More Than One Cat With Diarrhea

worriedsomuch

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Hi,

I am very concerned right now because two of my five cats have diarrhea. This started on Monday when I noticed that one of my younger ones who is almost 20 months old did a loose stool in her box. To be honest, I wasn't sure which one because two sisters share a box and sleep in a back room together to keep them out of nightly mischief. With Christmas decorations around now too, it's for their own safety. I'm pretty sure I've figured out who it is. I figured she ate too much and it would pass. However, it's still going on. Also, now I have discovered that my cat Grace's sister, Delilah is also now doing loose stools, not as bad as Adele (the 20 month old) but still very soft consistency. I'm very, very worried this could be something like FIP. I spoke to the vet and he didn't advise I bring them in just yet. He said with the holidays and the fact that I admitted I gave them some turkey for Thanksgiving and had changed their flavor of cat food, that could be a factor. He also said it might be a virus. He said if their behavior is normal, which it is, it should correct itself but to check in tomorrow if the issues are still going on. Any advice is appreciated.
 

ondine

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I am not sure FIP would be my first thought.  Do either of them have a distended belly?  Lethargic, jaundiced, loosing weight?  Those might be  signs of FIP, although it is next to impossible to diagnose until after the poor cats passes.

Anyway, you have two other possible culprits - the turkey and changing their food.  Different flavors of cat food have different ingredients (not just the meat used) or combination of ingredients.  It may have a little more or less of a certain ingredients and that's what is irritating the kitties.

I'd wait a few more days and keep tabs on things.  If anyone starts getting obviously sick, take them back to the vet.  But I'm thinking it is probably one of the two changes you mentioned.

One last thing - you mentioned your Christmas decorations.  I'd do a good scan and make sure somebody didn't get into any of them.  I don't decorate anymore - just too much craziness because two of my cats insisted on eating glitter.  Their poop was pretty but I was a nervous wreck!
 
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worriedsomuch

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No, neither of them have that, thank God. I'd be at the vet immediately. Both of them are acting fine. They are eating well and playing. Adele is getting into everything which is why I have her retire in the back room. I don't believe she ate anything. I would doubt that Delilah ate anything too. She's 5 and she's moved on past the stage of trying to tear down decorations. She sniffs around but doesn't put anything in her mouth.

The vet said the same thing about the food. He said just because it's the same brand, doesn't mean that it's okay to immediately just change the flavor or formulation. He also said it could be a virus going through the house that will also pass. I'm just not sure. Grace and Delilah share a box usually and Grace is fine. Adele's sister is fine too so don't think it's passing from box to box. I also scoop and change them frequently. I was hoping to see some improvement since I stopped the food completely yesterday but both Adele and Delilah had diarrhea again this morning. They aren't going frequently, thankfully, maybe 1-2 times a day but still it's concerning. I'm really hoping it clears up soon.

Also, the part about the glitter made me laugh out loud!
 

diegojames

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Please tell me what is in the new food that is different from the other food you had before. Also it might be a good idea to put them back on there old food!
 
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worriedsomuch

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Well they eat Meow Mix dry food (not that great I know). I actually am in the process of getting a new Hypoallergenic food that most likely they all will have to eat because Delilah's sister has terrible allergies They have not eaten that food yet, however. I'm working with the vet on that now. I gave them Meow Mix Indoor formula. It has greens in there as far as I know. 

As for wet food, they eat Fancy Feast. Wet is their primary diet. They usually tolerate various flavors of that just fine, except for Grace with the allergies. The doctor thinks I need to have her off fish completely. However, Grace's allergies don't present with stomach issues, it's severe itching and ear infections.
 
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peaches08

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I'm wondering how much diet may be playing into all of your cats' varying issues. Diet is one of the first lines in healing so I'd give it a try.
 

