Expert: Charlotte Sherrell, DVM - 7/26/2008

Question
Hi,  I have two Russian Blue cats (same father).  One is a few days away from
his 1st birthday, the other is 19 months old.  About a month ago both got
very loose stools and both, if I remember correctly, had some blood in the
stool.  The older one definitely did.  He was seen by a vet who did bloodwork.  
Test came back negative for Giardia and other parasites, but both cats were
treated with Flagyl and Panacur and Acidophilus. Five days into this treatment,
I had to leave for a week & had my nieces stay with them.  The kitties were
shy with them and at the start didn't interact much or eat much and
according to the girls, their stools were firmer.   After I got back, I saw that
their stools were loosening again.  The younger cat seemed to have made
more of a recovery although the stool used to be much firmer.  The older cat
who had been seen by the vet before I went away resumed with problems.   
Background:  when the older cat first came to me (from St. Louis by plane), he
was diagnosed with Giardia and treated.  That was at the beginning of 2007.  
After that he had stool issues that tested negative, and we ultimately had him
tested for allergies.  This test showed him allergic to many foods and I took
him off the Wellness and whatever other high-protein foods we had been
trying and fed him Meow Mix.  This, even though Meow Mix contains food his
test showed him to be allergic to.  I guess most of that food is filler with trace
amounts of proteins, and for a long time, he did very well with Meow Mix.  
Speculating that maybe the Meow Mix ingredients finally were getting to him,
I switched both cats (gradually) to a food recommended for him by the lab
that did the allergy test -Royal Canine IVD. After a week on this food, his
stool is sometimes formed and fine but other times soft and semi-formed
with traces of blood.  He also goes frequently (3 or 4 times a day) and
sometimes just meows more than usual and around the litter box, sometimes
positioning himself to go but doesn't. This seems to be an ongoing problem
and other than antibiotics and anti-parasiticals, what direction do you think
our investigation should go?  Could this be an inflammatory bowel condition
and what would be the treatment?  Thank you in advance.

Answer
Olena -

This does sound a bit like inflammatory bowel disease might be one of the rule outs for your cat's condition.  I assume the doctor did radiographs and bloodwork because you have also done allergy testing.  

If the kitty is diagnosed with IBD you will have to stick to a food regiment.  A biopsy of the intestine and bowel is most definitive and should give the answer you need.  Before you go that route, you may want to have additional fecal exams done and treat accordingly.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM