My kitten has giardia. Is this highly contagious to my other cats?

I highly recommend treating both kittens at the same time. Once you start treatment, clean and change the litter box. Then 2 weeks after the medication is done have your veterinarian send the stool sample to the lab. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Flagyl is an antibiotic that helps with diarrhea due to targeting certain bacteria in the GI tract. If your kitten has diarrhea, it may not be contagious. If she is on flagyl due to an intestinal parasite issue (such as giardia), then they should have separate litter boxes until ideally a fecal sample comes back normal. I would try to get more information on the cause of the diarrhea and then decide if they can be introduced. Good luck!

I am sorry to hear that everyone has been so sick! The one parasite that can transfer between species that produces symptoms you describe is something called giardia. You may consider asking your physician to test you for it. Other possibilities include salmonella, Cryptosporidium, and campylobacter. When testing my patients for these more rare diseases I use a test through idexx called a GI fast panel PCR. You may Consider asking your veterinarian to run this test. Using proper hygiene when handling pets is important as well as making sure they are not eating any forms of raw diet that can transmit disease. Best of luck and I hope you improve soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear that Loki has giardia. Sometimes it can be frustrating to treat. I am assuming you know Loki has giardia because your Veterinarian checked a stool sample. If that is the case then your Veterinarian will prescribe the appropriate drugs to help clear the giardia infection. There are no over the counter drugs that are recommended. Definitely consult your Veterinarian if you haven't already. There are some cases where giardia can persist despite the appropriate treatment and longer courses of drugs or different medications are prescribed. Some times we need to wait for the puppies immune system to mature. At home you should be preventing Loki from re-infecting himself: immediately clean up all stool, use disinfectant cleaners, do not allow him to eat his stool, if he walks through his stool wash his feet well, do not allow his stool to contaminate his drinking water and take him outside to a designated area of the yard on a leash to do his business. Giardia is also what we call a zoonotic disease, meaning humans can contract it as well. Humans, cats and other dogs get it from ingesting fecal material or drinking fecally contaminated water. When you clean up his stool either wear gloves and/or wash your hands immediately. Do not allow children or immunosuppressed family members to handle the stool. Your cat would have to ingest Loki's stool or drink water that had been contaminated with Loki's stool. You could always have your cats stool checked to be sure. I wish you luck! I hope Loki clears the infection soon! They usually do!

Hi, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry Ojitos is sick but I am glad you had him seen by your Vet. It depends on the cause of the vomiting and diarrhea. If it is viral or bacterial it can be. But if its from eating something gross that is disagreeing with him, food allergy or sensitivity, pancreatitis, intestinal inflammation then no it shouldn't be contagious. Sometimes we never know the reason for the vomiting and diarrhea. I hope this helps and I with Ojitos a speedy recovery!

I am sorry to hear about your issue! I would also recommend bathing your cats, as the spores can cling to the fur and cause reinfection, especially with cats grooming themselves. Also washing any of their bedding. You can read more about Giardia and treatment at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&species=All&id=4952529

To make sure 100% that Giardia is gone, ideally a fecal test should be performed. If clinical signs are resolved though, Giardia can be considered clinically resolved and Bebe can get in touch with the other animals. Please tell us more specifically what type of medication (natural stuff) you are going to give her, so we can give you more specific advices. 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.