Why Does a Cat Have Recurring Diarrhea?
📝 Summary
A healthy cat does not have diarrhea, so recurring bouts deserve attention. The usual triggers are overeating and poor digestion, internal parasites, or gastroenteritis — and when diarrhea comes with vomiting, fever, or refusal to eat, it may be enteritis or even panleukopenia and needs a vet at once.
1 Causes of Recurring Diarrhea
Poor digestion is the leading cause — owners who let portions run large keep the cat overeating, which produces constant loose stools.
Parasites: internal worms speed up gut movement and cause diarrhea; you may see worms or the odd streak of blood in the stool.
Gastroenteritis: erratic feeding — sometimes starving, sometimes gorging — builds enteritis over time. Besides diarrhea it brings vomiting and dullness.
2 What to Do
If it is dietary or digestive, withhold food for half a day to a day (keep water available) and watch. Once it improves, feed again in small amounts, keep the food clean, stop offering unsuitable scraps, and replace any spoiled kibble.
If parasites are the cause, deworm on schedule. A roughly three-month-old cat can have a fecal test and deworming at the clinic; ask the vet which product to use, then keep food and water clean and away from dirty water or raw food.
If enteritis, panleukopenia, or another serious illness is behind it, diarrhea comes with vomiting (foamy, foul), fever, sleepiness, and refusal to eat — get the cat to a clinic without delay.
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