Bad Diarrhea :(

[courtneycatlady]

my 4 year old cat has had pretty bad diarrhea for the past 2 weeks ranging from soft stools to complete liquid cow patties. I think I noticed some mucus as well.
He makes frequent trips to the litterbox but otherwise is acting normal- he's eating and drinking and running around really early in the mornings (it's hard to tell if he's lethargic because he's always been pretty lazy).
He's only puked once so far, which was right before I went to bed tonight, but I'm still getting pretty concerned..

I'm thinking about calling the vet in the morning, but I need some tips on how I can help before I take him in. I'm withholding food for 12 hours as a lot of other sites suggested, but is there anything else I can do?

 

[stephanietx]

I think getting her to the vet is a great idea. The big concern with any kind of loose stools and diarrhea is dehydration. Is the poop really, really stinky? That's usually, but not always, an indication of food intolerance. You might have him checked for parasites as well just to cover the bases. Have you changed food recently or even opened a new bag of the same food if you feed dry? Sometimes the manufacturer changes the formula and that can upset the system.

 

[courtneycatlady]

I think getting her to the vet is a great idea. The big concern with any kind of loose stools and diarrhea is dehydration. Is the poop really, really stinky? That's usually, but not always, an indication of food intolerance. You might have him checked for parasites as well just to cover the bases. Have you changed food recently or even opened a new bag of the same food if you feed dry? Sometimes the manufacturer changes the formula and that can upset the system.

Yes it's pretty rancid, but his poops are always terrible smelling. He's been on the same food pretty much his whole life, but yeah it seems that since we opened the bag it's been ongoing- I never thought of that. What should I do about a food intolerance when it's his regular brand?

 

[stephanietx]

I would start looking for a new food. You can add wet food immediately to his diet. Dry food should be transitioned over a period of time (a few weeks) so that you don't cause stomach upset. However, you've already got that going on, so you might be able to introduce a new food and it would help the problem. I would suggest something grain free if you can find it.

 

[stephanietx]

But I still think a trip to the vet is in order. You can pick up something to help firm up the poops and maybe get a sample of some sensitive tummy food to help his tummy calm down and get his gastro tract back in order. Then you can work to transition him to a new food.

 

[courtneycatlady]

I would start looking for a new food. You can add wet food immediately to his diet. Dry food should be transitioned over a period of time (a few weeks) so that you don't cause stomach upset. However, you've already got that going on, so you might be able to introduce a new food and it would help the problem. I would suggest something grain free if you can find it.

He's on Simply Nourish grain free food right now. So maybe I'll switch to Wellness Core. Thanks, I'll start looking today and let you know