Ongoing diharrea - nothing working

I have a male tabby about four years old who’s had diarrhea pretty much non-stop for over two months. I’ve taken him to two different vets in that time, over half a dozen visits. They’ve tested him for all the viruses and given him flea and worm treatments. He was on hypo-allergenic food for about month, which didn’t help. He’s been treated for irritable bowels, parasites, all sorts, and none of it’s fixed the problem.

It’s now getting to the point where we have to start thinking about ulstrasounds and biposies and a lot of other stuff I can’t really afford. Does anyone have any other suggestions, or ideas about what it might be? I don’t want to have give the cat up, but the (affordable) options are looking a bit thin on the ground.

I haven’t seen any other symptoms - he hasn’t had any loss of appetite, lethargy or anything else - he’s pretty much the same as he always was, except for the diarrhea. He vomits once in a blue moon, but I don’t think it’s connected.

Any help?

I'm sorry and and kitty are going through this. I know how frustrating it is!

Curious, what types of food have you tried? You mention one hypoallergenic food, was this a prescription food and, if so, which one?

It was prescription, I think it was i/d. He's back on his normal dry food now, but I have no idea what he gets into when he's out roaming. I tried keeping him inside for a week and that didn't help either.

Haven't tried the gastrointestinal food - going to ask the vet about that on the next visit.

Is the stool texture loose or is it watery?  Does it have a very foul smell?  Has he tried the medication ALBON?

I'm guessing you have probably tried it, since you mention having treated him for parasites, but I think it is worth mentioning, just in case.  Albon is used to treat coccidiosis, which is a protozoal infection in the intestine.  Other parasite cleanses (like a dewormer) do not cure it.  Common symptoms are mild to severe diarrhea, sometimes with a very foul smell.

I can only speak from personal experience, but in our rescue, when a probiotic, dewormer and healthy diet doesn't stop the diarrhea, we start treating with Albon (10 days on the liquid), and it has worked some miracles.  If you haven't already tried it, it might be a good thing to try next.  Good luck!

Razback--

Has he had a diarrhea PCR panel done yet? If the fecal sample has been "clean", they usually do another diagnostic test from stools but test for other causing organisms. I've had this done for one of my kitties and was found with Clostridium Perfringens and Cryptosporidium so he was treated with two different types of antibiotics. Another possiblility is tritrichonomas foetus. 

In the meantime, I found either slippery elm bark or canned pumpkin (no spices, not pie filler) to be helpful when added to the wet food and some warm water mixed in. I've also heard others use added fiber such as miralax (can be used for diarrhea and constipation). Also, I've read that this probiotic strain is especially great with loose stools:  
The probiotic is especially helpful when the vet prescribes any antibiotic to your pet to prevent further digestive upset and helps promote healthy flora back into the gut. I keep mine around in stock all the time now with two cats!

Hope we can find out what's really the problem here! Sending some positive vibes to your kitty and crossing fingers that the vet does find the causing factor responsible for your kitty's tummy troubles soon. Hang in there and please keep us posted!  

The stool varies, but lately it's been basically liquid. It was firmer last week, didn't last though. The medications tried so far (as far as I can remember) are Stomogyl (I think), Paracur, Prednizone and Trichozole.

Drugs and prescription food aside, is there a particular diet that's good for intestinal health in general? Is soft or dry food better?

Razback said:

Drugs and prescription food aside, is there a particular diet that's good for intestinal health in general? Is soft or dry food better?

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As far as GI health, unless your kitty is diagnosed to have IBD or intolerances to certain ingredients, I don't think a special diet is needed. Variety is always good to prevent such allergies/intolerances from occuring in the first place. Many cats, however, become intolerant to grains, and corn is highly used in kibble. Canned food also contains wheat gluten or soy products, which can also become triggers. When possible, grain-free wet might be the best choice--just read the ingredient list closely.

