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My cat has diarrhea and won't eat or drink. What can I give her?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 11 months and 17 days old | 7 lbs

My 11 month old mixed breed cat has suddenly stopped eating and drinking on her own and now she's developed diarrhea she's approximately 7-9 lbs what can I give her to stop the diarrhea (other than taking her food/water)?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 18th, 2017

Stopping the diarrhea usually requires stopping the cause of the diarrhea. In a young cat, it is often an infection that causes them to stop eating/drinking with diarrhea. However, this can happen with other illnesses or poisoning. Diarrhea is actually beneficial with infections, because it's the body's way of getting rid of the toxin/disease. And, most diarrhea resolves on its own within three days. The concerning thing with Samantha's case is that she could quickly become dehydrated if she is not drinking and continues having diarrhea. If this continues for more than a day, then she will need to go to the vet for an evaluation and treatment to keep this from being a serious problem. Other criteria for going to the vet are as follows: 1) Blood in diarrhea 2) Very watery diarrhea 3) She starts acting very depressed 4) Diarrhea lasts longer than three days You can help her get through this by feeding bland food (boneless chicken and tuna is good). Feed small portions (1 Tbsp or less) three times a day. Ensure fresh, clean water is always available. I hope this helps and Samantha gets better soon.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Priyanka Thakkar, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    You should have Samantha seen. It sounds like she is really sick and needs to see a veterinarian before she get overly dehyrated from the diarrhea and not eating. Sometimes a bland diet like boiled chicken and rice can help with diarrhea but if she isn't drinking or eating well, she need medical attention. Good luck.

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