Help--diarrhea, red gumline

I hope you can help. I have a mama and her now 11-month old kittens as indoor/outdoor cats. One of them was having diarrhea last month--too much, so took her to the vet. The vet discovered her gumline was quite red, tested a fecal sample (no worms) and tested her for Feline Leukenia and HIV--everything came back negative. He gave me Clindamycin (Sp?) to give her, 1.5 ml per day, once a day till gone, and I gave her her first dose last night. Earlier, via phone, he had me get some Science Diet ID canned cat food that a friend making the trip picked up for me, and that did not seem to help much--although my access to it was limited and perhaps I didn't continue long enough with it.

I am a brand new cat owner, having adopted the mama who was a lovable stray who then had five kittens. They have been spayed, neutered, vaccinated, tested, and inspite of being indoor/outdoor cats, are beautifully groomed and healthy looking.

Silky, the one with diarrhea and red gums, continues to groom herself, her eyes are clear, and she is playful. She does pick at her food and seems to prefer the dry food which I think would be harder on her gums! They get just a little Fancy Feast at mealtime and the vet switched them from kitten food to Science Diet dry adult food recently. I bought some Purina One sensitive stomach food locally--but I hear Purina has a rep for causing diarrhea. Please advise me--anyone with experience--both conditions worry me a lot.


Thanks, Alliecallie & Clowder
(Silky, Fluffy [aka Boy], "DT" Deep Trouble [aka Gypsy], Butterscotch [aka Squeaker] and Maizie [aka Betty Boop] and last but not least, their Mama, Little Gray!

The diarrhea might be due to the changes in food (correct me if I'm wrong) but it sounds like they have been eating numerous types.

Is the dry cat food in large or small pieces? It could be that your kitty is just swallowing them. Have you asked your vet about the possibility of Peridontal Disease, it could be the cause of the red gums. (kitty will require antibiotics and a descale and polish if this is the case) If you look at the teeth of the red gummed kitty, are they discoloured? Is the gum at the front of the mouth red also, or just at the back?

I would recommend thet you possibly get a second opinion, as your present vet may have missed something?

Others will come along too and I'm sure they'll be able to give you better advice.

Hi there

I did a bit of a search on google and you might find this page useful about the red gumline issue http://www.petplace.com/cats/periodontitis/page1.aspx

It discusses the same kind of treatment that was given to your kitten and has a picture that you could compare to see if the symptoms are the same.

With regard to the diaorrhea, it could well be that your kitten has some kind of parasite. Lily suffered with diaorrhea for some time, there was also some blood present. We took fecal samples to the Vet, but they came back negative. She appeared to be healthy otherwise. The Vet decided that before more invasive tests were carried out, they would put Lily on a large dose of Panacur (an anti-parasitic) for 7 days to see whether that cured it. After 7 days she was clear and it hasn't returned.

It may be that the two conditions are connected - it may be that they are separate and require different treatment. Talk to you Vet about it and be prepared to ask questions, and ask them to explain things that you don't understand.

It does take some time for a change of food to be tolerated by some cats. It is usually recommended that changes of food are introduced gradually as a sudden change can cause diaorrhea.

I don't know if any of the above is relevant, but hope it helps somehow.

How is Silky feeling now? The previous posts offer great information. If she is still having the diarrhea, retesting for parasites would be an idea to pursue. It may be that her tummy is sensitive to her present food. How is she doing now that she switched to Purina One's sensitive stomach formula? As mentioned, to help prevent GI upset, we should change our kitties' diets very gradually when necessary to do so. A side effect of the antibiotic she was prescribed is diarrhea, so that likely helped to exacerbate the condition.

Something I would recommend is to begin giving Silky a little Acidophilus with each meal.

Periodontal health is very important to our kitties' overall well being, so when Silky is feeling better, you may want to consider having her teeth cleaned and possibly begin a daily cleaning ritual.

If you and she have yet to find a solution, you may want to consider seeking an alternate Vet.

Please do keep us updated how Silky is feeling!