Jenna's bathroom issues! Need help. :(

[lldaniels21]

Jenna's poo is really soft and not hard at all. I have had her for almost three weeks now and haven't seen one hard poo from her yet! Should I call the vet to see if there is something I can do or will it happen sooner or later?

[jenluckenbach]

Talk to a vet. Diarrhea is a symptom of SOMETHING and you need to find out what that something is. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration if the cat does not take in enough water so it needs to be resolved.

[sasvermont]

My Miley has had issues for years, when it comes to stools. I am currently in the process of having another type of test done to see if she has a different kind of parasite. But, in the mean time, I have been putting Metamucil on their wet food and it has done wonders for her stools. That is not to say that she is cured, as I still have to find out (rule out that is) any parasite etc. But if all is tested and she still has stool issues, it will be Metamucil added to each wet food portion, forever. I don't think it can hurt the other cats to eat it. Basically, it adds fiber to their stools so that the stools are larger but less hard (if that is their issue) and more formed (if that is their issue).... sorta a win/win situation. Of course, I am not a vet, and don't take my advice without checking with your vet. My vet said it was fine to feed to them .... but I am still going forward with the testing for TF.

Good luck.

By the way, I bought capsules of the Metamucil, but will probably buy the powdered without capsules as they are a pain in the neck to open. I don't use much - maybe three capsules for one plate of wet food for all four cats..... Lucy, the black barn cat doesn't really eat wet food, so its just for the three Abys, in the long run.

[lldaniels21]

So..should the poo be rather hard? or sort of soft. Sorry for asking so many questions, but I'm curious.

[lldaniels21]

I just called the vet and they said the antibiotic that she is on for her declaw can make her stool soft. So..they said everything should be fine YAY!

[Catty1]

Oscar is on antibiotics...it doesn't seem to bother him now. But at first, I pilled him in the evening - then about three hours later gave him a small spoonful of yogurt (plain), or in the morning.

If Jenna likes yogurt, this would help offset the effects of the meds. Antibiotics also kill "good" bugs - like the ones that help digestion!

Glad she will be ok.

hugs
Catty1

[lldaniels21]

How do u give your cat the yogurt? Holding him or does he just lick it off the spoon?

[Craftlady]

How do u give your cat the yogurt? Holding him or does he just lick it off the spoon?

Most times they eat it from a bowl.
If not I have used child medicine syringes (you can buy them at walmart). Fill it up and squirt it in their mouth.

[jazzcat]

You said you've had her three weeks and haven't seen a hard stool yet so it sounds like it's more than the antibiotics she recently started. Have you had her dewormed? I remember when we brought Jazz home she had runny stools and was on antibiotics so I assumed it was that but turns out she also had tapeworms.

Her stool should be like a tootsie roll. Firm, shaped like a log but not rock hard either.

[lldaniels21]

Jenna has tapeworms and I went to the vet and got a pill for it.

[jazzcat]

Hey, I guessed it right. Wow, only because I've been there done that, LOL.

The pill should work pretty quickly for her and hopefully you'll see her stool start firming up in a few days. Did they give you two pills, another one for her to take in a week or so? I think I had to do that with Jazz to make sure they were all gone.

[lldaniels21]

Nope! They only gave me one. Her poop is still very soft. Hopefully it will firm up soon. Does the pill kill the tapeworms inside her and then will she poop them out?? Or how does it work?

[jazzcat]

Yes, the pill will kill the live tapeworms and she will "evacuate" them. It will take a few days to do it so it may be a week before her poop is firm. If it isn't or if you see the signs of tapesworms (something that like looks like rice) next week you should call the vet for another dose.

If you aren't sure what to look for do a google search on tapeworms in cats and you should be able to find pictures. Segments of the tapeworms come out and will look like little white spaghetti when fresh and then it will dry up to look like a piece of rice. Rather gross depending on where you find it. Luckily it's easily treated and the one dose may be all Jenna needs. If she's been gassy you should notice a reduction in that too.

[lldaniels21]

I've seen a couple dry tapeworms on her bottom. Also...when I brought her home from the shelter she did pass gas alot. She doesn't anymore..but now I know what might have caused it. Thanks for the info