litter box problems

[catsmom2007]

Hi, I have a 15 year-old male cat who had been eating canned food primarily and developed a very loose stool and was going both in and outside the box. He was seen and given a clean bill of health 10 days ago.

At the same time we started him on Science diet dry (mature senior) as he would not eat the prescription dry the vet gave us & no canned food. He seems to like the dry and is now making it to the box, but still has very loose stools, just barely makes it into the box.

Any ideas as to whether it just may take some time, or is another vet visit suggested? The vet never said (and we failed to ask) about how long it may take for his stools to get back to normal.

He acts fine, does not appear to be in distress, but this can't be right.

Thanks....Mimi

[Traci]

What tests did your vet do, and anything else? Any cat over the age of 7, and particularly one who has any signs of ill health, should have a complete blood profile done, and include urinalysis and thyroid function testing. Also whenever older cats suddenly develop diarrhea, you may want to rule out IBD or other GI problems.

Did your vet do a fecal exam?

What canned food were you feeding prior?

Can you see a NEW vet? Ask the new vet about adding a tiny amount of yogurt or ask him about acidophilus you can use on a temp basis.....don't do this on your own please, if your current vet never did any testing, you can't rule out a hidden illness that may be causing the soft stools/diarrhea. Also note that dehydration is serious when diarrhea is present. If I'm reading your post correctly, your kitty has had soft stools for 10 days? If so, there is a problem, it should have cleared up within a few days had your vet treated appropriately.

[catsmom2007]

Thanks Traci....your info is helpful and I believe the little darling will be going back to the vet this week for further tests.

Mimi

[jewelsf]

when my cat developed food allergies loose stool was one of the symptoms. It got so bad she had no control over it anymore. We had to try several different kinds of food, including a special food from the vet, before we found one that worked for her. I suspect she is allergic to chicken. The food we give her now is "Purina One Sensitive systems" and it is the only food we have found that doesn't make her either vomit or have loose stool. Definately talk to your vet about whether it could be a food sensitivity issue. It is possible for a cat to develop an allergy that it never had before.

Julie