Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

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Dearlouise
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Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Dearlouise »

I posted a few weeks ago about finding the culprit in a multi-cat household. Well I had the brainwave of setting up my camera by the litter tray & setting it to time lapse, taking photos every 60 seconds... well I found out who it was, took her to the vets.

1st visit, vet gave antibiotics and said to continue with the logic paste I'd been using for the 2 days prior to the appointment.

10 days later, no better. So I then had to have blood tests... where the results came back clear.

Between the results, her being fine in herself, no vomiting etc, the vet doesn't know what to do! She's been given another type of antibiotic, and I've continued with the paste, he poo is both runny with a 'normal' poo too now. So she seems a little better.

Bill is up to around £260 now.

Vet says next steps, we could *TRY* (I hate the word try as it suggests it's a shot in the dark) a scan to check her organs for tumours (£85), another type of blood test (£75) or a poo sample (£75).

Has anyone had any personal experiences of this. I'm reluctant to put her through lots of tests and scans when actually she's find in herself. She had a horrendous experience with another vet after breaking her leg (they put a pin in, which eventually broke through her skin & she was in agony - 3 operations in total). So she despises the vets and gets very, very stressed.

Not sure what to do.
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greenkitty
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by greenkitty »

Been in the exact same situation, vet was convinced Hector had Lymphoma, spent thousands having tests, scans and biopsies to find (thankfully) he's got IBD. The symptoms are very similar, even a biopsy for IBD can be inconclusive was it can affect the bowel wall in patches so if they hit a patch that's not inflamed it won't show up.

Have you tried any dietary changes to try and help your girl? Maybe cereal free would be a good place to start... Hector had good results on Purina HA and a very low dose of the steroid Prednisalone, once I'd got him stable I introduced some cereal free wet food and almost stopped the Purina and he's doing well.
Dearlouise
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Dearlouise »

greenkitty wrote:Been in the exact same situation, vet was convinced Hector had Lymphoma, spent thousands having tests, scans and biopsies to find (thankfully) he's got IBD. The symptoms are very similar, even a biopsy for IBD can be inconclusive was it can affect the bowel wall in patches so if they hit a patch that's not inflamed it won't show up.

Have you tried any dietary changes to try and help your girl? Maybe cereal free would be a good place to start... Hector had good results on Purina HA and a very low dose of the steroid Prednisalone, once I'd got him stable I introduced some cereal free wet food and almost stopped the Purina and he's doing well.
Well this is what I was thinking. Of all the research I've done, the first step says look at nutrition... however the vet hasn't mentioned any specialist food or indeed doing a few days on 'human food'. I think I'm going to try this...

Why do you say cereal free? Is that in most cat food? Does it irritate their stomach?

Thanks so much for the suggestion. :)
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Crewella »

I've taken on a couple of foster cats with upset tummies/diarrhea and found Hills i/d or Royal Canin Sensitivity (both prescription) or even RC's non-prescription Digest Sensitive have helped. I've also used Purina One Sensitive dry with good results.
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Camdengirl »

I have also been in a similar position, after lots of tests and various 'prescription' foods the vet wanted to do a biopsy, but my cat seemed perfectly ok besides having the squits, he was his usual cuddly and perky self! The vet said if Hills z/d hydrolyzed protein food didn't help then it wasn't a food issue...and he was wrong. Clay was sensitive to a lot of foods (he had skin trouble as well) but the dry food that suited him best was James Wellbeloved (the range is wider now and I think they do some with rice and some with potato in case one of those is a problem), which are hypoallergenic. Wheat is a really common allergen for cats, so the first thing to try cutting out, it's an ingredient of many wet and dry foods.

Wheat-free wet foods include: Butchers Classic, Waitrose essentials tins (not pouches), basic Felix pouches in jelly (but not other ranges like As Good As It Looks, Sensations etc), HiLife pouches and Lily's Kitchen trays/tins.

