Kitten Has Diarrhea With No Apparent Cause

[echo.rory.noodles]

Our 5-6 month old kitten, Noodles, started having diarrhea and vomiting on Sunday. The diarrhea was pretty much completely liquid/watery and pretty frequent (4-5 times in a day). He had no other symptoms otherwise - he was eating, drinking, and playing like he normally does. We took him to the vet Monday afternoon regardless and they did a fecal flotation, giardia snap test, full blood work, and a physical exam. Everything came back negative and his blood work was totally normal. The only thing they found was bacteria in his stool sample. The vet prescribed metronidazole, gave him a shot of cerenia, and subcutaneous fluids for dehydration.

As of today, he’s still having diarrhea. It’s not longer totally liquid and more the consistency of pudding I guess, and he only went 2-3 times yesterday which is an improvement. He hasn’t thrown up since Monday before his appointment and is still acting completely normal.

I’m at a total loss. The vet told us Tuesday when she called with his blood work results that if he wasn’t better by Thursday that we should take him in to get x-rays done to rule out a blockage. I feel like if there was any kind of blockage though he would be in pain or not acting normal like he is? He lets me hold him and press on his belly and there’s no tension or swelling or anything.

He also has a littermate that our family member (who we live with) adopted and he developed the same symptoms at the same time and my vet agreed that it’s unlikely they BOTH ate something to cause a blockage at the same time. The littermate’s poop is almost back to normal with no medication. He got neutered last week and was given an antibiotic so I’m wondering if that’s why his hasn’t been as bad as Noodles’?

We have two adult cats as well that share litter boxes with Noodles and they have no symptoms at all and completely normal BMs.

I’m going to call the vet today and tell her that there has been some improvement and see if she still suggests we get him x-rayed. I just know that’s going to cost at least $150 for just the x-rays and we already spent almost $300 on Monday for his first appointment, so I really don’t want to have that done unless we have to.

Any ideas? He was a feral kitten when we got him in April but he’s been vaccinated, dewormed, and tested negative for everything.

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS! The website where we so completely understand cats & digestive issues that we even have a celebratory emoji for it "".....
My uneducated "gut feeling" on this is to prescribe what my country vets recommend as "Tincture of Time". His normal diet might be too rich for his irritated intestinal tissues. Boiled chicken breast or hamburger with boiled white rice is usually more calming. Here at TCS, I learned about using rice water - boil white rice for at least an hour ( helps with my own IBD symptoms ). You can thin out Gerber Stage 2 chicken or beef with rice water. Plain canned pumpkin can help, too - just add to whatever you are feeding, about a teaspoon at a time, for a total of 1 tablespoon in a 24 hour period.
I would definitely try to give him unflavored Pedialyte, diluted 50/50 with bottled, filtered or good well water. His electrolytes need to keep balanced. Also, make sure that the litter is fragrance-free; the scents can irritate those sensitive anal tissues and over stimulate the urge to go.
You can rebalance the intestinal flora with probiotics but be sure administer them 2-4 hours away from antibiotics; you can use probiotic supplements or plain WHOLE milk yogurt, preferably Greek style, or both.
You can ask your vet about using the herbs slippery elm and red raspberry leaf.
Since his stools are beginning to form, it sounds as if the antibiotics are effectively dealing with the problem.
And as a feral cat rescuer, THANK YOU for adopting

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well...I can't add much to that. And it does seem as if the situation is resolving. Tummy upsets like that can take a few days to completely resolves. Since BOTH kittens were affected, I doubt that there is a blockage. And the fact that the littermate was given an antibiotic and cleared up quickly tells me that this is almost certainly a bacterial issue. With the advice that catsknowme gave you, I think you're well on the way to a healthy, happy kitten.

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

Thank you guys! I’ve never dealt with a sick kitty before and the fact that they couldn’t find anything definite in any of his tests had me super freaked out lol. He’s been drinking lots of water and I’ve been checking his skin elasticity to make sure he isn’t getting dehydrated. I’m just glad he’s not pooping 4-5 times a day anymore!

My SO did call our vet to update them on how he’s doing and a different vet than the one that saw him called back and said that he’s not concerned that there’s any blockage since the vomiting stopped after the Cerenia injection so that made me feel a lot better. He said if he hasn’t improved more by Monday that we should bring him in for another fecal screen.

I will probably call the vet back in the morning to see if they recommend any further home treatment besides the medicine. We’ve continued feeding him his normal food since neither vet mentioned switching him to anything else while he recovers but we didn’t ask either, so I’ll see what they say!

