Chronic Intermittent Diarrhea 6 month old

ct970

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Hello! I have a six month old kitten that has had chronic intermittent loose stools for about 2 1/2 months now. I got her and her sister at the end of December and both had diarrhea ( soft-serve like stool). They both went to the vet and got put on metronidazole and fortiflora for a week.

The sisters cleared up and has been solid/firm, normal stools ever since. However, this one can go from having totally solid stool to half solid/half soft, half solid/half liquid, to all soft sometimes within a single day she can have any two of these or over the course of several days she might have all of them. Every time I think she needs to go to the vet it clears up for a time but then it never fails to go right back. Her stool is lighter colored than the normal brown of her sisters, and they both have some smelly stool.

Thing is, she acts completely fine, she is growing/gaining weight (she weighs almost as much as her sister), she eats a lot (dry free-access - Purina kitten chow, and wet 2x per day 1/4 can each time - fancy feast kitten). She rough houses with her sister and plays by herself as well throughout The day, no lethargy or anything. She also drinks water (has 2 bowls plus a water fountain).

Other than that, she sneezes occasionally, she has some discharge from her eyes periodically that is anywhere from clear to whitish. The entire time I've had her she has vomited 4-5 times and each time was almost immediately after eating in which she ate a large amount very quickly.

I do plan on taking her to the vet again just to be checked. She was checked for parasites/worms in December and it was negative for both her and her sister. It's just her sisters stool issue cleared up and Hers is lingering. I am leaning probably more toward food intolerance or bacterial imbalance simply because her sister is completely fine and has completely normal stools 100% of the time.

just wanted to post here in case any one here had a similar issue or could give me any advice until I can get her to the vet. Her diarrhea can get very messy, as she tends to step in it and I have to clean her paws almost every time and I know it stresses her out because I have to scruff her otherwise she won't let me touch her and if I leave it it gets everywhere. I know it's no fun for me or her and would like to hopefully get the issue resolved 🤞🏼.
 

LTS3

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You can try adding S. boulardii to the one kitten's canned food. There's info here on how it works for diarrhea: Prebiotics & Probiotics for Cats: Healing Inflammation and gut dysbiosis I'd start with a low dose, maybe half a capsule daily (split between two meals if you wish) for a week to see if that helps any.

To slow down eating, try adding a clean ping pong ball or golf ball to the bowl.The kitten has to work around the balls to get to the food. Elevating the bowl on a small box may help too.
 

verna davies

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I have had a lot of success with s boulardii, mentioned above. Maybe she could have a allergy to an ingredient in the food, are you feeding the same or changing flavours.
 
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ct970

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I have had a lot of success with s boulardii, mentioned above. Maybe she could have a allergy to an ingredient in the food, are you feeding the same or changing flavours.
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely look into getting some. There are 4 flavors but they typically eat 3 of them pretty regularly. Salmon, whitefish, and turkey. I have a feeling whitefish might be the culprit as it seems to be more liquidy if I feed her that one. But I will start doing 1 flavor at a time as well to see if I can narrow it down.
 

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I don't have the answer but just wanted to offer my support as someone who's gone through something similar. My kitty had giardia when I got her at 4 months and it took two doses to treat. And even after treatment, it took a while to improve, so I've been through the nightmare of having to monitor her closely and clean her paws when she steps in a loose stool. She hates it!

S. Boulardii seemed to help a lot. I give her half a capsule in her wet food, twice a day. Her stools are mostly darker brown logs now (at 10 months), but not always. That may be because I'm transitioning her to her adult food (I'm intentionally trying to avoid gums and fillers in case she is sensitive). My vet said not to worry about a full limited- ingredient diet yet, because it's not unusual for a kitten's gut to take a while to stabilize after treatment. But I will go that direction if it doesn't fully resolve soon.

I will say, she's gotten a lot more adept at not stepping in her stools as she's gotten older (though I've probably just jinxed myself by saying that!)
 

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Thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely look into getting some. There are 4 flavors but they typically eat 3 of them pretty regularly. Salmon, whitefish, and turkey. I have a feeling whitefish might be the culprit as it seems to be more liquidy if I feed her that one. But I will start doing 1 flavor at a time as well to see if I can narrow it down.
Hello ct970 ct970 and family, and welcome to TCS! I don't have anything to add to other posters' excellent suggestions except to say that the type of vomiting you describe is regurgitation of her food, which is most often caused by eating too fast. Hoping her vet visit will be helpful and also other posters' ideas. I don't feed whitefish, as most of my cats have not liked it. It's always best to buy the best quality of wet cat foods you can, as a healthy cat is a happy cat and a cat who does not have to visit the vet. I feed Blue Buffalo and Soulistic brands. There are many palatable formulas -- my cats love chicken, turkey, Red Meat Feast, which is kind of a "mixed grill", tuna, salmon, and seafood combinations.
 

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I don't have the answer but just wanted to offer my support as someone who's gone through something similar. My kitty had giardia when I got her at 4 months and it took two doses to treat. And even after treatment, it took a while to improve, so I've been through the nightmare of having to monitor her closely and clean her paws when she steps in a loose stool. She hates it!

S. Boulardii seemed to help a lot. I give her half a capsule in her wet food, twice a day. Her stools are mostly darker brown logs now (at 10 months), but not always. That may be because I'm transitioning her to her adult food (I'm intentionally trying to avoid gums and fillers in case she is sensitive). My vet said not to worry about a full limited- ingredient diet yet, because it's not unusual for a kitten's gut to take a while to stabilize after treatment. But I will go that direction if it doesn't fully resolve soon.