Another common allergen is fish. Most of the Felix pouches contain fish, but you can buy a meat selection box in trays that are fish-free. Butchers Classic meat selection is also fish-free, as are the meat Lily's Kitchen trays/tins. HiLife poultry contain fish oil but my lad didn't seem to react to that despite having a strong reaction to other fishy things.

It tends to be a case of trial and error with allergies, but hopefully you can find some foods that suit your cat, it's certainly worth looking at changing her diet before you put her through more tests if she seems otherwise healthy. If various exclusions don't do it, an all-wet food diet is also worth trying, late in his life Clay stopped tolerating any dry food and all-wet food resolved the accompanying problems.
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Dearlouise »

Yes CamdenGirl, Milly is the same, completely fine! You mention skin trouble, Milly has had skin trouble 2 or 3 times in her lifetime (she's 11 now) where she's had flaky skin and sort of psoriasis scabs at the base of her tail & on her back. Maybe she is a sensitive girl?

They have Go Cat dry in the morning and Felix pouches (often the fishy flavours) in the evening.

I think I'm going to trial some diets. How long would you say to try on each variety? A couple or 3 days?
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Kay »

Go Cat is very likely to be the culprit - it is full of cereal

switching to James Wellbeloved Turkey may well be all you need do - and most cats really like it
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by MarkB »

Yes - I am surprised vets don't get this. Go-cat is terrible stuff. Apart from being mostly cereal, it has colourings and all kinds of rubbish in. There is much better food on the market for very little more. By the time you factor in that cats need to eat less of decent quality food, the cost difference is minimal.

My Alice used to have terrible diarrhea with blood in it. My vet told me to try various prescription foods. The problem was that she wouldn't eat them. She had all kinds of tests done, but all came back negative.

After several years, I decided to try cutting out various things in her diet. I started with wheat. Nothing fancy, but I gave her Purina One sensitive (made by the same company that makes Go-Cat, but much higher meat content and wheat-free) and Felix pouches (also made by Purina) - I didn't give her the ones in gravy as they contain cereals.

Her Diarrhea virtually disappeared overnight .
Last edited by MarkB on Tue Dec 16, 2014 10:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by greenkitty »

I'm really surprised the vet hasn't mentioned it. As Camdengirl says food allergies do also cause skin problems, normally around the head but also around the base of the tail. You need to be really strict with the diet, stick to the new food and give her nothing else (no treats), I would give it at least a month. I would also start with something like the JWB (maybe the one with potato) which is easy to get hold of.
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by sarie »

Just to echo what's already been said.. I've not really got too much to add but I've had cats with squitty tummies over the years and experience has taught me to feed all my cats a grain free and sugar free diet and avoid fishy flavours. I'm also very shocked your vet hasn't mentioned diet.. it's the first thing to look at with squitty tummy if there are no other signs of illness! The vets don't seem to discuss the concept of grain free though - many of the foods they stock are the worst on the market for grains. Often they'll just recommend very expensive prescription diets.

http://www.zooplus.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is a fantastic website for ordering cat food from as you can order in bulk and they stock a lot of better quality foods that aren't always easy to find in shops. I buy a 1 month supply of cat food from there each month and have it delivered straight to my house.

Mine eat Grau Grain Free wet food and Orijen Cat and Kitten original dried food - both the wet and the dry I feed are 100% grain free. I've had to go through a lot of trial and error to find foods mine actually like to eat that are also healthy but there's a surprising amount of choice when it comes to grain free so hopefully you'll find something she likes.

Most have been mentioned already I think but Grau is another good one.

To be honest, just not feeding the go-cat is likely to make a huge difference as it's absolutely terrible food. It's awful that they're allowed to market it to owners as a good food - I know a lot of people who feed it to their cats thinking that because it's branded it's probably pretty good.
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by bobbys girl »

OK guys, I have to admit it I used to feed my lot with Go Cat (before I knew better!) It's available everywhere and has a big name behind it - you'd think it was safe. :?