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Hi hun! I really think the Meow Mix is not the best food and could actually be the culprit. I also feed Fancy Feast Classic varieties to Perla. I think that is a fine canned cat food and a good one to pick. See about finding a grain free dry and wet food BUT switch them very, very slowly by mixing small amounts of the new with the old. Also - you can give ALL of them a human probiotic. I keep my cats on this all the time. I only give the whole capsule if there is a digestive issue. I usually split a capsule for each cat. It will help keep things healthy in their gut and help with loose poops due to diet, etc. This is the one most of us use here and you can give a whole capsule for each mixed in wet food.
It is possible that they got into Christmas decorations. But I really think it may be caused by the food. Our Nutrition Forum has many great threads and information on feeding species appropriate diets to our kitties. :)
 
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peaches08

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In addition to what Feralvr said, there are some Friskies varieties that are also good for cheap. I saw in The Cat Lounge someone post some coupon sources.
 
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worriedsomuch

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Thank-you both for the response and suggestions. Unfortunately though, I have bad news. It's now THREE cats with diarrhea. I had my suspicions yesterday but I was hoping that Delilah had just used my eldest cat's box. I don't know what's going on but I'm very worried. When I got home from work yesterday too, there was a small amount of regurgitated food on the floor too. Everyone's appetite was still good, however. Then I had to go out last night to do a performance for a tree lighting and when I got home, I found some more food thrown up, but this time with a hairball. I'm not sure if the vomiting is related to the diarrhea issues but it's worrisome. Also, last night, my eldest cat who is almost 10 did did a soft bowel movement. It wasn't that bad, like half normal, half not but still not typical. Then she acted very finicky. She didn't want to eat the food I gave her and simply walked away. I waited awhile and returned with another flavor of food and she ate all of it. However, before bed, she again did not want to eat. She isn't lethargic or anything and was running around playing last night, but still. Then I was up off and on last night getting up to check them and I heard someone in the litterbox. This time it was Delilah and she again did diarrhea. This time it was worse than yesterday, very watery. Then this morning, she acted like she had no interest in her food. My eldest was very hungry though and did eat. Delilah finally ate a little but this is very unusual for her since she usually chows down food in seconds.

So now I have 3 cats with diarrhea, 2 who are showing signs of decreased appetite and I'm not sure what is going on. I've stopped the dry food now for two whole days, no dry food whatsoever and they are eating their usual wet and there is no improvement. Could this be a virus? What can I ask my vet about? I called yesterday but unfortunately he called back when I wasn't home. I will be calling again today to give an update. I read differing stories on FIP and some say it started with diarrhea and vomiting. Some also said it's very contagious while others said it's simply not true. I'm just not sure. I even wondered if the food was tainted but my other two cats seem okay. I am really hoping this runs its course. I will take them in to the vet if necessary but I'm not sure if I could get my eldest in. She was once a feral and it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get her in a carrier.
 

feralvr

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I am certain it is NOT FIP so try to move past that thought. They would have showed signs many years back if so, plus they would not all be getting sick at exactly the same time.

I think it is possible that the batch of food they were eating may be bad. Toss that bag. See if the vet will let you start them on Metronidazole if the diarrhea is real bad and continues for days. It is very bitter so you have to put it in a small, soft chew and then pill them by hand or pill shooter. That will help heal the intestinal tract and firm poops. You may have to bring at least one of the cats in to the vet to get meds, if needed. Also, you can feed them pure meat human baby food (the jars) for a day OR pick up some Hill's W/D canned from the vet. That will firm up the poops right away and is easily digestible. I normally don't recommend Hill's but it has worked time and time again in the past for me when cat's get diarrhea and their systems need something easy to digest. Then you can mix the W/D with your regular canned food to get them back on their normal diet. Try adding the probiotic as well.

ARGH - it is really frustrating and worrisome when they all come down with something at the same time. They will be over it and in the meantime, ask the vet about what I suggested above. All my best to you and your kitties! :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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worriedsomuch

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Thank-you, as usual, @Feralvr You've eased my mind a bit.  I did indeed toss the bag but kept a small handful just in case it ever needed to be tested for toxins, you never know. The diarrhea has been continuing for at least 4-5 days now. It's not rampant. They usually just go their usual which is 1-2 times but it's always watery. Now the vomiting and decreased appetite is new. I have my mom at my house right now and checked in with her. She said that they all ate their lunch well so that's a relief.  At least I know they have some appetite.

