6 month old cat has chronic diarrhea

When I first got the kitten, he was about 4 months old and extremely malnourished and had very watery diarrhea.  Since then I have been to two different vets who each gave him a deworming treatment.  He was not better after the first deworming treatment, so we took him to another vet who said he looked fine aside from the diarrhea; he gave him another deworming treatment and also an antibiotic.  

It has been about a month since then and his poop is not watery or runny anymore, but it is still very soft.  It is also very light colored and has a very foul odor, like rotten eggs (i did not notice the smell until about a week ago).  He also seems to have a lot of gas.  However, he has grown a lot (almost doubled in size) and seems a lot healthier (more alert and active, fur looks nicer) since I first got him - he does not seem sick other than those problems and you would not be able to tell he was ever a stray.

Does anybody have any idea what might be wrong?  Could it be his food?  I feed him meow mix which has never bothered my other cat, but I know it is not the healthiest.  

Thank you!

Yes, it most definitely could be the food.  At 4 months, he should probably be on kitten food (I don't know if Meow Mix makes a kitten food or not), and if you switch him to one, be sure to do it slowly, or it may cause MORE tummy troubles.  By slowly, I mean to mix a little kitten food in with his current food, then increase the amount of kitten food to be mixed in  in small increments over a period of several days.

NOTE:  I am making an assumption here that you are feeding kibble.  If not, then you can immediately switch to a different canned food.

Plus, you might try adding in a probiotic to his diet...wouldn't hurt to add that to your other cats diet too.  There are tons of probiotics to choose from, some are mixed with digestive enzymes, which are not a bad idea either. 

I took in a very malnourished stray with exactly the same, very gassy too. Tried everything, including treatment for giardia, changing to different food - nothing worked, but after about 4/5 months it cleared up by itself. Good nutrition and time might do the trick.
 

Thank you to both of y'all for your replies and advice!

Mrsgreenjeans, I am feeding him kibble. I think I will probably try to gradually switch him to something higher quality that is for kittens.  Thank you for the advice.  Do you have any suggestions on what type of probiotics to give him, or what type of food?  For instance, do you think I need to get something grain-free or do you think regular kitten food will be okay?

Planetx, glad to hear your kitty's problem went away!  I'm not sure that my kitten was tested for giardia, so if it doesn't clear up soon maybe I will take him back to the vet and get that checked out.  But hopefully this will go away on its own, too.

You need to have a fecal done to test for parasites and other nasties such as giardia and t. foetus.

Diarrhea that is not controlled will eventually lead the kitty into dehydration mode, which then if left untreated leads into organ failure. Just like in humans. 

Speak with vet about how a gastroenterologist can help.  Maybe have an ultrasound done. Maybe also changing the cats diet to a food that is for sensitive stomachs; that could be the 1st thing you do to help calm the cats stomach and the vet can recommend a food for sensitive stomachs. Your cat may have an allergy to an ingredient(s) in the food you are feeding. 

Hope this helps.

I'm not a vet but AM a pharmacist and fill scripts for customer's pets all the time. mari1988 is ABSOLUTELY correct; if he is growing (which you said he is), then he's getting enough carbs and protein but could still be dehydrated. Cats, unfortunately, don't have a very efficient renal (kidney) system, and dehydration can be fatal very quickly if not kept under control. Keep in frequent contact with your vet! I would recommend trying the following to start with:

(1) Look in the baby food aisle at the store and you'll find a product called Pedialyte. It looks like Gatorade, is nasty tasting (so I hear; never tried it!), and pretty expensive. Try a WalMart; I know they carry a generic product which is identical but cheaper. Because of the taste and the fact that cats are just stubborn, getting it down him may be difficult. You can try forcing a eye-dropper of it every couple of hours, but be very careful! I've you've had to give him meds in tablet/capsule form before, you know it's not easy. Liquids are even harder as you must give SMALL amounts to prevent him aspirating it into his lungs. Not good. You can also try adding it to his water dish; 2/3rds water, 1/3rd Pedialyte. It will help keep the electrolytes (sodium, potassium, etc.) in his system in balance. Again, mari1988 was correct: screwed up electrolytes can damage the liver as it struggles to adjust an imbalance; too much potassium from diarrhea or vomiting can stop the heart.

