My Kitten Has Diarrhea. Is There Something I Can Do For Him?
2009 November 10
His eyes are good. His nose is wet & cold. But he will only eat up on the kitchen counter. Tuna.
He’s not putting on any weight. He is also the runt out of six. But he’s going on 3 months old. He is like a skeleton.
But the main thing is the diarrhea.
I have had other cats through the years that have had the same thing. But they were mostly older. This little guy is only about 3 1/2 months old. And he’s a runt.
He does not have distemper. Have many kittens die from that.
It’s very hard for me to take a cat to the vet, because I am not working. No income.
If there is something I can do for this baby, please let me know. Or, do I need to take him to his maker?
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Hi Pat…here are list of organizations that provides financial assistance for veterinary bills: http://felinediabetes.com/vetbills
Please discontinue feeding tuna completely as this will further complicate your kittens diarrhea. Please consider reading the following which includes an answer by a veterinarian regarding the dangers of tuna to cats: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;…
Kittens are very fragile if they have diarrhoea as they can become dangerously dehydrated quickly. Diarrhoea in cats can be caused by multiple things:
Diary products: cats do not have the proper enzymes to properly break down the sugar in milk which is called ‘lactose.’ You may have heard of people who are lactose-intolerant. They are also missing these digestive enzymes. If the proper enzymes are not present, the lactose remains undigested and tends to ferment in the intestine and cause diarrhea.
For More on Milk and cats: http://www.cat-world.com.au/CatMilk.htm
The other culprit that could contribute to the diarrhoea may be various parasites/worms (coccidia, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, etc). There are different types of dewormers for each of the types of parasites. Therefore consider a vet visit to have her dewormed since some of the over the counter treatments do not eliminate all the types of parasites. For more on feline parasites: http://www.peteducation.com:80/category_…
For more on causes of Diarrhoea: http://www.fabcats.org/diarrhoea.html
Contrary to what people believe canned food is helpful for cats with diarrhoea as this is a symptomatic of dehydration. Canned diets can supplement the intake of moisture so having both dry and canned are helpful. Any vet can confirm this fact.
Canned pumpkin (without spices) will also help firm up the loose stool symptoms: http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-75.htm
Please keep in mind that also sudden changes in food brands, types will also contribute to diarrhoea symtoms as well. So as soon as your new kitty starts on the cat food she may have lingering symtpoms. For more on this: http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/diarrhea… . Again any vet can confirm this fact. Switching foods should be done gradually over a course of several weeks. For example the first week would consist of 3/4 of old food mixed to 1/4 of new food then the next week 1/2 to 1/2 then the following week at 1/4 old to 3/4 new before completing the switch. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?…
The above are just only a few causes as there are many more that can also cause diarrhoea such as diseases, illnesses, etc. Therefore, it is always recommended to consider contacting a vet and discussing if a visit is necessary for treatment.
Not sure what could be the cause. The tuna might be too rich and may be giving him stomach issues. Maybe get some dry kitten food and mix with the tuna water and just a little of the tuna.
You can also try a worming med. They aren’t that expensive and you can get them at any pet store. Just make sure you give the correct dosage for a kitten. Most kittens will have worms and should be wormed.
You can also check with your local ASPCA and see if there is low income vet care were you live. We had a fund at the humane society where I worked and people would donate money for elderly or poor people to get vet care. There was also a vet that would help emergency calls and have the person pay what they could.
Make sure the kitten is getting enough to eat. If they are the runt the others might be pushing them away from the food.
Hope this helps and I hope the little one gets better.
keep him hydrated and wipe his a$$