20 week old kitty sudden loose stooles - please help!

My kitty suddenly started having very loose stools several times daily. He'll go very often (3-4) times in a short span to get it all out, and sometimes it seems like there's some mucus in there, or at least I notice it on his butt afterwards when i clean him.. I'm not sure what to do or what has caused it.

He's been eating high quality wet food (Bozita and Animonda Carny). The other day I gave him a small amount of sardines in tomato sauce as a treat and I'm suspecting that he is reacting to that. But that's almost 2 days ago.. Would a food intolerance cause this and last this long?

He's otherwise eating and playing normally..  I started leaving out some dry food that he used to eat (Applaws) before I switched him completely to wet, so that he at least always has some food available (I'm worried about him not getting enough since he is ******** all the time).

At what point do I take him to the vet?

Please help a very worried mommy out!

I have a kitten with a sensitive tummy and I asked the vet almost this exact question last week. She said that sometimes a reaction to a new food can cause damage to the kitten's intestinal wall that takes several days to resolve. Have you tried mixing a probiotic or some cooked pumpkin into his food? Pumpkin helps my kitten better than anything else. He also likes a bit of natural yoghurt, which seems to help as well. Hope your kitty is better soon!

I have started adding some probiotic paste today. But I should try pumpkin too.. I'm just not sure if i'll be able to find any - it's not very common where I live (Norway). Are you supposed to use fresh pumpkin or canned or powdered or??

Honestly, I use butternut squash--it's the same thing. Butternut squash is often sold as canned pumpkin, in fact. I buy a whole one and roast it in the oven with no oil or seasonings until it's soft, then once it cools I put it through a sieve to take out the seeds and skin. I give some to the kitten and eat the rest myself . However, if that's too much hassle I have heard that some pet shops sell powdered pumpkin, and of course the canned is perfect, if you can find it.

I have a kitty with a sensitive tummy (and a fish intolerance, every time she's ended up with diarrhea for almost a week and more often than not needed antibiotics). I'd give it 3 days max depending on how often he's going. If my kitties are only running once or twice I'll give them the full 3 days, if it's more like 5 or 6 times a day usually about 48 hours.

On my vets advice I generally also remove all regular food for 24 hours and feed boiled/poached shredded chicken breast (plain, canned applaws also works well). Once poops firm up regular diet gets worked back in slowly over the next 24 hours.

I've got him eating plain cooked chicken right now.. I also found butternut squash (can't get pumpkin where I live) - would that work? How should I prep it? Raw? Cooked?

Just wash the butternut squash in clean water and put it on a baking sheet at 200 C for about an hour (maybe more or less depending on the size of the squash) turning it every 15 minutes until it is soft and squishes when you touch it. It will probably leak juices, and the skin will turn dark brown in spots, don't mind this. Let it cool until you can handle it then cut it in fourths and put each fourth through a sieve one by one to separate the flesh from the skin and seeds. Give the kitten about a tablespoon of the puréed flesh mixed into his chicken twice a day. Or he might lick it off a spoon--mine does this, he loves the squash. You can keep the purée in the fridge for about a week or freeze it in an ice cube tray or on a baking sheet in individual serving sizes. That way it will last for weeks and you can defrost the servings as you need them.

Thank you!!

Just an update: I called the clinic yesterday and explained the situation and they told me as long as he is eating/drinking and not lethargic I should just wait a few more days..

However I'm feeling really bad for him, he seems less energetic now and he's even started pooping on our blanket during the night (woke up to him trying to "bury" it the first time. The 2nd time he was digging before he went..).

So I called vet again today to see if I could get an appointment but the earliest I could get is Friday morning. Currently feeding him just plain boiled chicken since yesterday and added a little bit of pumpkin puree... Is there anything else I can do for him until I can get him to the vet? :/

Keep feeding him the pumpkin, it will take some time to see the benefits. I think when my kitten has diarrhoea it's like everything comes out of him and it takes a while to build up the solid poo again. Could you put a litter box near your bed so he doesn't have to go far to reach it? He's probably having a hard time holding the poo in, poor thing. My vet says the same thing yours does, though, that if everything else is normal just keep feeding him good stuff and wait it out. I really hope he's better soon, it is so upsetting to have your little baby go through this. I am sending you good vibes   

Kitty hasn't pooped in a whole day now! I wonder if I've suddenly made him constipated?? lol..  Also he had a huge appetite this morning. Gave him chicken with pumpkin to start with and he just kept begging for more - he's had like 5 meals (in small portions) in the span of just a few hours! (I left the pumpkin out of subsequent meals - just plain cooked chicken). He's also been a bit more playful. I hope this is a good sign? But now I'm just waiting and hoping for him to poop something.

Just reminding you that everything I post is anecdotal, I am no kind of expert. But, in the past when my kitten has had diarrhoea then started eating things designed to firm him up he has gone roughly 36 hours without pooing. As I said above, I think sometimes the diarrhoea clears them out and it takes a while for healthy poo to build up and move through their system. Unless your kitty is straining or crying in the litter box he's probably not constipated. 

profdanglais said:

 
Just reminding you that everything I post is anecdotal, I am no kind of expert. But, in the past when my kitten has had diarrhoea then started eating things designed to firm him up he has gone roughly 36 hours without pooing. As I said above, I think sometimes the diarrhoea clears them out and it takes a while for healthy poo to build up and move through their system. Unless your kitty is straining or crying in the litter box he's probably not constipated. 

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Well, that's good to hear at least ^^

I'm actually considering if I should cancel/put-off the vet visit tomorrow since this may have cleared up on its own?..

I'd still take him to the vet, just to be sure. They can feel his tummy to see how his stool is developing in his intestine, and just check his health generally. For peace of mind