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My older cat is drinking more, has diarrhea, and isn't eating. Is she okay?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 13 years and 5 months old

I'm not totally sure if this is anything to worry about, but my cat drank water four times in a short time. The amount was not much, and she did not eat during the day, but did eat recently when we gave her different foods. She has some diarrhea, but she has a sensitive stomach and the occasional diarrhea is pretty common. I have not noticed other symptoms, her skin color is normal and there is not excessive urination. Should I be concerned?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 20th, 2017

It appears that you are a very astute cat owner and it's possible that something is off, but I would not worry too much right now. We see frequent drinking in cases of hyperthyroidism, kidney failure and other diseases, but this is normally seen over a long period of time and there would be other signs of illness. The fact that she has diarrhea is a bit concerning, but it's normal for them to have diarrhea occasionally. Usually the diarrhea is not severe and will resolve within three days. Here is a helpful article about diarrhea in cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-diarrhea-in-cats/ If Oona is otherwise acting fine and you are not continuing to notice frequent drinking, then it's OK to wait a day or two and see if she goes back to normal. If she continues to have problems with eating and diarrhea for longer than 2 days, then it would be best to have her seen by a veterinarian. I hope that helps and Oona gets better soon.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Susan England-Foster

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    If Oona only drank a little extra today I would not be concerned as long as she is eating and using the bathroom properly. However if you find Oona is drinking more water often I would highly recommend taking her to a vet. Older cats can get kidney disease, diabetes and urinary infections which can cause them to drink more water. I was concerned about how she is having diarrhea occasionally. This is not normal for cats to have diarrhea. If she is having diarrhea on and off again I would recommend taking her to a vet to make sure she does not have parasites, irritable bowl disease or internal organ disease that has not been detected so far. It is important in older patients to detect disease as soon as possible!

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