Cat diarrhoea causes

There are many different causes of diarrhoea in cats. The most common causes are:

Diet

Diet plays a key role in every cat’s digestion and bowel movements. One of the most common reasons for diarrhoea in cats is having a poor quality diet
which can lead to ongoing issues.

Consuming unfamiliar or unsuitable items can result in diarrhoea. This can happen when cats hunt or scavenge particularly if they eat decaying animals or non-food items.

Some cats may have intolerances or dietary allergies. As an example many are intolerant to lactose
which is found in milk while others may become hypersensitive to particular ingredients
such as specific types of protein.

Finally sudden changes to an animal’s diet can result in diarrhoea if they struggle to adapt to the introduction of the new food immediately.

 

Parasites

Intestinal worms and parasites can cause diarrhoea in cats including giardia coccidia and tritrichomonas. Treating the cat for parasites is the best way to eliminate the cause of diarrhoea in this scenario.

 

Viruses

Feline viruses such as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP virus) feline panleucopenia virus
feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) or feline parvovirus can cause cats to experience diarrhoea.

Bacteria

Bacteria such as campylobacter clostridium perfringens and salmonella can cause cats to experience loose stools with these typically being ingested through water faeces
fairy or unsafe meat. Anti-bacterial drugs can assist with the recovery of diarrhoea in this case.

Colitis

This is the inflammation of the colon or large intestine. It can be acute occurring for short periods of time or last longer and happen more frequently. Colitis can be the result of other underlying causes
such as parasites food allergies, infections,  or eating unsuitable items.

 

Inflammatory bowel disease

This typically results in inflammation in the intestinal wall which causes more long-term bouts of diarrhoea and is often accompanied by nausea. There are methods of treating this condition
including anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs. 

Intestinal tumours

These are found most often in older cats with adenocarcinoma and lymphoma being the most common types. Obstructing the intestine and impacting the absorption of food
this can cause diarrhoea.

Cat diarrhoea guide.