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Best food for cat with diarrhoea

8 replies

SixThirtyTheDog · 15/08/2022 14:07

Cat has come back from cattery with diarrhoea and I need to try and help it ASAP. Obviously I will take it to the vet but we have two cats and need to find out which one is unwell first. So I'm wondering what to feed them whilst I find out which one needs treatment.

What food would be best?

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 15/08/2022 14:19

Plain boiled chicken breast. Because cats don’t eat thigh.

I hope she’s ok soon.

broadsurf · 15/08/2022 14:27

You have made the presumption that the reason for the diarrhoea is the food that they have eaten at a boarding cattery. That's a fair assumption but the first step is to identify and remove the underlying cause so you've got to really be sure about the cause.

If it is of a short duration, it can be treated at home provided there is not excessive fluid loss. If diarrhoea persists for more than 24 hours it is potentially serious and you should consult a veterinarian without delay.

Veterinarians (the ones I listen to in their excellent manual 😎) say that you should withhold all food for 24 hours and periodically give them very small amounts of water. The cat will recover and then you introduce food gradually feeding three or four small meals a day.

You can begin with a diet high in meat protein or even strained meat baby food. Hill's Prescription Diet Feline i/d is a good example of food for a cat that has suffered from food intolerance. However, it may be hard to find this product. Perhaps the vet stocks it. It is a wet cat food product.

You should avoid high carbohydrate foods and dry cat foods. Foods high in carbohydrates (dry foods are high in carbs) can prolong diarrhoea because cats have a low tolerance for carbohydrates. You then gradually return to the usual food when the cat has recovered.

With veterinary advice only you may want to prescribe loperamide (Imodium) but if a cat has caught an infection which causes the diarrhoea this suggestion may be contraindicated because it can keep the infectious organism in the bowel longer because it may slow the body's efforts to expand it. Also, this drug is apparently controversial and it may cause excitement in some cats.

Hope this helps a bit and good luck.

KimMG · 15/08/2022 14:29

We had a rescue dog that had a very poorly stomach when we got it ( I know it's not a cat, just trying to help ) - probiotic powder in his food really helped. Maybe you could try that ?

broadsurf · 15/08/2022 14:33

P.S. A shorter answer would be to contact the vet for a commercially available bland food while your cat recovers. It depends really on the cause and the severity. It sounds as if it is mild and transient in which a hypoallergenic type commercial food should do.

Yarnasaurus · 15/08/2022 14:33

Pumpkin purée.

And the rest is trial and error.

If they've been having their usual food at the cattery it's possibly stress-related and will pass.

I'd probably give it 24 hours to see it if eases before calling the vet.

broadsurf · 15/08/2022 14:40

P.P.S. 😎 Canned pumpkin might help too. An afterthought.

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 16/08/2022 06:23

I would feed as normal as I suspect it's stress-related if they've been in a cattery.

Sadless · 16/08/2022 19:59

Boiled chicken and rice. I give it my cats if have a bit of diarrhea or they have a chicken puree baby food it smells really bad but they like it. As long as they are still eating that's a good sign.

Sal

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