Two cats, both have diarrhea

VSynth

Might be a bit of a long post, apologies in advance but I want to give all the details.

We adopted 2 kittens in Feb this year, 1 male 1 female from different litters but the same rescue shelter, they are about 8-9 months old now.

The male had diarrhea which the shelter was aware of when we collected them.

2-3 weeks later the female also developed diarrhea...they have both had diarrhea for about 3 months now despite veterinary treatment totaling around £500.

The diarrhea is very loose and often has signs of blood in it but apart from this they appear to be normal happy cats, they have gained weight especially the male.

The female is now incontinent and leaks diarrhea all over the house.

They were put on to Royal canin sensitivity control dry food.

A fecal sample was sent off but came back negative.

They then had Metronidazole for 2 weeks which didn't appear to have any effect.

Another fecal sample was sent away which back positive for cryptosporidium, both went on Zithromax for 10 days which hasn't made any noticeable difference.

To be honest I feel our vet seems a little unconcerned and this is a worry.

I've read that dry food may not necessarily be a good choice for cats since it us loaded with cereal and can cause diarrhea in itself.

Has anyone had similar experience and can recommend further actions?

gettingready

Sorry to hear your kitties are unwell.

One of my boys was like that till he was almost 2 years old and then it stopped.

A fecal sample was sent off but came back negative.

Negative for what? What was it tested for?

Were they both tested for FIV? I had an FIV cat who had permanent diarrhea similar to what you describe above. Hopefully this is not the case.

Have you tried them on plain boiled chicken and rice for say 10 days with nothing else? Try and see if it settles - if it does then at least you will know this is likely to be dietary

VSynth

Thanks the reply, I'm glad your cat got over it.

The first test was a one for various common causes, not sure which ones.

The second test was a broad spectrum test, I think they called it PCR.

They have had blood tests and FIV was ruled out.

I've read about something called Tritricomonas Foetus and its symptoms match what I am seeing. TF usually goes away within the first 2 years, maybe this is what your cat had. I've read that 30% of chronic diarrhea in cats is caused by TF.

The only problem is that it can only be treated with a drug called ronidazole which can have neurological side effects.

I tried them on boiled chicken and rice for 2 weeks, also Royal canin chicken and rice dry food for weeks as prescribed by the vet but other than the colour of the diarrhea nothing changes.

I'm now trying them on a 96% meat diet which is cereal and fish free to see if they have an allergy to cereals but the fact that one cat was ok until they were put together makes me think it is a parasite and nothing to do with diet. I'm going to add some pumpkin as I've read this can help firm them up a bit because it's high fibre.

I'm going to talk to the vet about testing for TF and what they say.

paddypaws101

I think you are right to look into testing for TF and I think you can send samples direct to this lab which might make things a bit cheaper than using the vet, although you would need to go back to them for the meds.
http://www.palsvetlab.co.uk/
Meanwhile, you could try a complete raw food which might at least stem the tide of loose stool. Look for https://www.nutriment.co or http://www.naturalinstinct.com/raw-cat-food or even Natures Menu, all available from some local stockists or by courier.

Androider

Poor kitties, sounds brutal what they're going through. Have they been tested by the vet for panleukopenia (feline distemper)? Sounds very serious, I hope they get well soon, have you tried plain cooked turkey (make sure it's very dry) and provide them with a bowl of skimmed milk which should help in some shape or form hopefully.

ERICS_MUM

Have you ruled out worms ?

paddypaws101

Androider wrote: »

and provide them with a bowl of skimmed milk which should help in some shape or form hopefully.

How on earth will skimmed milk be of any use to an animal that is likely to be lactose intolerant and with the prime symptom of that intolerance being loose stool?

kazwookie

Poor kittens.

I hope it gets sorted soon

I can only say go back to the vets again, or maybe change vets.

VSynth

Thanks for the links paddy, I'll check it out later looks useful...£41 for a TF check vs £70 at the vets! I just checked their food and it is natures menu.

I've switched them to a cereal and fish free diet so will see if this has any effect over the next few days and then look at raw.

The PCR test would have shown TF if it was present, the problem is it can sometimes take a few samples to get a positive.

They are up to date with their worming and flea treatment regimes.

Since they did test positive for cryptosporidium the vet has put them on a double dose of Zithromax for the next 2 weeks.

They are also going to be taking pro-kolin+ to support their gut flora.

Bedding, litter tray and food bowls are to be boil washed and I've ordered a steam cleaner (arriving tonight) to thoroughly treat floors and skirting areas.

I have also ordered some tinned pumpkin (100% pumpkin) to add to their food to try and firm them up as I've read this can help with symptoms.

Another £130 bill yesterday bringing it to £630 �� couldn't claim on insurance because it was a pre-existing condition.

VSynth

I've noticed after just 3 days of switching from a dry biscuit food to a wet meat diet they have bags more energy!

I really like the sound of the raw diet and their is a stockist on the same road I work on, I'll be checking them out tomorrow.

Beckyy

I'm a big advocate of the raw diet, our dog is raw fed and I wouldn't go back to complete. One of cats was always very keen however because we had 2 cats at the time we never switched them to it as our other wasn't interested.

Could the shelter be of any more help? Were there any other kittens in the litter who they could check if they are experiencing the same problems?

If your vet seems unconcerned I would possibly think about trying another, although they can only run so many tests they need to be doing everything they can, especially when they're sending you massive bills. I hope you find out what's causing it soon!