounds;
• a move to a new place of residence took place;
• it was a long road;
• the menu has changed;

and also if there are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

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For 4-5 month old cats, individual treatment is prescribed, but first an examination is carried out to identify significant health-related causes.

How dangerous is diarrhea for kittens?

The main danger of diarrhea for a kitten's body is dehydration and the accumulation of toxins. Long-term lack of fluid in the body can cause death. During diarrhea, all useful substances leave the body along with feces. As a result, metabolism and salt balance are disrupted, and growth and development processes slow down.

A caring owner, having noticed yellow diarrhea in a kitten, should immediately consult a veterinarian, or better yet, take the animal to the clinic. For effective treatment, it is extremely important not only to stop diffuse diarrhea and replenish water loss, but also to identify the true cause of the disorder. The doctor will prescribe medicine for the kittens based on the test results. Self-treatment of pets is acceptable in case of short-term diarrhea without complications. But if one of the following symptoms is present, veterinary intervention becomes vital:

• bloody discharge and mucus are mixed with feces;
• diarrhea lasts more than a day;
• the consistency of stool is more like water;
• the kitten meows, screams, squeaks, or otherwise shows a feeling of pain;
• diarrhea accompanied by vomiting;
• the pet has a high temperature;
• The kitten is feverish and has convulsions.

Medicines and dosage for diarrhea in a kitten

There is a list of medications for loose stools tested by veterinarians and cat lovers.

Chronic diarrhea - secretory diarrhea

People say about secretory diarrhea: “like a clove” or “just water.” If a person with chronic diarrhea experiences pain, dizziness, weakness, nausea and dry throat, then rest assured that your cat is not feeling any better.

Changes in intestinal function occur due to impaired absorption and transport of water through its lumens. The water necessary for organizing the normal functioning of all body systems is simply excreted through copious loose stools. Rapid dehydration occurs, which can lead to the death of the animal.

Defecation with secretory diarrhea is painless, but brings only short-term relief, quickly replaced by pain due to accumulating gases and painful spasms.

Attention!

If watery stools turn brown-green or become deep yellow (to orange), this indicates a decrease in the contractile functions of the bladder walls and the absorption of bile secretions - hologenic diarrhea.

The appearance of white stool directly indicates the degeneration of liver tissue: jaundice, cirrhosis and cancer.

Bilirubin not processed by the liver provokes pathology of the intestines, expressed in random attacks of diarrhea, which owners mistake for an acute variant and try to find “the best cure for diarrhea for cats, because THIS no longer helps!”

What to feed a kitten with diarrhea

A hunger strike is a hunger strike, but you still need to feed the baby something. After a 12-hour break in nutrition, you need to start giving the baby food. If the kitten is small and very weak, you will have to feed it with a pipette or from a bottle.

The main task will be to prevent dehydration!

The transition to a normal diet (healthy!) is carried out gradually: you need low-calorie, low-fat food. It will be possible to feed the cat chicken broth, kefir, boiled eggs, rice porridge, and minced chicken, but not all at once on the same day.

If the condition worsens, the animal is taken to a doctor. If recovery is noticeable, then kefir is included in the diet. The diet is not changed for a while, only gradually adding other foods. Milk is completely excluded, as is fried, smoked, and fatty milk.

Food poisoning

In case of food poisoning (eating low-quality spoiled foods or poisonous plants), the animal will vomit and diarrhea. The body thus tries to get rid of the product that has entered the intestines as quickly as possible, collecting water from the entire body in order to flush it along with the irritant into the toilet. The feces may be so liquid that the cat simply cannot hold it in.

In case of food poisoning, the cat should be put on a starvation diet for a day. You can give a sorbent to quickly remove toxins. If the condition worsens or other symptoms appear, you need to go to the vet, because it may not be food poisoning, but an infection.