Diarrhoea in Cats
When cats have diarrhoea, their normally firm stools (faeces) become soft or liquid. Cats with diarrhoea may need to go to their litter tray more often, and some may have accidents outside of the tray if they cannot get to it in time.

Differentials (what could be causing my cat to have diarrhoea?)
There are lots of causes of diarrhoea in cats. Below are a few of the more common causes:
- Diet (changing to a new food or finding something unusual to eat outside)
- Parasites or worms
- Infections, especially Campylobacter, Salmonella, and giardia
- Foreign body (the cat has eaten something they shouldn’t have and it’s gotten stuck!)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Cancer
- Thyroid disease
Diagnosis of diarrhoea
To investigate the source of your cat’s tummy troubles, we take a comprehensive approach to diagnosis, utilizing:
- Stool (faecal) sample
- Blood tests
- Tummy X-rays
- Tummy ultrasound
- Biopsies (taking a little portion of the intestines for the laboratory to see if there are any abnormal cells present)
We often run a blood profile that will give us more information about your cat’s general health and make sure there are no underlying conditions (like thyroid disease). There are also more specific blood tests we can run if we are worried about how well your cat’s intestine is absorbing food.
Treatment of diarrhoea
Obviously, the treatment given depends on what the cause is! Often, we start cats with diarrhoea on a bland, highly digestible diet. We may give you a paste to feed your cat that has a kaolin base to help bind them, and pre-biotics to help rebalance their gut flora. Staying hydrated is vital, so we may recommend a stay in our hospital and a drip.
Cats with diarrhoea often recover fully with quick and appropriate treatment. Obviously, some conditions are more serious than others and may require long-term medication. Your veterinarian will work with you individually to keep you updated on your cat’s case.