Diarrhea in Elderly Cats - Causes and Treatments

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 5 August 2021
Update Date: 1 November 2024
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Diarrhea in Cats: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment
Video: Diarrhea in Cats: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment

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Diarrhea is the clinical sign that most indicates intestinal disease in feline species, being frequent in older cats, as well as the opposite: constipation or constipation. While in younger cats diarrhea is especially caused by adverse reactions to food, parasites or infectious diseases, when it occurs in older cats it is more often the case. result of organic diseases, hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease or tumors. Some causes are easy to treat, but in others our cat's life expectancy can be greatly impaired.

Want to know the causes and treatments of diarrhea in older cats? Continue reading this PeritoAnimal article to find out why your cat is suffering from this problem.


Types of diarrhea in elderly cats

Diarrhea in cats occurs when there is too much water in the stool, which can result in increased stool frequency, stool fluidity, or stool volume. In small bowel diseases, diarrhea occurs when the intestinal content exceeds the large intestine absorption capacity or it causes chronic water secretion, whereas large bowel diarrhea occurs when there is no segment of the large intestine left to absorb water.

Small bowel diarrhea is characterized by:

  • Large volume stools.
  • Normal or increased frequency.
  • Stool without consistency.
  • It may appear digested.
  • Accompanied by weight loss, vomiting or systemic signs.

Large bowel diarrhea presents:

  • Large frequency increase.
  • Normal, raised or lowered volume stools.
  • Urgency to defecate.
  • Presence of mucus.
  • It has or does not have consistency.
  • Fresh blood may appear.

It is also possible to differentiate two other types of diarrhea in cats based on their duration:


  • Acute: lasting less than two weeks.
  • Chronicle: one that persists for more than 2-3 weeks.

Causes of diarrhea in elderly cats

THE diarrhea in catselderly it can be caused by multiple pathologies and infections. Although kittens are more prone to infectious diarrhea, it can also occur in older cats, especially with certain bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites.

In cats up to 6 years of age, diarrhea due to inflammatory bowel disease or adverse reaction to food is more common, whereas in older cats, intestinal tumors are more common than inflammatory bowel disease. However, these diseases can also occur in older cats and should be part of the differential diagnosis.


In general, the possible causes of diarrhea in elderly cats are the following:

  • Hyperthyroidism.
  • Intestinal lymphosarcoma.
  • Intestinal adenocarcinoma.
  • Intestinal mast cell tumor.
  • Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
  • Pancreatitis.
  • Hepatobiliary Disease.
  • Kidney disease.
  • Colorectal polyp.
  • Strange body.
  • Ulcerative colitis (ingestion of toxic plants or inappropriate food)
  • Intussusception (when part of the intestine bends, causing blockage or obstruction of passage).
  • Perianal hernia or tumor.
  • Inflammatory bowel disease.
  • Protein-losing enteropathy.
  • Medicines such as antibiotics.
  • Adverse reaction to food.
  • Bacteria: Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringes.
  • Viruses: feline coronavirus, feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency.
  • Parasites: Toxoplasma gondii.
  • Fungi: Histoplasm.

Symptoms of a cat with diarrhea

Symptoms that a cat with diarrhea will manifest will depend on the disease that causes it and the type of diarrhea it is (small or large intestine). In general, these are the signs of diarrhea in older cats:

  • Weight loss.
  • Vomiting in many cases.
  • Variable appetite, possibly with anorexia or polyphagia (hyperthyroidism).
  • Flatulence.
  • Dehydration.
  • Weakness
  • Lethargy.
  • Arched back (indicating abdominal pain).
  • Pallor of mucous membranes in case of anemia due to gastrointestinal blood loss.
  • Jaundice if liver or biliary tract disease is present.
  • Polydipsia (drinking more water) in some cats to make up for losses or as a consequence of kidney disease or hyperthyroidism.
  • Polyuria (more urine) in kidney disease.

Cats with small bowel problems will have large volumes of watery diarrhea that they may have blood, but in this case digested, whereas if the damage has occurred in the large intestine the stools will be smaller but very frequent and there will be greater effort in defecation.

