New Kitten Diarrhea ?

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  • #864400
    Piper
    Participant

    (This is my first post here so please let me know if I’m doing anything wrong.)
    So a kitten was dumped near my home, about 3 or 4 months old. She is soo sweet and affectionate, seems completely happy and playful but she totally had worms at first. We were able to get her into the vet the day of to get her shots and to get dewormed. She will be fixed once our vet says she is old enough.
    The vet gave us ear drops for her ear mites and also some kitten food, which was dry. I fed her according to the instructions but she would stop eating when she was done so I wasn’t too worried about the exact measurements. At first she had diarrhea which we expected from the worms, but I thought it would go away after a couple days. She uses the litter box but her feces is still not as solid as it should be, and she has (ew) wet farts without realizing. She will walk around and literally like . drip sometimes. It’s super gross lol. We called the vet and they literally just told us she would grow out of it but there’s no way that’s healthy or normal. We can’t let her in the bedroom because it has carpet and she has seriously shit on almost everything we own lol. I read somewhere to give her wet food to help with the diarrhea so we got some and she seems to like it, it’s only been a day but nothing has changed so far. It’s been about two weeks and I’m starting to get concerned. Since we found her outside and she had clearly been living out there we let her outside but she never really wants to go out (except sometimes when there’s a particularly bad mess going on with her, we’ll put her outside while we clean it up so she doesn’t walk in it and stuff).
    I need some advice on how to help her because we can’t even put her in our laps without putting a towel down first. Is it possible she is over eating? I wasn’t worried because i had seen her stop eating and leave food in the bowl several times and I was under the impression that kittens don’t usually overeat. I’m sure the diet change has irritated her stomach because I have no clue what she was eating before we found her but I feel like it should have stopped by now.
    Her “Squirts” are like light brown liquid. Sometimes we have to clean her butt because she doesn’t realize she’s doing it.
    Thanks so much for reading and any advice!! Hope she gets better.

    #864405
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I would probably eliminate the dry food completely. I could be that she just can’t tolerate it. I would stick with the wet food and let her eat as much as she wants and when she is finished, pick it up and refrigerate any left over portion. You can then feed it to her later, but leaving it out isn’t good since it can grow bacteria.

    I would call the vet and ask if it’s possible that she could still have worms and maybe another parasite. Coccidia produces diarrhea and a lack of control too. The vet would have done a fecal test while she was there to test for this one celled parasite, and the medicine for regular worms isn’t the treatment for coccidia.

    She can’t help it, but I worry about you putting her outside as she could be in danger from cars and dogs and other animals. Just place her in another room with the door closed while you are cleaning.

    Pick a good quality wet food for her and stick with it, instead of bouncing back and forth with different foods or you won’t know what is causing the gas and loose stools. I hope you get this sorted out for her. Make sure you provide fresh water for her too. She may not drink a lot of it, but you should always have it for her.

    #864419
    Piper
    Participant

    Thank you Kittyzee! Don’t worry about her going outside, it’s very rare and we have a very big yard and make sure she doesn’t go far and one of us will make sure she’s okay.
    Is there a certain brand you would recommend for the wet food? We got a few different flavors of Purina Friskies and I always keep water out for her. She seems to drink and eat enough and we also refrigerate it as well. I try and watch her eat specifically because I don’t want any of our other pets eating all her stuff haha.
    anyway–Thanks so much! Hopefully soon I can come back and update with good news. I don’t think our vet did a fecal test unfortunately. Maybe if this continues for a couple days more of wet food I will request it.

    #864427
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I hesitate to recommend a particular type of food, but what I do is go to pet websites and read the ingredients and the reviews of other cat people who have fed that particular food. There is nothing wrong with Friskies, I feed it to my cats also, and I’m sure there are better ones out there too.

    I’d love to know what really is going on with your kitten. Stay in touch and let us know if you actually find out. Sharing information helps all of us when people come here looking for advice to help their cats and kittens.

    #864452
    Piper
    Participant

    Just a little update: she seems to be doing better. Has only had one accident today and previously there would be like 5 or so a day at least. Her stomach looks less bloated as well. We even think the accident might be because she got into a little bit of dry food left over from another cat but not sure. Either way she’s definitely doing better I believe, not leaking as much. We have been giving her different flavors of Friskies wet foods but she doesn’t seem to have a preference which is also convenient. We are being a little more cautious about how much she eats because she ate a lot at first and immediately had a big accident the other day, so we just are kind of keeping an eye on it. That particular accident had a teeny amount of blood but it seems to be from her actual bottom being sore from everything going on, not blood IN the feces. Her feces now looks interesting to say the least, but possibly just gaining more solidity? Kind of looks lumpy and a bit still watery, as opposed to before when it was entirely liquid.
    Anyway she is already doing much better- she used to leave spots where she sat (we have been doing laundry like crazy) and haven’t seen much of that at all now! Hopefully this continues. I’ll continue to update

    #864454
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Good. It sounds like your girl is getting better. You can put a dab of Neosporine on her bum. Yes, Neosporin is safe and a good choice. But you need to let it dry out to heal, so don’t put in on for too many days.

    #864465
    Piper
    Participant

    Thank you pussigato! Unfortunately she has had several messes today..afraid I spoke too soon. But I will definitely try that. Her bottom is very sore looking, I hope it helps.

    #864467
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    BTW, did you have tested her for Coccidia?

    i’m sorry she’s making relapsing. Here’s some info that you try:

    If your kitten is otherwise healthy and his behavior is normal, ask your veterinarian if you should withhold food (food only, not water) for 12 hours. After 12 hours of withholding food only, offer your kitten a bland food that is fat-free. Some options are a fat-free prepared/canned kitten food, or cooked ground turkey and canned 100 percent pumpkin. If canned pumpkin is not easily found, try fresh, cooked sweet potato.