Fingers crossed he’s better in a few days. He was supposed to get neutered this week but looks like he bought himself some more time

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

And as a feral cat rescuer, THANK YOU for adopting

It’s the best feeling! My SO’s grandfather works in wholesale plumbing and one of his customers had a stray cat that gave birth in their warehouse. We showed up intending to only get one for his grandparents (since we already had two!) but Noodles was in a cage soaking wet and covered in poo so we just couldn’t leave him there lol. It has been so rewarding seeing them go from hissy little scrawny babies who hid anytime you came in the bathroom to the SWEETEST, cuddly, most affectionate kitties.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Both girrardia and coccidia can cause those symptoms, and both can be very hard to diagnose, especially with just one test done. And both are VERY cureable. Those are the most likely culprits, should it persist. But looks like you're getting this under control! WHOO HOOOOOOO!

 

[catsknowme]

Both girrardia and coccidia can cause those symptoms, and both can be very hard to diagnose, especially with just one test done. And both are VERY cureable. Those are the most likely culprits, should it persist. But looks like you're getting this under control! WHOO HOOOOOOO!

I have to agree with Mamanyt1953 - I know first hand (the patient was me, not a cat or dog) that giardia IS hard to spot - it took over 2 months of recurring and worsening symptoms before the medical clinic sent me to the county to pick up a test kit. Metronidazole (which you are already administering) is the drug of choice for giardia although it can take a little longer to really work. (And considering the neutering got delayed due to symptoms, you are probably right that Noodles isn't finding the soft stools all that bad )
.....Bravo for giving those kittens a shot at a great life - feral kittens have less than a 30% survival rate when left in the "field"; the heartbreak is horrendous. I hope that the mother cat can be TNR'd so the cycle of excess kittens is stopped. The other members here are very good at finding local resources if you need them; just PM them to maintain confidentiality.
And thank you for keeping us updated! Your experience will be education for others who are visiting this site, seeking information on exactly what you are dealing with

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

I hope that the mother cat can be TNR'd so the cycle of excess kittens is stopped.

I believe the warehouse owner did get her spayed after all of the kittens went to their new homes! She was surprisingly friendly for a stray (I don’t even want to call her feral because she wasn’t at all) - when we went to pick up Noodles and his brother, she walked right up to us and let us pet her and even went into the carrier we brought like she wanted to come home with us lol. I know he planned to keep her around and feed her and take care of her.

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

Update on Noodles: his poop looks so much better today! He’s actually got mostly formed stools now

 

[catsknowme]

Yay! That is indeed a wonderful update

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

Well he pooped again and I saw a white segment in his stool that is most definitely a worm so looks like he’ll be going back to the vet to get dewormed again.

 

[catsknowme]

The vet should be able to sell you a dewormer at the front desk. Those kittens must have great guardian angels indeed because I don't see how they could have survived without intense medical intervention....you are indeed Heaven-sent!!

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

He did throw up this morning (in the litterbox, such a good kitty). Haven’t seen him poop yet today but he could’ve gone before I woke up. Keeping an eye on him today to see if he vomits any more.

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

The vet should be able to sell you a dewormer at the front desk. Those kittens must have great guardian angels indeed because I don't see how they could have survived without intense medical intervention....you are indeed Heaven-sent!!

I plan on calling them Monday morning to see if they’ll give us one without bringing him in. I’m thinking the dewormer they gave him when we took him in for his first round of vaccines months ago didn’t work, because I don’t know how he would’ve picked them up otherwise. They gave him a topical dewormer then and I’ve never heard of that before.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It isn't at all uncommon for the first round of wormers to miss the mark. The pesky little beggars hide in the folds of the intestines and avoid the poison. AND that would also account for the vomiting. Hang in there! And bless you.

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

It isn't at all uncommon for the first round of wormers to miss the mark. The pesky little beggars hide in the folds of the intestines and avoid the poison. AND that would also account for the vomiting. Hang in there! And bless you.

Thank you!! Fingers crossed this next round works. Even though he’s acting totally normal, I still feel bad for the little guy and just want him to get better!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yeah, and you DO NOT want the nasty little pests eating up all the good nutrition you're pouring down that insatiable little kitten gullet!

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

He just threw up again I’m so stressed out and worried about him. He makes this like urgent meow/yowling sound right before he gets sick and it just makes me feel so bad for him.

 

[catsknowme]

That urgent mrreowling is common when kitties yack. Could it be that the met is giving him nausea? I had to be switched from met to atabrine when I had persistent giardia

 

[echo.rory.noodles]

That urgent mrreowling is common when kitties yack. Could it be that the met is giving him nausea? I had to be switched from met to atabrine when I had persistent giardia

That’s what I’ve been reading, and he’s done it before even before he got sick but our vet tech was asking us if he was yowling or meowing before vomiting last week and it had me worried. None of our other cats have ever done it so it’s new to me!

It’s possible it’s that, but this is the first time he’s vomited since we took him in and he’s been on the meds for almost a week now. I’m guessing it’s either that or the worms though. We’re going to call our vet tomorrow and see if they want us to bring him back in for another fecal screen or go ahead and give us a dewormer to give him (and I guess our other kitties too since they share boxes!)