cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

An odd one here.

We have two cats (mother - about 6 years old - and daughter); both
normally go out, both eat the same food (dry kibbles - neither will
touch wet food) which they've been on for years.

The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs
quite quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden
-- there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to
have gone up; also she isn't making herself sick with the grass. Other
than the diaorrhea, she seems fine - alert, bright eyed, eating well, as
bossy as ever; no evidence of dehydration. She's been wormed recently -
but if it were a worm problem, just being indoors wouldn't clear it (I
think).

The daughter is fine.

It seems an odd one, and I'm not sure whether a vet would have much to
suggest. Any ideas would be welcome, thanks!


--
Mike Scott (unet2 at [deletethis] scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England

cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

Suddenly, without warning, Mike Scott exclaimed (5/21/2010 9:01 AM):
An odd one here.

We have two cats (mother - about 6 years old - and daughter); both
normally go out, both eat the same food (dry kibbles - neither will
touch wet food) which they've been on for years.

The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs
quite quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden
-- there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to
have gone up; also she isn't making herself sick with the grass. Other
than the diaorrhea, she seems fine - alert, bright eyed, eating well, as
bossy as ever; no evidence of dehydration. She's been wormed recently -
but if it were a worm problem, just being indoors wouldn't clear it (I
think).

The daughter is fine.

It seems an odd one, and I'm not sure whether a vet would have much to
suggest. Any ideas would be welcome, thanks!




Well, the obvious answer is to keep her inside. She's eating
*something* that is disagreeing with her - my worry would be she's
catching poisoned rodents. I'd definitely take her into the vet.

jmc

cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

"jmc" wrote in message
...
Suddenly, without warning, Mike Scott exclaimed (5/21/2010 9:01 AM):
An odd one here.

We have two cats (mother - about 6 years old - and daughter); both
normally go out, both eat the same food (dry kibbles - neither will touch
wet food) which they've been on for years.

The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs quite
quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden --
there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to have
gone up; also she isn't making herself sick with the grass. Other than
the diaorrhea, she seems fine - alert, bright eyed, eating well, as bossy
as ever; no evidence of dehydration. She's been wormed recently - but if
it were a worm problem, just being indoors wouldn't clear it (I think).

The daughter is fine.

It seems an odd one, and I'm not sure whether a vet would have much to
suggest. Any ideas would be welcome, thanks!




Well, the obvious answer is to keep her inside. She's eating *something*
that is disagreeing with her - my worry would be she's catching poisoned
rodents. I'd definitely take her into the vet.

jmc

Or snails.....She could be eating garden snails, and they could be poisoned
by your neighbors.....

cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

On Fri, 21 May 2010 21:10:10 -0400, jmc
wrote:

Suddenly, without warning, Mike Scott exclaimed (5/21/2010 9:01 AM):
An odd one here.

We have two cats (mother - about 6 years old - and daughter); both
normally go out, both eat the same food (dry kibbles - neither will
touch wet food) which they've been on for years.

The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs
quite quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden
-- there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to
have gone up; also she isn't making herself sick with the grass. Other
than the diaorrhea, she seems fine - alert, bright eyed, eating well, as
bossy as ever; no evidence of dehydration. She's been wormed recently -
but if it were a worm problem, just being indoors wouldn't clear it (I
think).

The daughter is fine.

It seems an odd one, and I'm not sure whether a vet would have much to
suggest. Any ideas would be welcome, thanks!




Well, the obvious answer is to keep her inside. She's eating
*something* that is disagreeing with her - my worry would be she's
catching poisoned rodents. I'd definitely take her into the vet.

jmc

Absolutely take her to the vet.

And, keep her indoors.

Having diarrhea depletes various ions from the body required for normal
health.

Principally among them is potassium, which is strictly regulated by the
body. It is essential for normal cardiac activity, among other things.

Frequent bouts of diarrhea, and with some cats, only one or two, can
deplete potassium badly. The results can be sudden, and fatal, heart
failure.

You need to find out how low her potassium has gotten, since treatment
may be required.

Finding the cause of the diarrhea is also important.

Or, just keep her inside.

But do get her to the vet, ASAP.


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cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

"Gandalf" wrote
jmc wrote:
Mike Scott exclaimed

The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs
quite quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden
-- there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to

Well, the obvious answer is to keep her inside. She's eating
*something* that is disagreeing with her - my worry would be she's
catching poisoned rodents. I'd definitely take her into the vet.
jmc

Absolutely take her to the vet. And, keep her indoors.

You need to find out how low her potassium has gotten, since treatment
may be required. Finding the cause of the diarrhea is also important.

Reformatted a little but kept the gist. Vet time, yes and I agree, she's
eating something or has some dietary deficiency that is driving her to eat
something that isnt agreeing with her.

cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:49 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:


The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs
quite quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden
-- there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to

Well, the obvious answer is to keep her inside. She's eating
*something* that is disagreeing with her - my worry would be she's
catching poisoned rodents. I'd definitely take her into the vet.
jmc

Absolutely take her to the vet. And, keep her indoors.

