What to give a cat for diarrhoea? Cat Diarrhoea causes/symptoms/treatment

You`ve noticed while cleaning out your cat’s litter box that they’ve been having cat diarrhoea lately, and you’re a little concerned. Millions of cat parents witness this same issue with their cats every year. Whether your cat’s version is the soft and gooey variety, the streaky bloody style or the unfortunately watery kind, you can be sure you’re not alone in your litter box observations.

What is Cat Diarrhoea?

Diarrhoea is defined as stool that is softer, looser or more watery than it should be. Cats with diarrhoea may defecate more frequently than usual, have accidents in the house, and may pass blood, mucus or even parasites in their faeces.

Though most cases of cat diarrhoea resolve in a matter of hours or days without intervention, cats who have it for more than a few days, or that show more severe signs (such as vomiting, appetite loss, bloody stools, watery stools or tiredness), should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.
It’s important to note that smaller cats and kittens with diarrhoea are especially susceptible to dehydration, so they should always be evaluated by a vet.

Symptoms of  Cat Diarrhoea

In addition to unhealthy stools, cats with diarrhoea may also have the following symptoms:

  • Mucus or blood in stool
  • worm on the chair
  • buy at home
  • bowel movements with increased frequency
  • compulsion to defecate
  • nausea or vomiting
  • loss of appetite
  • fatigue or weakness
  • colic
  • weight loss

Causes of Cat Diarrhoea

There are many reasons for diarrhoea. This often happens when your cat eats something unusual or changes its diet drastically.. When switching from one type of cat food to another, it’s best to move slowly over a week, gradually adding more new food and less old food. This conversion allows your pet’s digestive system to adjust and reduce the chances of diarrhoea.

Other potential causes of diarrhoea include:

  • virus
  • helminth
  • bacterial growth in the gastrointestinal tract
  • food allergy
  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • Antibiotics and other medicines
  • toxin
  • pancreatitis
  • liver disease
  • hyperthyroidism
  • crayfish

What should I do if my cat has diarrhoea?

Evaluate your cat’s behaviour. Are they in a good mood, or are they more tired than usual? Do you have anorexia or other unusual symptoms? Do they vomit too? A single case of cat diarrhoea that resolves on its own within a few hours and is not accompanied by other symptoms is usually not considered an emergency.

Treatments & How Nutrition Impacts Cat Diarrhea

Treating diarrhoea depends on its underlying cause. There are many available treatments for diarrhoea that may be recommended by your vet depending on a variety of factors. However, nutrition plays a key role in managing this condition.

Nutrition plays a significant role in a healthy cat stool. Poor nutrition may lead to chronic (ongoing) diarrhoea, so an assessment of your cat’s nutrition will be conducted by your vet. They recommend changing cat food as a course of treatment. A low-fat diet or easily digestible complex carbohydrates rich in complex carbohydrates and added fibre may be recommended.

Chronic diarrhoea is usually treated with a special nutritional plan along with medications. In many cases, your veterinarian will recommend nutritional therapy for the rest of your cat’s life to help maintain proper digestion for conditions that cannot be treated immediately. Your veterinarian may recommend a medicated cat food specially formulated to aid digestion and diarrhoea. Many cases of chronic gastrointestinal disease in cats respond well to a highly digestible diet supplemented with prebiotic fibre. This category of gastrointestinal disorders is called food enteropathy.

Diarrhoea in cats is unfortunate, but with the right treatment and care from your veterinarian, your cat can come back happy and healthy.

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