We have recently acquired a kitten who has a little trouble with digestion. We understand from the veterinary office that she will most likely outgrow this condition, but in the meantime it cannot be ignored. Diarrhea, in humans as well as animals, can be a dangerous situation. There are some remedies that we have discovered and have had shared with us that have been very helpful to the situation.
Make sure before you follow ANY of these suggestions that you have your cat thoroughly checked at a veterinarian! There can be many causes for incontinence and diarrhea, some of which may be life-threatening illnesses! So don’t assume you know WHY your cat is having this problem. Get her checked for illness before you begin a treatment based on digestive issues!
First of all, make sure you keep the litter box clean. This can be a challenge with a cat who is having a digestive issue, (especially if you have more than just the one cat) but if you don’t keep it clean, she will not use it! We are fortunate that when she doesn’t use the box she chooses the vinyl floor or the tub, but this might not always be the case. No matter, it’s important to try and keep up with the litter box.
In terms of treatment, there are a couple of remedies that have been shared that help a great deal. It largely appears to be the wet food that causes this issue (most likely associated with the breakdown of proteins in the meat, perhaps), so keeping the wet food feeding down to a minimum is a start. Generally speaking, we only feed our cats wet food every other night or so. You may have to do so even less if this is clearly the source of your cat’s problem. The first suggestion was to add pure pumpkin to the food (about a tablespoon or two per cup of wet food). Make sure you are purchasing pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie mix, which also comes in cans! Roughage aids in the digestion process and helps to clean the colon of unwanted bacteria and an overabundance of GI flora. Include this in every wet meal. And it’s perfectly OK for your other cats to eat it, too!
Another supplement to the food that may assist is pro-biotics. We hear so much about this product for human consumption, and many of us don’t realize that it is a perfectly viable treatment for our animals as well. What pro-biotics do is replenish and revitalize the necessary and proper “gut flora” for functional digestion. They are used to balance the digestive system and to create a proper environment for healthy assimilation of ingested food. We use a product by Dr. Goodpet called “Feline Formula Digestive Enzymes”. You use approximately 1/2 to one teaspoon per cup of cat food.
In addition, Dr. Goodpet has another product called “Diar-Relief”, which is a homeopathic treatment for your pet. You administer 10-15 drops directly in your pet’s mouth or on a small amount of food or in a small amount of water. It is rather like the “Pepto Bismol” treatment, in its desired result, which is to slow or curb the diarrhea presentation.
Another thing brought to our attention is that Iams Hairball formula also curbs this tendency. We were advised to mix 1/3 of the Iams hairball food with her regular kitten food (which in our case is Royal Canin kitten formula). It is also best to try and stay away from products that include grain, as a cat does not digest grains as well as meat products, which could exacerbate the problem.
No matter what form the treatment takes, make sure your animal has plenty of fresh water available. In most cases, the cat will take care of herself in this respect and attend to her need for rehydration. If you notice that your cat is not doing so, immediately take her to the vet for evaluation! And, if the products and treatments herein are not doing the job, get her to the vet within a matter of days. Again, diarrhea can be a dangerous condition if it is not treated and remedied properly! Keep an eye out for unusual behavior – sleeping too much, lethargic activity, and the like.
Our kitten, though still experiencing her difficulties, is thriving and well. If you are experiencing this situation with your cat, try the above suggestions and see if they might improve her condition. In most cases, this is a temporary state of affairs, and as her digestive system matures it will dissipate. In the meantime, you may make the scenario a lot more comfortable and manageable for both you and your pet if you try some of these solutions. Again, though, if you are not seeing any improvement, trust your pet and your conscience to the work of a trusted veterinarian.
