My cat has diarrhea after changing food. How long should I wait?

You can try home made diet and probiotics for a week. GI distress from new food or treats generally only lasts a few days. If the diarrhea persists, worsens, or he becomes uninterested in food, I'd recommend taking him to see his vet for a physical exam.

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Peaches! Diarrhea can be from a sudden food change and intolerance to the new food. If you changed the food abruptly then he just may have not had time to adjust. I would recommend changing him back to the original food until his stool is normal then if you still want to try the new food, change it slowly. If the diarrhea returns he can not tolerate the new food. Other causes of diarrhea in young kittens are parasites, viruses and bacterial infections. If the diarrhea persists, he starts vomiting or stops eating he should be seen by your Veterinarian! Good luck!

Her stool in the 2nd and 3rd pictures still look a little soft, so I would give it another couple of days on the 25%/75% mixture before going to 50/50. If when you do make that switch to 50/50 and she starts having diarrhea again, then I would say that this food isn't agreeing with her and keep her on her old food instead. I say that because if you've tried the 50/50 mixture, got diarrhea, went back a step for a bit before returning to 50/50 and still get the same result, then it's not a food that agrees with Kitty. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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.

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.

Diarrhea for 2 days does warrant a vet visit since it is not clearing up. They can check her stool sample for parasites or bacteria and make sure an ultrasound is not needed and she is not getting dehydrated from having it so much.

I would recommend seeing the vet. At this point even if the diarrhea was initially related to the antibiotics Jasper may now have a disruption of his normal intestinal flora that requires additional treatment. It's also possible that the diarrhea is unrelated to the antibiotics and instead is due to intestinal parasites or a food sensitivity. If you wait until he stops eating or loses weight he may require more intensive treatment so I'd recommend making an appointment to see your veterinarian this week.