Cat - Chronic Diarrhea

I rescued a 12 yo cat from a shelter about 4 months ago. From the time I have brought him home, the cat has had constant diarrhea.  As he was a senior I immediately took him to the Vet, ran blood work Senior Panel, etc.   The blood work was normal.  He came back positive for Giardia.  Did a round of Flagyl and then when that showed no improvement a round of Panacure. The Giardia is clear but the diarrhea continues.  He drinks a tremendous amount of water. I have never seen a cat drink this much fluid and I had a cat with advanced kidney disease.

The poor guy runs to the litter box.  Sometimes he makes it, sometimes not.  I have put litter boxes now on every floor. I also changed his diet to Blue Buffalo limited ingredient at the vets suggestion (Wet only).  This made no impact.  I then slowly introduced a raw diet mixed with pumpkin.  No impact.  The Vet then suggested B12 injections that I have given the cat for 6 weeks.  No impact.

I feel so bad for him but its beginning to impact not only his quality of life but my own.  I spend a good portion of my day cleaning up accidents.  If he passes gas then he soils the couch.  His diarrhea is so liquidy that it gets all over him then all over my home.  I clean him up when I can catch him going but that doesn't help when I have to work.  If I try to sequester him in the basement he cries.    I am starting to not feel comfortable in my own home as I have to constantly check where I am sitting and stepping. He loves to lay on my chest but I can no longer allow it after getting 'soiled'.

I am running out of options. It isn't a behavior problem as he desperately tries to get to the litter box. There is something medically wrong with him.I have an ultrasound scheduled tomorrow.  I hope they can find something.  I am reaching the end of my patience.  After working 10 hour days I spend an hour cleaning up after him.  I have sheets on couches and chairs.  I don't want to surrender this cat to a shelter as there is a good possibility he will never get adopted, sit in a cage and be put down.  I take my responsibilities as a pet owner very seriously.  But I also have a responsibility to my own welfare.  I hope something can be done.  Im trying everything I can.  Any suggestions?

No help, but I feel for you.
My 20 week old has been the same since she was 10wks old. She is crated much of the time or the poop is everywhere. Shes happy and perky, full of beans, but shes not growing. Its no life for her, or me and the kids.

delilahNdrew said:

 
No help, but I feel for you.
My 20 week old has been the same since she was 10wks old. She is crated much of the time or the poop is everywhere. Shes happy and perky, full of beans, but shes not growing. Its no life for her, or me and the kids.

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Thanks, I have been to the Vet 5 x in 4 months.  I changed Vets after visit 3.  The cat has never had a solid bowel movement in four months, he drinks an incredible amount of water and has constant discharge around the eyes.  The original Vet claimed none of these were related.  This is when I switched vets and now have an ultrasound scheduled.  In the time I have been caring for him, he has lost over a pound.  I have tried to slowly introduce cleaner more healthier foods with limited ingredients over the past few months. I stopped any kibble after the first week.   He is still a very affectionate cat but doesn't have a lot of energy. I can never get him to play and he spends most of his time eating drinking and laying around.  I first assumed this was because he was 12 but now I am wondering if the stress on his body is taking its toll.  When he does have a bowel movement his whole body undulates and gyrates.  It's almost like he's straining but diarrhea comes out.  Maybe he has some type of blockage?

It is difficult because I get my three year old son every other week.  He has his own health issues and I am concerned about him crawling on the floors where I have been cleaning up the cats poo.  I am hoping these tests may tell us something definitive.  My ex wife is not pleased with our son being around this cat because of sanitary issues.  If I cannot resolve this  I may have to find him another home.  I just couldnt bring myself to surrender him to a shelter or rescue (even a no kill) and have him put in a cage.  This is where I found him four months ago (he was there for TWO YEARS).  I would only consider not having him stay with me if I found him another home.  But who is going to take on this responsibility?  I can't risk my son's health but this cat helped me through my divorce in spite of his health issues.  He gave me unconditional affection when I needed it the most. My son is my top priority but  I can't in good conscience abandon my responsibility to my four legged friend.    

there is definitely something medically wrong, and it's very lucky he has you as an owner willing to find out what it is.

That poor cat. Vets are like doctors, you have to push them, then drop them if you don't get results or answers. Is there a larger better equipped hospital close by you? I have a 24 hour ER place that also treats cancers, and other more serious issues, then Tufts is an hour away if i needed it.

