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Expert: - 2/1/2010


Question
hi i adopted an older cat about a year and a half ago.with in the past 7mo i had to take her to our vet becouse she was having loose stool every day but afterwords she was fine so now for the last few weeks ago she starts to growl and she leaving small nowls all over the house   i csnt afford to take her to the vet do to finanaces problemes i also want to mention that some of the bowls are gray in color so what do you think is wrong,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Answer
Most of time cats get diarrhea from changes in food. Have you changed her food recently? And when is she growling? When she has a bowel movement or before or just for no reason?

She might be in pain. Cats also get bacterial infections in their digestive system which will cause loose stool and pain. A gray color to the stool can be an indication that she isn't digesting her food properly which will also cause loose stool.

She might be developing colitis or some irritable bowel disease. She needs to see a vet as soon as you can get her to one. You don't want this to progress to the point of it costing more money because you waited and it got worse.

Call the vet.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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