Elderly cat has constant diarrhea

bugmankeith

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Is there anything I can buy to help settle his stomach or solidify his stools, like when people take Pepto to help their stomach? I don’t know the cause of my 16 year olds issue I can’t afford a vet right now, he is having diarrhea constantly all over the house and I know it’s not from food change.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi! Is he indoor/outdoor? Does he get dry food? Can you contain him to one room, with all his things, to help with cleanup?

There might be something here;

(apologies for any dead links);
Financial Assistance – Day By Day Caregiver Support Inc.
daybydaypetsupport.com




 
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FeebysOwner

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Hi. How is he doing otherwise? Eating/drinking/peeing OK? Does he seem to be less active than usual? It is hard to know how to treat his diarrhea when you have no clue what is causing it. For example, even if he hasn't had a recent food change, it doesn't mean that he hasn't become allergic to one or more of the ingredients in his current food. If he does go outside, he could be getting into something that he shouldn't be and that is causing the diarrhea.

A cat that age should really be seen by a vet when any change like this occurs. The older they are, the more prone they are to developing health issues. And, the diarrhea could also cause dehydration that can become a serious issue, especially in older cats. Is it at all possible to see if your vet would accept a payment plan? Borrow the money from a close friend or relative?
 
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bugmankeith

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My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat. Our other cats have stomach issues too and the vet had never given us an answer why this occurs nothing has helped and they had blood tests and stool samples. (Diet change, probiotics, antibiotics, fluids nothing helped)
They are all indoor/outdoor (former strays) and when we found them all had neglect and health issues from the start.
We have raccoons that eat from the food and water dishes outside as well as squirrels and birds so even this could be contributing even though we tried our best to keep everything cleaned and food changes twice a day. The cats only come in sleep and eat sometimes and rarely use a litter box the go wherever they are in the house. That’s why they never became fully indoor.

yes this cat has a lot of other issues going on. Losing weight, peeing all over,vomiting, weakness, lethargy, lumps growing on the side of his neck. The only thing he has a big appetite but the weight loss is concerning. He was in the vet last year for a full exam and testing and they found nothing wrong but excess gas and didn’t even seem concerned about the growing lumps. ☹ Other vets won’t even see my cat as they consider him feral being he is ear tipped so we have no choice but to use the vet we have but they seem to not consider he has stray cat tendencies and was outside in the past for years before we helped him, they only seem to be educated on house cats that never went years without medical care like our cats.

I looked at the links fur balls mom gave and can’t find financial assistance near me at vets for New York it’s way too far from me almost 4 hours. I also cannot use the care credit option, I am disabled with no job and can’t sign up for any financial assistance.I live with my parents (one who also is on disability) and we have our own financial problems and are signed up for care credit already for our doctors, so we can’t apply for any more assistance. I even looked at Waggle but to even get help you still must pay for the vet visit and testing to know what’s wrong for help and that’s my issue to begin with.

I’ve lost many cats in the past simply from not having money to help, but these cats were dumped on our property and never left and being the kind person I am fed them and got them fixed and they bonded to me, but in their elderly years it’s almost impossible to Care for them financially and the fact they go out and I can’t give certain treatments like fluids or injections and they are exposed to all sorts of germs. Vets just don’t understand ☹ The fact the cats are in their teens they outlived and stray or feral life expectancy but are so tame it’s like a family pet and that’s what is killing me inside being powerless what to do 😢
 

FeebysOwner

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Losing weight could be from the diarrhea, or it could be from hyperthyroidism, which if the vet didn't run a thyroid check when the blood tests were done they couldn't have picked up on that. With stomach issues, I am not sure if plain canned pumpkin might be problematic, but many members on this site use it to help with diarrhea - it helps to bulk up the stool due to the fiber. I haven't heard it be an issue with a sensitive stomach, but not sure about that aspect. Metamucil is another fiber source that could be tried as well.
 

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I have some suggestions;

Living conditions matter, enormously so.
Thoroughly clean that house with an enzymatic cleaner (and also see below regarding cleaning). Nature's Miracle cleaner is available everywhere, for cats or dogs, works basically the same.

Then obtain more litter boxes, Walmart has inexpensive ones.

Put a little soil from outside in them along with litter. Put these in one room and then bring these cats inside. Put tarp over anything you can't move out of the room.They'll figure out the litter box, and then, when they're comfortable and consistent using the boxes and your house is clean, let them out. If there are any accidents, clean it immediately.

You have, and are, putting both the cats' and your family's health at extreme risk by letting them use your living quarters as their toilet.




Additionally, currently you have no idea what they're coming into contact with, or ingesting, outside. Try FeebysOwner FeebysOwner 's ideas, and to quote MissClouseau MissClouseau , look for cat multivitamins, --treats or paste that contain l-lysine or even lactoferrin, (I realize that some people are indicating that it's been determined there may be no actual value in lysine), but whichever. The bottom line is that you've got to do more to help boost their immune systems after you clean your house. Until you contain these cats you are simply throwing darts and hoping you hit something.

Try this;

If after you do these things and there's no improvement, you could try posting here;

 
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stephanietx

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Saccharomyces boullardi, a human supplement can help. Open the capsule and sprinkle 1/2 of the capsule into wet food twice a day. You could also add it to plain meat baby food and offer it as a treat. It can take several days to clear up. Find it at a health food store or Amazon.
 

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Bless you for caring for those cats! First off, what are you feeding them? Corn and wheat can be very problematic no matter the cause and we may be able to suggest alternatives that work for us.
First off, I would try to calm the gut and help restore electrolytes. To do that, switch to plain boiled chicken or ground beef. I add a little bit of Italian seasoning herbs (cilantro, basil, sage, rosemary are listed as safe for cats by the ASPCA; oregano is not. Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List - Cats) to ease the cooking odors. To rebalance the electrolytes, add some plain unflavored pedialyte (although commercially prepared is better, if nothing else, you can use the recipe @ fellow member Hissy's website "www.kitten-rescue.com) to meals and/or the water bowl.
Adding a teaspoon of plain, canned pumpkin to kitty's food can help to bulk up the stool. Also, white rice helps especially if it is boiled for at least an hour. If the problem is irritable bowel syndrome, the commercial fiber products like metamucil can be very irritating. Some people have success with miralax but, as with metamucil, it can be too strong so proceed with caution.
If you can consult a holistic veterinarian, inquire about using red raspberry leaf tea (common in pregnancy teas), slippery elm bark and marshmallow root. Those herbs are often used by traditional healers for intestinal and lung problems plus are soothing for mucus membranes, including sore throats and mouths. note* slippery elm &, to a lesser extent, marshmallow root coat the alimentary tract so should be administered 4-6 hours apart from modern medicines and supplements.
These suggestions are to help the symptoms but don't treat the cause. It could be almost anything - giardia or other parasites or a bacterial infection or allergies (food or fleas or ??) or hyperthyroidism, electrolye and/or gut flora imbalance. But until we all can figure out how to help you get vet care, this may help out the diarrhea situation. Hang in there! You are part of TCS now and are not in this alone.
 
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bugmankeith

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I made a vet appointment for tomorrow despite not having much money, I’m hoping just by looking at my cat the vet could narrow down possible causes. I’ve been giving probiotic (proviable dc) for more than a week and see a very slight improvement in my cats stool but it’s still very loose and smelly and I now feel his spine protruding :( the vomiting has stooped though. The hardest part is that he has a great appetite and still tries to play but the severe weight loss and Diarrhea is very alarming at his old age.

