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My kitten has watery diarrhea after a food switch. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 22 days old

Hi. Kitten has loose watery stool. Not lethargic, doesn't vomit, very playful, drinks a lot of water. Stool is brown; no blood, froth, oil, funny smell, tar-like color/consistency; no visible worm on poop, not visible eggs on poop or around anus but not yet dewormed. Diarrhea started when fed whiskas wet jr food, switched to whiskas dry kitten food but stool is still on the watery side. Her abdomen is round and soft. Can you please help? Thank you so much in advance.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Mara Howard, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 24th, 2017

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m sorry to hear Oreo is having diarrhea. Diarrhea in kittens can be due to a variety of reasons, including intestinal parasites, dietary indiscretion, food intolerance, a virus or another underlying issue. I would recommend Oreo be evaluated by a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause for her diarrhea, have any necessary testing done (fecal analysis, etc) and start any treatment (dewormer, antidiarrheal, probiotic) that she may need to help resolve it. Good luck!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Rebecca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 2nd, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Stress and diet change can certainly cause diarrhea, but in a young kitten parasites such as worms or protozoan parasite such as coccidia are often the cause of diarrhea. I would recommend a veterinary visit to ensure that she is not becoming dehydrated, and to try to determine the cause of her diarrhea. From there the veterinarian can recommend any diagnostics or treatments to get her feeling better.

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