It is so frustrating that they are all sick. I'm so worried! I appreciate all the suggestions. I will take at least one or two of them in if there is no improvement by tomorrow and bring in a sample if necessary of their stool to try to figure out what is going on. I will also ask the vet about those suggestions. Thanks so much for the vibes.
 

goholistic

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I, too, was going to suggest a probiotic.

I don't have much more to add, but wanted to send lots of vibes! 
 
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worriedsomuch

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Thanks for the vibes
Can anyone suggest a good, safe probiotic that I can buy?

Unfortunately I'm still dealing with these issues. They definitely resolved in Delilah and my eldest cat. They have done solid, normal BM for the last few days and their appetites have bounced back. Then Grace had diarrhea though on Saturday and I thought, Oh no, she has it too. Then however, she went right back to normal the next day. However, yesterday, she went half normal and half diarrhea again. My 20 month old still has diarrhea and the poor thing has had it the longest. I've spoken to the vet twice. On Friday, he honestly scared me with some of the comments he made. Usually he's reassuring but he practically suggested my eldest's issues were unrelated to everyone else having diarrhea and maybe she has some deeper issues going on. I thought it was a bit farfetched, given the circumstances that she be suffering from something totally different when they all have the same symptoms. We talked about FIP and he said he doubted that. He again suggested a bug, perhaps. He also thought maybe a parasite but he doubted that too given my cats are indoor only and aren't exposed to anything. I spoke to him again yesterday and he asked how many times everyone was going. I told him just 1-2 times and gave him an update. He told me I can still wait a bit before bringing anyone in, given they are acting normally and they aren't going more than twice. He said if they go more than that, they can start to lose weight and that would be bad. He told me they'd most likely be put on the bland diet or given some meds to firm it up. I'm just at a loss of what's going on. They aren't eating that food anymore and are back to the old formula. They also are eating the same wet. I'm still very worried.
 
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goholistic

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Can anyone suggest a good, safe probiotic that I can buy?
I believe many people use the Natural Factors Acidophilus & Bifidus. I like to have more strains, so I give Sebastian Dr. Mercola Complete Probiotics. It's expensive, but each capsule is pretty high in CFUs (about 35 billion), so you could stretch it by giving each cat a 1/4 capsule. It takes patience and a steady hand to distribute 1/4 capsule evenly, at least for me. When I used to do this, I made little 1/4 marks with a Sharpie marker on the capsule. I'm pretty OCD. 
  I give Sebastian 1/2 capsule now. By the way, both of these brands are human grade. If you have a local vitamin shoppe or healthcare/drug store, you could look around and see what they have. I like ones that are free of dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, sugar, preservatives, etc. with not a lot of fillers.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Let's hope it's just a harmless bug that will pass! 


 

tailzzz24

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I lost a cat to FIP, and I don't remember diarrhea being part of the equation. His first symptom was progressive hair loss and inflammation on his skin around his mouth, which when I took him to the vet turned out to be mange as he was unable to fight off the demodex mites that all cats harbor. Refusing food and lethargy came later. So I don't think your cat has FIP.

It really sounds like some infection/parasite might be involved. But if you're concerned that food allergies might be involved, I'd try feeding them raw. They actually sell frozen raw patties at Petco if you aren't up to making it yourself. (Nature's Variety). I had two cats with chronic loose stools (3.5 YEARS of it), and after one meal of frozen raw their poop looked much better. I'd say 95% better, though the one still has tan-colored stools (but firm).
 

laurag

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My first thought would have also been the food with 3 cats getting diarrhea. Dry foods can also be sources of salmonella bacteria or for those with corn, there's a fungus that can grow on corn that gets mixed into the food and contaminates it. I imagine that it would have digestive impact.  While Meow Mix is likely the culprit, it doesn't  necessarily mean it isn't one of the other foods.  It isn't unusual that pet food companies end up responding to pet owners with animals who get sick en masse before adequate testing is done on the commercial pet foods that could be responsible. 

