Kitty upset stomach? Should I be worried?

My kitten (about 8 months old) Cy, has always been very active and easy going. However, for the past... 5-6 days he hasn't been himself.

The first day that I noticed something was wrong was about 6 days ago. In the morning he was feeling fine at around 2 pm he made a mess outside his litterbox. For the last 6 months, he has never made a mistake. He had 2 cases of diarrhea within about 30 minutes. I was very worried and called a friend of mine from work. (I work at a humane society.) He wasn't dehydrated or vomiting then.

The next day he seemed to be better and was back to his old self. Later that day, I found vomit. (I have 3 other cats so I wasn't sure whose it was.) However, his stool seemed to be better.

Today, I came home and he had very soft stool almost liquidy. And it looks as if he's had 5 bowel movements. He also threw up 2 hairballs today.

He hasn't been fed any of the recalled foods (All of my cats have been eating Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula, and Friskies wet food - until recently when I switched to Nine Lives.)

I thought that maybe his stomach was upset from the switch, but that was about a week and a half ago. Now I'm slightly worried. Should I take him to the vet? He isn't dehydrated now either, and his activity level is normal.

Thanks! Your insight is appreciated.

When I have changed foods, my cats have rarely had vomitting/loose stools as a result. Just from the experience I've gained looking after my cats, what you are describing could range from worms to something more serious. The best thing is to get it checked by a vet.

One of my cats had vomitting/loose stool last year and it turned out to be a intestinal bacterial infection, which spread to some of the other cats too. As you have a multi-cat household, be wary of that! The main affected cat seemed perky and was not dehydrated at first, but she went downhill very quickly. Im not saying that to worry you...just letting you know that in these situations its best to get the little one to a vet, I think. Good luck !

I agree with Minxie that a visit to the vet would be a good idea.

My cats also rarely have much of a problem with a food switch, and if they do it usually clears up in a couple of days...however as I recall, some of the 9 lives food seems awfully rich and fishy, so that could be part of the problem.

I can't imagine a food change would cause anything that drastic. I'd definitely take him into the vet at your earliest opportunity. Kittens dehydrate faster than adult kitties and between the vomiting and diarrhea, he could dehydrate quickly. Good Luck, I hope he gets to feeling better & please post back as to what your vet says!

it causes reaction when you switch foods suddenly and don't blend the new food with the old. a cats system is very sensitive to diet change, it has to be done over days.

your kitty is losing precious ninerals he needs. hydrate him with pedialyte and take kitty in tomorrow just for peace of mind. this is a scary time for guardians of pets. i know that most vets are hoping anyone who fed the food mentioned regardless if the upc codes matched will bring their animals in for blood work