Disclaimer: the information provided below is not intended to replace or override the advice of your veterinarian. Both the author and the site owner assume that this information will be used to work with your vet in planning the best treatment plan for your cat

The Dreaded “D” Word -- Diarrhea

We’ve all been through it with our furry friends.  And it’s no fun, but there are many ways we can treat it and clear it up faster with less discomfort to our kitties.  It can be allowed to go for a day or two in adults with home treatment.  Kittens should be taken to the vet within a few hours if it doesn’t clear up.  Dehydration can occur very quickly in the young ones and should be carefully cared for.

If blood is seen in the stool – it will look black – or if violent diarrhea, abdominal distention, dehydration, vomiting, fever, or respiratory symptoms are observed, don’t hesitate and get to a vet immediately.

Diarrhea is a symptom not a disease.  There are many reasons a cat could have diarrhea.  He could have eaten something spoiled - garbage, dead animals, or have stolen food, drank milk, or eaten too many bones if not used to them.  Rapid changes to an cat’s diet can cause diarrhea as well.  More serious causes include toxins in flea preparations, plants, or intestinal parasites.

Most veterinarians will recommend a fast to clear up diarrhea. Give absolutely no food for 24 hours. Keep water available and you may wish to add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or give broth with soy sauce.  if your cat is nor drinking on her own, you may wish to give small amounts of water using a needle-less syringe and squirting gently into her mouth. Slowly introducing cooked rice and boiled chicken after a fast will help get her back on track.

Chronic diarrhea may be caused by the animal’s diet.  A change to a natural, raw diet may be what’s needed.  Dyes, preservatives, and other synthetic chemicals can cause the animal to react by having loose bowels.  Beginning by fasting for a day will help ease the transition to a natural diet.  Keep fresh water available at all times.  Add the new foods gradually as a rapid change in diet will only exacerbate the situation.  Once on a natural diet it will help to add digestive enzymes to meals to help properly digest and utilize all the food. If diarrhea continues, check out the Inflammatory Bowel Disease FAQ on this web site for further suggestions.

Lack of B-complex vitamins can cause diarrhea. Also too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea. As a pet becomes stronger and needs less vitamin C her tolerance level decreases causing the diarrhea. Infectious causes of diarrhea call for vitamin C to be added with a liquid. Acidophilous can be added to increase the good intestinal flora.  This is easily done by adding a bit of live culture yogurt to a meal.

Homeopathy provides many choices for helping alleviate diarrhea.  In choosing a remedy, it is very important to consider all the symptoms and particularly when straining, pain or flatulence occurs.  If you are in doubt as to which remedy to use, consult with a homeopath.  These remedies are generally given 3 times daily for a few days but you must stop when improvement has occurred.
 

• Arsenicum Alb. -- diarrhea from eating spoiled meat, when diarrhea is seen with frequent vomiting
• Belis Per. -- yellow, painless, smelly diarrhea
• Carbo Veg. -- moist flatulence or painful diarrhea in old dogs
• Chamomilla -- for young dogs, watery and greenish
• China (cinchona officinalis) -- when dog is debilitated from vomiting and diarrhea and has lost a lot of vital fluids
• Colchicum -- ineffectual urging, jelly like stools
• Colocynthis -- diarrhea with colic and pain, irritable or angry, arched back
• Croton tig -- for frequent watery diarrhea, gurgling and stool is watery and forceful
• Ipecac -- bloody diarrhea with abdominal pain and fever with vomiting
• Merc cor. -- frequent diarrhea with straining and blood, forceful spurts
• Natrum Sulph. -- diarrhea with gas, large quantities, yellow and liquid or soft and loose
• Phosphorus -- copious ongoing, debilitating diarrhea, difficulty in producing a small quantity of foul smelling hard or partly formed with liquid feces and followed by weakness
• Veratrum Alb. -- dysentery, helps control dehydration

Activated charcoal can be used to absorb toxins but should be used sparingly.  Use one-half to one teaspoon of powder or 1-3 tablets or capsules every 2-3 hours for 24 hours only.

Flower essences can be given for support: Crab Apple for cleansing, Vine to help relax, Cedar which detoxifies contaminants and pollutants and poisons, Loquat or Paw Paw  to aid dietary changes, and Sweet Bell Pepper, Clover, Chamomile, or Vervain to help diarrhea caused by stress or emotional causes.

Keep in mind that you should try to find the cause of the diarrhea and eliminate that.  This isn’t always possible, but for the times it is, you and your friends will be spared a lot of discomfort.

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