kitten diarrhea

This weekend I adopted two kittens 9 weeks and 14 weeks old. The 9 week old Ellie has had diarrhea almost since we brought her home and it's getting worse. I took her to the vet yesterday and she doesn't have worms or anything and she is still eating and drinking but now she isn't even going in the litterbox. Instead she went under the bed and pooped on a plastic bag. The vet gave her antibiotics and a special intestinal diet food but I'm still very worried and wondering if there is anything else I can do for her. She even leaked poop on my shirt during the night! I just lost a 6 year old to a twisted intestine so maybe I'm being too worried but I hate having sick kitties and not being able to do anything for them.

Have a full fecal panel done to check for protozoa - giardia, coccidia, and tritrichomonas foetus (lesser checked for). Since Ellie is pooping everywhere you should be able to collect a decent sample. Even if both kittens look clear of worms they should be dewormed for them anyways.

You can also give her some probiotics to help, such as bene-bac or fortiflora.


You're not worrying too much. 9 week olds are tiny and diarrhea is too hard on their little bodies.

I hope the vet can find the cause of this soon.

Being in a new home can be a little stressful and cause a softer stool sometimes. Also a sudden change in diet could cause diarrhea. It does sound like it could be more than that. Watch for dehydration and I would recommend doing more tests like strange_wings suggested. It is better to be safe. If your vet doesn't think it is necessary get a second opinion.

I hope it all gets better soon!

Recommend the PCR panel. It is important that the kitten is off meds for at least 10 days prior to taking the sample or you run the chance of a false negative.

Thanks for all the advice. They were tested for parasites at the humane society, given a dewormer and were tested for worms at their vet checkup. After a day on the antibiotics and special food she seems to be much better. No diarrhea in almost 24 hours, she's much more playful and her appetite is back. I got impatient and worried because I recently lost a kitty to intussusception very quickly. I hear the words "inflamed intestine" and think the worst.