Cat has diarrhea since 11th dec need advice

Hi all members, my tabby suddenly developed diarrhea last Friday I thought it shall pass but got worried on Sunday. That evening his demeanor changed & he wanted to be left alone that was alarming. But no vet clinics were open & since I adopted him 10 months ago from our local shelter I haven't taken him to a vet as he is a shy cat & I thought it will stress him & we had just begun to get him to trust us. So I went to Petsmart & got him dry food for sensitive stomach by Science Hill thinking probably the food he ate was a problem. Before this I was feeding him 2 cans of Fancy Feast Classic (Chicken & Turkey Giblets) with Fortiflora (probiotic) & nature's instinct's dry & nature's instinct raw chicken bites as treats on top. But the diarrhea didn't stop I called a vet home on Monday to see him by then he had returned to his normal self. She found him fine physically & we got the stool test done. It came back negative for parasites she said. He is on Science Hill prescription diet for digestive health he eats only dry he didn't like the wet version of it. I have to wait 48 hrs & see if a change occurs in his poop. It has not happened as of now. I had read online about adding pumpkin, metamucil for fiber etc but my cat didn't touch it. Vet is saying we have to do further testing for bacterial infection which would cost additional $170. Have already spent $200 on vet bill & food. Also, maybe ultrasound and all. This is all becoming expensive for me. I am worried & stressed to no end I just want my cat to get better & return his poop to normal. He has been pooping 4-5 times a day. This is my first ever pet & have no experience & no friends with cats who can help me out or share their wisdom. I turn to you guys here for help. Also, I have seen people talk about making food at home & feeding the cat unfortunately I cannot do that though I wish I could. I have been a vegetarian since I was born & I cannot imagine cooking meat. The best I can do is buy canned food. Any suggestion would be helpful maybe something that worked for your cat. Thanks!

The diarrhea has stopped?  Are his poops normal like tootsie rolls now?  Did she give you anything to stop the diarrhea like Metronizadole?

It's possible he just ate something that didn't agree with his system.  I would try meds and sensitive tummy foods before doing further testing at this time. 

The diarrhea has not stopped. His poops used to be like tootsie rolls until this happened last Friday. The vet has not prescribed any meds. Just Science Hill prescription diet i/d. She wants to observe if there is any change in his poop after being on it for 48hrs. I started it last evening. So till Thursday i.e tomorrow evening have to wait & see. He went poop about an hr ago & its still loose. He also vomited a hairball immediately after that. And then ate his Science Hill prescription dry food.

I don't know but I am a mess right now feeling extremely sad for my kitty. He is brave holding up inspite of pooping so many times. But I am a wreck. Thanks for replying stephanietx  

I have a kitty with a sensitive tummy who has been on a prescription food for 5 years now, and I would not allow diarrhea to continue for this long.  Diarrhea can lead to dehydration, even if they are eating and drinking.  I think I would either consult with a different vet or talk to the vet and ask for something to help firm up his poops.

Metronidazole would definitely help.

I have made an appointment with another vet she is cat only vet. Will be seeing her tomorrow evening. George my cat still has diarrhea

So happy you're going to get a second opinion.  I really hope you find some relief for your baby. 

He'll be right as rain in no time!  Keep us updated.

@Tabbymama, what did you find out at the new vet?  How's your baby doing?

After his physical examination by second cat only vet (she has 20 yrs experience & is from U.C Davis) she felt his stomach & all & said he appears fine. Not dehydrated in her opinion. We gave her fecal sample to run the more expensive/intensive tests (PCR PANEL)for the whole panel of parasites/bacteria. The test results will come by Monday. She also gave him B 12 injection. And continue on his Science Hill Prescription diet i/d of dry food. And adding Fortiflora. It might be something he ate got a stomach bug & she said it takes sometime to build your good bacteria again & that's why the stool's are still loose. Doing xrays/ ultrasounds we didn't do because he being young cat 3yrs old very less likelihood of severe disease like cancer, tumor etc. Didn't take antibiotic prescription just yet as she said that also causes diarrhea & vomiting. We are going to wait & see for his results to come & monitor him.

