Diarrhea in Cats: What You Need to Know
Usually the feces of cats have a firm consistency. However, it can always happen that a cat gets diarrhea. This can have different causes and, in addition to harmless digestive problems, also indicate a serious cat disease.
Regardless of the exact cause, it is important that you take your cat's diarrhea seriously and do something about the symptoms promptly. Thin liquid droppings are associated with a significant loss of fluid and an insufficient intake of important nutrients.
Possible causes of cat diarrhea
If your cat has diarrhea, there can be many reasons. In many cases, the trigger is an infection with viruses or bacteria. In addition, the cause of the symptoms can also be found in a parasite infestation of the cat with giardia or worms.
Other conceivable triggers for diarrhea in cats include:
- Poisoning
- Feed allergies
- Intestinal inflammation
- Excessive stress
- Spoiled cat food
- Tumors
- Swallowed foreign bodies in the digestive tract
- Liver diseases
- Inflammation of the pancreas
- Hormonal imbalance
- Thyroid problems
- Detect diarrhea in cats
In cats, diarrhea can of course be recognized very easily by looking into the litter box. If the feces of your four-legged friend are not solid, but are remarkably soft or even thin, the animal suffers from diarrhea.
In addition to the changed consistency, there are often also changes in the smell and color of the faeces. In some cases, diarrhea in cats may be bloody.
In addition to the actual diarrhea, there are usually other symptoms. These can differ significantly depending on the trigger. However, your cat will very likely have little appetite due to indigestion and will likely be lethargic.
Cats with diarrhea should go to the vet
If your cat has diarrhea, you should see a veterinarian as soon as possible. Because even if the complaints do not have to have a serious cause and can partly go away on their own, only an examination by a specialist can ultimately give you certainty.
To determine the cause of your cat's diarrhea, the vet can do a number of tests. Usually, the examination of blood and faecal samples enables a reliable diagnosis. In some cases, however, x-rays or an ultrasound scan may be required to determine the reason for your cat's diarrhea.
Treat diarrhea in cats
Immediate treatment is very important for a cat with diarrhea. Because the animal loses a lot of liquid and important minerals due to the symptoms. Since the intestine is responsible for most of the digestion, diarrhea also prevents the cat from being able to absorb the nutrients from its presumably very small food rations.
Basically, treating cats with diarrhea is primarily about compensating for the loss of fluid and giving the intestines the opportunity to calm down.
If your cat vomits too, the veterinarian will most likely give her an infusion that can help normalize electrolyte and fluid balance. If the animal drinks normally, a powder with electrolytes that is added to the water may be sufficient for this purpose.
In addition, it is necessary to temporarily put the four-legged friend on a diet and to refrain from feeding for a day or two. Afterwards, you should try to digest food as easily as possible until the cat has completely survived her diarrhea.
Other treatment measures required depend to a large extent on the cause and may include the following, for example:
- Treatment with antibiotics to counter infectious diseases
- A switch to hypoallergenic cat food with insect protein in the event of a food allergy
- A natural worming treatment to eliminate worms or giardia
- Medicines to treat metabolic diseases or thyroid problems
- The administration of antidote or gastric lavage in case of poisoning
- Gastro Relax for cats
Our tip for cats with diarrhea
A visit to the vet with a cat who has diarrhea is usually inevitable.
After all, it is important to diagnose possible diseases promptly and to avoid serious health consequences.
However, you can easily do something about your cat's diarrhea. For this purpose, we advise you to choose a food supplement with Gastro Relax from I love my cat.
The natural preparation was specially developed for cats with diarrhea and contains carefully selected ingredients to relieve the symptoms of your four-legged friend in a digestible yet effective way.
Chances of recovery for cats with diarrhea
In many cases, diarrhea can be successfully treated in cats and the animal concerned has a good chance of a full recovery. However, it may well be that the forecast is less positive.
For example, tumors or other serious illnesses can be fatal, with diarrhea being just one of the many symptoms the four-legged friend has to deal with. This also applies to poisoning, where often every minute counts and which, depending on the severity, cannot always be treated.
Regardless, you should be aware that the earlier you do something about the diarrhea, the better your cat's chances are.
Prevent diarrhea in cats
Given the myriad of possible triggers, it's hard to completely protect your cat from diarrhea. Nevertheless, there are some things you can do to at least significantly reduce the risk.
In this context, pay particular attention to adequate vaccination protection and regularly deworm your four-legged friend with a natural remedy for worms.
In addition, appropriate cat nutrition helps to support your cat's digestion and prevents symptoms such as diarrhea. For this purpose, we recommend that you rely on the healthy cat food from I love my cat, which is also available as a hypoallergenic variety with insect protein for cats with a feed allergy.
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