More Than One Cat With Diarrhea

Above is the probiotic that I and others use here. I posted above earlier. . I am sorry to hear that they are still having trouble. At this point, I would get the Metronidazole from the vet. It is an intestinal antibiotic and from how you describe the diarrhea, I think it may be warranted at this point.

WorriedSoMuch said:

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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I still do not think it is FIP. I am sure the vet will ease your mind on this. For all of them to suddenly get diarrhea all at once is odd and would be unlikely to be some sort of disease but rather something they ate or a virus of some sort. I would bet on the food or treats being behind this problem. :nod: Hang in there and I hope your vet can help you to feel better and to get your cats feeling well again. Ask about the Metro and the Hill's W/D canned for a couple of days.

Hi,

I realized you had posted the link to it before, after I made my post. Sorry for overlooking it. I'm just so nervous. My fear is that they all have coronavirus (which I know they all most likely carry) but an active kind, hence the diarrhea symptoms. However, I am starting to think maybe Adele's mutated into FIP. My vet said he wouldn't think of this first either. However, Adele's situation is only getting worse. She went from doing soft stools to watery, no substance, to this black like liquid. Don't you think that could be blood? I also did pick up the cans of food. It's not Hills but a Purina brand that contains rice and some other ingredients. I gave it to her yesterday starting at 3 or so. I'm just not sure what to think. The vet did say I had to give it a couple of days and to check in next week. However, my mom is with the cats and she did tell me that someone, either Adele or Lexi, went again around 9 or so, about a nickel sized watery amount again. I feel the frequency now is increasing and the consistency of Adele's is alarming. I felt her stomach and she definitely isn't bloated. She is also still very active with a fantastic appetite. The vet advised me to mix the new food with her old, as giving it to her just plain could make her symptoms even worse. He also said it could get a little worse before it gets better. I think meds are warranted at this point too.

Just giving a brief update, I spoke to the vet yesterday afternoon and this morning. Both Lexi and Adele are still having diarrhea. They are going at least 3-4 times per day as well which is unsettling, whereas before Adele was just doing one soft stool before 1-2 times per day. The vet told me yesterday that I need to get FIP out of my head because he's pretty positive that it isn't that. I asked about the dark colored stool and he said he doubted it was blood. He said if it was or if it was FIP there'd be many more serious symptoms goings on. I told him they are acting fine still. I'm not sure what to think though. He told me to just continue with the prescribed food. When I checked the box this morning, there was bloody diarrhea in it, well a small amount of red blood. I called him again this morning and he said that isn't too uncommon given her bowels are probably irritated at this point. He again said to continue on with the food and if there is no improvement to bring her in Monday. So it looks like Monday Adele will be at the vet. I'm very frighted this hasn't resolved and now Lexi has it too. Unfortunately Grace had an odd episode too last night which I will put in her thread. I just can't even function right now.

What are they eating now?

He gave me a vet prescription food that is supposed to be bland. It's Purina something Gastroenteric, I believe. It has rice and chicken in there. I was advised not to given them that straight as it could make the situation worse so I mix in some of their old wet which is Fancy Feast. I forgot to mention too they are both having gas as well. I just wish I could make it better.

Frankly, when a cat has diarrhea multiple times a day, I don't think it's possible to make it much worse. :lol3: Something has got to give, and if doing an immediate switch to boiled chicken or chicken and rice is OK for cats to do, then I don't see how an immediate switch to a bland gastrointestinal food would cause that much of an issue. Have you tried plain boiled chicken or chicken and rice?

I took your advice and gave them both the food without anything added. I'm hoping for the best. I have not tried boiled chicken and rice but I did give rice only at one point.

I don't see any mention here at all about testing for parasites which could EASILY be the culprit. Why isn't your vet testing for that?

My vet said he doubted parasites given that she hasn't been exposed to any other cats and is strictly indoors. I imagine when I take her in Monday, he'll check for it.

I'm pretty concerned now though. Around 8:15 PM, she went diarrhea again in the box, then 5 minutes later, she went again, very watery. She went another small amount in the box too shortly thereafter, like maybe 30 minutes. Now she is climbing into the box as if she is going but it's not coming out. I know she can pee okay so I don't think it's a blockage and I know the poop can come out too so it can't be she's blocked. Could she just be having urgency issues because she's been going so much? She didn't strain for long, maybe 10 seconds and then hopped out but I'm nervous. I was actually glad that she had gone at least 2 hours without going. If need be, I'll take her to Banfield tomorrow but I rather her see the regular vet.

yes that's way too much! they can get parasites from anything, can even get it from food or water. doesn't have to be from going outside. or it could be an infection and they are passing it through the litter box. 

