My handicapped cat is having diarrhea

For those seeking advice on caring for incontinent pets and animals with kidney-related problems.
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intothelabyrinth
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My handicapped cat is having diarrhea

Post by intothelabyrinth »

My cat Athena was hit by a car when she was around 6 months old. At first she lost all use of her hind legs and tail. In the beginning I kept her in a crate to limit her movement, and expressed her bladder and bowels as she was incontinent. Slowly but surely she began gaining more control over her pee, and movements, and she also regained some mobility. She can now stand with effort, and she "walks", which is more of a slow stumble, but she gets all over the house, and even can climb up onto the bed and the couch! I let her roam the whole house all day, and she has been for probably 3 years. She is still fully incontinent, I express her bladder 3 times a day, once when I get up, when I get home from work, and before bed. I try to express her bowels once a day, but if it is difficult I will wait until the following morning. Sometimes she has accidents, but it was never really a problem because they were fully formed poo and cleanup was not a big deal. She never has accidents with her pee. Lately she has been having diarrhea. I have noticed when expressing her some mucous, and soft stools toward the end of the expression... Now it seems like every other day she has a full on blowout accident, which is terrible for all involved. I'm not sure what to do about it. I think I will start giving her some canned pumpkin every day to try to help with the loose stools. She loves pumpkin! I used to only have to worry about constipation, so I'm not sure what really changed... Is there a certain brand or type of food that would be good to try to help an incontinent cat have more normal fully formed bowel movements? I'm basically looking for some advice from those with experience, and some encouragement :/ I think I may need to start putting diapers on her, which I'm not sure how that will go over with her. She is very understanding, and cooperates very well with getting expressed. She loves life, and plays with toys, and if she is in the mood, with her two brothers. She is actually a great hunter, and hunts bugs and even once killed a mouse! She is very loving, and loves getting her head scratched and brushed. Everything was going so smoothly, so I'm sure this is just a temporary setback. Any advise will be very appreciated. Thanks!
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CarolC
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Re: My handicapped cat is having diarrhea

Post by CarolC »

:pastel:

It is certainly less fun when a handicapped pet has diarrhea, there have been some memorable stories here, resulting in baths and housecleaning. :blush: I think in this case I might treat it the same as you would when a non-handicapped cat gets diarrhea. Take her for a check-up, and the vet may prescribe Flagyl, if appropriate. Cats don't like the taste of it but it works really well and quickly. It is possible (maybe even likely) it is just a kitty thing, not a handicapped thing. She might have eaten something when hunting, or drank out of the dog bowl, or who knows what. I had a kitty get epic diarrhea after eating a moth one time.

If you can afford it, I would take her to the vet, see if they will do a fecal (they put a swab in her rear and check for microorganisms), and find out if it's just some kind of a tummy bug.

Something else it might be, I suppose, is some kind of common germs in the environment, like giardia. There is pancreatitis, but you'd probably notice a change of appetite. There are various cat viruses more common to unvaccinated outdoor cats, but with those I think you might notice other symptoms as well, such as runny eyes or not feeling well. The only thing I can think of that would be incontinence-related is if she has developed megacolon, and has a partial blockage, and the only waste that is passing around it is diarrhea. The vet could palpate her abdomen and see if he/she can feel any quanitity of hard stool.

Can you take her to the vet? My hope would be it's a common thing easily fixed? That is cool about everything she is able to do and enjoy a full life.

:catbed:
intothelabyrinth
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Re: My handicapped cat is having diarrhea

Post by intothelabyrinth »

Yes I can take her to the vet. That's what I will do, and see what they say. She is acting completely normal other than having the accidents now.
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CarolC
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Re: My handicapped cat is having diarrhea

Post by CarolC »

Ok. Hope they can get things straightened out in short order for both of you sakes!
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critters
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Re: My handicapped cat is having diarrhea

Post by critters »

Another thought--could the manufacturer/s have reformulated the food she eats? Food change can cause terrible squirts, and, yeah, it's THAT much worse for a handicapper!!! :whale:
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