My cat has had diarrhea for 2 days. Should I take her to the vet?

Diarrhea is a common problem with cats and is usually self-limiting (will go away on its own). Usually it's not serious, but it's always possible that it could be the start of something serious. If she has any of the following, then she should see a vet: 1) Blood in diarrhea 2) Very watery diarrhea 3) Starts acting very depressed 4) Stops eating or drinking for longer than 24 hours. 5) Diarrhea lasts longer than three days. You can help her get through this by feeding bland food (i.e. boneless cooked chicken). Feed small portions (1/4 cup or less) at meal time. You can also add probiotics to the food (can get this at the pet store), which has demonstrated some efficacy for improving diarrhea. Ensure fresh, clean water is always available. I hope this helps and Sphynxy gets better soon.

If you changed the food suddenly, it can take some time for the diarrhea to stop, and typically a vet visit is needed. If the diarrhea has been going on for more than 24-48 hours, have him seen by a vet.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Tommy. This diarrhea could be due to a stomach illness, eating something rotten, a sudden change in diet, intestinal worms, or a foreign body. Because he's had it for four days, the time for a home remedy has passed. You need to take him into the vet to have this treated, and I would take him in first thing into morning. I hope this helps!

I would recommend you take your cat to the vet on Monday. They can do a fecal examination to rule out intestinal parasites and possibly an X-ray to rule out a blockage/foreign body. Your vet can also give you some medication to help stop the diarrhea. If the diarrhea becomes bloody and/or your cat starts vomiting as well then I would recommend getting him in to an ER vet to make sure nothing too serious is going on.

Diarrhea and a decrease in appetite could be a sign of a number of different problems. Intestinal parasites are possible, even for indoor cats, as are some infections or diseases like colitis or inflammatory bowel disease. If the diarrhea continues for more than 24 hours or seems to be getting worse, or if her appetite does not improve during that time I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian. They may treat her symptoms or recommend some testing like blood work or a fecal analysis depending on what they find during a physical examination.

You could certainly monitor Salem for a day or so to see if the diarrhea continues. If the diarrhea lasts more than 2 days, if it is very watery or frequent, if you see blood, or if Salem vomits I would recommend seeing your veterinarian.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Because this has been going on for so long, I recommend taking Nuru to a vet for a physical exam and a stool sample test. He could have microscopic parasites that need to be treated. Not all dewormer medications treat all intestinal parasites so it helps to know what he has. If that test is negative, I would recommend an infectious disease test (leukemia/FIV). If all that is normal, the vet can discuss his nutrition. Good luck and kisses to Nuru!