Hey cat people.
I have a 9 year old domestic shorthair named Magoo who's had chronic diarrhea for the past year or so. She goes in little amounts all throughout the day and not always in the same spots, so it's a constant game of retracing her steps and making sure I've cleaned everything that's come out of her. Complicating this is her less than stellar eyesight; as you can tell by her name, when we found her as a kitten, we noticed that she was blind in one eye and the moniker Magoo (initially based on Mr. Magoo until we realized she was a girl, then morphing into Ms. Magoo) stuck.
Additionally, she's an outdoor cat, so she can usually make it to the yard when it's sunny/warm, but when the weather isn't great or if it gets too dark for her, she ends up using the bathroom on our porch. While it can be frustrating to deal with, I try my best to be patient because I know it's borne out of something she can't control. There are instances where she'll yowl in pain if a stool she's about to pass is particularly painful (and usually water-y). There are also times when she'll be halfway (or even fully) asleep and she'll defecate without knowing. Of all the issues that've come from her GI troubles, these are the two things that I'm most hoping she won't have to experience again if I can figure out how to help her.
Ever since she started having issues, I've thrown many different things at her in hopes of improving the quality of her stool while lessening the amount of times she has to go. The first month of Tomlyn Pre & Probiotic improved things a lot, but it didn't go all the way I needed it to and subsequent attempts at giving it to her have had little to no effect. It was similar results with Glandex and pumpkin, which I gave her in separate periods; they make her poop more solid but give it no shape and only make her go more often. She's just come off of Pro-Pectalin (minor improvement), while I've recently been trying to improve her B12 levels with Cobalequin supplements. I started her on Omega 3s because I read they help inflamed intestines, but I got worried they would cause her diarrhea to get worse and stopped after 2-3 days. She's also had PET Pectillin (she hated it, giving it to her was an issue and it didn't move the needle much) and NutriVet Anti-Diarrhea, among other things I've tried that haven't been the magic bullet.
She primarily eats dry (Meow Mix) and wet (Special Kitty) cat food with occasional treats (macaroni and cheese, lunch meat, fried chicken, etc.). We also have pet chickens and she loves scrambled eggs, as well. She likes to hang on the bench by our back door waiting for us to bring her out something to eat; it's just that she's not absorbing enough of the nutrients from what she's eating.
I can't help but feel discouraged that this is still going on. I just want my girl to have a better quality of life and for the remainder of her time with me to be happy and enjoyable. I have a few things on my list that I haven't tried (Proviable Multi-Strain Probiotic, Jarrow s boulardii, Petwellbeing BM tone up drops, lithothamnium, rice water, etc.) but don't know what direction to go. I read that s boulardii doesn't work if your B12 levels are too low, so I've been trying to give her the Cobalequin long enough that I could eventually add the s boulardii and give it a better chance of being effective.
Frankly, though, I'm open to any suggestions about what I should do. Taking her to the vet isn't an option right now due to finances, but I have the means to order medicine online and will happily try anything that comes highly recommended.
Thank you to anybody who read to the end and an especial thank you in advance for any help you guys can provide.
I have a 9 year old domestic shorthair named Magoo who's had chronic diarrhea for the past year or so. She goes in little amounts all throughout the day and not always in the same spots, so it's a constant game of retracing her steps and making sure I've cleaned everything that's come out of her. Complicating this is her less than stellar eyesight; as you can tell by her name, when we found her as a kitten, we noticed that she was blind in one eye and the moniker Magoo (initially based on Mr. Magoo until we realized she was a girl, then morphing into Ms. Magoo) stuck.
Additionally, she's an outdoor cat, so she can usually make it to the yard when it's sunny/warm, but when the weather isn't great or if it gets too dark for her, she ends up using the bathroom on our porch. While it can be frustrating to deal with, I try my best to be patient because I know it's borne out of something she can't control. There are instances where she'll yowl in pain if a stool she's about to pass is particularly painful (and usually water-y). There are also times when she'll be halfway (or even fully) asleep and she'll defecate without knowing. Of all the issues that've come from her GI troubles, these are the two things that I'm most hoping she won't have to experience again if I can figure out how to help her.
Ever since she started having issues, I've thrown many different things at her in hopes of improving the quality of her stool while lessening the amount of times she has to go. The first month of Tomlyn Pre & Probiotic improved things a lot, but it didn't go all the way I needed it to and subsequent attempts at giving it to her have had little to no effect. It was similar results with Glandex and pumpkin, which I gave her in separate periods; they make her poop more solid but give it no shape and only make her go more often. She's just come off of Pro-Pectalin (minor improvement), while I've recently been trying to improve her B12 levels with Cobalequin supplements. I started her on Omega 3s because I read they help inflamed intestines, but I got worried they would cause her diarrhea to get worse and stopped after 2-3 days. She's also had PET Pectillin (she hated it, giving it to her was an issue and it didn't move the needle much) and NutriVet Anti-Diarrhea, among other things I've tried that haven't been the magic bullet.
She primarily eats dry (Meow Mix) and wet (Special Kitty) cat food with occasional treats (macaroni and cheese, lunch meat, fried chicken, etc.). We also have pet chickens and she loves scrambled eggs, as well. She likes to hang on the bench by our back door waiting for us to bring her out something to eat; it's just that she's not absorbing enough of the nutrients from what she's eating.
I can't help but feel discouraged that this is still going on. I just want my girl to have a better quality of life and for the remainder of her time with me to be happy and enjoyable. I have a few things on my list that I haven't tried (Proviable Multi-Strain Probiotic, Jarrow s boulardii, Petwellbeing BM tone up drops, lithothamnium, rice water, etc.) but don't know what direction to go. I read that s boulardii doesn't work if your B12 levels are too low, so I've been trying to give her the Cobalequin long enough that I could eventually add the s boulardii and give it a better chance of being effective.
Frankly, though, I'm open to any suggestions about what I should do. Taking her to the vet isn't an option right now due to finances, but I have the means to order medicine online and will happily try anything that comes highly recommended.
Thank you to anybody who read to the end and an especial thank you in advance for any help you guys can provide.