I’m worried the vet might mention euthanasia due to my financial situation they got stern with me not going to an emergency clinic despite me saying I have severe financial issues, and yet because my cat seems to be functioning in every way except maintaining weight and loose stools it feels like he wants to live so I’m very upset and scared going tomorrow I don’t know what to do? 😢 I’m battling depression and anxiety and this is all very overwhelming emotionally for me too and it’s hard without anyone to support me through this. 😢
 
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catsknowme

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Stay encouraged! A round of the antibiotic metriazonole (Flagyl) or clavamox might just do the trick and are not expensive. Please let us know what the vet suggests. Euthanasia is determined on the quality of life - typically for a cat who is severely suffering, hiding , etc.
 
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bugmankeith

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Stay encouraged! A round of the antibiotic metriazonole (Flagyl) or clavamox might just do the trick and are not expensive. Please let us know what the vet suggests. Euthanasia is determined on the quality of life - typically for a cat who is severely suffering, hiding , etc.
Went to the vet and left very unhappy.
First it started when the Vet I trust was not the vet I got for my appointment and nobody called to tell me this, but got a vet I do not like as she hadn’t helped my cat in the past but always charges me too much money.
My cat lost 3 pounds, but from the initial exam the vet found nothing else wrong and said it’s good he lost weight he was too fat :/ I said well diarrhea isn’t a healthy way to lose weight it’s not normal, he’s a main coon mix and used to be 20 pounds years ago and is only 13 now and the vet saw nothing wrong with that. Gums were healthy, heart sounded good. My cats lumps were felt and the vet changed her opinion on them 3 times, first she completely ignored them, then said they are most likely fatty tissue, then said possibly cancer but most likely not. When she heard I had little money she told me not to waste my time on the lumps with testing but this bothered me as she didn’t see they cause my cat pain and I want to know what they are due to his age.
Then she said they will take blood, Urine, and fecal sample. Besides blood could not get any urine or feces. Told me to bring him home and collect both but I said he isn’t going to because he goes on the floor so I can’t get Urine or feces they would be contaminated and she argued with me repeatedly nobody ever had issues with it why do I, I said he’s sick and not going in the litter box why are you giving me special litter he won’t use! Then she said bring him home and bring back tomorrow we’ll try again, I said no because then you’ll just charge me for an exam again I don’t have that kind of money, and if he comes home he’ll just use the bathroom and be empty if I bring him back. At this point I got mad and said it seems she doesn’t want to help my cat and is wasting my time, then proceeds to bill me $600 for everything and said if I don’t pay they won’t give me my cat back! I then said keep him overnight and collect the poo and pee, the vet tech was arguing telling me I feed him too much with the food I left, I said look my cat is losing weight and he has to poo feed him any amount he wants it’s my food I’m leaving listen to me! Then she said oh by the way we just gave your cat a flea pill and did his snake glands and charges me $100 extra without my consent!
so now tomorrow I am paying $600 and I hope they find out what’s going on with him! I can’t believe they charged me and didn’t help at all! I wish I could fight this and not pay but I know from other people they will hold the pet and sue people if they don’t pay. Sadly I have no other vet to go to and I am very upset they have not helped my cat and stole my money. The vet said if they find nothing wrong he would need a ultrasound for $500 andnow she adds it might be pancreatic cancer but only said that after I got upset 😡😢 no mention of trying antibiotics or probiotics at all.
 
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bugmankeith

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Update:

my cat was held overnight free of charge and got an apology from the vet. They got the stool and urine samples and the lumps. Urine and blood were good. Stool was sent out. The lumps were odd, pure blood came from them when a needle was inserted, the vet said she had never seen this before but the blood fluid was sent out for testing. My cat is home now and happy to be home.
 
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bugmankeith

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So far no stool or lump results, but his butt looks horrible. He has brown liquid coming out still and it’s red and inflamed and smelly even after the anal gland expression. I hope it’s not infected as I can’t see the glands under the long hair , the vet gave him no antibiotics or pain killers for anything.
 

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bugmankeith

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He’s still not very active and having loose stool and doesn’t want to be touched anywhere near his behind.
 
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bugmankeith

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No mention of anything to watch for, once I said I had no more money the vet kind of stopped looking into my cats health.
 
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