On a side note: After I had adopted my cat George 10 months ago I wanted to find out the best food I could give him. His previous owner used to give him only dry food meow / alley mix. And in shelter they gave him Science Hill. So after reading forums/ sites which said these food contain fillers like corn etc I switched him to Nature's Instinct wet food & dry. But he didn't like it. So I tried Tikki cat & Weruva brand he didn't like Weruva & Tikki cat he drank the broth & didn't eat that much either. I tried Fancy Feast classic chicken & Turkey giblets. He was eating those for past few months 4-5 months until this happened. So I stopped that diet thinking maybe its the food, maybe the batch was not good. And I got this Science hill prescription diet. I am not a fan of diets with fillers but if my cat doesn't eat healthier food I don't know what to do. Science Hill he eats. So if that what he is happy with I am fine. I have decided not to go crazy with all the opinions on cat food diet. Raw food also I had tried Primal way back he liked it but their batches are not consistent in quality & my cat would stop eating it if he sensed any difference. They were too expensive to throw away if he rejected them. So I stopped Primal. Both vets were a big NO for raw food. Even though there are many proponents for raw food diet I see on net. I cannot make raw food myself & if I cannot trust the quality of raw food from commercial companies I am not going to try it. Even with probiotics there are so many opinions. Fortiflora people say has only one active bacteria but for my cat if its suiting him fine till now I don't want to try anything new on him now when he has diarrhea & the vet told me to continue it. Anyways, that's where I am now with my cat.

I would say for now, keep him on what he'll eat.  Add in the probiotics and see if that helps firm up his poops.  Is he still having diarrhea or just loose stools?

Prior to this diarrhea episode I was giving him Fortiflora probiotic so continuing that. Poop is still not firm. I would say he has diarrhea goes 5 times a day instead of once a day before.

The food that he would only lick the gravy, you could try adding water and mashing it so it's all like a thick gravy. It could be he liked the flavor but not the texture.

Food sensitivity could be an issue. If the tests for parasites come back negative, might be worth trying a protein he's never eaten before, maybe he developed a sensitivity to something really common like chicken. Definitely only give him one type of food for now, whatever it is, makes it easier to narrow down what the issue is.

Saccharomyces boulardii, a kind of yeast, is a probiotic specifically shown to work well for diarrhea. My cat will not tolerate the taste at all though, so you might have to give it by pill if your cat's like mine. It didn't help her most recent bout of diarrhea, but that was because I was feeding her food that was irritating her stomach, and when I switched to a different food (horse meat only) the diarrhea went away in about 24-36 hours. (So far, my cat's had problems with fish, chicken, turkey, and pork.) I tried pumpkin baby food and all it did was give her orange diarrhea, and the psyllium (metamucil) the vet gave me to firm up her poop also had no effect. But, those are both things that do help some cats. Did you try mixing the pumpkin into the food? Or putting Fortiflora on it?

It's so painful to see your cat have diarrhea. Mine had the terrible watery kind for about a week recently, every time I heard her in the litter box I would wince.

Edit: I've heard Fortiflora isn't the strongest probiotic, you could try doubling or tripling it and see if that has any effect.

Thanks samus for your reply. I tried pumpkin but he sensed something was different by smelling & walked away. I will ask the vet about the probiotic you have mentioned. I will consult with vet on Monday about his diet whether its food sensitivity if tests are negative. I was giving him chicken & turkey before. Alternating them. Morning chicken fancy feast can classic & evening turkey giblets can classic. With fortiflora sprinkled on top & raw freeze dried nature's instinct chicken bites on top. I am wondering was it the raw food? I don't know. I have tried other meats with him before made by Nature's Instinct Rabbit, Duck, Venison & he didn't even touch them. Just smelled & walked away. So if I have to find some novel protein I don't know what it will be. Though I read the other option in such cases would be to give hydrolyzed canned food. Anyways, I hope things get better soon. Thanks for your suggestion on probiotic.