6wk rescue kitten seems healthy except diarrhea

I found a tiny kitty in the back of my neighbors truck crying a week ago Sunday. He seemed healthy, no fleas, no runny nose, solid poo, just really super hungry. I didn't have any kitten food at the time (my two cats are 5 and 6 yrs old) but he was sooo hungry he scarfed down some solid adult food which may have been the beginning of this fiasco I'm currently in. I got him some kitten food later that day and let my mom take care of him at her house until that Tuesday when my finals were over. That day we took him to the vet and he got his first round of shots and dewormed. We also had his eye looked at, its a little cloudy but the vet said its probably just a healed ulcer from when he was younger that healed into some scar tissue and that he could still see out of it (good news there). He had started having the runs a little and the vet said to just give him a bit of yogurt. I ignored the yogurt idea not wanting to give him any dairy and just sprinkled a little bit of probiotic powder on his food since that is what he needed out of the yogurt anyway. On Thursday he was worse with liquid poo just falling out of him uncontrollably. His third eyelids were showing and he was more lethargic than he had been previously, so I called the vet back and gave them a fecal sample which came back negative for whatever they test for. The front desk lady told me to just keep doing what I was doing and if he wasn't better by Monday to bring him in. At this point I had him eating only boiled chicken and rice and was giving him 2 ml of unflavored pedialyte ever hour or so. He never lost his appetite, in fact he eats like a champ, and by Friday he acted like he was feeling better (running around, playing, freaking out the other cats etc) but still had bad diarrhea which was now yellow but not liquid anymore (I'm assuming due to the bland diet). I tried mixing some can food for extra nutrients and it seemed to make the diarrhea worse so I went back to just chicken and rice. Monday we went back to the vet and he gave him a big dose of albon and a Rx for 1ml a day for 7 days and told me I should see a big difference in 48 hrs. 53 hrs later now and hes totally not better. I feel so bad for him he seems so unhappy with me having to wash his butt in the sink a couple times a day and wipe him every time he dribbles poo. His anus is SOOO swollen and I've been putting desitin on it but he screams when I do. He is getting to the point were hes awake more and wanting to run around and HATES being locked in the bathroom, he just cries and cries when were not in there with him. I'm constantly washing all the blankets and towels. He poos in his sleep without even waking up sometimes. Luckily I'm due for a new couch lol. Of course when I called the vet back today they were closed until tomorrow. Any ideas to make him feel better????? He still runs around like crazy and plays so besides to diarrhea and sore bottom situation he seems healthy and the vet doesn't seem too concerned. By the way.. I think we finally decided on the name Oliver last night  

Forgot to mention I started mixing in some Blue Wilderness high protein no grain dry kitten food and a little bit of can food with the chicken and rice yesterday morning. No change really in poo except back to brown. (Also, sorry about multiply posts.. technical difficulties) 

PLEASE don't use Desitin on his bottom as that is toxic when he licks it! I'd get some clear aloe gel (you can get it from any drug store or Walmart, Target, etc) and use that. Make sure that aloe is the only ingredient and it's clear with no color. That probiotic mentioned is a good one. Have you considered doing a raw diet? That usually does the trick!

Is it any different than human probiotics? I've just been opening a capsule of what I take and sprinkling a little of the powder on his food. He doesn't seem to notice but neither does his tummy. I've been giving him the powder (a blend of Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 and Bifidobacterium longum MM-2) for a week and the diarrhea is still relentless. 

The vet recommended Desitin which is the only reason I bought it but I'll go track down some good aloe instead. What kind of raw diet? Are there not risks associated with raw? I've never had a problem with any of my other cats having diarrhea with their high quality dry food (no grain etc). Do you think he could go on a raw diet just temporarily until he is regular? I would really rather not have him on an expensive raw diet his whole life when my other are eating dry.  

I've read that pumpkin can help firm kitty poo also. Haven't tried it.. has anyone had experience with it? 

