Published: February 2020 | Updated: October 2022
This is for cat lovers that want a natural pet supplement solution instead of pharmaceutical medicine (that stops the digestive flow) to help with feline diarrhea or constipation issues and get their cat back to health.
When I was searching for information to help me with my cat Tarzan’s diarrhea problem, I was confused as to why it seemed so hard to understand.
So, a friend and I went through about a dozen articles and she helped break cat digestive problems down into a simple recipe.
First thing I want to share with you is what my vet told me. I thought this was the best advice I’ve been given in a long time.
If your cat has a healthy stool (poop), that doesn’t mean that they are healthy. But, if your cat has diarrhea or constipation, they are DEFINITELY sick!
Now I don’t mean to shock and awe, because she went on to explain that yes, if they have diarrhea or constipation, there is something going on inside their tummies that is not normal. It doesn’t mean sick and dying, but it is something you need to pay attention to.
So, to start, here is what we’ll cover:
- How do I know my cat has diarrhea?
- Why does my cat have diarrhea?
- How do I treat diarrhea in cats?
- When should I call the vet about my cat’s diarrhea?
- When I take my cat to the vet, what’s going to happen?
- How come my cat Tarzan always gets diarrhea and the others don’t?
- What can I do around here to get this cat diarrhea thing to stop?
So let’s get started…
How Do I Know My Cat Has Diarrhea?
Well this is an easy one. The smell will let you know first and you can probably see it smeared around the litter box.
When a cat's intestinal tract is healthy, their bellies are churning up the food properly and a good, healthy turd is solid and doesn’t stink that much. Now I’m not saying it’ll smell like roses, but it won’t run you outta the house either.
Some other signs your cat is having digestive trouble are that they’re going to poop all the time, or they, um, pass gas. Though unlike my dog, I’ve never heard my cat fart.
Bad signs are when you see blood or slime in the bowel movements or they hunch up and have a hard time pooping. This lets you know that you have a real problem.
Here’s a complete list of some more cat diarrhea signs:
- Loose stool
- Excessive pooping
- Farting
- Blood in the poop
- Slime – also known as mucus
- Hunching or Straining to poop
- Tired all the time
- Dehydrated
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Not eating
- Losing weight
- Always running around like they need to poop
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Why Does My Cat Have Diarrhea?
This is important because we want to know how to stop diarrhea in cats for good. But it’s also complicated because there are a lot of reasons why a cat can get diarrhea (and constipation) in the first place.
If I change the cat food or miss a water refill or my cat gets sick or even if they get all stressed out from when I’m gone too long – cats don’t like that. All of these stressors can easily throw off their digestive function, and cause your cat to have diarrhea.
It might happen all at once and stop right away but sometimes, diarrhea can keep going on and that’s when you know you have some bigger issue going on. If they are a one-and-done you might be all right, maybe he ate a bug. But if it continues for a few days or weeks, you are going to be dealing with dehydration and that’s not good.
Here’s a list of potential causes of your cat’s digestive upset:
- Dairy or food that doesn't agree with your particular cat (food intolerances or allergies)
- Changing his food – don’t be afraid to change food, but do research about the quality of the food you choose.
- Eating something bad – usually spoiled food or dead animals
- Allergies
- Infection (bacterial or viral)
- Worms – intestinal parasites are bad for your cat’s digestion and overall health.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS)
- Kidney Disease
- Liver Disease
- Medicine and antibiotics
- Swollen stomach lining; Doctors call it Colitis. There are many causes for this, but not a lot of treatments – I’ll go into that later.
Well, Now I Know That My Cat Has a Problem and Why, How Do I Treat Diarrhea in Cats?
First, try a specially formulated probiotic supplement for cats. Most of the time your cat’s diarrhea or constipation is due to an imbalance in the intestinal tract. Probiotics (specifically Saccharomyces boulardii for cats), prebiotics, and enzymes help a cat's digestive system recover from stress and get them back on the right track.
Remember, not all probiotics are created equal and you need to choose wisely. Most contain the wrong strain of probiotic or just not enough.
→Highly Recommended: The only veterinary-recommended supplement for cats that contains the highly effective S. boulardii←
If, after a couple of days, you don't see an improvement, the next step is to pull the food. Maybe withhold food for a day or two while your cat still has diarrhea. Be sure to keep giving your cat water so they don’t dehydrate. I read somewhere that a person can go a month with no food, but only hours with no water.
Just keep an eye on them and maybe call your veterinarian to see what they think.
When Should I Consult the Veterinarian About My Cat's Diarrhea?
If your cat continues to have diarrhea, it’s off to the veterinarian. Don’t mess around with this. Cats generally stay pretty healthy, but when they get sick, they go downhill fast.
Make sure you watch for the real bad signs mentioned earlier like acting lethargic which is fancy for lazy (I don’t know about this one because my cats always act lazy – they’re cats!) vomiting, fever, dark or bloody poop, quitting eating, losing weight or if they’re really straining to poop.
When I Take My Cat to the Vet, What’s Going to Happen?
Here’s what will probably happen if you take your cat to the vet for diarrhea. They’re going to look him/her over to see if there is an illness or bacterial infection of some type. They will probably take a stool sample to check for worms (internal parasites) and then they may pull blood work to find out the underlying cause.
If this doesn’t lead to any answers, they might go another level with radiographs, ultrasound, endoscopy and maybe a biopsy. It depends on how bad the diarrhea is and how long your cat has had it. That’s why it’s important to get your cat in early.
How Come My Cat Tarzan Always Gets Diarrhea and the Others Don’t?
Are some cats prone to diarrhea and why is the question we’re looking to answer.
Yes, just like people, cats have their own personalities and some do dumb stuff and get into dumb things.
Cats who are outdoors more often can get parasites or eat things they shouldn’t. Cats with longer hair can get hairballs.
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What To Give A Cat With Diarrhea
To start with, make sure you feed your cat the right food. Don’t give your cat dairy no matter how much they beg. Cats love the taste of milk and yogurt, but most adult cats don’t have the right enzymes (lactase) in their stomach to digest dairy. I’ve got help for that too.
Also, if you are going to change your cat’s diet, do not do it all at once. Mix it together so the change happens gradually. This will help decrease digestive shock from feeding new food.
All of these suggestions are to make sure your cats stay healthy from the inside out.
FullBucket believes that if you want a healthy cat, you need to have a healthy gut.
Cats are hunter animals (think lions, cougars, and tigers!) with millions of years of evolution being pushed back to live with us.
We need to consider that they are stressed, even though we know they love us.
FullBucket takes all these factors into consideration with all of our cat digestive aid products. And we do not recommend you supplement your cat if they don’t need it. Most cat foods have plenty of the nutrients your cat needs.
However, stress from enclosed spaces like an apartment or travel or even a barking neighbor dog can throw off your cat’s digestion and cause diarrhea or constipation.
That’s when you need to have the best probiotics for cats with diarrhea, FullBucket’s Daily Cat, on hand. We call it Daily Cat because you can feed it daily on your cat’s feed with no problematic side effects.
It’s a 100% all-natural probiotic for cats, tuna flavored and made-in-the-USA.
And remember: For every FullBucket you buy, we give one to animals in need!
How To Use FullBucket’s Daily Probiotic for Cats:
Step 1 - Give the cat food
Step 2 - Pour on some FullBucket Daily Cat
(Probiotic, Prebiotic, Digestive Enzymes & L-Glutamine)
Step 3 - Watch him/her snarf it down (Yum! Tuna!)
Step 4 - Now go love on your cat!