WorriedSoMuch

I'm so sorry for your trouble

I'm new here myself but I noticed your post because I myself have a kitten with diarrhea.

He tested positive for Giardia - a common protozoan parasite. In my case it makes sense because he comes from a multiple cat household and his foster rescues cats. Your cats are indoor that's why it's tricky.

But you might want to look that up. And ask your vet to test for it. It can be easily transferred from cat to cat.

I read one thread on this forum about someone's strictly indoor cat catching Giardia too.

I hope your kitties get well soon

Much love

Julia

Weird as it sounds, the extremely watery stool and frequency sure sounds like Coccidia, Giardia or even cryptosporidium  protoza infection. These are ocysts that gets transmitted in water or from feces (cat to cat). Both of these infections can also include mucousy bloody diarrhea. It makes sense too that irritated digestive systems can result in blood...the severity of it doesn't sound like "just one of those things."  It seems like the process of elimination by the vet should include tests for giardia and cryptosporidium as well as Coccidia. However from what you are saying this is a vet doing a process of elimination based on circumstance and not based on symptoms.

Almost 100% of the cases from any of these parasites occur when cats go outside and drink contaminated water. It would be really weird but maybe possible that it was in some of the food since more than one is affected---which is alarming since it is commercial food or even your water.

Since ocysts aren't bacteria or viruses it is possible for them to survive municipal water treatement. While this article is about a specific area back in the 1980s it shows that it is possible if the water isnt being treated adequately.

http://extension.psu.edu/natural-re...ts/removing-giardia-cysts-from-drinking-water

certain parasites, in fact some that you mentioned, can in fact be obtained by tap water. Water if filtered for certain chemicals, not for most parasites. It happens probably more often than you think.

Wow, thanks all so much for the replies and the information. It's definitely something to keep in mind if the meds don't work.

I was able to wait until yesterday to take her in to the vet. She didn't strain anymore Sunday or yesterday and the frequency of her BM was less (3 or 4 times) so I thought she could wait until Monday. However, I took the day off so I could get her there as soon as possible. He gave her a thorough checking over and said he's positive she does not have FIP. He said she seems way too healthy for that. She's a good weight, wasn't feverish or dehydrated, and he said her tummy felt good. He said the straining was most likely due to her being sore and feeling like she has to go even if she doesn't. She only went a small bit during Sunday night so I thought for sure she'd go in her carrier but she didn't. He prescribed her Metro and he said that it should work fast, within 48-72 hours. He gave her the first dose yesterday. He said I should also continue with the food and the meds for at least a week. I saw a tiny bit of watery poop that was sort of firmer but not in the right shape of a regular BM (if that makes sense) yesterday afternoon but nothing since. I'm hoping she's not going from diarrhea to constipated. Ironically that's what happened to her sister.  She started to become constipated so I mixed in more regular food with the prescription and she went normally so it seems Lexi is better. I did ask what next if this doesn't work for Adele and he said a fecal sample probably and maybe bloodwork (which scared me) considering I'd hate to think a 20 month old has something seriously wrong with her like cancer of something. I will be so happy when she does a normal BM. It's been 2 weeks!

@JulieS1907 I hope your kitty feels better soon too!

Feralvr said:

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.

 

