DIARRHOEA IN KITTEN & CATS

 A Tip of an Iceberg!

- Dr J Venkhatesh

Diarrhoea in humans is very common. A few medicines, some home remedies, and certain dietary changes are enough to bring relief to their discomfort. But it's not the same case when it comes to cats. Although, our furry little friends have their own way with cleanliness, but there can be unfortunate incidents where they are discharging faecal matter more than usual or vomiting. Along with that, they are suffering from fever, weakness, abdominal pain, dehydration, or loss of appetite. Then it is an alarming sign for a cat parent to take your cat to the vet. The Primary Feline behaviour unlike the Dogs, is to suppress the expression of disease until it becomes extremely out of control. Hence it becomes imperative for the feline pet parents to be more vigilant in picking the subtle signs of distress at the earliest.

It commonly occurs by the encounter of any infectious agent like bacteria, viruses, or intestinal worms. However, it may also happen because of some toxin chemicals, poisonous plants, allergens, or diet changes. The severity of the ailment depends on the longevity and number of symptoms that the cat shows.

Indeed, diarrhoea is often observed around nutritional weaning when kittens transition from milk to solid food (around 4-8 weeks). At that time indeed, major changes are occurring at the digestive tract level in kittens (anatomical & enzymatic changes) and on top of that, those individuals are going through a period of immunosuppression (often referred to as "immunity gap") while being potentially exposed to digestive pathogens in their environment.