How to Treat Diarrhea in Kittens? 

How to Treat Diarrhea in Kittens? 

Just like other pets, kittens can also get gastrointestinal issues from time to time, which might lead to loose stools. However, sometimes, diarrhea can be caused due to more severe issues. Here is all you need to know about diarrhea in cats, including symptoms, causes, treatment, and prevention. 

Symptoms of Diarrhea in Kittens

Diarrhea refers to frequent and liquid stools. It causes kittens to dehydrate, which in turn leads them to weakness. Some kittens with diarrhea even could not make it to the litter box due to severe diarrhea and have accidents. 

What Causes Diarrhea in Cats?

There are varied causes of diarrhea in cats; however, regardless of causes, diarrhea should not be ignored if it lasts for more than a few days. Below mentioned are some of the common causes of diarrhea in cats

Changes in Diet – Any type of changes in diet, whether in the main diet, nutrition supplements, or medication, can cause diarrhea in kittens. Diarrhea stops, once the body of the kitten gets adjusted to the new item.

Side Effects of Medication – In many cases, essential pharmaceuticals like pain medications or antibiotics can also cause diarrhea in cats. 

Intestinal Parasites – Intestinal parasites are also one of the common causes of diarrhea in kittens as they irritate and disrupt the intestinal lining. 

Environmental stress – Kittens also get stressed in life. When a kitten gets environment stress like when he or she is brought to a new house, the kitten might develop diarrhea. 

Digestive disorders – Varied issues with digestive tract like low vitamin levels, absorption levels, or more can cause diarrhea. 

Toxicities – Many times, they eat or chew things that they should not. Sometimes such items that kittens consume are toxic and can lead to symptoms of diarrhea in your kitten. 

How to Prevent Diarrhea in Kittens?

Prevention is always better than cure. There are some simple ways that can help you to prevent diarrhea.

Make Food Changes Slowly – If you are planning to change the food of your kitten, then make sure to make these changes slowly. Opt for slowly adding new food to the diet of your pet.

Prevent Parasite – Parasites like ticks and worms cause diarrhea and discomfort to the cats. You can use monthly preventatives to get rid of these parasites. 

Give Probiotics – When you give antibiotics to your cat, then the medication also kills some of the good bacterias. You can ask your veterinarian to give probiotics to your kitten if needed. 

Make Use of Pheromones – In order to get rid of the environmental stress, you can use pheromones. It will help to keep your kitten calm and will reduce the chances of developing diarrhea from stress. 

How to Treat Diarrhea in Cats?

Treatment of diarrhea depends on the cause. In case of serious diarrhea, it is better to seek medical help. If diarrhea occurs due to dietary changes, then the issue would resolve without any specific medication once the kitten gets used to the new food. But if it is due to a digestive disorder or any other illness, and it continues more than two to three days, then you should take your kitten to the veterinarian.

Read More: Vomiting in Cats

Rashmi Saini