(2) A drug called loperamide (Imodium) is safe for cats but if he is on ANY meds consult the vet first. You will have to do this anyway, as the standard dose for felines is 0.1mg for every kilogram (2.2lbs) he weighs; this is a microscopic amount and the only strength available is 2mg tablets. Your vet will have to write an Rx for the pharmacist to compound (which will almost certainly be a solution, not a capsule.

(3) You did not mention scratching himself (because he's itching), sneezing or runny nose, or any discharge from the eyes. Based on that, I would strongly suspect that he is not having an allergic response to food (or anything else), but suffering from food INTOLERANCE. Look at labels and avoid beef, lamb, seafood, soy or soybean in any form, gluten (from wheat) and dairy products. Unfortunately, these tend to be the most common ingredients in cat/dog food. Canned food is good with diarrhea because it's about 70% water, but if trials of different brands/flavors doesn't help, try to get him on strictly dry food ASAP. That alone may totally clear up the problem; just make sure he always has fresh water available. It provides complete nutrition and prevents dental problems down the line. My previous cat never touched canned food, and she was a month shy of 21 years when I was forced to have her euthanized for other health issues. My current cat is a 5-yr-old Maine Coon who eats nothing but dry food and a small amount of tuna (human brand, NOT cat food) maybe twice a week. He weighs about 22lbs, so he's not malnourished. He's not overweight, either; Maine Coons are the largest breed of domestic cats and HUGE!

(4) NEVER give him milk, yogurt or any dairy products after age 6-8 months. No matter how many old pictures you've seen with someone giving a cat a bowl of milk, the MAJORITY of adult cats are lactose intolerant and dairy products will have him living in his litter box with diarrhea!

I know it's very hard and scary to watch a young cat that's obviously sick but no one can tell you why! Be patient and try the above for starters. If no improvement in a couple weeks, you can print this post, show it to the vet & tell him/her you've tried all of the above, and go from there. Try to remember that if he's growing normally, is active and playful, it's probably nothing life-threatening but of course you've still got to pin down WHAT is wrong and go from there. One last warning: If you observe any of the following, get him to the vet ASAP: listlessness, refusing food and/or water, vomiting, weight loss, or always seeking out bare, tiled floors (i.e., not carpeted), or lying in the bathtub (because these are COOL, regardless of the climate where you live), or "hiding" in bizarre places (closets, etc.) and refusing to interact with you. While animals don't comprehend that they will die eventually (only humans have that burden), when seriously ill almost all mammals will seek out a quiet, hidden place and avoid people & other pets; they sense something bad is happening and want to be ALONE when it does. Not sure anyone knows WHY, but it's pretty universal.

PLEASE REALIZE I AM NOT TRYING TO FRIGHTEN YOU OR GET YOU SO WORRIED THAT YOU PANIC AT EVERYTHING HE DOES; THESE ARE JUST THE THINGS TO TRY FIRST. AGAIN, I AM NO VET & DON'T PRETEND TO BE. AS A PHARMACIST, THOUGH, YOU'D BE SURPRISED AT WHAT WE LEARN BOTH IN SCHOOL AND IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK.

Please reply to this post at some point and let me know how he's doing. Best wishes!

To ensure the problem is not parasites, a stool sample needs to be taken to the vet, and you need to ask them to check for giardia, coccidia, and T. Feotus. These cannot be found on an exam of stool in the vet office and are not part of a typical stool test. It needs to be sent to a lab for this, and given he's been given a typical dewormer, clearly there's something else going on, so further testing needs to be done to rule out those possibilities.

But as has been pointed out, it could very easily be a food intolerance. Some cats simply cannot handle certain ingredients. Grains of any kind are often a culprit, so you would need to look for a food without corn, wheat, rice, etc. in it.

If you can afford it, in the long run canned food with no grains, that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates is best for his health. Here is more information: http://www.catinfo.org.



Vibes for you and your kitty!