Update 1/22: Never got diagnostics to confirm what was going on, but after a clear fecal and CBC as well as kidney and liver bloodwork, he spent 5 days on metronidazole. While he has had soft stools since, he has not had problems with urgent diarrhea in the last month.
We have had our 7(ish)-year-old Himalayan cat Alfie for about 4 months. He turned up on my friend’s doorstep and we know nothing about his history, other than at one point he was definitely a well-loved house cat. Since he came home, he has had intermittent episodes of diarrhea, almost always outside of the cat box. He will have diarrhea at (ex.) 9 in the morning and pass a normal and healthy stool several hours later. This repeats about every two to three weeks. My vet is not terribly concerned about this given that the rest of his internal health appears within normal range, but I’m looking for ideas to talk over with the vet because although the episodes are infrequent and transient, the repetition suggests to me that we can help him feel better.
He is fully vaccinated and was dewormed when we got him. He had a follow-up fecal test done last month, which was clean. We have not yet run bloodwork. Environmentally, he lives with another cat and a dog; he gets along with both by ignoring them most of the time, although he and the other cat Barth do spar. We have two large cat boxes shared by both cats and cleaned daily; Alfie does use the cat box for all other personal business and has made it to one box or the other for some of his diarrhea episodes. Alfie is at an appropriate weight of about 12lbs and has improved in condition since he came to live with us; he is bright, alert, and playful. Both cats are grazers and go through about 1/3 to 1/2 cup each of Orijen Cat and Kitten per day. They are fed separately, but although I haven’t seen it happen, I can’t rule out that they graze from each other’s dishes (and if they do, it would be equal opportunity.) Alfie also gets Greenies hairball treats and a chewable probiotic. Both cats are excellent drinkers. Whatever is going on with Alfie seems like a personal and non-contagious problem since Barth has maintained excellent health.
We do know that Alfie has a sensitive digestion and is a complete opportunist when it comes to food, which is either the whole of the problem or is eclipsing the root of the issue. When he first arrived and switched onto Orijen, between that change and the dewormer, he had about two days of loose stool. Alfie will also poach dog food if he can get it, which always results in diarrhea the next day. (The dog is now fed entirely under supervision, because she is very good-natured about sharing.) As a result, he does not get treats or human food tidbits. All food is stored out of animal reach, so he is not eating something inappropriate off of the counter while my back is turned. The other thing in the back of my head is that although he is an excellent drinker, he does pass more urine than Barth, and his next vet visit will include testing for early kidney disease just in case.
When he has diarrhea, more often than not, it is on the sofa nearest “his” cat box- a sofa he does not lie on at any other time. Considering he spends most of his time upstairs, he has to make a concerted effort to go downstairs and get onto the sofa. I think at this point that might be behavioral and that he’s returning to scent; the only other thing I can think of is that it might for some reason be more comfortable for him to pass diarrhea when not in the box. He has never failed to make it to the box for more routine matters. I have never observed him straining and whatever output is delivered after diarrhea is always of a normal and formed character. The infrequency makes me think that he is getting into something that upsets his stomach, but at this point we have all the food locked down, there are no houseplants, and I can’t think what he’s finding.
Is this ringing any bells for anyone? I’d love ideas to explore with the vet- at our last visit (shots and follow-up fecal) she recommended a wait and see approach in view of the rest of his health. He’s a sweetheart and a real character and I want to do best by him.
I wish my horse vet saw cats!