Our cat is constantly pooping

We have a strange problem with our cat. He's constantly pooping. It's not diarrhea and it appears to be a normal stool; he's just always using the litter box to poop. Some days, he'll go as much as 7-8 times throughout the day. Yesterday, he went 3 times within a matter of 2 hours. It's driving us all nuts because we live in a small condo and have to clean the box out every time he goes (it tends to smell up the place very quickly). We also have a litter box outside, which he uses occasionally, but he doesn't go outside as much as he used to.

Some background information: He's a little over 11 years old. He eats Fancy Feast non-gluten varieties of wet food in the morning and in the evening (getting a half can each time) along with occasional treats of beef and chicken. He's diabetic and is managed with 2 shots of 1 unit of insulin each day. There has been no change to his diet since early last year when he was first diagnosed with the diabetes, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think that is the problem. I posted this question at the Feline Diabetes Message Board and the people there seem to think itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not related to the diabetes. This all started about a month or so ago, so itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a fairly recent problem. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve taken him to the vet to discuss this on one of his regular visits, but the vet just brushed it off as no big deal and attributed it to his high-protein diet, which I don't buy because this was never an issue with him before when he was on the same diet.

He has also lost a lot of weight recently. It seems like everything that he eats just goes right through him and that he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t absorb anything. He doesn't even eat that much and yet he's going all the time. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s very strange. Some people have suggested worms, but thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s nothing noticeable in his poop. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had cats with worms before and it was always very obvious. Our cat has none of those symptoms.

I can't seem to find any answers elsewhere, so I've decided to post here and ask. I will be taking him to the vet again this week on Wednesday to discuss this again and hopefully get some tests done, but I wanted to see if anyone else had a similar problem or has an idea of what it might be.

Glad you will be talking to a vet... IMHO and relating this to humans , he sounds like he is digesting his food too fast and possibley not getting enough out of it ...

Since I only know diabetes from reading and vicariously thru others I wont put my thoughts on here...

Given his senior age, weight loss and increased poops, I'd definitely ask Vet to run blood test for hyperthyroidism. It's common for senior cats to develop this, an "overactive thyroid" - which causes the cat's metabolism to really speed up, thus the weight loss (despite usual eating habits or often cat eats even more) and increased poops (diarrhea is common in hyperthyroid cats but not always, even increased poops that are normal poops can be a sign).

Also, I'd be a little leary of a Vet who was so quick to blow something like this off. Whenever there's a significant change in a cat's normal behaviors/routines (appetite, peeing, pooping, energy level, etc), like your cat is demonstrating, that warrants a check. I had a diabetic cat (you may remember me from FD board as "Taco's Mom"?) for 6 yrs (he sadly passed of cancer this past Dec), on insulin twice a day, very well controlled........he too ate a diet of FF twice a day. Of course every cat is different but he surely didn't poop more than 1-2x/day (usually once) (he was about 15 yrs old). So your Vet wanting to attribute this to diet, that's a lazy attitude on his part and that would be a concern to me.

Read up on Feline Hyperthyroidism, particularly testing for it. I do know that in senior cats, particularly those with existing chronic conditions (eg: diabetes), sometimes the standard blood test (T4 level) can come back within the normal range even IF cat is hyperthyroid. There's a more sensitive and accurate blood test they can do, called a "Free T4" - and this is definitely what I'd be requesting in your cat's case, given kitty's age and diabetes. If your Vet balks as this, I'd look for another clinic in your area....preferably a "cat only" clinic, or a vet who specializes in cats.

Here's a link that explains a bit on HyperT along with how the Free T4 is more accurate/sensitive:

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/cat-hyper.htm

Here's another really good link that specifically mentions that "increased bowel movements" are a very common symptom of HyperT:

http://www.catthyroid.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Disease

What are the Symptoms and Signs of this Disease?

The clinical manifestations of the disease are multisystemic and relate to increased metabolic rate. Owners often overlook early symptoms or assume the changes are a normal part of the aging process. Obvious weight loss is usually the problem that takes the cat to their veterinarian. Other signs include tachycardia (rapid heart rate), muscle weakness, goiter, tachyarrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm), hyperexcitability, polyphagia (increased appetite), heat intolerance, increased frequency of bowel movements, polydipsia (increased thirst), polyuria (increased urination), vomiting, and an unkempt hair coat.

Just to note...........not ALL HyperT cats have ALL symptoms; they can often vary a lot by cat.

Hyperthyroid was my first thought too. And shame on your vet for not taking this more seriously, and suggesting a blood panel.

I suggest you get the blood work done right away and ask your vet specifically to test for thyroid.

Welcome to TCS and please let us know how your beloved boy is doing, what's his name?

That's what I was thinking and fearing (it being the hyperthyroidism). What little I found on the Internet relating to increased bowel movements in cats pointed mainly to that. Our kitty (his name is Buddy, by the way) is experiencing most of those symptoms (increased thirst, increased hunger, dull coat, weight loss, increased bowel movements). It's just difficult to tell since a lot of those symptoms are also those of diabetes, but the increased bowel movements are not.

I will be taking him to see a different vet at our cat-only clinic on Wednesday morning (wish I could get him in sooner, but the vet is in surgery all day tomorrow). I will request to get blood work done (especially that Free T4 test) and find out for sure. Any idea how much that might cost? I just want Buddy to get better... This has been really hard on him, I can tell.

Again, after he ate this evening, he used the litter box about 3 times within an hour and pooped quite a bit. Not normal at all.

Sadly, money is a major issue for us right now (his diabetic supplies have been very costly and being unemployed and unable to find work makes it very hard), so I don't think we would be able to afford surgery or radioactive treatment for him. Pills would be doable, but he's a very hard cat to pill, even under the best of circumstances. But I suppose I am jumping the gun. First we need to get those tests done and go from there.

I will keep you updated. Thank you for your help.

To ease your worry there is another method for giving methimazole (the thyroid med) A transdermal method, where the cream or ointment is rubbed into the upper ear.

This method is not cheap though.

Most cats can adjust to being medicated daily, and we can help you with pilling techniques.

But first of course is to find out what's going on with Buddy. Glad he has an appointment tomorrow, I'll be watching for updates!

PS Blood work varies in price depending on your area. Where I live lab work for a full blood panel is $95