From time to time, digestive problems are always faced by every cat. One of the common problems that occurs is diarrhea. Diarrhea usually lasts for a day and can go away on its own. However, diarrhea can also last for several days and can lead to dehydration, weight loss and lethargy. When there are such signs in your cat, you need to take treatment and check your cat's food intake.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Treating Your Cat's Diarrhea
Step 1. Know when to go to the vet
You should take your cat to the vet if your cat's diarrhea lasts more than a few days, your cat is vomiting or if your cat is lethargic (more lethargic than usual). Call your vet and ask if you should bring a stool sample if your vet needs one for analysis.
Step 2. Get your cat checked by the vet
Bring a stool sample that was passed less than 12 hours ago. A little red blood in the cat's feces is nothing serious. However, if the dirt looks black and sticky, then the blood is coming from an injured stomach. Several tests and treatments will be carried out by a veterinarian (blood performance, stool testing for parasites, electromagnetic rays and ultrasound).
Your vet will prescribe certain medications if you have intestinal parasites in your cat's feces. If intestinal parasites are not present, the veterinarian will prescribe medication to slow the diarrhea, such as Metronidazole, Prednisolone or Tylosin
Step 3. Give your cat the recommended medication
Bring your cat in a small room and close the door to the room. Hold your cat tightly with your left arm (if you're right-handed) and wrap it in a towel like a cocoon. Gently apply the medication with a spray (or eyedropper) next to the cat's mouth.
- Make sure the cat takes the medicine. Veterinarians can give you a spray or drops if they are administering a liquid medication. Don't hesitate to ask if you need help.
- You can mix a small amount of room temperature water with the next drop of medicine. This is done so that the taste of the drug can be easily lost from the cat's mouth.
Step 4. Pay attention to whether the cat's condition is improving or not
Ask your veterinarian about how long the cat's condition will improve. It can take months or more for certain chronic conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. Diarrhea in your cat can be cured if the treatment is successful.
Some signs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are: weight loss, dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea. Your vet will run tests to determine if your cat has IBD, chronic diarrhea related to bowel cancer or just plain diarrhea
Method 2 of 2: Changing Your Cat's Food
Step 1. Make changes to your cat's diet
If diarrhea occurs the day after you changed or introduced a new food to your cat, then that's the cause. Reuse old foods that are usually given that don't cause any particular problems. With it, cat litter can return to normal. When the stool becomes solid, try to change the food little by little.
Step 2. Pay attention if your cat has any food allergies
Change the cat's food if you notice that your cat has a food allergy. Food allergies can cause diarrhea in cats. Therefore, when you change food, make sure that the new food has different ingredients than the previous food. Otherwise, no significant changes will occur.
Your vet can suggest fiber-rich foods for your cat. Some foods may only be available at certain vets that are not sold in pet stores. Royal Canin, Hill's Prescription Diets and Purina provide special foods made for certain medications
Step 3. Introduce new foods slowly
You will need to introduce new foods for certain pets. A good comparison for this is 90 percent of currently consumed foods and 10 percent of new foods. In 10 days, increase the ratio little by little until you reach a whole new food. Pay attention to the cat's condition when you determine how much of an upgrade to make.
Some cats can receive a new 10% increase in food for a period of 3-5 days before increasing another 10%. There is no rule that requires you to increase the ratio at a certain rate of time
Step 4. Add Metamucil
Add half a teaspoon of plain Metamucil to your cat's diet once or twice for 5-7 days. With that, the cat litter will be solid. You can also add canned pumpkin. Both Metamucil and canned pumpkin are high in fiber.
Step 5. Add probiotics to your cat's diet
Probiotics can provide good gut "bacteria" to help rebalance the system damaged by diarrhea. FortiFlora, a Purina product that can be purchased without a prescription, can be a good choice for your cat.
Step 6. Give your cat plenty of fluids
Lack of fluids can occur due to diarrhea. This can dehydrate your cat. You can pinch the skin behind your cat's hump to check for dehydration. When your cat is not dehydrated, his skin will come back down immediately. If the skin is slowly coming back down or even sticking out, then your cat is dehydrated. Take your cat to the vet immediately if your cat is dehydrated.
Tips
- If possible, identify the initial cause of your cat's diarrhea so you can prevent it from coming back. Overactive thyroid gland (Hyperthyroidism), food allergies, kidney failure, cancer, poisoning (caused by plants, rat poison, drugs for humans etc.), and parasites that cause diarrhea. The vet will perform tests to determine the cause.
- Pressure can also be diarrhea. Changes that occur around the cat's environment such as the presence of new people, new pets, new places to live can result in cat emotional distress. Feliway, a product that can be purchased without a prescription, can help you cope with the stress your cat is experiencing. In certain cases, your cat may need further treatment. Consult a veterinarian.
- If your cat is out of the house, check to see if your neighbor is feeding the cat or not. Overeating or consuming foods that are not normally consumed can cause diarrhea in cats.
- Check your yard or your neighbors for poisonous plants that your cat can bite. Your vet can provide you with a list of poisonous plants.
- You can put newsprint or pads to make cleaning easier for you.
- Place your cat in a room that doesn't have carpet and provide food and a place to dispose of it until the problem is resolved. While this can help with healing, don't do this if your cat is getting more and more depressed.
Warning
- Never blame your cat for the problem because the cat can't handle it on its own. This can also make the cat even more stressed and lead to diarrhea that gets worse.
- Currently, veterinarians warn that Pepto Bismol and Kaopectate can be toxic to cats due to the salicylate toxin they contain. Check with your veterinarian for treatment information and the appropriate dosage for your cat's weight and age.
- If one of your family members has diarrhea, take the cat and family member to the doctor immediately. There are visible parasites (can be seen with the naked eye such as giardia and toxoplasma) that can be transmitted to humans (zoonotic disease). It is difficult to cure. These parasites can threaten the life of a person ranging from small children to adults as well as people who have weak immune systems.
