What should I do if my cat has diarrhea, vomiting and seems unwell after moving?
Expert Answer
When a cat first arrives in a new home, the long trip can easily cause it to fail to adjust — that is, the cat may be having a stress reaction, which often brings diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. So when changing environments it is best to have the usual food ready, bring items with a familiar scent to reduce anxiety, add probiotics to the diet to settle the stomach, and keep the surroundings quiet to lower the cat’s stress. Usually it recovers on its own after one or two days of care.
If there is no clear improvement, along with dropping energy and appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, it is possible that feline distemper (panleukopenia) has broken out. Distemper, also called feline panleukopenia or feline infectious enteritis, is an acute, highly contagious feline disease. Its symptoms include severe vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, lethargy, loss of appetite and high fever.
Most cats that change environment carry or contact the distemper virus; once immunity drops and they lack enough antibodies, they become infected. Distemper comes on fast and has a high death rate, so take the cat to a clinic promptly for the right treatment.