kitten has diaria

i have 2 kittens, about 3 months old and one of them has diaria. i noticed about a week ago, she started to "blow up" the litter box but didnt think anything of it. now she has diaria, and this morning she actually stepped in it.... which left a nasty trail of poop all over the carpet and herself. she was pretty much wearing a poop shoe on her foot.
i have changed their cat food, 3 times within the past month- just trying to figure out which one they like. i dont see any worms in her packages but i dont know if they are microscopable. maybe the food changing has something to do with it? only one of the kittens is having a problem.
by the way- i will be treating them for worms today when i get off work. just to be on the safe side.
other than that i dont know what to do. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

My guess is the food changing is what is causing it. Some cats have more tender tummies than others and react moreso. Are you changing the food slowly?

its like every 2 weeks, i have changed their food. i should have mixed the other food with their new food... i just dont know what food is good. right now they are eating purina kitten food. i think too it could be the food changing, my grama is in a way anal about me worming them asap so im going to do that first thing. what should i do beside worm them? should i buy the other food i was using before?

what about pepto bismal?

I would not give your kitten Pepto Bismol or any other human tummy trouble meds unless you have consulted your vet. Some things we can take safely can be very dangerous to kittens. Also do not give them Kaopectate for humans. My vet gave me some ProPectalin for my kittens, which is safe for them and is supposed to help firm up their stools.

My kittens are 4 mo. old and have had 3 bouts of diarrhea since they were 6 wks old. I have learned through these experiences that many things can cause diarrhea, including changing food too quickly. I recommend you stop switching foods until the diarrhea is gone completely. After that, you should very gradually change to a higher protein, lower carb food, over a period of 7-10 days. (I'm slowly switching mine from Purina to Maxximum Kitten Formula. It's still not the greatest, but it's better than Purina and I can still afford it. Also, I'm getting them on a partial canned food diet to keep them hydrated better and increase their protein intake.)

Other things that cause diarrhea are intestinal parasites like giardia (sp?). You will have to take a fresh stool sample to your vet so they can do a fecal exam to detect parasites. Some do not even show up in fecal exams every time, so they may give you something to kill the parasites even if they don't find any. My kittens have had "bacterial overgrowth" in their intestines, which is also found by the vet doing a fecal gram stain. Your vet can prescribe antibiotics to get rid of the bad bacteria. Some people also have recommended probiotics after the antibiotic regimine to help restore beneficial bacteria, but I would consult your vet about this as well. Last, plain old stress can upset kitty's little tummy, too! My kittens were stressed because we had company 2 times in 2 weeks and got 2 new pieces of furniture at the same time. So that is probably what caused the bacteria to flare up! Try to make your kitty's routine as calm and normal as possible to prevent stress.

So, after all that, my main point is...call your vet and get their advice. It may cost a bit of money, but I recommend getting a fecal exam done so that your vet can better diagnose the problem. In the mean time, make sure your kitten stays well hydrated; feed in small amounts several times a day rather than a couple of large meals; and watch for changes in stools. If you notice any blood or mucous, contact your vet immediately!

Hope that helps! I know it's not fun to have a sick kitty...been there, done that!

By the way, as far as better foods go, this thread by sharky was helpful to me in looking for an affordable but healthy assortment of foods.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...=grocery+foods

Welcome to TCS!

It might well be that changing the food has caused this problem.

First rule of thumb with any cat: if we decide to "switch" foods, it's important to know that "switch" really needs to mean a very s - l - o - w changeover...a process which involves mixing a small amount of the new into the old on the first day, a slightly larger amount on the second day.and continuing this pattern until, after 7-10 days, you have completely converted from old to new.

If it were I, I would start fresh with the food they were eating before the diarrhea began...I think that I would probably do the changeover a little more quickly than I mentioned above - perhaps over a three day period.

I would stabilize their tummies first...then think about finding a "better" food. This diarrhea has to stop first, not continue while you search out "better" foods. So, go back to the last one that was producing solid stools.

(And no, the Purina isn't "great"...but, the fact is, there are many kitties who manage on it. But, you can come back and discuss it/read about foods once they're stable.)