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Sorry to bump this thread but this kind of stood out for me rereading through it again. Unfortunately I have been driving myself insane with research on FIP. I keep thinking the vet is wrong and Adele almost certainly has it. When you say, "would have shown signs years back" what do you mean? I have no doubts that all my cats have been exposed to the coronavirus. Delilah battled a terrible URI as a kitten which I think led to her asthma. Also, both Adele and Lexi had horrible diarrhea for over 2 weeks as kittens. I know this doesn't mean they will ever get FIP but my mind has been going overboard. Are these the "early signs?" I read LOTS of posts on here about people with experience with FIP and one made my blood run cold. The cat sounded just like Adele, frequent loose stools and such. Eventually fluid was found in he abdomen and although the person never posted again, I can only assume what the diagnosis was. I also read something about constipation even being a sign and as I said, I think Adele might now even be constipated. I put Lexi and Adele in the back room last night so I could cook. No one had gone to the bathroom when I got home from work. While I was cooking, someone went normally. I believe it was Lexi but can't say for sure. This was around 7 or so. Then around 10:30-5 this morning, I again put them in the back bedroom so they don't get into the Christmas stuff while I sleep. When I woke up, there was another normal bowel movement, maybe slightly hard I guess which could point to Adele but I still don't know. Also, when Adele went to the vet, her temp was 103.2. The vet said he did not think it was a fever, but just a slightly raised temp due to stress. Then I read all this conflicting info that it could be a low grade fever which is a sign of FIP. Again, he said she was not an FIP cat (100% positive), not dehydrated, lethargic, belly normal, and he even remarked her coat was very soft. I'm a nervous wreck worrying now though. He did tell me, "Please call instead of researching online. It makes everything harder, for you and for us." He told me that "if this was FIP, she'd be so seriously ill now or dead." Yet I've heard some cats last as much as a year with the dry form. Honestly I agree with the vet that I should have never researched. I never even heard of FIP until 5 months ago and ignorance was sure bliss.

I know FIP shows with many different symptoms but I don't think this is FIP.  I know it's not the wet form they would have become critically ill by now.  I really don't think it's the dry form either because they would have begun showing other symptoms by now.   With the dry form they would be generally sick by now, They would've started to feel bad and have lousy or no appetite, and there wouldn't be improvement.  Dry FIP is almost always a constant downhill type illness.

Thanks @Denice I figured this was not the wet form as the vet would be right, that she'd be in a serious downward spiral or even gone as her symptoms initially started December 2 and it's been 16 days. I do still wonder about the dry form but she hasn't progressed thankfully. The only thing that got worse was her diarrhea after a week but he said that it didn't surprise him, something about the intestines and the system sometimes needing more time to bounce back the longer it's been going on. He just basically called her situation "colitis." She still behaves wonderfully, boundless energy. She broke a couple ornaments yesterday but I couldn't even be mad considering I'm so happy she is still herself. She has a great appetite too, always snooping around the kitchen, even wanting more food. I did start to wean her off the Purina EN prescription special diet as I do believe it caused some constipation. The vet suggested I wait a few more days (until Friday) and while I'm certainly glad her bowels are resting, I don't want another problem going on. I am calling again when I get home as he asked me to give him an update. I wish I knew for sure she went normally. It's really tough to tell in a multi cat household. Even though she and her sister sleep in the back bedroom so anything in that litterbox is theirs, I still can't tell who's is who. If I find more than one BM, I can safely assume they both went but I found them at separate times. I also can't watch them to see who uses the box as the door is closed of course. They also prefer to use their box so when they are in front of me, they won't use the other cats' boxes. Adele was only using them when she was needing to go a lot.

There are so many causes of diarrhea in cats. It seems that almost every medical condition that a cat can get has the potential to cause diarrhea. Why is it that you are choosing to focus on a fatal condition like FIP, especially when it seems the chances of this are very low? Why not put your energy into one of the more common causes, like a change in diet, food intolerance, parasites, GI disturbances, etc.?

I guess I'm just confused. My approach has always been process of elimination. If one of my cats had diarrhea, a full fecal exam would be one of the first things to be done ( to check for parasites), most likely along with blood work (to check for illness/infection). If that came back clear, then we look at diet and choose something gentle (for a sensitive system) and/or hypoallergenic (to address food allergies). If a change in diet didn't help, then we would have to take a deeper look into something like IBD, where an inflammatory response is taking place.

Just my two cents.    I know it's frustrating.

I'm sorry to hear Adele broke a couple of ornaments! Bad girl! 

I really believe you should listen to what GoHolisitic said. Diarrhea is so common in kitties I too don't understand focusing on FIP. She hit the nail on the head on what you should start with and how you should approach this. I speak with people every day about diarrhea in their cats and these are the the steps I'd recommend as well. 

I agree with Go Holistic.  I have had FIP cats before and they are a lot sicker than your kitty is.  They were so weak, almost comatose, certainly not destroying ornaments off a christmas tree.  I have had both the wet and dry forms.  I think your vet is right this sounds like a case of colitis.  The diet and meds should clear it up pretty easily.  If it doesn't then look into other options such as irritable bowel or food sensitivities.  FIP should be the last thing on your mind given the symptoms.  Most of my FIP cats had no appetite, and it sounds like your kitty is still eating pretty good.  I would try to focus on something else as it really doesn't sound like it's FIP.