In most cats there is a combination of both of these types and therefore it is difficult to classify. In other cases, it is virtually impossible to determine why they defecate outside the house or if there are several cats in the house using the same litter box. Although if the diarrhea is severe, you can find feces around the house or even find some poop below the cat's tail with diarrhea.

Diagnosis of an elderly cat with diarrhea

Diarrhea in elderly cats can be caused by different problems and diseases, and therefore a diagnosis should be made to differentiate the type based on a good analysis of the clinical history and anamnesis, as well as the testing such as:

  • Blood analysis and blood biochemistry.
  • Determination of total T4 and palpation of the neck area to exclude hyperthyroidism.
  • Determination of feline pancreatic lipase to exclude pancreatitis.
  • Feline leukemia and immunodeficiency test.
  • Low levels of folic acid to determine absorption failure in the proximal intestine and vitamin B12 to assess absorption in the distal intestine (ileum). They are used to determine the location of damage. In addition, low levels of vitamin B12 are seen in chronic diseases of the pancreas or liver.
  • Serial analysis of feces by floating and sedimentation on three different days for the detection of parasites.
  • Rectal cytology introducing a swab moistened with saline solution in the rectum, perform cytology on a slide and visualize under the microscope after staining with Diff Quick to assess the presence of bacterial infection (Clostridium, Salmonella, Campylobacter), having to comply with stool culture and PCR of Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella and coronaviruses.
  • Intestinal biopsy to differentiate inflammatory bowel disease or neoplasm.

Blood and biochemistry tests are performed on the cat with diarrhea to assess:

  • Anemia due to inflammatory disease or blood loss through the gastrointestinal tract, associated with hypoproteinemia, thrombocytosis, and increased urea.
  • Leukocytosis if there is inflammation.
  • Eosinophilia, if there are parasites or food sensitivity.
  • Dehydration if there is an increase in hematocrit and total serum protein.
  • Increased liver enzymes may indicate liver failure or pancreatitis.
  • Increased creatinine and urea in kidney disease.

Keep in mind that older cats can have several illnesses that together can cause diarrhea. Therefore, the approach to the case will be different for each cat, as well as their diagnoses.

Treatment for an elderly cat with diarrhea

There are different ways to treat and good options for Remedies for Diarrhea in Elderly Cats. Among the numerous options are:

  • Immunosuppressants in inflammatory bowel disease.
  • Chemotherapy, if intestinal tumors are diagnosed.
  • Treatment of kidney diseases.
  • Treatment of liver diseases.
  • hyperthyroidism treatment
  • Vitamin B12 supplementation when deficient.
  • Fluid therapy to replace fluids and electrolytes if there is dehydration from diarrhea and vomiting in some cases.
  • If he has gastrointestinal histoplasmosis, antifungal treatment with itraconazole.
  • If infected with toxoplasmosis, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfonamide or azithromycin.
  • Prebiotics and probiotics to modulate intestinal flora imbalances for at least 4 weeks, although sometimes treatment must be extended to gain benefits on the cat's immunity.
  • Pancreatic enzymes in case of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
  • Analgesics such as buprenorphine in case of pancreatitis.
  • Elimination, hydrolyzed or hypoallergenic diet if an adverse reaction to food is suspected.

As there can be several causes that can lead to a cat with diarrhea, it is very important to see a veterinarian if your feline companion has symptoms, especially if he has an irritated anus, persistent loose stools and/or some of the other symptoms that we already mentioned.

Prognosis

Older cats are more prone to developing numerous illnesses, many of which can lead to diarrhea, as well as other serious and sometimes devastating clinical signs. Cats are experts at hiding their illnesses from us, and sometimes, when this becomes apparent, it may be too late. So we must be very attentive to any changes in behavior, habits and condition of the cat, as they can be a warning sign of illness.

Once they reach 7-8 years of age, the risk of the onset of numerous serious and debilitating processes begins, frequent veterinary check-ups being especially essential in elderly (from 11 years old) or geriatric (from 14 years old) cats ), whether or not they have clinical signs.

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Diarrhea in Elderly Cats - Causes and Treatments, we recommend that you enter our Other health problems section.