Cat Diarrhea: Causes and What to Do

1 Digestive Upset and Diet Changes

Indigestion is common in kittens under six months; simple indigestion, also called soft stool, is usually triggered by a food change. Because a kitten’s gut and digestive system are delicate and lack many digestive enzymes, switching food easily upsets the stomach.

Adult cats may show temporary soft stool after an occasional recipe change; this usually needs no treatment, just a temporary reduction in portion size. If the stool is very loose and frequent, with an obvious sound of gas and stool passing together, you can use smecta, a lactobacillus preparation, or yeast to aid digestion and rebalance the gut flora. For a kitten with soft stool, stop cans and meat or other hard-to-digest foods and add lactase tablets two to three times a day.

2 Enteritis

Enteritis commonly causes diarrhea with poor spirits and a fever, and is divided into bacterial or viral forms. In bacterial enteritis, one group has no abdominal pain, passes stool very frequently in large volumes as watery feces, and soils the area around the anus. Another group shows obvious abdominal pain: the cat is reluctant to move and, when you gently lift a hind leg, pulls away before returning to the same posture; the stool is mucus- or pus-like and a few cases may show blood and fever, with a foul smell. Viral diarrhea usually brings loose stool with mucus and bubbles, abdominal pain, depression, unwillingness to move, mild dehydration, and occasional rapid breathing. In late stages the coat becomes rough, the abdomen bloats, and fluid runs from the mouth and nose; mortality is high. Enteritis must be treated promptly with fluid replacement, fasting, anti-diarrheal care, and antiviral treatment.

3 Parasites

With parasites the cat’s energy and appetite stay normal but the stool is unformed, and gut-function drugs have no effect. Suspect intestinal parasites and deworm accordingly. Even if a cat is not having diarrhea, regular internal and external parasite control is recommended.