Why Do Cats Get Diarrhea?

If you’re a pet owner, then you’ll know that one of the most common problems you need to deal with is a cat’s upset stomach. Vomiting and diarrhea become simple facts of your life.

If you want to help your cat, you need to answer this vital question: why do cats get diarrhea?

Upset Stomachs

Like humans, cats can suffer upset stomachs when they eat food that disagrees with them, or due to illness. As keen hunters and scavengers, cats will often eat things that prove to be a bad idea in the long run.

In most instances, cases like these will pass through in 24-48 hours. You can help by offering your cat a highly digestible diet, or boiled chicken and rice, little and often until your cat returns to normal. The most important thing you can supply is clean, fresh water to make sure you cat can keep hydrated while it’s sick.

Kittens and elderly cats are more vulnerable to problems like this – if only because they can become dehydrated more quickly and dangerously – so seek help sooner if you have a more vulnerable cat.

Changing Your Cat’s Food

There are plenty of reasons you might change a cat’s food: financial, convenience, or health. Unfortunately, a sudden change can lead to a bout of diarrhea for your cat!

If you’re changing your cat’s food, plan ahead. It can take up to two weeks to switch your cat onto their new food in a way they’re happy with and that doesn’t lead to an upset stomach. First introduce a little of the new food on a separate plate at mealtimes. As they become more interested in it, over time, put out more and more of the new food and less of the original food. After about two weeks, they should be happily eating their new dinner without any signs of distress – or any unpleasant diarrhea.

Parasites and Disease

Unfortunately, cats have plenty of opportunities to pick up parasites when they explore and forage outside, and these can cause bouts of diarrhea. There are also diseases that can affect a cat’s digestive tract like pancreas issues and colitis that can strike at any time.

This will look similar to the simple diarrhea we looked at above, but unlike that, it won’t clear up by itself and it really could be something to worry about. If your cat is still suffering from diarrhea after a couple of days it’s a sign something deeper could be wrong, and it’s time for an appointment at the vet to find the cause and the solution.