An occasional bout of diarrhea is no cause for alarm. If your cat’s appetite remains good and she is as active as she usually is, it’s generally safe to wait two or three days to see if the problem resolves on its own, says Tufts veterinary internist Michael Stone, DVM. Reasons for loose stools that quickly resolve on their own:
™ Your cat had a bacterial or viral infection, but her body was able to vanquish it without medical treatment.
™ Your pet was feeling stressed. Something like young children visiting your home and running around or coming home from a stressful veterinary visit could send her gastrointestinal tract into temporary overdrive.
™
Your cat ate more food than she’s used to.
™ She had an unusually rich treat.
When do loose stools become a concern?
The clue to whether you should take your cat to the doctor because of diarrhea is whether it’s persistent over the course of a day or a day and a half, your pet is lethargic, or she has a decreased appetite. Then it’s not just a few instances of watery stools but a situation that perhaps could lead to dehydration and potentially dangerous electrolyte imbalances. In such cases, some professional sleuthing is necessary to find out what’s causing the problem and also to get it under control.
If it’s a young cat such as a kitten, the diarrhea may be due to intestinal parasites like roundworms. An older cat’s diarrhea may be attributable to, say, hyperthyroidism or perhaps lymphoma that has spread to the GI tract. The vet may have to run some tests.
Whether or not the situation seems serious, don’t give your cat anti-diarrheal medication intended for people. Many of those medications contain ingredients that can be dangerous for felines and will only serve to make a bad situation worse.
