My cat has explosive diarrhea and is making a mess. What should I do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Diarrhea can be observed with conditions such as colitis, gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Archie evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They may choose to check for parasites and to start medications for diarrhea depending on the results. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Garfield seems to be suffering from a severe gastrointestinal condition, i do not recommend to stop feeding him, this can do more harm than good in cats, you need to take him to the vet as soon as you can in order to get treated, he will probably need an antibiotic course , a special prescription food and some meds to stop the diarrhea.

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.

It could be that Ferdinand is suffering from intestinal worms. Those are very common in kittens, and if he is not up to date on his deworming treatments, I would pick one up for him. You will have to deworming him again in two weeks to make sure that all the worms are killed. If he is up to date on his deworming treatments, it could be he ate something rotten outside that upset his stomach when you weren't looking. In that case, I will give you a home remedy to try to see if that helps. Withhold food for 8-12 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away.

Pink diarrhea can be caused by eating foods with a lot of red dye, but you would usually see the stools be a rust color, not pink. I would be more concerned that there is blood in the stool causing the off color. Bloody diarrhea (and chronic vomiting and diarrhea) in a cat can be caused by food intolerance or allergies, intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral gastroenteritis (such as panleukopenia virus), GI blockage, inflammatory bowel disease, among others. I would recommend that you have another visit with the vet about the ongoing issues and the change in color of the diarrhea to see what is the next diagnostic step.

Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Deworm him if indicated. You can also have the vet collect a sterile urine sample to submit for urinalysis and culture to rule out UTI or stones. In the meantime, try a 24 hour fast followed by a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with one tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount. Feed bland until the stool is normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. Consider a veterinary probiotic, such as FortiFlora, ProViable or ProStora, to promote gut health. A pheromone product such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser may decrease any anxiety. A small animal repellant along the border of your property will keep strange animals away and out of sight. Thoroughly clean soiled areas using an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle.

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!