Diarrhea- how long before vet trip?

Yesterday, Nico went to the litterbox and defecated. Not too long later he went back and had some diarrhea. It stunk something fierce. I checked his box today after work- he had passed solid stools and urinated, but then not too long ago he made two trips to the box and had diarrhea. Not much, but watery and light brown.

Otherwise he seems normal. He ate this morning but hasn't seemed interested in dinner yet tonight- this isn't totally unusual but I would like to see him eat some.

When I came home this evening he had regurgitated a hairball, which are infrequent for him, maybe one every 2-3 months. Could hair be upsetting his stomach now that it's getting warmer?

If this persists, how long should I wait to bring him to the vet?

I have the same diahrrea question about my kitty...

I would at least call them now. It's possible he's got worms (the case with my kitty). Also, you have to watch for dehydration.

Stephanie

I got him an appt for Wed night and the vet is a 5 min walk if need be before then. He's been drinking, but he hasn't show much interest in his food tonight. He went to the box a couple more times and passed a tiny bit of mucousy stool, but hasn;t been back in about 2 hours.

Mine had about of that a few weeks ago. Rambo still showed interest in food, but Lucky wasn't. Turns out her bum was so sore from the runs that she just didn't really want to eat. The vet gave them some probiotic paste to reset their tummies with good bacteria and all was well. To save some time you might want to take a fecal sample with you to the vet, they'll want to check for worms, coccidia etc.

For simple diarrhea I would withhold food for a day or so as long as the cat is drinking. Most food indiscretion type diarrhea is just the body trying to get rid of something and adding more food just prolongs the process.
Then start them back up on very small portions of the blandest food they will eat, and observe the litterbox happenings closely. This will clear it up 90% of the time.

If the cat has diarrhea and is not drinking then in all likelihood you will need a veterinarian to keep the cat hydrated.

Hi
I am sorry to hear your poor kitty is under the weather. I am a vet tech and I can honestly say diarrhea in kitties is common but does your kitty go outside and could have maybe picked something up? It could just be a case of upset tummy too. Melody and Uno when I first brought them home had diarrhea for months and could not figure it out, fecal samples came back normal, I tried everything! I finally switched their food and now they do great. I may also suggest that untill you go to the vet, and especially since it is important for kitties to keep eating,( otherwise they start to have kidney/liver problems) that you try some meat flavored baby food from the grocery store. It is plenty palatable and will also help calm the tummy if it is upset and the reason for not eating. As someone mentioned above-take a fecal sample with you to the vet, fresher the better and if the only one you can get is hours before your visit put it in the fridge-sounds GROSS but it is a must if you want the sample to be valid. Also if the diarrhea is so watery and you use clumping litter-empty out the litterbox and leave it clean, not much can be run from a wad of litter. Good luck to you and your poor kitty and we will send good thoughts to you both.

Definitely get a fecal when you go to the vet.

In the mean time, canned pumpkin can help him retain some fluid and bind the stool back up. Also, if he DOES start getting dehydrated, you can give him some flavorless pedialyte in the meantime and have the vet give sub Q fluids when you get there.

Well, he didn't make anymore box trips last night after the fourth, which was just about a teaspoon of mucous.

He made me happy by eating some wet food and dry food this morning, and picked up playing a bit more. He seemed alert all evening but more interested in sitting than running around, but I guess I'd feel the same if I had the runs. Was a bit more up and about this morning.

He's going to vet tomorrow, and I will try to get a stool sample to the vet's tonight.

My cats have loose movements all the time...I wouldn't say diarrhea but definitely loose and it stinks to high hell. I just assumed it was because they are still kittens. Is this right or should I be concerned?

Did you change cat foods recently??? This can also cause diarrhea.