They don't like the taste of it but it works well. I also order  Forti Flora online, a very good probiotic.

I'm not a fan of Fortiflora as it has animal digest which is just gross! Probiotics for cats have different bacteria than for humans. You need one for pets. Try going to a holistic pet store if you have one around you. Also, no, a temporary raw diet is not the answer. If you can't keep up with it, it's a mute point. A good grain free wet food diet is best and better than an all dry food diet. Cats need moisture in their food and dry food robs them of that moisture. But grain free is the best thing to stick with no matter what. 

OH! I forgot to mention that YES, pumpkin is very good for this. Make sure it's not pumpkin pie filling but 100% pumpkin and give a teaspoon in each meal. It's a good source of fiber and helps regulate. 

rufio said:

I've read that pumpkin can help firm kitty poo also. Haven't tried it.. has anyone had experience with it? 

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It does work :-) 

Our old cat, Baby, had the worst time with hairballs.  That was why I originally started giving pumpkin to her - and she would lick it right off the spoon!  Bazinga had the same problem, but I had to mix some in with her wet food to get her to eat it.  Sam loves the stuff too...Lizzie is the only one who doesn't get any, as she absolutely refuses to eat wet food. 

How much to give and how often can vary with each cat.  With Baby, I would give her a teaspoon every other day with no problems.  Bazinga, on the other hand, with her I had to go to a teaspoon every three days; more often than that was making it difficult for her to pass her stool.  Sam had very soft stool when we first brought him and Lizzie home; since he's been getting the pumpkin (on the same schedule as Bazinga) his stool isn't as soft but not quite hard, either. 

By all means, ask your vet their opinion about using pumpkin, too.  Good luck, and I hope little Oliver is better soon!

I don't trust your vet. Yogurt, and the desitin. Bad calls. Try the pumpkin.

I rescued 3 strays once. One had a really bad case of diarrhea, much like yours. I was scared she wouldn't make it, but... she did, and she's a healthy girl now. If he's running around, that's good. Just try to weather it for a little. Its hard to tell, since you don't know what they were eating prior, and cats never do well with sudden changes to diet.

If you still think this is cause for alarm, go to a different vet. Get a second opinion.

Thanks for the advice

Shopping list:

-aloe vera

-pumpkin

-kitty probiotics

I'll update with any changes.. hopefully for the better!

I just love the name Bazinga! I love me some nutty Sheldon! 

finnlacey said:

I just love the name Bazinga! I love me some nutty Sheldon! 

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Us too!  Huge 'Big Bang Theory' fans in this household ;-) 

rufio said:

Thanks for the advice

Shopping list:

-aloe vera

-pumpkin

-kitty probiotics

I'll update with any changes.. hopefully for the better!

Click to expand...

Good luck!

Here's a picture of little Oliver to put a face to the name

OMG IS HE CUTE!!!!!! 

He sure is   

He would probably be even cuter too if his bum wasn't covered in poo so often lol

Rufio, my 2 had issues with runny poo with blood in it when I first adopted them....one of them had worms, and both had giardia.  After getting rid of the worms,  3 rounds of meds for the giardia,  probiotics, pumpkin, and diet change, none of that helped.  The vet was about to try treating them for things that according to their fecals, they didn't even have.  What finally helped was raw diet, and it's not even 100% raw--- I give them a little kibble and  canned also (not all mixed together--at separate meals).  But as long as they are eating a decent amount of raw, poops are good. It really made a big difference, I couldn't believe it.  I do use probiotics also, and just started adding digestive enzymes.  If you are concerned about the risks associated with raw, there are several brands of commercial raw that are pasteurized with high pressure, and are guaranteed to be free of anything like salmonella or e.coli-- Nature's Variety Instinct Raw is one that is pretty widely available at most pet stores that have a freezer.  It might be worth a try!

And Oliver is a cutie! He looks like such a little character, I love the pic with him upside down!