Cat Diarrhea.. Again

[coniferously]

Hi again. So last time I posted about my one year old cat Theo having diarrhea. This was in the beginning of September. He went to the vet and was put on a GI Anti-inflammatory of sorts that helped solidify his poo and was on antibiotics. His stool, blood and urine were tested and all came back fine. All my cats are indoor but we tested him for parasites anyway, which also came back negative. After his antibiotics and everything were gone, we started giving him pumpkin every day, and even now, we are giving him pumpkin and haven't noticed any diarrhea. We also switched from 4Health to American Journey grain free dry food, the turkey and chicken variety. Everyone had transitioned just fine with no vomiting or abnormal stools.
However, two weeks ago my four year old cat, Finlay, began having diarrhea. It is the same colour as his kibble. A light brownish. Lots of gas when he goes and it's very runny. We began giving him Purina Beyond grain free wet food, the turkey, spinach, and sweet potato recipe, half of a 3 oz. can every twelve hours with a half teaspoon of organic canned pumpkin. He is still having diarrhea after two weeks. I can't say we have been entirely consistent with the wet food, I did try mixing a little of his dry in with it last week because I feared he wasn't getting enough food, but he soon was in the litterbox with diarrhea so I stopped with the mixing of foods. We tried giving him boiled chicken last week as well, but he is really finicky and won't eat it. I thought maybe the turkey in the two foods could be upsetting his stomach, so we bought grain free Purina Beyond wet food, a chicken variety. He did not like it at all. He has a very healthy appetite and is very active like his usual self. He seems a little depressed today, but honestly he is a very jealous and ornery cat and acts moody sometimes. I like to test the cats when I think they're not feeling well by trying to play, and he definitely still wants to play. I've been giving him 10mL of water probably four times a day just to make sure he's hydrated. He usually drinks water pretty often but I've barely seen him trying to recently so I've decided I needed to step in with that bit. Any ideas what could be causing this? He's the only one having the diarrhea and he is not vomiting. Again, he has a healthy appetite and has been given 3 oz. of wet food a day with a teaspoon of organic pumpkin, split into two feeding sessions every 12 hours. Should we carry on with this and see if anything changes? Or would the best option be to get him on the same anti-inflammatory Theo was on originally? I'm just at a loss again. I feel so bad for him. The only good news is that, unlike Theo, he can make it to the litterbox and it isn't just falling out of him. He actually has to push a bit. I have noticed mucous though when we clean him up. Any ideas what that could be from? Sorry for such a sporadic post, I'm just freaking out again.

 

[abyeb]

Can you take Finley to the vet? There are lots of possible causes for diarrhea in cats, from intestinal parasites to food allergies, so it’s best to get him looked over. Ask your before your appointment is they would like a stool sample. They may want to run a fecal float and/or a giardia test.

 

[coniferously]

I would also like to ask if the pumpkin could be causing more harm than good or if I should continue giving him pumpkin as well? Could the grain free variety of foods we are feeding him be irritating his stomach possibly? Would a cheaper food be better? I've read many things online saying dry food is better because it'll soak up excess water, but then others say the carbs in dry food could be irritating to his gut and the wet food is easier to digest and produces water. Seeing as he was only eating grain free dry at the time he started getting diarrhea, I'd be afraid to continue him on with it. Also would a probiotic be helpful maybe instead or as well as pumpkin? I don't wanna overload his gut with too many things. Would a plain yogurt help, or would that be a definite no-no? He loves yogurt, so I wonder if it would actually help his tummy problems.
I do realise my other post has useful information in it, but I definitely like posting new threads because I feel like this situation is a just a little different than what Theo was going through. I guess I just have more specific questions with Finlay.

 

[coniferously]

Can you take Finley to the vet? There are lots of possible causes for diarrhea in cats, from intestinal parasites to food allergies, so it’s best to get him looked over. Ask your before your appointment is they would like a stool sample. They may want to run a fecal float and/or a giardia test.