Good luck and it's really great you've stuck by this kitty. He needed someone who would

Hi 

Yesterday I saw an article about a cat with diarrhea that the had being going for a year or so and this person explain more or less how he treat it and cure it 

I hope it help you somehow

Here is the link

http://feline-nutrition.org/feature...-lyn-thomson-helped-stop-ibd-11000-miles-away

Best wishes for you and your cat!

P.S. maybe also in the meanwhile, when you are not home, you can put it in a big cage in the living room. Here a link to Amazon where the cat cages are:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...c,aps&rh=i:aps,k:cat cage&tag=&tag=thecatsite

Thanks All

I will definitely read that article.  I am currently trying the raw food route but it doesnt seem to be having an impact.  I will give it more time though.  The article also highlights probiotics which I have been putting in his food since the beginning.  I will read this in more detail to see if there is anything I can tweak.

I am glad I found this forum.  I was at my wits end trying to figure out what to do.  I had CDiff a year ago and had the same poor symptoms as Ferris (my cat).  It's another reason why I have so much empathy for his plight.  I know how spent and exhausted you feel after constantly running to the potty.  I also had to research and figure out a whole regimine to finally put me on the right path.  I just have to keep reminding myself that I cant switch gears too quickly with the cat.  I sometimes read or see something online to help him and immediately want to try it.  I can't introduce massive changes like that to a cat who can't communicate specifics and who's body is already exhausted.  So I've been trying to stay informed but step carefully

I considered the cage idea last month.  But he hates being confined and ultimately, what type of life is that for a cat.  I have settled with keeping him in the basement sometimes when its really bad.  It gets some sunlight, I can put on the tv, and have his food water and litter down there.  I mostly do that when my son is over.    But again, this is no life for an animal (not much for a human either).

I hope the Vet has at least some answers.  I found a specialist in my area (Philadelphia USA) who is affiliated with a very good vet hospital, (University of Pennsylvania).  Tomorrow is the ultrasound and followup visit.  I am praying to get some answers.

Good luck!!! Hope everything gets solve soon!

Please let us know how he gets on

Were the fecal tests in-house, or sent out to a lab? The reason I ask is that he may have something besides giardia that requires a different course of antibiotics. This was true of our cat, who'd been treated for coccidia - it turned out that he was also infected with E coli, which the fecal tests done at the vet's office didn't reveal. He suffers from IBD, but we've managed to get that under control with a low-fat, grain-free single protein canned diet.

He may also be sensitive to certain proteins. When you did the limited-ingredient diet and fed raw, did he get a single unique protein, i.e., one he hadn't had before, like rabbit, kangaroo, goat, etc., for 6 - 8 weeks before another was tried?

Have you tried giving him probiotics? Fortiflora sometimes works, but there are other, better pet probiotics like Pet Dophilus or Mercola Complete Probiotics for Pets. Some of our members also give probiotics meant for humans: Probiotics Search - Human Grade and CFUs

that you get some answers from the specialist. A diagnosis and treatment can take a while, but it's well worth it.

Bad news.  I took the cat to the new Vet on saturday.  They ran some more blood work and urinalysis.  Based on his symptoms and the test results they are reasonably sure Ferris has lymphoma.  I have an ultrasound scheduled on Tuesday to confirm.  He hasnt been eating very well the past few days but is drinking a ton of water.  If the lymphoma is confirmed I have to make some pretty tough decisions.  After seeing family members go through the hell of chemo I just cant in good conscience put an animal through that.  He is traumatized every time I have to put him into the carrier and take a trip and is terrofied at the Vets office around strangers.  He is still getting around pretty good but if the cancer is confirmed I have the grim task of deciding how long to wait to make a decision.  Wait too long and he'll suffer.  If I make a snap decision Im afraid I'll regret it.  Ugh 

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Are you discussing large cell lymphoma? Small cell is different and treatable. Large cell has a poor prognosis so the question in that case can you ease symptoms for a period of time and give your cat some quality time? This is possible with steroids and pain Meds but the amount of time may be short, but could be of good quality.

dannytw429 said:

Bad news.  I took the cat to the new Vet on saturday.  They ran some more blood work and urinalysis.  Based on his symptoms and the test results they are reasonably sure Ferris has lymphoma.  I have an ultrasound scheduled on Tuesday to confirm.  He hasnt been eating very well the past few days but is drinking a ton of water.  If the lymphoma is confirmed I have to make some pretty tough decisions.  After seeing family members go through the hell of chemo I just cant in good conscience put an animal through that.  He is traumatized every time I have to put him into the carrier and take a trip and is terrofied at the Vets office around strangers.  He is still getting around pretty good but if the cancer is confirmed I have the grim task of deciding how long to wait to make a decision.  Wait too long and he'll suffer.  If I make a snap decision Im afraid I'll regret it.  Ugh 

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I am so sorry you may be looking at cancer.

I do need to correct your misconception of chemotherapy in our companion animals. In people, chemo is given with the goal of increasing the length of life. This comes with very toxic consequences and thus side-effects. In our companion animals, chemo is given with the goal of increasing the quality of life. This is very different, and they are administered doses that are much smaller relative to body size. Yes, the chemo for large cell lymphoma often comes with some nausea, but it can (usually) be managed with anti-nausea medication and an appetite stimulant. Sometimes just an antacid. It really depends on the cat.

An ultrasound may provide information about whether or not there is a mass or swollen lymph node(s), but it will not provide a diagnosis. Cancer can only be determined by biopsy or fine needle aspirate if possible.

Stephen is correct. Many vets will treat prophylactically for small cell without a diagnosis: the treatment is Leukeran (chlorambucil). This often simply results in a cat that no longer has diarrhea and improves in many other ways - put weight back on, etc. Of course, you may still need to manage nausea and appetite, but this is not as common with this chemotherapy agent as with chemo for large cell lymphoma.

Most people do not undertake chemo for large cell, as it is a long process and it is expensive - and the outlook is only 50/50 that the cat will go into remission, and then remission is, on average, 9 months. Our Lazlo is an exception. In three weeks, it will have been three years since he was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma by needle aspirate of a large ( "massive" ) mass in his stomach. Surgery was not an option, and we opted for chemo - at least to start and see. He was given 4 weeks to live at diagnosis. He is here with us, with all his weight back on, and enjoying life. :rub: But as I pointed out, this is not always the outcome. Another TCS member had a kitty diagnosed with large cell lymphoma, went through the essentially the same treatment protocol and her kitty did not go into remission.


If you have not already tried this to stop the diarrhea, it would seem to me you have nothing to lose. It is safe, and often very effective quite rapidly. It is the use of a yeast-based probiotic, Saccharomyces Boulardii with MOS (mannanoligosaccharides). If you are in the U.S., I recommend the Jarrow brand. How to use it - follow the "emergency stop diarrha" instructions: http://www.ibdkitties.net/Probiotics.html

Hi Steve, they won't be able to give me definitive answers until the ultrasound and possible biopsy.  Till then it is all speculation but I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.  

Ok well I'm sending positive vibes in the meantime. Stay in touch ok!

Good news and bad news.  The good news is the ultrasound found no evidence of cancer, tumors or mass.  They did find that the sac around his heart is enlarged and that will need to be monitored.  His other organs were normal.  However this still does not address his incontinence issue, chronic diarrhea, excessive thirst,  poor appetitie and weight loss.  The Vet put him on steroids and its been 5 days.  So far no impact yet.  I was really happy when I got the news that this wasnt cancer.  However, my dilemma is still present.  

I had my son the past few days.  When we got back from the ultrasound his mom came to pick him up and the cat jumped into his lap and he was petting him.  When the cat jumped down my son had poo on him.  My ex wife freaked and accused me of keeping my son around a sick cat.  She was...not happy.  I was eating dinner last night and Ferris jumped up on the dining room table.  I rubbed his head and when he walked away he was trailing liquid poo from the table to the litter box.  Took me an hour to clean it up.  When I woke up this morning, he had poo'd on himself when he was sleeping.  I had to bathe him.  He was not happy.  I have to now keep him in the spare bedroom.  I dont want to sound insensitive, but I have just spent a thousand dollars in less than a week.  I dont have any more monetary resources to spend on the cat.  I called the Vet and she wants me to come in for more tests.  I can't afford another $250 vet visit and if my ex wife starts to make noise to her lawyer about the condition I am keeping my son, I am going to have a major problem.  If I can't get this under control I am going to have to find another living situation for him.  I love my friend Ferris and I am trying everything I can to help him and keep him in my home. But I can't risk the very delicate relationship I have with my ex wife and my son.  So far I've tried Raw food, prescription food, probiotics, B12 injections, x-rays, ultrasoundd, 3 different Vets,  3 weeks of prescription Flagyl, 2 weeks of Panacure, 3 rounds of blood work, 3 stool cultures, 3 urinalysis,  all since I got him 4 months ago.  I dont know what else to do.  My heart is just breaking.

What a very tough case I'm so sorry. Another food option is W/D which has a lot of fiber to Absorb water and possibly used with different antibiotics to help get the guts bacteria under control. I wish I had better ideas. Have you had any X-rays done?

Thanks Steve, I just spoke to the Vet.  She is asking me questions about his 'quality of life', considering when cats start to soil themselves and make no effort to clean there is underlying issues of old age.  She is also not convinced that the age I was given of 12 when I rescued him a few months ago is accurate.  She is wondering if he is a few years older considering he has the beginning of congestive heart and kidney failure and just his general gait and demeanor.   I am wondering if she is leaning toward putting him to sleep.  But for now she wants to see if the steroids kick in and help his diarrhea which may assist with his incontinence.   I don't know if Im ready to consider having him PTS.  I don't want him to suffer but I have nothing 'definitive' wrong with him.  I have however noticed a steady slide over the past few weeks; less playful, less affectionate, more bouts of bowel incontinence, more thirst, poor appetite, more hiding under the bed.  While the incontinence is frustrating and causing a tremendous amount of difficulty and frustration for me and my family, I can't make that leap yet to use that as the justification for putting him to sleep.  He comes and nuzzles against me and the thought of that outcome for him is just heartbreaking to me.

Perhaps you missed my recommendation. Given the words "put to sleep" are even being written, I personally do not understand what there is to lose in trying alternative - non-risky - treatments. Please, discuss them with your vet if your vet is willing to look them up. Also ask for B12 shots, as these have been shown to provide benefit even when cobalamin levels are not low.

Was the cobalamin-folate test run?

Your cat is thirsty and on a downslope because of the diarrhea. Kitty is most likely dehydrated, and this makes anyone feel like crap. You can syringe children's unflavored pedialyte. coconut water, or do sub-q fluids at home.

The yeast-based probiotic saccharomyces boulardii with MOS may stop the diarrhea. You won't know until you try, and it will not hurt your cat.

If you have not already tried this to stop the diarrhea, it would seem to me you have nothing to lose. It is safe, and often very effective quite rapidly. It is the use of a yeast-based probiotic, Saccharomyces Boulardii with MOS (mannanoligosaccharides). If you are in the U.S., I recommend the Jarrow brand. How to use it - follow the "emergency stop diarrha" instructions: http://www.ibdkitties.net/Probiotics.html

If you are in the U.S., you can purchase it here if it is no available at a vitamin shop locally:
I would purchase the empty size 3 gel caps with it. Most cats do not like to eat it in their food.

I also highly recommend putting your cat on a bland diet for a week. Give kitty's system a rest. Either poach some chicken, shred it and feed it with the water in which it was cooked OR feed Beech Nut baby food. If you want a novel protein, use turkey or pork (Beech Nut no longer has pork baby food, you would have to poach that yourself).


Here is information for your - and your vet's - consideration.

Simply explained in the Biocodex FDA submission (last link), S boulardii is not digested and absorbed in the gut and does not exert its effect systemically. Instead, S boulardii acts locally in the lumen of the gut. During its passage through the intestine, S boulardii mimics the physiological effects of the digestive flora, stimulating healthy immune response and reducing inflammation.

Saccharomyces boulardii in Gastrointestinal Related Disorders, Point Institute Technical Report (2008) http://www.pointinstitute.org/wp-co...s-Boulardii-in-GI-related-disorders-paper.pdf

Saccharomyces boulardii effects on gastrointestinal diseases, (Zanello et al. 2009) http://www.horizonpress.com/cimb/v/v11/47.pdf

Anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action of Saccharomyces boulardii, (Pothoulakis 2009) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.04102.x/pdf

Systematic review and meta-analysis of Saccharomyces boulardii in adult patients (McFarland 2010) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2868213/

Anti-inflammatory effects of Saccharomyces boulardii mediated by myeloid dendritic cells from patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, (Thomas et al. 2011) http://ajpgi.physiology.org/content/ajpgi/301/6/G1083.full.pdf

Efficacy and safety of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii for the prevention and therapy of gastrointestinal disorders, (Kelesidis & Pothoulakis 2012) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296087/pdf/10.1177_1756283X11428502.pdf

New Dietary Ingredient Notification for S boulardii (FDA submission) by Biocodex (Florastor) (includes summary table and more references) http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/95s0316/95s-0316-rpt0301-04-vol239.pdf


And the dose for a cat was determined from this UC Davis study on antibiotic-resistant treatment of C diff: http://vdi.sagepub.com/content/11/1/50.full.pdf

In addition to LDG's advice above, I'd consider making stock from bones and adding it to food.  A crock pot makes this a really easy task.  Just put bones and enough water to cold water to cover them in the crock pot, a tablespoon or 2 of apple cider vinegar (or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar would probably do), and put it on low at least 12 hours.  I've let mine go 24 hours with no problem.  For the kitty, you don't have to do all the defatting and straining, just get the bones out and save the stock.  If you have an ice cube tray, perfect!  Pour it in that and freeze individual servings.  Put the cubes in a bag and keep in a freezer.  Throw away these cooked bones, do NOT feed them to any  creature.  They will splinter and cause major issues.

You mentioned trying raw, was it a commercial raw or what?  I ask because one of mine had the worst diarrhea I'd ever seen and the vets were stumped.  He'd leave "marks" on me too.  It was so sad.  Finally I tried raw, but as I was making it the very first time they were driving me crazy so I through the bone on the floor thinking they would just nibble on the meat.  Nope, Gadget took off with the whole bone and busted through the chicken thigh in only a couple of tries.  Before I could get it away from him (cats are experts at getting underneath the exact center of the couch), he ate half of it.  His diarrhea resolved in 24 hours.  I'm not advising you to throw down a chicken thigh bone like I did, but if broth/stock is too much hassle, maybe try a raw chicken wing flat.  Bone is constipating for some cats, but it was a Godsend for my crew.  Especially Gadget.  I seriously thought about euthanasia a few times.

There is a lot of solid advice here and I would suggest you pick and choose according to you and your vets thoughts on all this. You can't do everything and certainly not all at once. Giving the prednisilone time to work (1-2 weeks) is an important step if this is a new therapy combined with a bland diet or W/D (effective at sopping up liquid) along with B12 and sub Q fluids.

Your cat deserves another chance and you may gain quality time. If nothing works and she continues to deteriorate avoid magical thinking and start thinking about letting her go, but not yet!

All the best
Stephen

I would like to thank everyone over this past week for their kind words and good advice.  I was already implementing many of the treatments recomended by some of you.   As a human sufferer of C Diff last year, and going through my own 4 months of hell, I was already familar with Saccharomyces Boulardii as that treatment helped my own diarrhea immensely.  Incidentally any of you who go on any antibiotic therapy I would encourage taking Saccharomyces Boulardii as it prevents antibiotic associated diarrhea.  When I wasn't pleased with the FortiFlora from the doctor I researched the right dosage for Ferris and had been giving S Boulardii  to him for months.  I was also two months into giving him weekly injections of B12 which the 2nd Vet encouraged.  He also gave me some skin tests I could do with Ferris to determine if he was getting dehydrated and I would give him Sub Q fluid injections.    I also tried to slowly implement two types of raw food.  One was freeze dried but the other I followed a recipe online to prep on my own.  He just wouldnt take to it even when it was the only food offered.  But By then his appetite was pretty poor.

I hadn't tried the baby food although I had read about it.  I bought a few jars to see if I could coax him into eating yesterday along with some baby rice cereal.  When I went home yesterday Ferris was covered in poo and was struggling to breathe.  I took him to the ER and his lungs were filling with fluid, his white count was 44K and his kidney function was poor.  I couldnt in good conscience let him go through any more.  He is resting now.  I had never lost a pet before and while holding him at the end was gut wrenching, returning home to the house was so much worse.  I was not prepared for the level of emotion I would experience.  He was my friend and companion when I needed it the most after my divorce.  Our time was very short together but I hope I brought some joy to the last few months of his life. He was very loved and I will miss him.