General knowledge about diarrhea tells us, that it is the frequent passage of loose or watery stools. It is a symptom and not the actual disease. It is the cat’s inability to reabsorb water from the intestinal tract for a variety of possible reasons. Other symptoms accompanying diarrhea are vomiting, cramping, gas, generalized feeling of illness, thirst, abdominal pain, blood and/or mucus in the stool, rectal soreness, fever, weakness, loss of appetite, tummy rumbling. Diarrhea can either be acute – lasting for a few days – or chronic, with the symptom persisting for months.
Cause:
The actual cause or causes of diarrhea are many and varied, and the resolution of the diarrhea lies in the resolution of the underlying cause.
A common cause can be too rapid a transit time from ingestion of food to elimination or an irritation in the intestinal tract. Either can be brought about by any one of these:
• Incomplete digestion of food
• Food intolerance or sensitivity
• Allergy
• Food poisoning
• Some medications
• Infection with bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasites
• Bacterial toxins
• Pancreatic insufficiency or general deficiency in digestive enzyme
• Deficiency of stomach acid
• Inadequate bile secretion
• Nutrient deficiency or malnutrition
• Hyperthyroidism
• Constipation
• Heavy metal poisoning
• Contaminated water
• Cancer
• IBD or colitis – although the cause of these may be one of the above.
Zeroing in on the actual cause of the diarrhea can be extremely frustrating, as is demonstrated by the high occurrence of persistent Irritable or Inflammatory Bowl Disease (IBD) in cats today. Often, medication like antibiotics and steroids compound the trouble – making the overall disease state worse by collapsing the immune system (steroids) or elimination beneficial bacteria (antibiotics) which help keep bad bacteria in check by colonizing the same “habitat”.
Diagnosis:
Occasional one or two day diarrhea in cats – sometimes caused by eating raw liver, sharing an ice cream with the owner, or stealing a saucer of milk – is not too alarming, and can often be left to resolve itself, unless the cat exhibits other symptoms of illness which raise concern.
If a more serious cause than “dietary indiscretion” is suspected, Veterinary help is needed to diagnose a possible disease and help stabilize the cat. While your Veterinarian is essential to help remedy food poisoning, eliminate a bacterial or parasitic infection, diagnose cancer or hyperthyroidism, or alleviate severe constipation, Veterinarians are often at a loss when the cause of the condition is rooted in the nutrition the cat receives, or if a digestive organ is not working properly. Once obvious causes have been eliminated or ruled out by your Veterinarian, but no resolution was found, the detective work for the underlying cause of the diarrhea is often up to the owner.
Fiber or high fiber commercial pet foods are sometimes prescribed to thicken stool by absorbing excess water, and some fiber will also help carry toxins out of the body. However, this is not a real remedy but masks the symptoms, and often, added fiber has the opposite result of further aggravating the irritated digestive tract.
Process of elimination:
Finding the cause of your cat’s diarrhea will be a process of elimination. To better pin point the culprit or the cure, introduce one change at the time, and for long enough, to observe change or the absence of change in your cat’s diarrhea. Alternative remedies can be very helpful, but should be chosen with the help of a Naturopath or Homeopath – keeping in mind that many remedies, herbs, and over the counter medicines are toxic to cats.
Your first consideration should be: is the food you are feeding a food, or made of foods, your cat has evolved to be eating as a true carnivore? Personally, I believe, the root of most cases of IBD is a diet made of ingredients, or made to be, unnatural to the cat. In many cases, food can be a remedy by simply putting things the way they should be. A diet made with raw meats has resolved many cases of IBD in cats.
Discovering food sensitivities, intolerance, or allergies is done through an elimination diet, starting with a single food: the meat – the source of protein and primary source of sustenance for the cat. Additional ingredients of the diet are added one at the time, while any changes are observed.
Uncovering an insufficiently functioning digestive organ, such as a deficiency in stomach acid, lack of sufficient digestive enzymes, pancreatic insufficiency, or inadequate bile secretion can be accomplished by adding the respective acid, enzyme, or bile as a supplement through the diet. Your Veterinarian may also be helpful in this area.
Whether or not your cat has poisoned her/or himself is, again, up to you to find out. This is made much more difficult if your cat has access to the outdoors. Possible contamination of the environment your cat lives in, the food, or the water is for you to rule out or discover.
Learning about the concern from as many sources as possible, getting second opinions, as well as sharing in the experience of others with the same or similar problems is always highly recommended to increase your knowledge and speedy success.