Super ignorant needs help!

We adopted a cat about six months ago. She was going to the pound, and we knew she would be put down pretty fast. So we took her in.
And then I lost my job, my partner lost his. We love this cat, she's family, but vets are crazy expensive and I'm scared that something might be wrong with her.
She has had epic diarrhea. It has been improving, seems to up and down, I can't track a pattern. She's a slender cat, always has been but lately she seems too thin. She cries like she's in pain but she has no tender spots.
She will play with her kitten happily, they go crazy at a certain time of night.
We feed her biscuits, and she seemed happy with a few packets of wet food a day (still had diarrhea, but not yowling like she's in pain) but I was told they were bad for her so I bought her pet mince. She didn't really take to it. I tried human beef mince. 0 interest (I know it's fresh). But she demolished a piece of bacon I fed her. We wormed her yesterday.
So I'm getting her more ton food. Hopefully she just isn't used to raw meat and she will eat the tin food. I can't afford a vet, we are in a small dying mining town and no one can afford to take her (I'm not giving her to a stranger, but no one I know can afford another responsibility.) we are saving like crazy, in three weeks we are having her desexed. The procedure comes with a full health check, but I hate seeing her upset. Please don't judge me I'm doing the best I know how.

You are doing fine, even better coming to this site where help will hopefully come. The only thing I noticed in your post that may be contributing to her diarrhea is that she is changing food quite often, that could definitely cause diarrhea. Try to stick with one food. NO MILK! That causes diarrhea in cats. Go back through some of the past posts under Cat Health, I'm sure there are lots of home remedies you could try, like pumpkin and plain yogurt, or go on the internet for some advise. Or call a vet and ask, they often will help over the phone and I have often asked for over the counter remedies and went in to pick them up. Make sure she is getting lots of water to combat dehydration. Right now you need to get her to eat, try human meat baby food, they seem to really like that, or really whatever she will eat. Even though it is a little expensive, a container lasts a long time and is good to keep on hand, get some 'kitten milk replacer' found in most pet sections, it is a powder you can put on her food that is really good to build her back up, and my nursing mamas LOVE it! If she is nursing a kitten, she will be thin, it may be time to wean.You are doing fine, and bless you for taking her in, I'm sure she loves you very much for helping her. Take care.......

SavvyTheCat said:

She cries like she's in pain but she has no tender spots.

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Could she be in heat?

rubysmama said:

Could she be in heat?

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She is making the same noise, but not the same behavior. She has been in heat twice now; both times it's been really obvious what's going on. She rubs her ass on EVERYTHING.
Is it possible for her to be on heat without her typical on heat behavior? And does the whole 'on heat' thing mean she isn't pregnant?
Sorry for the third degree, I've never owned a cat :/

I've only seen a cat in heat once,  a long time ago. She was only 5 months old and she was spayed the next month, so I really have no experience with cats in heat.  It was just the thought that came to my mind when you said she was crying but didn't seem to have any tender spots.   And yes, if they are in heat, they aren't pregnant... yet.  

SavvyTheCat said:

She is making the same noise, but not the same behavior. She has been in heat twice now; both times it's been really obvious what's going on. She rubs her ass on EVERYTHING.
Is it possible for her to be on heat without her typical on heat behavior? And does the whole 'on heat' thing mean she isn't pregnant?
Sorry for the third degree, I've never owned a cat :/

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I'm sorry to hear that your kitty (and you) are going through this. I agree that a lot of changes to their diet quickly could be contributing to her diarrhea and that cow's milk should be avoided. If you can find a wet food that she likes and is budget friendly for you, that might help. I don't know where you're located but Friskies pates could be a good choice for her. A lot of cats like them and you can get them (if you're in the US) at at good price. Dollar Tree has 13 oz cans for $1.00. The 5.5 ounce cans are usually around .50 at stores like Wal Mart. If you have a Petsmart near you, they have their house brand, Grreat Choice which is similar to Friskies and Fancy Feast and they are reasonable priced as well. I'd stick with the pates with these brands as much as possible. If there is a Tractor Supply Company nearby, they have their house brand, 4Health which is also good and reasonably priced. They have pretty good prices on litter as well. 

