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Why does my cat have loose stools and poop outside the litter box?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 7 lbs

We have had our now 8 month old cat for 6 months now. We adopted her from a shelter. Ever since we have had her, she's had loose stools and poops outside her litter box 1-2xs a week. We've been to the vet they said she's fine and don't know what is wrong. What do we do?!! Help!

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 30th, 2016

Poor cat and poor you for having to clean that up on a regular basis. If they have already done a fecal exam and ruled out intestinal parasites then it is quite possible that Nellie has a sensitive GI tract. You should consider getting her transitioned to a sensitive stomach food or grain free food such as Wellness Grain free or a more holistic diet such as the Fromm diet. Also adding 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the filling) in her food daily may help because it adds fiber. If all this fails then I would highly recommmend doing a PCR GI panel through your veterinarian which does a more in depth look into various bacterial and protozoan infections (i.e. Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasmosis,etc) that could be the cause of the chronic diarrhea episodes.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    This problem needs to be investigated, the possibilities are food allergy, food intolerance, IBD, pancreatitis or a chronic infection. A blood test and full faecal test would be the first step for finding the diagnosis.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 23rd, 2019

    Hello, sorry to her about Lana. I would recommend starting by ruling out any parasites, particularly giardia and coccidia as the cause for her diarrhea. If these are negative, then considering other causes for get GI signs such as inflammatory bowel disease, diet hypersensitivities, and less likely other malabsorptive diseases may would then be ruled out. Given her history, it is very likely that Lana has a underlying parasite and treating this will likely resolve her signs. Ask your veterinarian about testing a fresh stool sample for parasites to begin working up her chronic diarrhea. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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    Answered By Debi Matlack

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on December 7th, 2016

    The diarrhea could be caused by any number of things; intestinal parasites, a bacterial infection, even being constipated will sometimes manifest as diarrhea because liquid feces is all that will get by the impacted fecal material. It could be as simple as a dietary indiscretion, meaning she might have gotten into the trash and eaten something that didn't agree with her. If your pet is otherwise feeling fine, eating, drinking and urinating, try taking away all food, treats included, for 24 hours. S/he can still have water. This will give the gut a chance to rest. After the 24 hours are up, introduce just a tiny amount of normal food. Wait an hour and give a little more. Keep doing this until s/he has had her normal amount for the morning. However, if s/he continues to have loose stool, or starts vomiting, loses her appetite, acts lethargic, and/or develops a fever, get her in to be seen by your vet right away as this could indicate a more serious problem. Some pets with chronic loose stools can benefit from a different diet. If you have not tried this I recommend it as it may help, if not eliminate the problem in conjunction with the medication, it may reduce the symptoms. Hill's Science Diet and Royal Canin offer some diets that can help, RC Fiber Response being a particularly good choice for this problem. Some may require a prescription from your vet, or they can order them for you if they don't already carry them. Some pets with intestinal issues respond well to raw diets. There are some available at specialty pet food retailers or your vet can recommend a home made diet that will be nutritionally complete. Another thing to consider, if your veterinarian hasn't already done this, is a special fasting blood panel, sent to the veterinary college at Texas A&M. This test will check for specific problems with absorption of nutrients and pancreatic enzymes that can be a cause for your cat's problems. Ask your vet about this testing. http://bit.ly/14FRgpH http://bit.ly/1KvyL7Q (cat)

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