My 13 Year Old Male Cat has Constant Diarrhea

by Erica
(Canada)

Ramsey

Ramsey

My 13 year old cat has had diarrhea for the past 3 or 4 months -- his food has remained the same -- he drinks a lot of water, has lost about 10 pounds within the past year and I am getting worried and somewhat tired of always cleaning up after him. Any ideas of what it is or what to do would be greatly appreciated.

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Jun 06, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Not sure what's been tried...
by: Kurt (Admin)

@Lindy,

I'm sorry to hear that your cat is having problems. I'm not an expert on feline nutrition, but there are certainly some things to think about.

It's hard to imagine that your vet has not already discussed all this with you, but not knowing what has been said and done, I'll give you my initial thoughts on what I'd think about if he were my cat.

You don't say how long this has been going on. Is there anything you can pinpoint that happened right before it started?

Was is he sick at the time? Could this be a result of that sickness?

Did you change his diet? Is it possible that a particular diet, particular brand of food, or particular ingredient(s) in certain foods could be causing this?

Does this happen with all brands of food. How many have you tried?

Did your veterinarian discuss food additives or dietary supplements, such as probiotics, or adding soluble fiber to your cat's diet?

Have you considered food allergies as a possible cause? Has he been tested for food allergies by using food trials with novel protein sources? This is something your vet would work on with you.

Have you gotten a second opinion from another vet? Have you tried contacting an integrative vet, or veterinary internal medicine specialist?

Have you tried the product from Pet Wellbeing I mentioned in my other comment? Check with your vet to make sure it's OK your cat to take. Here's the link with the info:

Feline diarrhea treatment.

I could go on with more things to think about, but that's a start.
Jun 05, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Looking for answers
by: Lindy

My cat is 15 and my vet did a bunch of tests. He tired out ok, except for constant diarrhea. We have tried all medicines for him, bit nothing is working. She said he might have this forever. Anybody else ever heard of this? He eats and drinks like normal but he is slowly losing weight. I don't want to lose him, but I don't want him to suffer.
Jan 05, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		Overactive Thyroid
by: Anonymous

My cat had the same problem your kitty is experiencing. My cat Frisky went down to 8 pounds and was thirsty and hungry all the time. With a blood test it turned out he had an overactive thyroid very common in older cats. He was prescribed a pill everyday to control his thyroid and has gained weight and seems happy.
Apr 11, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Weight Loss Plus Diarrhea Needs A Vet
by: Kurt (Cat Lovers Only Admin)

Sorry to hear about your kitty having troubles. I've recently been researching feline diarrhea, and there are two issues you've mentioned that warrant attention. One is the diarrhea your cat is experiencing, and the other is the weight loss.

It's important that he does drink a lot since diarrhea, especially for prolonged periods, can lead to dehydration. Dehydration can be life threatening.

Since his diet hasn't changed, I would check around to see if other cat owners have experienced a problem with whatever you're feeding him. If it's a commercial cat food, it's possible that there was a problem with the food, and certainly others would have reported this. You might try (slowly) changing his diet, to see what happens.

If he's getting into something on a regular basis (say some sort of poison), that could be causing the diarrhea. Without watching his every move, this might be hard to spot. He may have inflammatory bowel disease.

As for the weight loss, that is concerning. Some of the weight loss may be due to the diarrhea, since he's losing lots of water weight, plus, he's probably not absorbing all the nutrients he should be due to the diarrhea. But, the weight loss started before the diarrhea, so that's not the whole story.

As they age, it's common for cats to lose some of their body mass, but 10 pounds, let alone 10 pounds in a year, is a warning sign. If you have, say a 22 pound cat (and that's a big cat), it's possible that he might be better supporting 15 pounds on his frame (still a good size cat with a good size frame). But to take a 22 pound cat down to 12 pounds in a year without any change in diet or exercise level indicates something is wrong. That's like a 220 pound 6 foot tall man hitting 120 pounds.

Not to be an alarmist, but I'd be concerned about a major medical problem of some kind. If it were my cat, I would go for a veterinary consultation as soon as possible. I'd give the vet the history, and see if they suggest a full physical including blood work, and possibly x-rays or ultrasound. Vets will often tell you that some intestinal problems can't be properly diagnosed without scans and x-rays. As I said before, if he's somehow getting into poisons, that's a tough one.

For the diarrhea itself, you can get a natural treatment called BM Tone-Up Gold. I have not used it myself, but some cat owners say it works (some say it didn't help).

If your cat has a major medical condition, this product may be less effective or even not recommended. Ask the vet of course. Here's a link...

Natural feline diarrhea treatment.

I hope that information helps some and before you do anything I would get him checked out head to toe by the vet. Please let us know how he progresses.

-Kurt

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