    It has been found that pumpkin or sweet potato is usually well tolerated and digestible even in pets suffering with diarrhea. Mix together equal parts turkey and pumpkin and give your cat smaller portions frequently throughout the day until the diarrhea resolves. If the diarrhea does not resolve in the first two to three days on a bland diet, consult your veterinarian if you haven’t already.

    An alternative to this is a bland diet of ground beef and rice. While this is somewhat fat-free, even the leanest ground beef is higher in fat than turkey. Rice is indeed bland and contains fiber, but it is a complex carbohydrate that tends to ferment in your cat’s intestine. This can make your kitten gassy, and you might see relatively undigested rice in your kitten’s poop.

    For some cases of diarrhea, it may be necessary to modify the diet permanently. You may need to give your cat special foods in order to avoid certain ingredients, plus add fiber, decrease fat intake and increase digestibility.

    Metamucil can also be used to help resolve diarrhea. Adding half a teaspoon of Metamucil into your kitten’s food, especially if he has soft poop, often firms up the stool.

    A kitten with diarrhea needs more water by whatever means possible. Diarrhea causes the kitten to lose fluids, and the electrolytes in those fluids are essential to help control important physiologic functions. Pedialyte is an over-the-counter electrolyte beverage designed for infants and children and can be added to your kitten’s water. Begin by offering water that includes 10 percent Pedialyte. If your kitten likes it, increase the amount of Pedialyte to 50 percent. Pedialyte comes in several different flavors, but I find the original, clear, unflavored variety to be the most accepted by cats.

    It’s a frustrating situation and I hope this will help you out.

    #864483
    Piper
    Participant

    Thanks so much! Think we will definitely try the Pedialyte and try and get some metamucil before the 12 hours no food thing. If other cats drink the water with the pedialyte it will be fine, right? I’ll try to avoid that happening but just in case.
    I don’t know if she was tested for coccidia. If it requires a stool sample then the answer is no. Her behavior is totally fine and she’s very energetic, other than the messes I wouldn’t know anything was wrong!
    Thanks so much again for the great advice. We will definitely start working on those methods with her.
    I’m totally in love with her and so glad we rescued her, but keep getting afraid she will be like this forever or we will need little kitty diapers. At night we put her in a crate in the living room (very roomy, it’s for large dogs, with towels and water and everything) and she has gotten used to it but I am hoping it will be over soon. If it is coccidia then she definitely had it before we found her, I hope if that’s the case she hasn’t had it too long.
    Again, thanks SO MUCH! Will continue to update and see how this stuff works out.

    #864489
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I’m hoping it resolves itself soon too Piper! Yes, she could have picked up the coccidia before you rescued her. If it doesn’t resolve within the next couple of weeks, I would CALL the vet and ask about testing her. If it goes untreated for too long, it can cause damage to the intestines. I’m not trying to scare you, but just keep you informed.

    http://petcha.com/pet_care/dealing-with-kitten-diarrhea/

    #864537
    Piper
    Participant

    Thanks! I totally understand 🙂 Started today with the metamucil and pedialyte. Hopefully will be able to update soon with progress.

    #864584
    Piper
    Participant

    Hey guys, little update. Stomach has continued to reduce in bloating, which is great! Less messes for sure but nothing concrete. Seems to be slightly more solid poop but still messy. She looks better and I think today I will start with 50% pedialyte in the water, because it took her a minute to get used to. Just now she had some very unusual poops come out (she was totally unaware, like when it’s liquidy) but they looked really weird. Very much like mucus. Blobby brownish stuff. Think it’s a good sign or not? Other than that poop has been lumpy brown and slowly solidifying. Still having quite a bit of poop but I think it has toned down in the quantity. Anyway she seems completely fine and I will keep updating and continue the Metamucil and Pedialyte.

    #864590
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    That’s an improvement. Normal kitten stools are yellowish brown with a jam-like consistency. After every feeding, gently massage the anus and urinary orifice with a cotton ball or Kleenex moistened with warm water until they urinate and defecate.

    #865298
    Piper
    Participant

    Totally have been so busy I have neglected to update. Continued use of Metamucil and Pedialyte seems to have gotten her to a better point but she is still having accidents. I will try the massaging thing soon. We contacted the vet again, he did a stool sample and she came back negative for everything. She is getting better however, but slowly. Our vet gave us some medicine for something he said would not show up on a test, we gave it to her twice a day for five days like he instructed but it did not seem to affect her at all. I am starting to think whatever situation she was in before we found her may have put her in a place where she had such a bad diet that she is possibly still recovering? We also have been giving her some organic yogurt to help, which she eats fine. She threw up once a few days ago, but that is it. Thank you again for the advice!! Seems to be something we will just have to keep being patient with. Soon we may take her to a different vet to get a second opinon.

    #865299
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Good to hear that she is doing so well, even though she has a mess now and then. She is using the litter box, correct? She is old enough for you not to have to stimulate her to go since she is 3 or 4 months old. I would keep her clean though to avoid soreness by wiping her with a damp cloth, or baby wipes that contain no alcohol and then you can put a little dab of Desitin on her bum. That acts as a moisture barrier and if she should lick it, it won’t hurt her. Some kittens aren’t good about cleaning themselves at an early age. Others are more fastidious.

    You never know what a kitten has been exposed to, even what her mother may have endured then passed along to her kittens. Organic yogurt might help because of the probiotics, but if you can get goat’s milk yogurt, that would be the best since cats cannot tolerate the lactose in milk very well. If she is drinking cow’s milk, that could be the cause of her continued diarrhea. I have cats that like an occasional drink from the cereal bowl left unattended, and others that will get sick immediately if they drink it, or get diarrhea.

    Still keep us posted!

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