My senior cat has constant diarrhea... what should I do?

[yinyangkitti]

Our oldest cat is 13. We've had her since she was about 7wks. For the past year her health (physical and mental) has been fluctuating a lot. I don't know if it is just due to old age or if there is another reason that we've missed. More recently her digestive health has gotten really bad. She is at the point to where she poos about 5+ times a day and is always watery and extremely smelly and if she uses the box 1 or 2 times without me changing it she will use the floor or any dirty laundry left nearby. You can tell she has gotten very sore by the way she holds her backend down. I've taken her to 2 different vets this year for the same issue. They have run all sorts of tests from diabetes and leukemia to parasites to organ failure/damage. All results have turned out fine. Our local vet gave her 3 different medications including one for diarrhea which helped until she ran out. Then a week later it started up again. She doesn't have many teeth and the ones she does have give her issues often so she doesn't eat much dry food (and doesn't like it soaked in water or broth). I have tried switching her diet to different brands, specialty formulas, even an all natural/cooked diet blend. The one I'm trying now is 4health brand for sensitive stomachs. So far there has been no change (and I'm not switching her foods constantly.. these are things that have been tried over the past year during her health downfalls). I've tried other things too: food supplements, vitamin and probiotic treats, etc, but she is a very picky eater and will not even touch most of them even mixed in food and will not allow anything "forceful" near her mouth like syringes. Also we live in a rural area with 2 acres of wilderness so all of our animals are indoor/outdoor. They come and go as they please thru the pet door. I did notice that her health mostly improved during the summer when she was able to catch bullfrogs and other tiny creatures for snacks. Her behavior has also changed drastically in the past year or 2. She has become a lot more affectionately demanding towards me but fearfully of my husband (which I've posted about in a different forum). She wakes up crying sometimes like she is lost and doesn't know what is going on. I will have to talk to her or pet her and tell her it's ok. Then she will either chirp at me and lay back down and go to sleep or get up and try to headbutt me to hold her. I know some of her behavior and health is probably just age but I feel like there could be more to it. If anyone can offer advice I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

 

[di and bob]

She is older and is going through some changes. Get some Delectable Lickables at Walmart in the treat section and see if you can get some probiotics down her. Make sure it is the stew, not the bisque. Get some more of that medicine from the vet, if it was helping her. She may need several small meals instead of one larger one. Definitely get sensitive stomach food. She may be getting dementia from old age, so she may need a little more supervision and comfort now. Because of diarrhea make sure she has plenty of water in small bowls laying around, it encourages them to drink. She may have developed allergies too to certain products in her food so switching after being on them a while would help, eliminating one thing at a time, like fish or chicken. I'm so sorry, getting older is not easy on any of us. Thank goodness she has you to care for her, I'll pray you find the answers you need.....

 

[Mamanyt1953]

My best guess is that this is diet-related. And that's a bear, trying to figure out exactly what ingredient is causing her issues. I can tell you that many of our members have had good luck with novel proteins...duck, rabbit, venison, etc. The trick is to try one, keep her on it for about thirteen weeks, then if there is no improvement, move to another. Each change in food should be a slow process, mixing 1/4 new with 3/4 old for a few days, then half and half, then 3/4 new to 1/4 old, then finally all new.

Also, since she seems better when she is able to catch small game, I wonder how she might fare with a raw diet? IF you should decide to try this, you must do due diligence. The Cat Site does not advocate a raw diet, but several of our members have had good luck with this. Here are a couple of articles about raw feeding. There are both prepared diets, and homemade, but be SURE you are adding the necessary additives (taurine, for example)

(617) Homemade & Raw Food For Cats – A Collection of Guides – TheCatSite Articles
(617) Raw Food For Cats – Interview With Pet Nutritionist Dr. Martha Cline – TheCatSite Articles

Sending my very best wishes and good vibes your way for a solid (no pun intended) answer soon!

 

[stephanietx]

Has the vet done the PCR Diarrhea panel to rule out any parasites not picked up on the fecal float?

 

[yinyangkitti]

Has the vet done the PCR Diarrhea panel to rule out any parasites not picked up on the fecal float?

I'm not sure which tests they did. They took a fecal and urine sample and a blood sample. They said they tested for all parasites they were able to (not sure which those include tho) But both vets said the results were negative.

 

[stephanietx]

The PCR panel has to be sent out to a lab. It's not done in-house.