I'd personally feed my cats wet food with some added water in it so they regain back some moisture lost in their stools, too. Cats are already in a constant state of dehydration when feeding on kibble, so it just makes sense to me. Though you may see them drink "a lot" of water from their bowl, it can never make up the deficit like when you feed canned foods only. The evidence will be in the litter, as you scoop! Hydrated kitties will be healthier in the long run. 

IBD is the latest theory, which is what the last round of medication was supposed to treat. Hasn't helped, though.

I'm going to try him on the soft food for a whole and see if anything changes. Thanks.

Try raw. And consider this information: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/278273/the-well-known-problem-of-ibd-or-lymphoma/90#post_3576295

At a minimum, if you're in the US, I'd start the Jarrow S boulardii with MOS as soon as possible.

For IBD kitty, the best thing to try would be on a novel protein diet--something with your kitty has not eaten before, such as duck, venison, lamb, rabbit, etc. Natural Balance and Nature's Variety  Instinct are good brands with Limited ingredient diet (LID). You may need to put your kitty on them for at least 6 weeks to ensure all of the potential allergens are out of his system. Good luck!

And this very easy to understand site is written by a vet: http://www.catinfo.org

The best diet for IBD is a minimally processed diet that has no gums, thickeners, grains, starches, soy, and only animal tissue as the source of protein. That is homemade, whether raw or cooked. Yeah, it's not as easy as popping a can if there aren't frozen commercial raw foods available where you live. But please read the information quoted from the All Feline Hospital in the post to which I linked.

I agree with LDG on this, some folks turn to raw due to IBD in their pets.

I feed mine raw because there's just too many benefits that outweigh the negatives. Cats are carnivores, so I don't like a lot of plant-based sources used in commercial dry and even some premium quality wet food. There's also minimal ingredients when you feed raw vs. canned or kibble. Just make sure you do enough research into raw before you decide to take the plunge. 

I'm sorry your kitty has diarrhea. I just wanted to pop in real quick and say that Miralax is for constipation only, so please do not use it for your kitty with diarrhea.

There are now a series of articles on raw feeding in the cat care section under articles. They're not in the boxes yet, they're in the list underneath. But they help with safety, styles of feeding raw (options), considerations, balanced recipes, ingredient sources and importance, and for those interested, a prey model raw guide is being published.

But the resources threads in the Raw & Home-cooked forum (stickies only available in desktop view) are comprehensive.

I'll check all that out. Thanks, folks.

(And don't worry, I'm not about to feed him anything with "lax" in the name.) 

GoHolistic said:

I'm sorry your kitty has diarrhea.

I just wanted to pop in real quick and say that Miralax is for constipation only, so please do not use it for your kitty with diarrhea.

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My bad, it should have been Metamucil (psyllium) that can be used for both. Sorry for the confusion!

I just want to mention...
I/d is NOT a hypoallergenic food. It is suppose to be an easily digested food; but, the ingredients are horrible IMO.

Based on his history, I certainly wouldn't rule out a food allergy/intolerance.

Yes, you can certainly try a raw diet. It eliminates grains and has a single source protein. All key things to determine a food issue.

Regardless of whether you choose to feed raw, canned or dry you should select a single NOVEL protein (duck, venison, rabbit...something he has never had.) Make sure it is grain-free.

The most common food allergies in cats are:
Chicken
Beef
Fish
Corn
Wheat
Soy

Though, like us, they can develop intolerance to anything.

Well...

I've been feeding him soft (wet) food for a bit over a week, and carried on with the Prednizone from the vet (half a pill every two days). I kept him inside all last night and today because he hasn't gone in the litter tray for most of the week, so I wasn't sure where we were at.

He just went about fifteen minutes ago, and it looks like it's back to normal - solid stool, not runny at all. Keep in mind he's been pooping puddles for over two months.

I'm not going to start celebrating just yet - I'll keep an eye on it and see if he can keep it up - but apparently something's finally working. I've never been so happy to see cat poo in my life.

Glad to hear there's some improvement, thank you for the update! Nothing better than seeing solid, proper eliminations in the litter box!  All too well do cat-lovers know that feeling! Crossing my fingers that this still continues for a while.