That's really important for kittens, because they can go downhill really quickly. Stabilizing them needs to be priority number one!

And, a kitten (older cats too) can dehydrate very quickly when they have diarrhea...SO, make sure they're drinking LOTS! You might even try putting "new" water dishes in "weird"/new places...kittens, being very curious, will often increase their drinking through this. Dripping taps are also attractive.

what about pepto bismal?

Click to expand...

ABSOLUTELY NOT, NEVER!!!

Rule number two: NEVER give any human medecine to a cat...(unless prescribed by a Vet)...many will cause death (like Tylenol) and others will damage certain organs. Don't ever play "amateur vet".

Oh, "worming". Some people make the mistake of buying "worm/deworming medecine" from the Pet Store. Many of those people are still regretting that decision to this day. The only dewormers that you know you can trust are those available from Veterinarians. Don't take a chance. Maybe you should not deworm tonight!

I agree with everyone's thoughts on changing foods too quickly. To help firm up the stool, you will need to decide on one food to offer and stick with it. For the interim, you can boil a little boneless, skinless chicken breast in plain water, no salt, no vegetables or seasonings, and mix it with a little bit of cooked white rice ... puree it in the blender or food processor and offer a tablespoon every 5 to 6 hours for 3 days. This should help to lessen any irritation in the digestive tract as well as to firm up the stool.

Best of luck.

the worm med is from the vet. its not over the counter. my grama is close with this vet guy and she bought some from him, he actually just gave my kittens their rabie shots the other day. i think it was the foods, the food i fed them before wasnt kitten food, but it was indoor cat food (they are indoor cats) and they seemed to have liked that... but then i felt bad for not feeding them kitten food so i bought purina.

no not yet. i know i should, i just have to get paid first. which is a week away. so if this worm stuff does not cure the problem, i will take do that fecal test.

Sorry, but now I'm confused. At first, you mentioned 3 different foods...

If the Purina is the kitten formula and, if that is the food which started the diarrhea, then instead of filling the bowl with 100% Purina today, reduce it to 25% - the other 75% should be the immediately previous food (which was not producing diarrhea). Then, slowly each day add just a little more Purina so that, by, say, next Friday you are feding 100% Purina.

"Kitten formulas" should contain a higher percentage of protein and fat - needed for their rapid growth and high energy levels. Those higher amounts, and maybe different ingredients, could account for the diarrhea.

It could also be that, as you heard, there are parasites at work - or worms. But, your account of the timing of events makes me suspect the food "switchover" was the cause.

Now, if you can't stabilize things, then, if it were me, I would have a stool sample tested. You've heard one parasite, Giardia, mentiond by Cocoa Cream. That one is not tested for in an "ordinary" stool sample test...it requires a separate test. What I understand to be a common protocol by Vets is to do an "ordinary" stool test...if something is found, then an antibiotic is prescribed, which usually clears up the problem. If nothing is found in the standard stool test, another sample is taken for specialized testing,and the cat is put on an antibiotic targetted toward Giardia.

i have only had them for like a little over a month... they are about 3 months old. when i first got them i used (1) kitten food, then i got the (2) indoor cat food then (3) i now have the purina.

i have 2 kittens, and Peaches is the one that i have been talking about. shes still tiny, yet her sister Bonnie is twice her size. although i have never seen these parasites i think Peaches is infested. i havent looked for them either. i do need to do a test. what is so special about this giardia bug?

i have been using the purina for about a week now, and thats also when i noticed change in her stool. so.

i remember the food i used before, it was The Good Life. I got the one for Indoor cats because my cats dont go outside.. they have only been out once or twice. They seemed to have liked that onE. Thank you Laureen for the links to the different issues.
So i should go buy the The Good Life food and mix it with the Purina? Thats what a few of the posters said in this thread.

i have wal-mart, kroger, randells, target, petco, petsmart, H.E.B... pretty much every store is 5 mins away. i cant spend a fortune on cat food, but i want my cats to get the nutrition that they need to grow & be healthy.