We plan on it. We are just very low on money. Like very low at the moment. And when we took Theo it was over 300. Which is about 1/3 of what we have right now because of unexpected expenses. We will have 300 taken out for cat food within the next week as well, so it is very tight at the moment. All Theo's tests came back negative so I suspect Finlay's would too seeing as they never go outside and they all use the same litter boxes and all that. I'm just here seeking a little advice before the vet in case anyone else has experienced this. I just need peace of mind or some sort of plan before we take him in.

 

[verna davies]

I have an issue with one of my cats at the beginning of the year. Diarrhoea for months. Had all blood and fecal tests done, tried dietary food, no luck. I started to put a punch of Psyllium powder on his food twice a day and removed all chicken from his diet and no diarrhoea for 6 months.Yay. I have found psyllium has worked on my other cats too if they have loose stools. If it is going to work, you should see a difference in 2/3 days
Its also worth good trials. Please let us know how you get on.

 

[coniferously]

I have an issue with one of my cats at the beginning of the year. Diarrhoea for months. Had all blood and fecal tests done, tried dietary food, no luck. I started to put a punch of Psyllium powder on his food twice a day and removed all chicken from his diet and no diarrhoea for 6 months.Yay. I have found psyllium has worked on my other cats too if they have loose stools. If it is going to work, you should see a difference in 2/3 days
Its also worth good trials. Please let us know how you get on.

Okay, interesting. Do you recall what your cat's bowels looked like? Again, Finlay's are light brown in colour, pretty much entirely liquid, and very loud coming out. Just really gassy and airy sounding.
Can you give me a brand that you would use with the psyllium powder? I looked it up and saw a brand I've seen at the store a lot called Bob's Red Mill. Would that be the stuff? Also do you give your cat grain free? Wet or dry? My cats' current dry food is chicken flavoured and the wet food I've been giving Finlay has been turkey. Unsure if there is any chicken in the ingredients list, I can't recall. I'll have to have a look in the morning. Well, in a few hours. Our last brand of food was definitely chicken though and I never noticed diarrhea at all with him. And he's been fine with this newer stuff up until a couple of weeks ago.
Is psyllium powder a close comparison to the pumpkin I've been giving him, benefit-wise? Because that doesn't seem to be helping right now.

 

[verna davies]

Buzz was 18 months when it started and had been eating chicken with no problems. The diarrhoea was lightish brown, watery and explosive, sounds very similar to your cat. He wont eat grain free and the only one he will eat is Sheba in gravy ( not the best but better than nothing) and James Wellbeloved turkey dry. I try to keep to the same flavour wet for about a month then change to another flavour.
I live in the UK and not familiar with the brand of psyllium you mentioned. I had mine from Amazon, cost a couple of £'s and lasts ages. I spoke to a vet specialist who told me that it is not absorbed into the intestines but forms a gel that binds the poop together making it firmer. I only give it to him when he has diarrhoea, not every day. I have no experience with pumpkin.

 

[coniferously]

Buzz was 18 months when it started and had been eating chicken with no problems. The diarrhoea was lightish brown, watery and explosive, sounds very similar to your cat. He wont eat grain free and the only one he will eat is Sheba in gravy ( not the best but better than nothing) and James Wellbeloved turkey dry. I try to keep to the same flavour wet for about a month then change to another flavour.
I live in the UK and not familiar with the brand of psyllium you mentioned. I had mine from Amazon, cost a couple of £'s and lasts ages. I spoke to a vet specialist who told me that it is not absorbed into the intestines but forms a gel that binds the poop together making it firmer. I only give it to him when he has diarrhoea, not every day. I have no experience with pumpkin.
View attachment 261671

Thank you for the attached image. Definitely helps. But yes that does sound a lot like Finlay's case. I checked his poo early on this morning when he woke me from near sleep with the loudness of it. I don't see any blood in it, which I guess is a good sign. Last time when Theo (and actually Duncan had diarrhea a BIT around the same time) had some blood in it. So is that what you feed him on a daily basis? The Sheba? I'm willing to try. Finlay doesn't like pate at all, and like I said, is very finicky. He really only likes dry.

