Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My adopted kittens have diarrhea and gas. What medicine to give?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 26 days old | 2 lbs

I adopted two 9 week old kittens 5 days ago. They have been gassy and been having diarrhea since I got them. One kitten seems to be having it worse than the other and going more often. I don't know what food they were eating before, so it could be a change in diet. I am feeding them premium dry cat food. Is there any medicine I should be giving my kittens? I just want them to feel better.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Susan England-Foster

Veterinarian

Published on June 27th, 2017

I would recommend starting off with a good dewormer. Also you can add a probiotic or fiber to their diet. If the diarrhea is not resolving I would recommend taking them to a vet for a fecal exam and good physical exam. Some parasites like coccidia need special medications to treat. Hope Mila feels better

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Susan England-Foster

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 20th, 2017

    I am sorry Mila is not feeling well! I would recommend taking her to the vet due to how young and small she is. Young kittens can have diarrhea due to parasites, infection, indigestion or even toxins (like chocolate). I do get concerned about dehydration in such a small patient. It is best for her to see the vet and determine the cause of the diarrhea. If she did get a hold of chocolate this could be causing severe gastrointestinal upset and need supportive care to recover. Usually once the diarrhea resolves cats will go back to using the litter box. Hope Mila makes a speedy recovery

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Good day my two kittens Skylar 6 months and Luna 11 weeks have diarrhea. I took luna in 2 weeks back and took her for her shots a day after her tummy started to be very loos and she started leaving oepsies outside the sand bowl * Now, Skylars tummy i
I recommend taking a fecal sample to your vet for fecal tests to be run to determine if they have parasites like worms. If so, then deworm them. Otherwise, try to keep them on a high-quality kitten food exclusively for several weeks to see if this resolves their diarrhea issues. Cat probiotics are also very helpful with diarrhea.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I'm having to bottle feeding five 17-day-old kittens. They are eating kmr, and gaining weight. Three of them though have diarrhea. I asked their vet and they were given an anti-parasitic medicine (their mom had hookworms when she had them, so they pr
If you are using powdered KMR you could try adding a little extra water when mixing the formula - this can sometimes help. Make sure you increase the volume you’re feeding accordingly. A probiotic can help too - ask your vet if they think a probiotic would be okay for your kitten.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We just adopted a 12 week old kitten. She has had runny stools since first night....4th day now. Same food being fed. I tried chicken breast at lunch today as recommend by friends of the pound. Giving small but frequent meals today and encouraging wa
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would also add in a probiotic such as Purina fortiflora which can be found online quite easily. If the stool continues to be runny, I would also recommend having a veterinarian test the stool for intestinal parasites so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My kitten (mostly notice at night) has really bad diarrhea and gas when he goes poop. She I be changing his diet?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Diarrhea can be observed with conditions such as colitis, gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They may choose to check for parasites and to start medications for diarrhea depending on the results. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have recently gotten 2 very young kittens-they are about 4-5 weeks old. (I thought mother had abandoned them.) they are about 4-5 weeks old. One has had one reg. bowel movement but for the most part bothhave diarrhea. I am feeding them with KMR kit
I would deworm them with Panacur. Intestinal worms are very common in kittens, causing diarrhea. You can get Panacur from your vets office. It’s a three day course of treatment that you will need to give again two weeks after the first ends. This kills all the worms. They should then be dewormed every two weeks until they are three months old, then monthly until six months of age, after which they should be dewormed every three months. If the Panacur doesn’t help with the diarrhea, I would take them into the vet for a health check. As a side note, they are now old enough for a kitten formulated food. I would start weaning them onto one. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a kitten ,4 month old. I got from a rescue center. She's had all her shots wormed and rabies shot. Very playful a pleasure baby. But she has had soften stools. Diarrhea at times. Even went on my bed 4 times in the 3 months I had her. The cente
Beautiful cat! Love the pictures. Diarrhea can be many things. Make sure you are feeding a high quality food, make sure she has been dewormed. I would recommend she be examined and have a fecal performed. I do a fecal float (to look for intestinal parasites) and a direct smear to look for bacteria like campylobacter or Protozoa like Giardia. I treat w meds based on fecal results. There are probiotics for cats that may help. A bland high fiber food may help. Beautiful kitten! Hope she feels better soon
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My two month old kitten has diarrhea, no vomiting or seizers, he is eating good and drinking, he just had bad diarrhea........what do I need to do for him, I am worried, I've raised him myself
I am sorry to hear about your kitten! Unfortunately, GI parasites (such as roundworms, hookworms, giardia, and coccidia) are very common in kittens as a cause of diarrhea. Some of these can be treated with over the counter dewormer such as pyrantel (round and hook worms) but the others require prescription medication for treatment. It can also be difficult to dose the over the counter medication in a tiny kitten. I would recommend an examination by your veterinarian (Bring a stool sample with you) so they can check for these parasites. In the meantime, you can try picking up a probiotic from your vet or the pet store which will often help decrease the severity of diarrhea. Fortiflora by purina is the one we use most commonly (you can get that brand at your vet's office or online).
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I'm caring for 5 five-week-old kittens. Their mom was feral and I took over caring when I noticed she had difficulty feeding them. They suddenly developed frequent light brown/tan diarrhea. A foster who cared for them last week said they had normal s
The most common reason for diarrhea in kittens is worms. I suspect the vet will give them a general dewormer at their exam. I suggest you stop any milk replacer or milk products if you are using them as they can also cause diarrhea. At 5 weeks they can eat solid foods and don't need milk. I suggest you feed them this mousse for the next few weeks as it's easy to eat and easy to digest. It also comes as a dry formula you can use when they are a bit older. ( https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Canin-Mother-Babycat-3-Ounce/dp/B003P9WUAG ) ( https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Canin-Nutrition-Babycat-Pregnant/dp/B00ECQ98V0 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have two kittens and they're a week old. Their mama abandoned them and tried to eat them until our dog rescued them. They were the only two who lived out of 6. I'm bottle feeding them now but one seems to have diarrhea. How can I fix that? I'm fee
Make sure they are on a good quality milk replacer such as kmr. Changing it at all between different brands or switching from powder to liguid can cause diarrhea. Increase frequency of feedings to compensate for the diarrhea. And a probiotic such as bene back may help. If constant a vet visit for fluids may be recommended. If they didn't receive colostrum or milk from mom at all they are at higher risk from infections and may not survive despite best care. Sometimes the vet can help with injecting serum from a healthy cat to boost their immune system. Benebachttp://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3563 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I just rescued a 2 months old stray cat 2 days ago and gave her milk and baby food for the night. Her feces that night was normal. The next day I got some wet cat food and dry cat food to feed her so i changed her diet. Also I found out that I'm not
I recommend to have Milly examined by the veterinarian and bring in a fresh stool sample to have her checked for parasites. Cats who have been outside a lot often have worms and protozoal parasites (some of which can spread to humans). Diet changes can also cause diarrhea. Lastly, kittens can be prone to bacterial over growth and any diarrhea lasting longer than 48 hours generally benefits from an antibiotic. You can try feeling Milly a bland diet. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. A good diet in general is Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible and you can transition her to this diet once she is feeling better. I hope Milly starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored