My sisters cat has ibs and eats paper (pica)

Hi, my sister has a cat who several years ago developed explosive diarrhea. She says her vet looked at everything and they think it's ibs. Tonight, she mentioned her cat eats paper. Is ibs linked to pica--paper eating, in this case--or might the pica be a clue her vet has overlooked? Supposedly her vet has done blood work up the azz, but the cat still has this diarrhea. It's horrible. The cat has ruined all her carpeting and the house smells terrible. I feel bad for the cat, but worse for my sister, really. I personally could not handle this. I'm hoping someone here might have an angle on this through their own experiences with feline ibs.

I hope your sister has tried dietary changes (novel protein with limited ingredients food and/or raw), probiotics, and prednisolone.  Poor kitty should also have been dewormed and tested for parasites/bacterial infections.  I remember reading something just the other day about a strain of bacteria not typically tested for that can cause chronic GI problems.  I wish I could remember what it is!   Coccidia is another bug to watch out for.

I'm not even sure how a kitty could survive that long with chronic diarrhea (!).  They can get dehydrated really fast, so that's always a foremost concern.  My boy has soft stool on a regular basis (thanks, cyclosporine!) and occasional diarrhea.  When the dire rear rears its ugly head, my go-to kit is composed of the following: Gerber 2nd Foods Chicken & Gravy, infant rice cereal, unflavored pedialyte.  The cereal is added to the baby food, then the pedialyte is mixed in to hydrate the cereal.  The mixture has a silky texture he finds very appealing.  Works like a charm every time.  Slippery elm bark powder kicks things up a notch (mix with pedialyte or water, then add to baby food if cat doesn't find it appetizing on its own).  

As far as pica goes, a full blood work-up is necessary to rule out anemia or vitamin deficiencies. It's usually a sign the kitty is lacking something, and that seems like a distinct possibility in a cat with chronic diarrhea.  If everything is A-Ok physically, it might be OCD.  SSRIs can help with that.

That's all I've got; I hope you get some more input and suggestions.  Best wishes!

I just got an update from my sister. She has him on meds and claims the diarrhea is gone; however, another sister says the house doesn't smell like it is. Sigh. I will let her know what you have used. Thank you!