 

[verna davies]

Buzz was the same, dry only, didnt like wet. I feed him about 4 times a day and about a tablespoon of wet at one go not to overload his tummy with a bowl of dry next to the wet and it seems to work for him. He eats some dry, licks the wet, then more dry, then more wet and so on. I watch him and talk to him and tap the wet bowl to get him to eat it.( the things we do for our cats). I gave him a different cat food last week for a change and within 36 hours he had diarrhoea. Back to Sheba with a pinch of psyllium and he was fine again in 24 hours. Try to find a food with limited ingredients and no chicken. I hope you solve this unpleasant issue. Please let me know

 

[coniferously]

Buzz was the same, dry only, didnt like wet. I feed him about 4 times a day and about a tablespoon of wet at one go not to overload his tummy with a bowl of dry next to the wet and it seems to work for him. He eats some dry, licks the wet, then more dry, then more wet and so on. I watch him and talk to him and tap the wet bowl to get him to eat it.( the things we do for our cats). I gave him a different cat food last week for a change and within 36 hours he had diarrhoea. Back to Sheba with a pinch of psyllium and he was fine again in 24 hours. Try to find a food with limited ingredients and no chicken. I hope you solve this unpleasant issue. Please let me know

I'm glad our situations are similar. Makes it easier to pinpoint issues. I hate to be a pest, but can you show me the exact canned food you're feeding Buzz? The stuff we have is like $13 for 12 3-oz. cans and is grain free. The third ingredient after water and turkey is indeed chicken. I wonder if grain free is too rich for Finlay maybe and even the chicken factor. If we get the Sheba brand I might stick with pumpkin and if no improvement I'll buy the psyllium. We plan in taking Finlay in tomorrow, so I'm sure he'll be on a GI anti-inflammatory just like Theo. Theo was also on antibiotics because his temperature went up a couple degrees whilst we were there. He was very stressed and the vet said that's probably why it went up, but as a precaution he was on antibiotics, which in-turn gave him diarrhea and he was on the GI anti-inflammatory, but after all said and done, his poos returned to normal. So I wonder if the anti-inflammatory helped or if it was the antibiotic..

 

[verna davies]

I dont know if you can get the one I use in the US and as its in german I can't tell you the ingredients. I buy it from Amazon so you could google it. I don't think its the wet food I use thats helping, Buzz is a very picky eater and he seems to like Sheba, so thats what I feed him. It may be down to food trials for you. It can be a long process. I got lucky, removed chicken and hit the jackpot. Choose a food he likes, try lamb maybe. Sorry I dont have the answer for you but hope you are lucky in getting a quick solution.

 

[coniferously]

So we got an appointment for Finlay tomorrow afternoon.
We waited a little longer than planned because his poo began looking more pudding-like with a slight formation starting. So we figured mixing an expensive grain-free wet food with a cheap, non-grain-free wet food with a 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin twice a day was helping.
However this morning we decided not to give the pumpkin because last night he was gassy in the litterbox again with very little poo coming out when he went and wondered if maybe the pumpkin was too much (I have a cat that pukes if he eats pumpkin usually so we thought maybe Finlay could not agree with it as much as we hoped he did.)
This morning he went directly after eating, and it was pure mucus. I watched him go and it was like jelly stretching and falling into the litter. Like just goo. I let him finish his food a little while ago from this morning and he went again almost directly after. I wasn't in the room with him when he went, but there was some on the floor in front of where he went in the litterbox. I used a wipe to pick it up and sort of look at it, and again, just pure mucus almost. Light brown in colour, but also sort of transparent? I dont know what's going on with him. I hope the vet will have some answers because I'm worried more than I was when he was having quite a bit of normal-looking diarrhea.
I'm still giving him water via syringe, more than I was initially. I stopped giving him a lot the last few days, because again, I thought things were getting better.
He's still extremely active and talkative and acting just like his normal self. Still has a very good appetite. Doesn't seem in pain at all and allows me to touch him and hold him.
Any ideas what all this mucus could be from? I dont know what I should even feed him tonight. I have grain-free wet food, cheap non-grain-free wet food, and grain-free dry food. When this all started he was only eating dry, so that's why I stopped. But that hasn't helped at all. I don't know what to do for the next 27 hours or so before he goes in.
Sorry I'm just really upset right now.