When I notice any type of digestive issues in my cats, I give them some plain canned pumpkin puree in their food. NOT pie filling. Plain pumpkin can be found in the same area of the store as pie filling. Just make sure that there are no ingredients in it other than pumpkin. It's a good source of natural fiber and has good moisture in it to help regulate the colon. Most cats also like the taste. Mine do. 

If she is in heat, keep a sharp eye on her. They are very intelligent, resourceful, intuitive creatures and if there is a way for her to get out for some "romance", she will find it. If there are any intact toms in the area, they will figure out pretty quickly that she's in heat and you'll have them singing "love songs" to her outside your house. They also might start spraying which is even more unpleasant than their singing voices. 

You did a wonderful thing by taking this little girl in and you are doing her a big favor by having her spayed in a few weeks. She's lucky to have someone who cares about her so much. 

Oh yeah, while I'm at it-  Welcome to TCS!!   

You are  doing a wonderful job taking care of this girl - don't ever feel like you're not!  I hate it when outside people insinuate that "not-wealthy" people shouldn't have pets - would they better off out on the street, then?  Versus at home with someone who loves them?     What did you use to worm her - Strongid?   I get the tube of Strongid from the horse section at our tractor supply store.   It's an $8 tube and it's the exact same that vets would use for a cat.   (You will need a syringe - no needle - in order to dose properly......but that one tube of Strongid will last FOREVER lol)   In any case, the de-wormer med could be contributing to the diarrhea as well, but that will resolve on its own.

The canned pumpkin is a really good idea - you'll find it in the baking section at the grocery store with all the pie stuff.  Just make sure the canned pumpkin you get is just straight-up pumpkin - not the "pumpkin pie filling".   The dose is one tablespoon a day - you can add it to the canned cat food, and you don't have to put it all in one meal - you could split it up between lunch/dinner, etc.  It helps for treating hairballs, diarrhea, or constipation.      

Try to give your cat a consistent diet for now - find one canned food she likes and just stick with that for now until the diarrhea clears up, then you can start building a rotation of different foods.   The canned food you get should ideally be a pate - not the kind with bits and gravy (they contain wheat gluten which isn't tolerated well by some cats).  Friskies has pate versions - you could also get the pate versions of 9Lives - those are like $0.40 a can and that's what I feed the outside stray cats, they love it!   I would avoid any treats, milk, human food (other than the canned pumpkin or the plain unflavored yogurt as mentioned above..    If you decide to give her the plain unflavored yogurt, the dosage would be the same as the pumpkin - 1 tbsp a day.   I would probably start with just the pumpkin and see if that helps before trying the yogurt out.      

Good luck and good job on getting her a spay appointment - you are doing great with this little girl!      

Thanks guys, she is officially under house arrest in case she is in heat and I'm cooking her some pumpkin as we speak; I have seen those pates in Australia so I'm picking some up today too.
Thanks for all the help, I do feel better. You guys are awesome!

I have some thoughts. First? Lots of cuddles. Second, if she wants variety give it to her but only after one food wears itself out. Annabel gets tired of some so I switch when I can. If you can get ACV give it in a dropper with more water. I suggest only a short way up the dropped and make sure the water more than covers that. She'll thank you beauty wise. Once a day is plenty. Food should be twice or whatever she tells you she needs. Clean her litter box daily. Super important too. Also, don't think cats eat fish only. Taurine can only be found in good hearty sources of meat. No taurine causes blindness. Flea and tick drops work best when that time of year comes around. Even inside cats need it. Depression is normal. My child is going through it too and reassurance is big. Treats aren't a sub for love and you talking it out to her for her. Remember--she can't tell you verbally herself. Just like humans havvpe "issues" so do cats and kittens. Spaying is ultra important too if you haven't already. As for baby food? I wouldn't, its water she gets from wet and by far not nutritionally complete. Wet and dry food together is important to maintain weight. Hairballs won't be an issue if she eats right, has the cider vinegar once a day and any vitamin that might be called for. Hope this helps