That the one kitty is showing improvement with the only change being the elimination of Meow Mix seems to indicate that the Meow Mix was responsible. Anyway, sounds like you are watching and making note of any correlation.
 
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worriedsomuch

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I really appreciate the responses. Thanks so much! Also @tailzzz24 I'm so sorry for your loss.


I think I've figured out that all 3 of 4 cats that had symptoms are over it. Delilah, Grace, and my eldest, Meadow seem to be fine now. I think I've also realized that it wasn't even Grace who did the soft stool yesterday. I think it was little Adele, the first one to get sick. She usually never uses that box as she prefers the one in the back room. However, I think she used it and just by coincidence Grace went and since it was near her BM, I thought it was her. However, all cats went normal yesterday except for Adele. She went once yesterday morning, soft, but I thought maybe it was an improvement. However, last night, she decided to use the litterbox in front of me and it was basically water, no consistency with her poop (sorry to be TMI). So yes, she is indeed the only one still suffering and seems to be getting worse. It's also very smelly.. I spoke to the vet again and he suggested some rice mixed in with her food so I gave her that which she loved. There was nothing in her box this morning, thankfully. I am going to stop by there today to pick up some cans of bland food he recommended to give her to see if that helps. If there is no improvements by Monday, she will go to the vet and he'll do a stool sample, as well as check her out. She seems to be fine despite these issues. She is very, very active. She is actually my craziest cat. She flits from place to place, knocking stuff down as she goes. Her appetite is great and she looks good. She is a very petite cat though anyway, well long and slender so I hate to think of her getting thinner. I just want to nip this in the bud.
 

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Glad to hear the other cats are back to normal. As for Adele, just be sure to thoroughly get rid of the runny poo from the litter box right after she goes. In case it is something passed through fecal contamination, you'll want to make sure the other cats aren't exposed to it.
 
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worriedsomuch

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I have been doing that. Yesterday I gave all the boxes a thorough cleaning. I want to go buy all new ones but it seems like I should wait or else they will just get contaminated too. Grace, Delilah and Meadow are fine, still going normally. Unfortunately though it seems now, Lexi, Adele's sister, has it too. I don't know what's going on! It clearly has to be a virus then if it keeps passing from cat to cat. Also, I'm very scared right now. When I got home from work, I checked the litterbox and found some very dark (could even have been black) sticky watery poop in the box. I believe it came from Adele. It was quite foul. I googled this and it sounds like melena which is bleeding in the stomach. I'm not sure what to do. I've started her and Lexi on the food from the vet and he told me to give it at least 3 days and check in Monday. She didn't go for 7 hours yesterday in a row which is good. Then I put her and her sister in the back bedroom for the night around 10 PM. I scooped the box this morning and saw only soft, clumped together stool, like a patty, I guess you could call it so it appears she hasn't done that color again. How much should I be panicking here? Could it just be her bowels are so irritated from going diarrhea for 11 days or could it be something sinister. I'm going to call the vet when I get home from work. The doctor told me to mix in the new food with her old and it should do the trick but I'm so afraid. If this is more than a dietary issue, will the food even work? Adele and Lexi both had very bad diarrhea as kittens for 2 weeks straight. It was loose, runny, and sometimes bloody but this was red blood not dark. I feel like dark brown or black blood is probably worse.
 
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worriedsomuch

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Oh God I read this could be a sign of FIP. I'm so very, very worried. Adele unfortunately fits the age frame. She will be 2 in April. I read that FIP is not contagious. However, I know the coronavirus is and that can morph into FIP. What if this is what is spreading through my house and the reason Adele never recovered is because she has FIP.? Since Lexi is her sister, she'd almost certainly have it morph into FIP too with genetics and everything. God if I lose my cats, I won't be able to take it.
 
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