Kitten (9mos) has had diarrhea for over 2 weeks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the problem is food (and I'm the mean first PP). The problem is that the cat is sick. Switching to a higher quality food might be a good idea to prevent future long term health issues, but for right now, the cat needs to go back to the vet. If he has had diarrhea for this many days, he may also need a fluid injection from beign dehydrated. Call the vet and explain that the medicine is not helping. They may want you to wait out the 7 days or you may need to come back in for something else. OTC medicines are a waste of money--you have no idea if the quality is good or if it's just a markup. I'm not saying $200 is chump change, but in the realm of vet visits, it is not extremely high. I feel lucky when we leave a regular visit under $100, and anything under $300 is a "whew!" moment.

In the mean time, if his anal area is red, it is irritated and painful. You could put some vaseline on it and it might comfort him a bit.

I agree with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the problem is food (and I'm the mean first PP). The problem is that the cat is sick. Switching to a higher quality food might be a good idea to prevent future long term health issues, but for right now, the cat needs to go back to the vet. If he has had diarrhea for this many days, he may also need a fluid injection from beign dehydrated. Call the vet and explain that the medicine is not helping. They may want you to wait out the 7 days or you may need to come back in for something else. OTC medicines are a waste of money--you have no idea if the quality is good or if it's just a markup. I'm not saying $200 is chump change, but in the realm of vet visits, it is not extremely high. I feel lucky when we leave a regular visit under $100, and anything under $300 is a "whew!" moment.

In the mean time, if his anal area is red, it is irritated and painful. You could put some vaseline on it and it might comfort him a bit.

Thanks, this post is much nicer . When we went to the vet last week, the doc said he wasn't dehydrated. I didn't think about putting vaseline on his bum. I will do that this evening, hopefully he won't lick it all off.

[Anonymous]

I don't want to make you feel bad either but it sounds like this cat needs another trip to the vet. While I can appreciate that you don't have a lot of money to spend, this cat needs some other form of treatment beyond the over the counter things you've tried. Is there any chance you'd qualify for reduced cost treatment at a place like WARL?

One of my kitties had something similar when he was about 6 months old and newly adopted from the humane society. I went through weeks of diarrhea all over the walls, floor, etc and multiple vet visits until we finally figured it out. We dewormed, tried antibiotics, changed foods, etc but what finally worked was a course of steroids. That did the trick for whatever reason. Maybe suggest that to your vet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purina is not low quality food. Much better to spend your money on an RX than on organic pet food.

If your heart breaks for him, you will take him in. Now. The vet will let you make payments.

The vet I use will not allow me to make payments. But I will take him back if it doesn't clear up over the weekend. I heard that the Purina One Beyond was just a step above grocery market brands. I have tried to feed them better, they just don't want the other food I have tried.

Purina One Beyond is the best Purina brand that you can buy. Look at the ingredient list. It is comparable to brands like Blue Buffalo when looking at REAL meat being used and listed first, and things like Oatmeal or Rice without the other crap fillers used. I can't always buy this alone, I use Purina Indoor Cat Chow mixed with this. My cats are much healthier since I started using this food and it is much more affordable than other expensive foods that my cats don't like the taste of.

[Anonymous]

Since when did cats eat oatmeal and rice?

[Anonymous]

Since when did cats eat corn meal? Rice is something that is very good for cats and their digestive system (just like with dogs). If you have a cat that is having trouble keeping things down, the first thing your vet will tell you is to feed them white rice with boiled chicken breast. The plainest food you can find but will fill them up and has nutrients that are good for them.

Besides, cats love all types of food! I have had cats that wanted to eat (and would steal off my plate or out of my bowl), rice krispies cereal, pasta, bagels, peaches, pineapple, lentils, soups, oatmeal, yogurt, hamburgers, popcorn, strawberries, other cereal, french fries, eggs, garden greens etc). The thing is that some are not good for them, and most are unnecessary if you are feeding them a proper diet of cat food. It is better to be on the safe side and not feed human foods to your pets yourself if you don't know what is safe and what is not. But these are very common foods that go into pet food that is not horribly cheap and just uses corn meal and crappy meat by-products instead.