Cat ate small piece of mouldy food

dncngqn

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Hello, my 2 year old cat Willow accidentally ate a minute piece of mouldy food, the piece was very tiny, however around 9 hours after eating it, she has presented with diarrhoea. Other than that she has no other symptoms, she’s eating, playing etc. Is there anything I should do? Or any advice that you could give me please? Thank you.
 

Jcatbird

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Since I am not a vet I can only guess but maybe she is passing out the moldy food naturally. If she has compromised health then I would be more concerned at her ability to fight bacteria. Cats usually find some contaminants in nature as wild kitties because food sources carry all sorts of things. If the diarrhea continues you will need to give the vet a call or get her seen. It sounds like it was a very small piece so hopefully she clears it out of her system. Anything in her poop besides poop? Make sure she stay well hydrated. How long has she had diarrhea? If it has been more than a day, I would give the vet a call to let them know.
 
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dncngqn

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No, there was nothing other than the poop, itself, and it’s only been one time and she’s eaten since then, doesn’t seem to be lethargic or showing any other symptoms
 

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Well, so far it sounds pretty good! Just keep watch on her. If she shows any other signs then consider a vet. You can always post back if you get worried. Please do keep us updated. Hoping all is well and this is no longer a concern.
 
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dncngqn

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Small update, she had a minor amount of diarrhoea this morning( 4 hours after previous ), not as much as previously and it’s just poop, is this anything to worry about now?
 

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If you are worried then just call the vet and explain what she ate and ask if you need to wait or bring her in. If she is eating well, drinking well and is not feeling like she has a temperature, lethargic or showing other signs of illness then maybe she has passed what she needs to get out. If she keeps pooping like that, you need a vet to help.A call to the vet might ease your mind. I have a hope that this will stop but just in case it escalates, you will need to call a professional. Keep updating as things go along. Hoping this is the the end of it!
 

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What food did she eat?
How much? How old?
What color was the mold? White? Blue/Green? Black?

White mold is the least harmful but doesn't grow on food very often. It usually won't make a healthy person sick unless they get a lot of it. People (or cats) can be allergic to it. If they are, it will make them sick.

Black mold is harmful but doesn't usually grow on food. Some species of black mold can make a person very sick, even if they aren't allergic to mold.

Green mold is somewhere in the middle of the continuum. It commonly grows on foods like bread and fruits. If you eat it or inhale the spores it can make a person (or cat) sick. If there are allergies involved, even sicker.

Eating mold, no matter what kind, isn't good. It's not so bad if a healthy person accidentally eats some but, if you eat enough to make you feel ill, it's time to call a doctor.

Same goes for the cat... If she ate a little bit, no big deal. Keep an eye on her. If she gets sick, call a vet.

Also consider that it might be spoiled food that's upsetting your cat's digestion.
Could be food-borne illness.

Since she's got the runs, you should probably, at least, give the vet a call.

In the mean time, watch her vitals and symptoms.

Is she eating, drinking, pooping and peeing normal, as usual?
She might be off her food a little bit because of digestive upset but she should still eat something.

How is her activity? More? Less? Same?
Any lethargy? Loss of balance and coordination? Any signs that she's not well?

Breathing? Temperature? Heart rate?

Watch her breathing with your eyes. Count the number of breaths in 30 seconds and double it. Normal is 15-30 breaths/min.
If she's been active, breathing will be faster. Resting...slower.

Temperature should be 100ºF to 102ºF. You can use a thermometer but, for our purposes, we only need to know if she's warm or not?
Just do it by feeling her nose. That will tell you what you need to know without having to break out the thermometer.
(You don't want to know how to take a cat's temperature with a thermometer, anyhow... :oops:)

Heart rate should be 120-160 bpm. Lay the cat down on her right side. Feel her chest, just behind the left, front leg.
Feel the number of heartbeats in 15 seconds and multiply by four. If you do it right, she'll think you are just petting her. ;)

Check her vitals a couple times throughout the night. As long as they are close, don't worry. Your readings will never be perfect. They don't need to be. All you need is a general idea.

Record your observations a couple-three times during the night. Call your vet in the morning, tell them what happened and give a quick rundown on her health. If they ask for vitals, you have them written down. The better the report you can give the vet, the more they can tell you. Give them a thorough report and it could save you a trip to the vet. They might just tell you to keep an eye on her and call back if there are problems. If she does have any problems, through the night, get her to a vet ASAP.

Keep an eye on her. Check her vitals. Make sure she doesn't get sick. If the runs go away by morning, she'll probably be okay but still call the vet, just to be sure.

Given what I have read, I don't think that there will be much trouble but this is the kind of thing we pay vets for instead of just searching the Internet. ;)
 
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