Why does my cat still have liquid diarrhea after antibiotics?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Hi, cat Alfie (5yrs old, large, neutered male) has been healthy until last Friday when he developed bad diarrhoea. Vet on Monday, for an antibiotic injection. Back to vet Tuesday for 5 day course of general antibiotic tablets. He is eating and drinking (I have him on light food from the vet)..but he still has very bad diarrhoea. Even if he moves a little, he poos. Liquid brown poo. It has been nearly a week now. What could it be and what treatment would work?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on February 2nd, 2017
Alfie could have a parasite, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, hyperthyroidism, liver/kidney disease, etc. Since it has been a week, it would be a good idea to have full blood work, fecal test, and x-rays done to rule out potential causes. I would also recommend switching to a hypoallergenic diet, like d/d, and see if that helps. A medication called Proviable KP may also help. If your vet didn't already prescribe Metronidazole (Flagyl) than that could be tried, too. If the diarrhea persists than an intestinal biopsy may be needed.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 9th, 2017
It's hard to say without checking Alfie if these are the only symptoms he is suffering from, it could be a gastrointestinal infection, pancreatitis, IBD or a foreign body in the intestines among other things. i strongly recommend taking him to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked and treated.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My kitten has been having diarrhea for a few weeks now She's been dewormed so I thought it may have been the food we've given her so we changed to Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Feline Formula but she's still having diarrhea So I took her to the ve
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Using metronidazole and a bland diet is a great way to start. Even if she tested negative for parasites, she could still have parasites so I would consider an anti parasitic medication if there is no improvement on the current plan. Another thing that should be considered if no improvement is changing her diet to ensure that is not a sensitivity to her current diet. Good luck and have a great day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello! I have a kitten that is about 15 weeks old and has had diarrhea since the day I've taken her home. I work as a receptionist at a vet so I have taken her in to our clinic before and I have had her fecal tested for intestinal parasites and she t
I would have her dewormed, even though she tested negative for parasites, b/c pets aren't always shedding eggs that are detectable on the microscope during a fecal exam. I would also recommend giving her a longer course of Metronidazole, say for 2 weeks. Metronidazole is the go to antibiotic to help control inflammation of the gut. Also it is advised to give her more fiber and not less, since this helps bulk up the stools. You can alternatively add 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin to her food daily to help add fiber. I hope this helps and best wishes with your kitty Kona moving forward! Take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is 2, half Persian and he does not go outside or associate with other animals. He’s had diarrhoea over the past two weeks but not every day, and he threw up a few times one day last week. He’s still eating but we are feeding him less and only
I would recommend that you have Alfie examined by a veterinarian. His symptoms could be caused by food intolerance, food allergies, intestinal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal lymphoma, hyperthyroidism, systemic disease (liver, kidney, pancreas, diabetes), among others. After a thorough physical exam and review of his history, the vet may recommend bloodwork, intestinal parasite screening, or ultrasound to determine what could be the cause. They may also recommend that you do food trial for possible food allergies.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a cat that has had on and off diarrhea I’ve had him to the vet several of times and now it’s even worse do you have any ideas about what it could be
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. There are many causes of diarrhea but most commonly diarrhea can be due to the diet or intestinal bacteria. Other causes such as GI inflammatory diseases, cancer or systemic diseases are less common but are all still a possible cause. I would recommend switching to a hydrolyzed protein diet such as Hills Z/D or Royal Canin Ultamino and adding in a probiotic such as Purina fortiflora which can be found online quite easily or at your local pet store. If after 4 weeks of the new diet there is no improvement, I would recommend further testing with a veterinarian such as an abdominal ultrasound. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Took my cat mittens to vet for diarrhea and they said he had worms and bacterial infection, two weeks of antibiotics later he's acting fine and eating and drinking but he is having liquid poop puddles and doesn't make it to his litter box, also he is
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I want Mittens to get checked out but it's not an emergency. The fact that he is eating and acting normally is huge and a very good thing. It could be that his GI tract has just been very upset by the antibiotics. While you gather the money for a recheck appointment, try a probiotic like Purina FortiFlora (use as directed on the box). You can also add a fiber supplement like Benefiber powder (tasteless- 1 tsp with each meal). Stay on the GI diet given by your vet as this is likely also helpful. If this seems to fix the problem, great! If not, get into the vet as soon as you are able to get other medications for the diarrhea. Best of luck to you and Mittens!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello, my 5 month old kitten has been experiencing chronic diarrhea. He has no fever, not lethargic. Extensive blood work, fecal panel, and urinalysis came up neg for everything except low protein in stool. He's up to date on vaccines and neutered.
Not sure if he has been treated with any medications but you could try him on a veterinary prescription intestinal diet. Your vet could also try some symptomatic therapy including, Metronidazole and a Proviable-Forte Kit and see if he improves on medications.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi there, my cat was on antibiotics that finished a week and a half ago (for conjunctivitis). He has diarrhea still. I know antibiotics can upset digestion but I thought he would be better by now. He's still acting great and eating so I'm wondering i
I would recommend seeing the vet. At this point even if the diarrhea was initially related to the antibiotics Jasper may now have a disruption of his normal intestinal flora that requires additional treatment. It's also possible that the diarrhea is unrelated to the antibiotics and instead is due to intestinal parasites or a food sensitivity. If you wait until he stops eating or loses weight he may require more intensive treatment so I'd recommend making an appointment to see your veterinarian this week.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Cat has diarrhea, the cat is stray that was emaciated and very hungry, and was seen by a vet at the pet shelter, but her diarrhea has continued
Stray cats can pretty nasty parasitic infections. I would check to see if the vet ran a fecal examination + a Giardia test. Both of these can pick up on many parasites that can cause persistent diarrhea. However, if these tests were already done and were negative, then additional testing may be needed to find other not so common causes of diarrhea like the one ran by Idexx. Http://www.idexx.com.au/pdf/en_au/smallanimal/reference-laboratories/diagnostic-updates/realpcr-canine-feline-diarrhea-panels.pdf Any pet with diarrhea should be on a broad-spectrum dewormer, probiotics and potentially and antibiotic for treatment regardless of any of the tests mentioned above. I would suggest going back to the vet for additional treatment and these additional tests if not done already.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Yesterday he was prescribed Metronidazole Suspension for diarrhea that has been getting worse off and on over the last few weeks. He also takes Metoclopramide to prevent vomiting on a regular basis. Since starting the Metronidazole yesterday the diar
It could be that the diarrhea worsening is independent of the metronidazole as this drug does not help all cases of diarrhea, dependent on the cause. But since it is new it would be best to stop until you can speak with your vet. Has your kitty had a work up for these symptoms? Chronic vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms of several things, but most notably GI disease. It would be abnormal for a cat to need chronic medication for vomiting unless there is a disease process there. Just to help a little, a work up for an older kitty with these signs could include bloodwork with thyroid testing, an abdominal ultrasound, and sampling if needed (dependent on ultrasound). If there is an underlying disease that can be treated your kitty may feel better and need less medications eventually. I hope this helps and thank you for using Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my cats been having a leaky bum (poop keeps coming out of her bum and she constantly has to lick) after switching to the brand of wet food my vet gave her or maybe from metronidazole, not sure. Should I go back to feeding her dry food only? these
Without a full history as to why a diet change was prescribed it is impossible to recommend reverting back. Metronidazole can cause marked diarrhoea in patients which may be triggering the symptoms. I recommend continuing as prescribed until you can contact your Vets office to discuss the changes in her condition and decide the best way forward
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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