My cat has loose stools for days, eating & active. When to see vet?

I am sorry to hear about Felix's stool problems! We can see loose stools or color changes in stool as a result of a change in food (even if you are feeding the same brand, a different flavor may have different ingredients or coloring agents). If Felix's energy level is normal and he has no vomiting, then you can try switching him back to his original food and seeing if his stools return to normal after a few days,or you can try picking up a probiotic at the pet store and see if this improves the stools. If these do not work, a trip to the vet is recommended (or if he starts vomiting/stops eating/is lethargic). In the future, if you want to switch foods it is recommended to do so gradually, slowly mixing the new food in with the old food.

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.

It sounds like Molly may be experiencing some diarrhea. This can be caused by intestinal parasites, eating something rotten, a foreign body, or a GI illness. When a cat has been having loose stools for more than 24 hours, it's time to see a vet. I would take Molly into a vet today, and bring along a sample of her stool for the vet to examine. The vet can diagnose what is causing this loose stool and can treat her for it.

Hello, I worry about cats having diarrhea when it lasts for more than two days, or is accompanied by a change in behavior, such as lethargy or increased hiding, or a decrease in appetite. I would not be concerned about a single incident with no other changes. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello Sometimes a food intolerance and/or allergy can cause loose/soft stools as well as various intestinal diseases that interfere with food absorption (less common though in cats Colby's age). There are various diets available for cats with food allergies/intolerance, some OTC and some require a vet to prescribe. You can ask your veterinarian if given Colby's medical history if they would recommend changing his food and, if so, what diet they recommend. If possible having a list of all prior diets is helpful.

Considering what you described, I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8-12 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken/white fish and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. 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.

Issues with faeces such as these can be indicative of issues in the gut. It could just be inflammation such as gastroenteritis or colitis, but sometimes it can indicate problems such as inflammatory bowel disease or tumours etc. You could try adding a probiotic to both of their feed and see if that helps, but I think it would be worth taking them both to the vet for an exam if it continues for more than a day or so.