Diarrhea - from food or age?

Our 12 year old cat, Moose, has had diarrhea for the past month or so. Originally we thought it was due to being on Clavamox for a cold/upper respiratory virus (she has had diarrhea in the past from these meds). However, it has continued even after stopping the clavamox.

Background:
From an animal shelter, got her around age 8. No history of any medical problems since we adopted her.

Started feeding Blue Wilderness Chicken dry food and Wellness Chicken wet food this past summer (previous fed Purina Indoor dry only). Things went well on that food.

Had to change foods because another one of our cats possibly had allergies. Now feeding Moose Natural Balance Duck & Pea dry food in AM and Wellness Chicken wet in PM since December. She has lost weight since then (from 10 lbs-ish to 9 lbs-ish) but we also swtiched from free feeding to only AM and PM feedings.

Vet has tested blood for liver/kidney readings which have all been normal. Tried metrinidazol (sp?) and probiotics. Kept her from having diarrhea on her rear and tracking it all over the house, but stools still remained loose. Ended meds on Tuesday and again yesterday she was tracking it around the house and had it on her rear.

At this point I am not sure what to do. The vet wants to try another anti-diarrheal med and then do x-rays.

Is there another food we could try? I am considering the Royal Canin kitten/baby food. Or going back to what we were feeding this summer. I have read that we could mix in canned pumpkin with the wet food to help firm up stools. Is this true?

Are there any other things I could try? The vet didn't feel any masses but still wants to check with an xray.

What could cause this? Could it be from an inability to process duck? She cannot eat anything with beef because she has vomiting almost immediately after. Could she be sensitive to duck as well? Or is this just part of getting older??

Please help!!

Could very well be allergies!

I would go back to the Blue and Wellness (slowly transition over a couple of weeks - some people say a week, but better safe than sorry, and then feed the other cat you suggest may have allergies to this food, in another room of the house with the food that works best for that cat. :-D

There are sooooooo many things that cause diarrhea; Giardia, Coccidia, Worms, could be IBD (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), "Chronic diarrhea is an important sign of intestinal disease in the cat. Persistent diarrhea can lead to weight loss from poor digestion and loss of important nutrients. Chronic diarrhea can lead to loss of body condition, development of a poor hair coat, and may also affect appetite and activity levels."

Whatever it is, chronic diarrhea also causes severe dehydration which your cat should be on fluids for since he/she is losing so much with the chronic diarrhea. (You can get a script from your Vet and take it to Costco - cheapest place in town for 12, 1,000Ml bags of fluids (About $20.00 total for 12 1,000Ml bags). All my cats have their prescriptions there... along with mine, lol).

I'd definitely do the dehydration test and gently pull up some of his/her skin from his/her back (not the scruff!), and let go - if it takes only one second to go down, your cat is not dehydrated; if it takes more than one second, your cat is dehydrated and needs to be on fluids during this time; if the skin stands up and stays up, this is an emergency and your cat needs to go to the emergency vet, STAT!

(Stress can also cause IBD if there is a stressful environment where you are, or things change daily as cats like consistency in their schedule).

Feel free to write if you have any questions. )

Warmly,

Julie O'
Red Cross certified in dog and cat emergency first aid and volunteered for kill shelter for ages.

If it's not been done already, I would request that kitty be tested for Hyperthyroidism, which can also cause diarrhea. This is generally not a test that's automatically included with senior bloodwork, you have to request it (or have a diligent Vet who suggests it be included). A "free T4" level is a lot more sensitive in older cats than just doing a plain "T4" level. A basic T4 level can often appear "normal" when in fact the cat is HyperT so requesting both be done is critical. HyperT can also cause weight loss. It's very common in senior cats.