constant diarrhea

We have a 16 year old female cat with diarrhea. She has it all the time, it never ends and has been going on for months. The vet said after her blood test that she may have liver disease or liver cancer. She was given medication for liver disease. She has not gotten better. She still has the runs. We have changed her food around but have mainly fed her stuff bought at the local grocery. She is constantly starving and always wants to be fed and then poops it right out. She going around the house meoing as though she is in pain or distress yet she still purrs. We have lost two other cats over the last year or two. I know she is also mourning their loss. Like I said she is always hungry, begging and always has the runs and seems to drink alot of water. Does anybody know what may be wrong?

I would take your cat to another vet immediately !!!!!
That poor thing must be in a lot of pain ; constantly having diarhea is not a pleasant thing --everybody will agree to that !!--
So please , if this vet can not find the cause , go to another one !!!

yes, a second opinion is definately in order!!

Until you can make another appointment at the Vets you might want to help her by adding fiber to her diet. You could use Benefiber, it's tasteless and will desolve completely in her wet food - just mix well. Abt. 1/2 teaspoon 2x a day could help her.

Please do not forget - this is not a solution - but might in the interim help till she get to another vet.

Good luck!

Your vet should run a complete blood panel to check for organ function and urine labs to rule out both kidney disease and diabetes. Increased appetite along with increased drinking/pee'ing as well as diarrhea can indicate either one and a complete lab analysis will help determine what the problem is. Both are extremely treatable. Does she also walk funny, like back down on the flat parts of her back feet at all? Do you notice any funny odor about her, like the smell of nail polish remover only a little sweeter? How is her posture? Is her back curved outward, like she is hunched over? Can you tell when you stroke her if her back hurts? Purring can also sometimes be an indication of fear or pain - don't let that be your guide here. Your kitty is sick and needs to be seen by a vet that won't just guess at her condition.

Geriatric cats (age 12 and above) should always see the vet every three to six months faithfully to catch age-related issues as early as possible. Those with chronic health issues should be seen at least monthly.

While at the vet, have them check her teeth too. If her teeth are in bad shape, it could be adding to the problem. The physical stress of dealing with dental issues such as systemic infections could be the culprit and easily corrected with a good cleaning/scaling and extractions if necessary, and a round of good antibiotics afterward.

Additionally, changing food around frequently is a good way to give your cat the runs. Ask your vet to recommend a good, higher-quality food that is right for your cat's age, weight and overall health condition, then feed it to her consistantly. Always provide plenty of fresh water in a clean dish, as the diarrhea and increased urination can cause dehydration quickly in cats.

I've cared for 3 diabetic cats, David, and the symptoms you are describing sound familiar. Please take her to another vet if yours isn't going the extra mile to help her. And if you need assistance in caring for her, I am available to help you.

Please let me know how it goes, I'll be worried until I hear from you,

Gaye

If your cat is peeing a lot and drinking a lot, those are tell-tale signs of diabetes. The diarrhea may be a symtom of Inflamatory Bowel Disease, which these two things along with Pancriatits(sp?) for Feline Triad disease. Fatty Liver Disease is also a possibility if the cat isn't eating. Please take your cat to another vet that will look into these things as Gaye suggests. All of these things are 100% treatable!!!!

If per-chance you find it is diabetes, please visit this website, there is a great message board there!

felinediabetes.com


-- Whiskers' mom

Originally posted by EDDorsey
If per-chance you find it is diabetes, please visit this website, there is a great message board there!

felinediabetes.com

Click to expand...

While I agree this site has some extremely good resource material on Feline Diabetes, it was my experience that the regularly-contributing members of the message board were a little less than welcoming if someone, for whatever their valid reasons may be, chose not to perform home blood glucose testing. I (and many others as well) were made to feel as though we were somehow providing less than the contributing members' standard of acceptable care if we didn't test our sugar-kitties at home. After being blasted for it for the 5th time, I chose not to post to the site anymore. It wasn't helping me at all, and in fact, caused more problems than anything else.

Additionally, I witnessed an all-out flame-throwing contest when someone asked if anyone else had any "intact" male diabetics ... the resulting caustic comments to this person who, from my POV had a very legitimate concern and questions about diabetic behavior specific to an intact male were simply atrocious! You would think from the sound of it that this poor kitty was out raping and pillaging the countryside the way they went on and on about getting him neutered immediately even though his vet suggested that he was not in the best of condition and wouldn't survive the surgical procedure. It was after this incident that I chose to leave the message board entirely.

Perhaps things have changed there - I dunno. But from the scan-glance I did of some of the messages, the old home testing theme is still alive and well.

Yours,

Gaye

I understand what you are saying, but I don't want to scare anyone off.

I'm just saying there is a TON of info there for those who feel like they are all alone when they find their cat has diabetes. It is not a death sentence, and I am glad I found that site for info and support. Just passing it on!

Erika

PS Gaye, I sent you an email too!

How is the color of cats stool if its clay like it could be pancrease pancrease deficiency symptoms are diarear constantly hungry and weight loss have you seen any weight loss in your cat? is your cat an indoor cat? have him or her tested for fip, are you giving your cat any medicin to stop diarear? also is your cat drinking ? since with diareer all the time your cat is becoming dehydrated, what tests were done for dr to determine what he feels cat has? What brand of food are you giving your cat? do you give your cat can food to?

Hi - I have dealt with this many times in three of my cats. Have you tried buying the A/D wet and dry cat food from your vets? It really worked for our cats. It must be food from your vets and not the grocery store. Now my cat has constipation and is only going once every two days but that is better because we have switched her foods to buying all natural wet and dry cat foods with just a little bit of Fancy Feast and she is also getting the fur ball ointment that is natural too. Do you have any dealers who sell only natural cat foods? If not, I will send you their email site.

Good luck.

Sue

Hello,Your cat could Have Hyperthyroidism.I'm impalled by the vet to just say He Thinks..What is that?That is lousy and to give you drugs that aren't helping.They are killing her.I would report that Vet.The symptoms of Hyperthyroidism are:Increased Appetite,Weight Loss,Hyperexcitability,Increased Thirst,Increased Urination,Many others could have Gastrointestinal upsets,,such as vomitting,and Diarrhea.Go to my website and there is another link to that has a website I do for different diseses.In fact I have Hyperthyroidism on it.My oldest cat Teddie is 19 years old and he has Hyperthyroidism.I administer Herbs for it and it is the only way I would go.Man made drugs are just a quick relief.

Hi and thank you so much for that website. I will look into it ASAP. I talked with her vet today and he said to put her back on the W/D feline food which is good for both diarrea and constipation. She had been on that for some time and then like a fool, I took her off of it because she stopped eating it and went back to Fancy Feast which is not good for her at all. Anyway, after eating two helpings of that today, she had a poop in after three days of waiting. Now we can both feel happy and relieved. I believe all that food in the grocery store for cats is terrible for our beloved ones. Thanks for your help. I love this site.

Sue