 

[verna davies]

The mucus could be a variety of things from Guardia to IBS or anything in between so dont imagine the worse. Leave it to your vet. Take some photos of what Finley is producing and a sample if you can for the vet to see. Please let us know. Good luck.

 

[coniferously]

As far as giardia goes, all of my cats are indoor (we have 13) and all of them but Finlay are having normal poos. They all share the litter boxes so I'd imagine at least one other would be having issues. I've been really intently watching them when they go in the litter box, every single one of them if I hear them scratching around. One of my cats probably five or so days ago had diarrhea, but we mixed his dry with some wet food and pumpkin and within a couple days he was fine again. Finlay has been like this for probably a month now. I just hate reading things online like lymphoma and cats passing away from IBD a couple years after being diagnosed. He's never had diarrhea before a month ago and has always been fine on his dry food, I guess that's why I'm worried. It's very unlike him to have bowels like this. He's honestly such a great cat and I love him so, so much and the thought of something being seriously wrong scares me so much. I just hope we don't go in and they give us a bunch of "maybe it's this, maybe it's that, $1,000 for this, $5,000 for that.."
I don't know what to feed him tonight, maybe dry food would be better at this point? All the food I have, even if not called chicken, has chicken in the ingredients. And as I've said before, he has always had chicken in his food and was always fine. So I dont understand the sudden change..

 

[coniferously]

 

[coniferously]

I'm a HUGE hypochondriac with myself and with my cats, so I'm literally just a huge ball of anxiety and super shaky as we speak. Sorry for spam posting.

 

[verna davies]

Good luck at the vets later, let us know the outcome.

 

[coniferously]

So we took Finlay in earlier to the vets.
They did an overall exam; no fever, heart and lungs sound very good, no lumps or bumps, well-hydrated. Only thing was his intestines were liquid-filled, which he said was to be expected with the chronic diarrhea. Finlay has lost a little bit of weight, about 0.8 lbs, so not quite a full pound. He went from 12 lbs to 11.2 lbs. I did notice he's been feeling lighter lately. Doctor said it could be from the fact he isn't absorbing anything right now since it's going right through him. He basically passed Finlay with his exam because he has no other symptoms other than the diarrhea. He said he seems very lively and happy, so if we wanted to go a conservative route, that would be fine for now. So he was put on a GI anti-inflammatory, the same one Theo was on. Since he didn't have a fever or anything, additional antibiotics were not prescribed at this time. He basically said once the medicine is gone, and if the diarrhea hasn't let up or comes back, we could look further with a blood and urine test and try a prescribed diet and go from there. We also brought in stool for a fecal float. I'm not entirely sure when those results will be in, but I'll update when they come in.
I totally forgot to ask when I should give him his medicine in accordance to feeding times since everything goes right through him. I gave him his first dose when we came home and he's due for the next within the next couple hours. I gave him his medicine alongside feeding last night. I cleaned his litterbox and found a couple pools of runny poo (not that I expected change already) but I think I'm going to start giving him his medicine an hour before feeding and hopefully that'll help with things.

 

[verna davies]

Thanks for updating us. Not bad news but very frustrating not having an answer. You could ask your vet about a B12 blood test if things dont improve, its expensive but if Finley is deficient that could be the cause. Lets hope this medication sorts him out. Keep us updated please.

 

[coniferously]

Honestly, I've never once went to the vet and gotten a definitive answer. Not once. And we've been to different vets. It's usually always just guesswork, which is essentially why I was trying to figure things out on my own at first. But I knew I couldn't get my hands on an anti-inflammatory for him, which could be just what he needs. I am worried about his weight loss, it doesn't sit well with me. I'm just going to try to give him extra food throughout the day. He's been quite hungry lately, which my guess is because his stomach doesn't stay full. I just truly hope this helps and we can move on from this. We have 8 full days for his medicine so we shall see. He also said we should go back to his original food when the diarrhea started since it wasn't causing it earlier when he was eating it. Sigh. Still not entirely satisfied but I'm thankful the visit went mostly well and I'm happy he's at least on SOMETHING to try and combat whatever is going on.