What can I do to comfort my cat during painful colitis flare-ups?

Question

My cat has bouts of colitis, as confirmed by my vet last year. She get acute flare-ups for a day every 3 months or so; characterized by yowling and hissing for 5-30 minutes until she poops, diarrhea with blood streaks, lethargy, and straining to poop. She is not presently on any meds for this, but my vet suggested steroids possibly in the future. My question, is there anything i can do to comfort or help my cat during these episodes? I worry when she yowls. Pet's info: Cat | Russian Blue | Female | spayed | 7 years and 2 months old | 11.3 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Shadow! It does sound like she's very uncomfortable during these bouts of illness :( Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do to comfort her when she's actively having a flare-up; the yowling is likely due to abdominal cramps, similar to what we experience when we have diarrhea. There's not much that relieves it other than going to the bathroom, and waiting it out. But since these flare-ups are so upsetting for her, it may be worth starting some kind of long-term treatment to try and prevent them, or at least make them less frequent and less severe. Steroids are indeed commonly used for this problem, and could be a good option for Shadow. If you would prefer to avoid medication for now, many cats with this problem respond well to a prescription GI diet designed for cats with colitis, and/or a daily probiotic like Forti-Flora to help keep things healthy in their gut. Your vet may also be willing to give you medication to keep on hand for when this happens, such as metronidazole or something similar. I would recommend talking with your vet about your concerns to see what the best option is to try and make Shadow more comfortable.

What can I do to comfort my cat during painful colitis flare-ups?

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