How to treat diarrhea in cats

For 8 hours, food passes through the digestive tract and is excreted from it in the form of formalized feces. The physiology of digestion and stool formation is simple – about 80% of water must be absorbed in the intestines for stool to have the correct consistency. If in this process for some reason a failure occurs, then diarrhea occurs, or simply diarrhea.

Watery stools in cats can occur spontaneously or develop gradually: first, the owner notices a change in color and density, then softens and thins. One-time loose stools in cats are not always a problem. But diarrhea (repeated, uncontrollable bowel movements for a day or more) can be dangerous due to rapid dehydration and the development of inflammation of the intestinal mucosa.

How to recognize danger?

Cats are typical predators who cannot be fed with leftover human food interspersed with dry food or cat pate. Improper nutrition in cats causes indigestion to become a chronic problem that slowly reduces the health and quality of life of pets. And in this case, the owner can cure his cat's diarrhea himself.

If the abdominal pain occurs once, and is not accompanied by other worrying symptoms, then most likely the problem is with a minor malfunction. Treatment is reduced to eliminate the cause of failure. You should consult a doctor if other symptoms appear:

• nausea, vomiting, lack of coordination;
• blood, mucus, green, white, or orange clots in your stool;
• cramps, screaming, breathing problems;
• temperatures above 39.5 C or above the breed norm.

Different causes of one disease

It is customary to call recurrent diarrhea (from every hour to 5-6 times a day) defecation with liquid stools. This process is often out of control. Spontaneous and gradual bowel movements lead the body to dehydration, mechanical trauma to the mucous membranes and mental exhaustion.

The causes of this pathology are diverse, and not all of them are harmless. Treating cat diarrhea at home is acceptable, but it is always advisable to rely on the opinion of a doctor. Diarrhea can occur in the following cases:

• Failure to comply with feeding norms (excessive intake of feed leads to the fact that the digestive tract tries to get rid of its excess as soon as possible);
• Eating fatty foods (fat covers the intestinal wall and blocks the absorption of water, so the food comes out in liquid form, undigested). Be careful when changing feed;
• Intolerance to the components of eating (allergies and intolerances are manifested equally every time a harmful agent appears in the body);
• Mental stress and trauma (stress seizures in the internal organs cause indigestion, this usually lasts about a day);
• Poisoning (it manifests itself in different ways depending on the acting substance and always requires professional treatment);
• Invasion (the cat has worms, the number of individuals is large, the intestinal wall is so tired that it prefers to remove parasitic nutrients, relax and push them all along with food and water);
• Infectious diseases (harmful microorganisms and an increase in temperature always lead to changes in the work of all systems; digestion suffers one of the first, treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor);
• Reactions to vitamin complexes, anesthetics, antibiotics or intolerance to some drugs, as well as poisoning in case of an overdose;
• The postoperative period is the time when the body facilitates its work and “turns off” normal digestion to get rid of undigested food with minimal stress. Therefore, doctors ask not to feed the cat before the operation and thus avoid vomiting and diarrhea;
• Intestinal obstruction caused by its pathology or a foreign body always requires a veterinary examination, visual diagnosis and treatment under the supervision of a doctor;
• Bowel disease (diseases vary: from dysbiosis to cancerous tumors, each disease must be properly diagnosed before it can be treated).

Improper feeding or infection?

Distinguishing a stomach ache of a contagious nature from digestive problems caused by an improper diet or stress is quite easy:

• During infectious diseases, cats often refuse food;
• Infection almost always causes an increase in temperature, while stress in most cases causes a decrease in temperature;
• After stress, cats can start playing even before the stool is recovered; in case of infection, the cat saves energy;
• When stressed, the cat may continue to eat, but the food will not be digested normally. With infection, the appetite drops sharply;
• If the cause of diarrhea is the wrong food, then when it is replaced, the stool quickly recovers;
• If the diarrhea is caused by worms, then you may even see parasites in the stool; the appearance and grooming of cats changed significantly.

Normal digestion and proper nutrition

The residence time of food in the digestive tract depends on the type of food. A predator's body won't even try to digest a bunch of prairie grass. The basis of the diet of predatory cats is animal protein. The rest (cereal, fat, vegetables, salt, etc.) are necessary additives that cannot become food.

Carbohydrates are digested in the upper digestive tract, protein in the stomach, fat and water are absorbed in the small intestine. The large intestine is used to form feces. The entire digestion process usually takes up to a day.

Digestive failure can occur at any stage. But diarrhea in cats occurs mainly when the parts below the stomach are damaged: pancreas, liver, small intestine. Now let's get straight to how to cure a cat from diarrhea.

Treating a cat with diarrhea

How to stop diarrhea in cats how to treat it, and how to restore body strength? Observations will help you with this. The color, texture, consistency of the stool will indicate its origin and treatment.

With the right treatment, the stool will begin to acquire a normal color (dark brown), consistency (forming a “sausage”) and structure (should strive for uniformity) on the first day.

Color it as a disease visiting card

• Yellow poop  , eg. the clarification becomes yellow (and liquefies without loss of homogeneity), indicating a lack of enzymes. Food as a whole is digested evenly, but not completely. Food passes too quickly through the digestive tract and the necessary substances do not have time to be absorbed by the intestinal walls. Why – a question for veterinarians. Symptomatic treatment: the appointment of enerosorbents (coal, smecta) and preparations of liver and pancreatic enzymes;
• Green poop  is a clear sign of rotting food in a cat. The digestive system does not work due to weakened peristalsis or lack of enzymes. Symptomatic treatment – ​​gastric lavage, enemas, sorbents, if necessary, enzymes and microflora preparations;
• Dirt  color  orange  always indicate a liver problem that sometimes can not be completed at home. Symptomatic treatment is reduced to a gentle diet and rest. Be sure to monitor your cat's pain and don't rush to administer medication to humans. It is better not to postpone the visit to the doctor;
• If  dirt  cat  is white  , then the bile does not enter the digestive tract. The reasons – from seizures to cholelithiasis. Doctors will treat it faster and more efficiently. Even if at home it is possible to restart the activity of the glands with drugs or help digestion with enzymes once, the problem will return one day.
• Dark blood clots indicate trauma to the upper intestine (parasites, dysbiosis, mechanical trauma, tumors), and fresh red blood indicates damage to the colon.
• If diarrhea is also accompanied by mucus, this is a symptom of an inflammatory process, which should be treated by a doctor. And the presence of foam always indicates the bacterial nature of the disease.

Therapeutic diet for diarrhea

These signs can be combined or replaced with each other during the course of the disease. When cat feces have just appeared,  a  short-term (up to a day) starvation diet is prescribed without limiting the amount of water. Then –   light    diet in  small portions.

After determining the cause of diarrhea, the doctor prescribes a special veterinary diet. These are usually dry and wet ready-to-eat foods that are completely balanced for the cat's needs. Do not give up on such a diet.

The first aid kit should always store sorbents (activated carbon, Smecta), enzymes (Veracol, Liarsin, Creon), probiotics for cats (eg, Pro-choline), saline (may be needed for enemas), glucose solution. The latter can be useful with severe dehydration. Also make sure you have a syringe at home to inject, and if you must give your cat a pill, a pill dispenser.

Any medication prescribed should be discontinued if there is no noticeable improvement or deterioration in the cat's condition during the day. If symptomatic self-medication doesn't help, see your veterinarian.

When diarrhea is repeated 3-4 times a day, not accompanied by fever, vomiting, refusal of food and water, it is usually just a way to lower the cat's body. But you must pay attention to the diet and diet of the pet. Perhaps more serious problems can be prevented in the future.