You need to find out how low her potassium has gotten, since treatment
may be required. Finding the cause of the diarrhea is also important.

Reformatted a little but kept the gist. Vet time, yes and I agree, she's
eating something or has some dietary deficiency that is driving her to eat
something that isnt agreeing with her.


Purrs and prayers sent you way that the problem clears up on its own
or with a vets help.

Good luck.

cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

kraut wrote:
On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:49 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:

The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs
quite quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden
-- there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to
Well, the obvious answer is to keep her inside. She's eating
*something* that is disagreeing with her - my worry would be she's
catching poisoned rodents. I'd definitely take her into the vet.
jmc
Absolutely take her to the vet. And, keep her indoors.
You need to find out how low her potassium has gotten, since treatment
may be required. Finding the cause of the diarrhea is also important.
Reformatted a little but kept the gist. Vet time, yes and I agree, she's
eating something or has some dietary deficiency that is driving her to eat
something that isnt agreeing with her.


Purrs and prayers sent you way that the problem clears up on its own
or with a vets help.

Good luck.



Thank you, and to the others for suggestions. We're keeping her inside
for the moment and keeping a careful eye on things.

(Oh, and I /can/ spell diarrhoea. Really, I can :-) )


--
Mike Scott (unet2 at [deletethis] scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England

cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

"Mike Scott" wrote

Thank you, and to the others for suggestions. We're keeping her inside for
the moment and keeping a careful eye on things.

Thats good to hear. There could even be some special weed that's sprung up
this year that she's going for (and daughter cat isn't)

(Oh, and I /can/ spell diarrhoea. Really, I can :-) )
(grin).

cat with diaorrhea - but only when she goes outside
 

On Sat, 22 May 2010 17:28:59 +0100, Mike Scott
wrote:

kraut wrote:
On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:49 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:

The mum has lately developed a problem with diaorrhea. But this only
seems to occur when she's allowed outside - keep her in for a couple of
days, and the problem clears; allow her out, and the problem recurs
quite quickly. She does seem very keen on eating grass from the garden
-- there are definitely no chemicals on it, but the amount seems to
Well, the obvious answer is to keep her inside. She's eating
*something* that is disagreeing with her - my worry would be she's
catching poisoned rodents. I'd definitely take her into the vet.
jmc
Absolutely take her to the vet. And, keep her indoors.
You need to find out how low her potassium has gotten, since treatment
may be required. Finding the cause of the diarrhea is also important.
Reformatted a little but kept the gist. Vet time, yes and I agree, she's
eating something or has some dietary deficiency that is driving her to eat
something that isnt agreeing with her.


Purrs and prayers sent you way that the problem clears up on its own
or with a vets help.

Good luck.



Thank you, and to the others for suggestions. We're keeping her inside
for the moment and keeping a careful eye on things.

(Oh, and I /can/ spell diarrhoea. Really, I can :-) )

If she'll stay indoors (some cats absolutely won't) that might be all
the 'treatment' she needs. Taking her to the vet can be pretty
expensive.

I know ALL about that: my elderly cat has multiple health problems, and
I'm out of work :(

Are you feeding her a 'good' cat food? There is a tremendous difference
in price.... and quality, among cat foods. Basically, you get what you
pay for.

Since this COULD be diet related, it may something to consider.

Science Diet, which is generally good food, is now available at
'discount' stores. Not too many years ago, you could only buy it at a
pet store, and it was pricy.

Giving your cat the very best food you can afford can really pay off in
the long run.

Basically, if you are using a dry food, and some sort of grain is the
first ingredient listed on the label, you should switch to something
better, if at all possible.

If you consider switching, do some rsearch...this forum is a good place
to ask for advice.

I hope your cat's problems are over. I really worry when my cat isn't
well :(

Good luck to you and your cat :)


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cat with diarrhoea - but only when she goes outside
 

Gandalf wrote:
.....
If she'll stay indoors (some cats absolutely won't) that might be all
the 'treatment' she needs. Taking her to the vet can be pretty
expensive.

Especially if it's not something a vet can treat. Knocking on £50 just
for the vet to look in the box, never mind analysis of stools.

Yes, she will stay indoors, but loves to be out - she absolutely loves
to run the garden length.


I know ALL about that: my elderly cat has multiple health problems, and
I'm out of work :(

Are you feeding her a 'good' cat food? There is a tremendous difference
in price.... and quality, among cat foods. Basically, you get what you
pay for.

Yes. It's some of the James Wellbeloved range - I'm told this is pretty
good stuff.

.....
I hope your cat's problems are over. I really worry when my cat isn't
well :(

She's been indoors a few days now, and the problem has cleared up
completely. Maybe we'll wait a while, then let her out under observation
for short periods and see what happens.

Thanks again to all.


--
Mike Scott (unet2 at [deletethis] scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England