Among our pets, gastrointestinal ailments are among the most common disorders. If they are often a source of concern for the owner, it is a normal reaction of the body, which reacts to aggression. Diarrhea in your pet should never be underestimated, here are some signs to watch out for in your cat.

We speak of diarrhea in the cat when it emits stools of reduced consistency, that is to say pasty or liquid.

Diarrhea can be difficult to spot in a cat that goes outside and defecates outdoors. In these cases, a few signs can alert us to an imbalance in the digestive system:

• Direct visualization of diarrhea in the litter box
• Traces of stool around the cat’s anus, especially in long-haired cats.

Sometimes it is other symptoms that can point us towards the existence of a gastrointestinal disturbance such as digestive noises in the abdomen of the cat or a painful palpation for the animal.

Within diarrhea, there are two main categories: 

• Diarrhea of ​​the small intestine, where the stools are watery, sometimes poorly digested. There is often a significant impairment of the general condition of the animal with weight loss and significant fatigue;
• Diarrhea of ​​the large intestine, where the stools are loose and more frequent (up to 10 times a day).

Diarrhea is a non-specific symptom, which can appear in many conditions affecting the gastrointestinal system.

A food or parasitic origin

Most often, diarrhea is food or parasitic in origin. Indeed, a sudden change in the diet of the cat, such as a change in the brand of kibble or eating too much food, can cause diarrhea. This will resolve spontaneously in 24 to 48 hours.

In case of massive parasitic infection, the consistency of the stool may also be reduced and the parasites can sometimes be observed directly in the cat’s droppings.

Significant stress, especially during a change of environment, can also cause self-limiting diarrhea. Indeed, the cat is a territorial animal and any change in its habits will cause it stress.

However, the severity of diarrhea should not be underestimated, as it can also be a warning sign in other more serious illnesses, such as bowel cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.

As a first step, we advise you to contact your veterinarian as soon as you observe that your animal has diarrhea, so that he can guide you on what to do.

Signs of a veterinary emergency

Some signs may indicate an emergency to consult your veterinarian: if the stool shows traces of blood in nature, or if they are black which may indicate the presence of digested blood, then we advise you to make an appointment directly with your vet.

In the same way, when your cat presents a depression, thinning, or a dull coat, it will be necessary to bring him to consult a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Identify mild cases

In other cases, if the general condition of the animal is normal, that is to say that it shows neither fatigue nor weight loss, then the consultation with a veterinarian can generally wait 48 hours. In the meantime, we can then give a digestive bandage to the cat and keep it under surveillance, preventing it from going out in order to monitor it. It is then advisable to remove all food from the cat for 24 hours in order to leave its digestive system at rest.

In parallel with these measures, and as soon as diarrhea is observed, it is important to leave fresh water and at will in order to fight against the dehydration of the animal. In cats, it is sometimes essential to stimulate drinking by frequently renewing the water, or by setting it in motion, some cats preferring to drink from the tap or from a fountain than from a bowl.