I will say, she's gotten a lot more adept at not stepping in her stools as she's gotten older (though I've probably just jinxed myself by saying that!)
My 7 month old kitty was diagnosed with giardia, was treated, but still has diarrhea. Called the vet, but he didn’t call back today. My little guy is definitely lethargic...getting worried! Sounds like he may need another round of treatment for sure 😢
 

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My 7 month old kitty was diagnosed with giardia, was treated, but still has diarrhea. Called the vet, but he didn’t call back today. My little guy is definitely lethargic...getting worried! Sounds like he may need another round of treatment for sure 😢
*PRAYERS* from the heart for your little guy, and yes, sounds like more treatment may be the answer!
 

Juniper_Junebug

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My 7 month old kitty was diagnosed with giardia, was treated, but still has diarrhea. Called the vet, but he didn’t call back today. My little guy is definitely lethargic...getting worried! Sounds like he may need another round of treatment for sure 😢
It's very frustrating. The first round of treatment didn't take for my kitty, no improvement at all. So I got her stool tested again and she still had it. The second round seems to have worked, though I haven't tested her again. But the color of her stools finally darkened and her poops are generally not so smelly anymore, even if they are randomly loose at times. In my case, the vet gave her only Panacur the first time and the second time she gave both Panacur and Metro.

Is it possible the lethargy is associated with dehydration? Smelly, light-colored loose stools was my kitty's only outward symptom (which is good, because she had it for several months).
 
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ct970

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Thanks everyone for your input! I will definitely get some S. Boulardii at the store for her. She was put on Forti Flora and was improving on that back in December so I am hopeful that introducing another probiotic will help her! I would have thought she had giardia or another similar one like coccidia but she was tested for parasites and it was negative. She had panleuk at 8 weeks old so I'm not sure if she just has a sensitive digestive tract after that or what, and I would think if she had giardia the other kitty would be experiencing symptoms too and she is completely fine with her stools and has no issues otherwise either! Thoughts and Prayers to the one who is currently going through giardia illness. I hope it all works out well for you! So sorry to hear that you are experiencing difficulties.
 
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ct970

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83AF854D-C050-44A5-B733-B5A626FAEF89.jpeg
Here's a picture of her for reference! Her name is Moon!
 
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ct970

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OH, a tortoiseshell! I'm in love :hearthrob: :dancingblackcat::hearthrob::heartshape:
Yes!!! I had one growing up a long haired one and thought she was beautiful, her name was Lucky, she passed on many moons ago. I saw her and her sister (not actually related lol) on a rescue group, they were raised together in a foster home, and I knew I had to get them!! I'm in love with them both! Her sister Mocha is more a traditional tortie, Moon has a lot more black in her. But I love her markings!!
 

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View attachment 372806Here is a photo of Mocha as well for reference!
*WOW* What a beauty!
Our beloved angel Tarifa, in my avatar, left us last August at just short of 18 years. I'd adopted her as an 11 months kitten from a friend who ran a rescue/adoption, after losing a beloved rescue kitten to FIP. It's been my policy whenever possible to open my heart and home to another after someone leaves us. So here was Tarifa and I'd never thought about a tortoiseshell before, but I knew she was highly recommended, very good with other cats, social, and in need of a loving permanent home. She was the perfect addition to our family right from the start. We miss her SO much.
IMG_0836.JPG

Tarifa at 2 or 3, in the Mojave, in her new purple cat bed :hearthrob: :dancingblackcat: :hearthrob: :heartshape:
 
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ct970

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*WOW* What a beauty!
Our beloved angel Tarifa, in my avatar, left us last August at just short of 18 years.
.
Thank you!! Awh, she was absolutely stunning. I'm sorry to hear of her passing, but there is no doubt in my mind that she was loved beyond belief for those almost 18 years. She appears to have had a beautiful personality, I have also heard that about tortoiseshells as well! I am sort of in the same situation, ironically. I lost a 5 month old kitten to FIP after struggling with his health and trying to figure out what was wrong for over 3 months before he declined substantially and had to be put down. After him, I got these two and they helped with my grieving tremendously, it felt too empty in my home. After the waiting period, I immediately found these two and they were home with me in no time! I agree wholeheartedly with your statement, there should always be room in your heart/home to rescue another after one has passed, save another kitty from a less than ideal situation and give it a forever home!
 

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Thank you!! Awh, she was absolutely stunning. I'm sorry to hear of her passing, but there is no doubt in my mind that she was loved beyond belief for those almost 18 years. She appears to have had a beautiful personality, I have also heard that about tortoiseshells as well! I am sort of in the same situation, ironically. I lost a 5 month old kitten to FIP after struggling with his health and trying to figure out what was wrong for over 3 months before he declined substantially and had to be put down. After him, I got these two and they helped with my grieving tremendously, it felt too empty in my home. After the waiting period, I immediately found these two and they were home with me in no time! I agree wholeheartedly with your statement, there should always be room in your heart/home to rescue another after one has passed, save another kitty from a less than ideal situation and give it a forever home!
Good on ya! I am so sorry for your loss of your baby. Ours was not even 3 months. I adopted her from a neighbor who'd rescued her from a parking lot and since they didn't have a lot of money and they were trying their best to care for their cats, I offered to adopt her. She checked out fine. I had lost my beloved Sun to dry-form FIP after an almost normal span of 16 years, so I had a strong responsibility toward cats and the intranasal vax was still recommended at that time so I got it for the baby girl. In no time, she declined, I believe due to wet-form FIP from the vax. The night before the morning we were going to take her back in to the vet, she passed in her sleep. I was devastated. So, enter Tarifa a few weeks later. She was the most affectionate, sweet, friendly, social, personality-plus beauty! She gave me lots of love bites, and when she was very happy, she shivered her tail at me. Her spirit is always with us and I know we will all meet again.
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