My overweight cat has diarrhea and poops outside litter box. Why?

I definitely think you should have Dahlia examined by your veterinarian. A few diseases that could cause an increased appetite with weight loss include intestinal parasites, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism. Your vet can examine Dahlia and her stool, and may recommend checking lab work if parasites seem unlikely. All of these diseases are very treatable, but it's important to get a diagnosis quickly.

There could be several causes for Yokie having diarrhea. She would benefit from an exam with a veterinarian - take a fresh stool sample with you to the appointment for evaluation (litter on it is ok!). Some of the more common reasons for diarrhea in cats include intestinal parasites (which she could have gotten from eating outside critters), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and intestinal lymphoma. Your veterinarian will be able to prescribe special dewormers based on her symptoms and may recommend a special food or other medications to try out and see if that helps with the diarrhea. You can also try "ProPectalin AntiDiarrheal Gel for Dogs Cats", but it should not be administered long-term.

You do nothave to worry about cinstipation with bloody diarrhea. She may have an infection or inflammatory bowel that is causes part of these symptoms. Since there is blood in the stool she needs to be checked to see what medicine can be given. You can try to switch to a sensitive stomach formula food and add a feline probiotic to help replenish normal bacteria until you can get seen

I am sorry to hear about your kitty! If the food appears different than the one he normally eats it is possible that perhaps there is a different additive or food coloring that has upset his stomach (or is it possible it is a different flavor even though the brand is the same). We can see some pets have GI upset from quick changes in diet. That being said, we can also see diarrhea from other causes, including GI parasites, bacterial overgrowth, inflammatory bowel disease, as a symptom of systemic illness, and more. If he is still energetic with no vomiting you could try getting a probiotic from your vet or the pet store for him which can sometimes help with diarrhea and feeding something bland for a few days (such as plain white rice and shredded boiled chicken or lean ground chicken) or picking up the food you normally get at the pet store and trying this for a few days. If he is having urgency so often he isn't making it to the litterbox, however, it is quite possible he has colitis http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=677 and will likely need prescription medication to get the diarrhea under control, so the fastest solution to eliminating the problem is to have your vet examine him!

Probably because it's hard for Buddy to get into the litter box being so overweight. In addition, being overweight puts a lot of stress on her joints, and it may be painful for her to get into the litter box. It's important to get her to lose weight. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Diarrhea and weight loss can be observed with conditions such as colitis, gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Foxy 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!

If this was caused by a food change I would expect him to be back to normal by now. There may be something else underlying going on here that is the cause of Zebco's diarrhea and weight loss, such as intestinal parasites, pancreatic disease, diabetes, or even thyroid disease. I would recommend taking him to your vet for a through examination and potential tests (bloodwork, fecal exam), to hopefully identify the underlying problem so that he is treated appropriately. In the meantime I would suggest feeding Zebco a bland diet of boiled plain chicken and rice or cottage cheese to help settle his stomach a bit. You can also try adding 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in his food daily to add fiber and help harden the stools up. Best wishes with Zebco and I hope he feels better soon.