Mine have been fine on Iams (cereals again, but better quality). Just lately though I have been giving them JWB fish or turkey senior - as most of my cat's are 7+. It costs about 3-4 times as much as Go cat but they LOVE it, and I know it is doing them good. :D
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by andtiggertoo »

Better late than never. Millie also had squits, constipation, skin problems, all sorts. Cost us a fortune until one vet suggested having allergy tests done. And she is allergic to lamb, soy, Brewer's yeast, peas, potatoes and oats. It's the lamb, peas and potatoes that are the most difficult to avoid. Anything that says 'meat derivatives' is likely to have lamb of some description in it, so it's been trial and error. There is something else that upsets her system from time to time, but we're not sure what it is, but in reality she is a changed cat since we found different food to give her.

I had actually cut out fish and wheat before the tests, but she is fine with both of those. You never know...
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Dearlouise »

Just want to say a massive thank you for all of the advice regarding the diarrhoea issue! Milly has nearly done a complete turnaround! She's no longer on any anti-diarrhoea medication. She's been having RC Digestive Comfort (which costs an absolute fortune) dry food in the morning and Purina ProPlan 'Delicate' in the evening. It's doing wonders for her bowels.

At the moment she's on a different diet to the other 3 while she gets better. The other 3 are finishing off the Go Cat and I won't be buying any more.

What dry food would you recommend that's good quality but won't break my bank. The Royal Canin Digestive Comfort is £18 for 2kg! 2kg of Go Cat is £4 so you can imagine my pain. However I want them all to have a better diet, not just Milly, who has clearly developed a sensitive stomach in her older years.

Am I right in thinking Felix is okay as it's Purina? As long as I avoid fishy flavours?
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Kay
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Kay »

have you tried James Wellbeloved? it's widely available, often on special offer, doesn't contain any of the common causes of intolerance, and is liked by most cats

cheap food isn't really cheap if it causes expensive vet visits and medications
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Dearlouise »

Kay wrote:cheap food isn't really cheap if it causes expensive vet visits and medications
I understand I'm going to have to spend more money, that's ok. :)

From my point of view I didn't know Go Cat was so bad, they also were fine on it and have been for many years. I just want a happy middle ground - I'm not rich! :oops: Will check out James Wellbeloved. I think there is a coupon in the current Pets at Home magazine actually. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Crewella »

I tend to go more by reading the ingredients than by brand - as Camdengirl said, some Felix pouches contain cereals and some don't. It seems daunting at first, but you do soon get the hang of it - if they mention cereals first, avoid!
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by MarkB »

There are quite a few well-priced wheat-free foods around. Zooplus is a good place to buy Purina One sensitive. 6kg (4 x 1.5kg) for £20.90 - much cheaper than supermarket prices.

There is another food called Harringtons that has a decent chicken content and also wheat-free. It costs about £6 for 2kg. I have seen it in Asda and Pets at Home. Might be worth buying a small bag (about £1.50) to see if they like it first.

Also Pets at Home sell some own-brand wheat-free food that is around £5 for 2.5kg. They also sell cheaper stuff, but it is no better than Go-Cat
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by bobbys girl »

I know what you mean about the Go Cat. Mine were on it for years (along with Iams when it was on offer) :?

After trying a few brands, I've just started my lot on James Wellbeloved. They love it!
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Crewella »

I used to feed GoCat too, amongst other things, and my original cats all lived to their late teens (though they did have dreadful teeth). I have to confess that my lot still do get GoCat from time to time. Because I have foster cats, the rescue gives me donated food for them and, of course, the charity can't afford to be fussy about what food they are given. It's a lot easier to feed all the cats the same thing at each mealtime (unless they have special requirements, of course), so I alternate and some meals they all get donated 'junk' food and some meals they all get something better and cereal-free that I've bought. They all also get cooked chicken or fish a couple of times a week too. I've always believed in feeding a wide variety of foods anyway, and that compromise seems to work quite well.
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Re: Vets don't know what's wrong - cat with diarrhea!

Post by Lyn from Australia »

Dear Louise, your cat is gorgeous. I so love torties, and blacks, and tabbies......
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