Expert: Dear Tabbi - 6/19/2008

Question
QUESTION: I rescued a 3 week old abandoned kitten, and have so far had pretty good
luck with her.  but now at 7 weeks old, suddenly she seems to have
diarrhea.  Her stool is very dark brown and soft to runny.
I have recently started adding in a different type of food, a hard kitten food,
that I soften up with warm water.  COULD this be the problem?
Other than this She acts totally normal, and has become the love of our
lives.
Please Help.nnnnnnnnnnnnn.oo9gv

ANSWER: Carolyn,

The kitten may have worms:

* Roundworms: can cause diarrhea, constipation, anemia, potbellies, general poor condition. They are present in the intestines and feed on the digesting food.

* Whipworms and threadworms: fairly rare, can cause diarrhea, loss of weight, or anemia. Whipworms burrow into the large intestine; threadworms into the small. Both may cause internal bleeding.

* Hookworms: can cause (often bloody) diarrhea, weakness and anemia. They enter through the mouth or the skin and migrate to the small intestine.

* Tapeworms: look for small "rice grains" or irritation around the anus. They live in the intestines and share the cat's food. Tapeworms are commonly transmitted through fleas. If you cat has fleas or has had fleas, it may have tapeworms.

* Flukes: can cause digestive upsets, jaundice, diarrhea, or anemia. They are found in the small intestine, pancreas and bile ducts.

If that is a possiblility then you should take the kitten to the vet (along with a fecal sample). Don't get over the counter worm medications. The worms are developing an immunity to the current products. A vet has the latest and most effective medicine for worms, plus you need the correct medication for the type of worm.

Diarrhea can also be caused by the change in the kittens diet and the amount. Try feeding smaller portions of food more often (until her digestive tract gets used to it) and leave a dish of a good quality kitten chow out all the time so the kitten can nibble when she is hungry without eating a lot at once. Adding some plain, canned pumpkin (not the pie mix) to the kitten's food will help firm up her stools. Giving her a little Sweet Acidophilus (in the dairy department of the Grocery store) may help also. Do not let her get dehydrated!

If the condition continues then you may want to take her to the vet for an  exam to make sure it's not something inherited, or a problem with her insides. I don't think it is, but it doesn't hurt to be sure, especially if it doesn't go away.

I hope this helped answer your question. She's a lucky kitty to have found a home with a loving, caring person.

Tabbi



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tabbi, We are in Italy now.  A vet gave her "Felex: or Pyrantel-Niclosamide
about 3 weeks ago when we rescued her at 3 weeks old.  Her mother just
abondoned her in a rainstorm away from the nest (she had 5 and this one
was the smallest).  the vet gave her an antibiotic shot and the above med
orally for worms.  We also treated the mother as we had hoped to
reestablish her with the mom.  We have been raising her in the house now
and she has not gone out in 3 weeks, since the meds.  As far as we can tell,
she has never had a flea.  It's almost still winter here too.  Very cold and wet
outside.  She is on her 2nd day of very bad diahhrea.  She has seemed active
and plays but today she is sleeping a bit mopre than usual.  Is there
anything we could feed her to help?  Anything american is out of the
question.  Pumpkin here starts with a seed, not a can.  We are in a village of
only 300 in the mountains.  We take her on a 3 week trip around Europe
starting Sun.  We're nervous.
Thanks  

Answer
Carolyn,

It is a good possiblity, since the vet wormed her, that the medicine is working on the worms which would cause diarrhea. Diarrhea causes dehydration so it is very important to make sure she is getting a lot of liquids. Do you have chicken broth available that you can give her.

Since you are in another country I would speak to your vet or an animal rescue organization for suggestions about what to feed or give for diarrhea. I'm not at all familiar with what Italian foods are helpful for cat problems.

I hope she is better soon.

Tabbi