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My cat has diarrhea. What are safe remedies? Is Kaopectate okay?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 3 years and 3 months old | 16 lbs

Hello my cats have diarrhea I was wondering once something I could give them I heard kaopectate works but don’t know where to get it

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Makenzie Kurth, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 29th, 2018

Actual Kao-pectate (which contains only kaolin and pectate) is safe to use. PetCo sells it as NutriVet Antidiarrheal Liquid for cats. On the other hand the brand name “Kaopectate” is not actually kaolin and pectate but is made of the same ingredients as pepto-bismol (bismuth subsalicylate). This is absolutely TOXIC to cats and is not recommended under any circumstance. If you’d like to try something over the counter for diarrhea, and can’t get the NutriVet or aren’t sure, I’d much rather you try out a probiotic like Purina Fortiflora. Of course, if these remedies aren’t working, it’s time to see your vet to rule out parasites, infections, or inflammatory bowel disease. Best of luck to you and Walker!

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