Kitty has the runs :(

Sammy is six months old and has had the runs for some time now. She finally tested positive for round worm and was dewormed again (she was before I got her too). I then gave her a follow up dose of dewormer from the Vet after 2 weeks. The runs haven't cleared up and here are my questions: My roomates have a 4 month old kitten who has been dewormed right after Sammy was positive. She also developed the runs the day after she was dewormed (never had them before). How long does it take for the stool to firm up and can the dewormer upset their tummies for extended periods?

Update:
Brought a new stool sample to the Vet for some more tests. She is now negative for all parasites including the roundworm. How long can I expect to see the runs? The Vet doesn't appear to be concerned and tells me if I am still worried after 2 weeks I can bring the kitty back in for another visit. She eats Iam's dry kitten food, has no stress from what I can see. I was told by a few people at the Vet that sometimes young cats may have the runs for a while?????? I never experienced this before but am no expert.

Did you adopt your kitten from a shelter? If so, how long ago? Have you always been feeding her Iams?

When I first got Dakota from her shelter, I gradually switched her over from Purina to Iams. When I brought Montana home, she went right to the Iams. She also had a fight with tape worms. I didn't notice any loose stools before that, but after she got her shot I did notice them. I contacted my vet and they mentioned that a sudden change in diet can cause a kitten to have the runs and cause gas. After a week or so, she started having solid stools and stopped farting, yay!

Yeah I adpoted her from a cat rescue right after thanksgiving. The loose stool and gas started a week or so after that but there were a few factors that needed to be ruled out. Found that one of my roomates had been slipping her some milk in the mornings which has now stopped. I believe she used to eat purina and now is on Iams. Then finally she tested positive for the round worm about 3 weeks ago. Just found out yesterday she has no more parasites of any kind. The gas is now gone but she is still runny.

Have they tested for giardia, coccidia and all the rest? Or were they just looking for parasites?

Excuse me for being ignorant but is the testing for giardia and coccidia done through a fecal exam? If not then I would say they have not checked for any of that stuff. If so, I'm not sure but I did ask them to check for everything. The vet said if it doesn't clear up in 2 weeks I can bring her back for more testing but he's confident that she is healthy.

Try adding some acidophilus to her diet. You can use the same capsule you get for people - just break it open and add it to her food. Mine like to lick it right off of the plate dry so she may do that as well. It could be that her digestive tract bacteria need some assistance and this may do the trick. I would certainly ask the vet if he did test for giardia and coccidia as well. Another possibility is that some cats have difficulty digesting carbohydrates and that can give gas and loose, smelly feces too. A higher quality kitten food that has fewer fillers might help.

Good luck

Kathryn

Well it appears that after a little bit of time Sammy's loose stool has firmed up and looks normal. I am quite pleased