Why does my 8-month-old cat have intermittent diarrhea and pica?

Common causes of diarrhea or loose stools in a young cat include food intolerance, food allergies, intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral gastroenteritis, stress colitis, among a few others. Based on her history, stress from the visit or a change in treats may be the cause. You can try a medication like ProPectalin AntiDiarrheal Gel for Dogs & Cats that has probiotics and a small amount of kao pectate in it - it also tastes good. If the diarrhea/soft stools continue next week, or if Pico starts showing signs of lethargy, inappetence, or straining, I would definitely have her checked out by a vet.

It's possible the cat having diarrhea is having some sort of food allergy, or it could be stress related. Changing the diet or attempting a food trial with your veterinarian may help rule out any potential allergies and help relieve the diarrhea if there were no parasites or illness present. Reducing stress may also help, and adding in a pheromone diffuser in shared rooms can help with reducing stress along with making sure each cat has their own access to the litter box, food, water, etc without competition (that could lead to stress or accidents outside the litter box). As for your picky eater, switching foods may also encourage them to try a little more.

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 Licorice 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!

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.

This is suspicious of chronic diarrhea, which is not specific to any one condition and would eventually require a vet evaluation and some testing in order to discover the cause of this. Below is a link to a good article that explains the various causes of chronic diarrhea. https://www.petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-diarrhea-in-cats/ I hope that helps and Luna gets better soon.

It is concerning that Lola has diarrhea, and it could be that it is intestinal worms causing the continuing problems. She could have tapeworms, and those require praziquantel to kill. If the deworming medication she got didn't have it, that could explain the issues with her stool. I'd have her checked out by a vet in the morning. I hope this helps.

Sometimes even a simple diet switch from one food to another is enough to cause intestinal inflammation or bacterial imbalance and diarrhea in cats. Though his risk is low, it's also possible he could have an intestinal parasite (cannot be ruled out without a fecal test). You can try adding one tbsp of canned pumpkin to his diet for fiber. If he does not improve soon, it would be best to take him to a vet. Sometimes a short course of medication is necessary to resolve this type of diarrhea.