My 1-year-old cat with feline leukemia has diarrhea but acts normal. What to do?

If the diarrhoea is persistently present you could try to start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken or white fish and rice for the next 4 days. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist after that or you notice vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Persistent diarrhea is a symptom of FeLV, and given that Derek has had a positive to the disease, it's possible that his diarrhea is due to this. I would have him seen by a vet in the morning. Derek may benefit from some medications for his diarrhea, and the vet can prescribe them to him if needed.

What a handsome kitty Chai is! I'm sorry to hear that he is not acting like his usual self. If he is acting unusually tired, but still eating and drinking his normal amount, urinating and defecating normally, then I think it is OK for you to watch him for a couple of days to see if he gets over it. If the lethargy continues or you see other signs of illness develop such as poor appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, drinking excessive amounts of water, then I would recommend taking him to see your veterinarian. I hope that Chai feels better very soon!

If Norbert has always drank the same amount of water and urinated the same amount of times since you got him I would not be concerned. Some cats will drink and urinate more than others. However if this is a new behavior I would recommend taking Norbert to a vet to have his urine checked. Feline leukemia can suppress the immune system and make a patient more likely to get disease. I hope that helps

I recommend to have a follow up test done to see if he was able to clear the virus. Without a follow up test, it's impossible to know what is happening in his body. Here is some good information: https://www.petcoach.co/article/feline-leukemia-virus-a-cause-of-immunodeficiency-in-cats/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/vaccinating-felv-fiv-infected-cats/ I suspect the big appetite is ok and is a good thing (as long as he is not getting heavy). This article has good information about diet and living conditions for Felv + cats: https://www.dvm360.com/view/living-with-felv-infected-cats-guide-veterinarians-and-their-clients I hope this helps and that sweet Scruffy continues to do well.

I don't think the diarrhea has anything to do with the upper respiratory infection. I would recommend that you call the vet. They may want to test for intestinal parasites or may be concerned about a different bacteria or virus causing the diarrhea. I wouldn't change any food right now, since a sudden change may make the diarrhea worse. If he develops vomiting, decreased appetite, or lethargy, I would definitely have him checked out by the vet.

Hello and thank you for your post! I am sorry to hear that Dinky may have leukemia. Some changes on blood work that you can see include anemia, low white blood cell count and low platelets to name a few common changes we see. I am unsure whether or not you mean leukemia or lymphoma? Leukemia can be typically diagnosed with a snap test that your vet's clinic should have on hand that would help confirm the diagnosis. If lymphoma, abdominal ultrasound would help but to get closer to a definitive diagnosis for lymphoma, you would need intestinal biopsies. Unfortunately with both diseases, they tend to progress and worsen. You can talk to your vet about appetite stimulant drugs and see if you can get a prescription for this. I would be careful with the steroids as they can cause further immunosuppression and could make things worse. Offer lots of tasty foods and see if it is a matter of palatability as well. Anti-nausea drugs such as Cerenia (from your vet's clinic) may also prove useful in getting the appetite back. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.