My senior indoor cat has smelly diarrhea. What could be causing it?

Question

My cat who’s almost 11 has been experiencing diarrhea (with a very strong odor!) and were not sure if it’s due to old age and she’s a 100% indoor cat so we think that parasites are rules out. What could be causing this? Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 9 years and 11 months old

Megan, DVM, CVA · Accepted Answer

Poor Lily! Diarrhea even in old cats isn't normal. I have diagnosed parasites especially giardia in cats who are strictly indoors. You could try a sensitive stomach food and some probiotics to see if this helps. If not, I would strongly recommend your vet to take a look at her. Your vet will likely do a fecal and possibly blood work, thyroid test and x-rays. I would also make sure they rule out giardia and campylobacter. In older cats, I worry especially worry about inflammatory bowel disease and GI cancer. If your vet is concerned about this, they will be able to talk to you about potential diagnostics (Ultrasound and GI panel, etc) and treatments to help her feel better. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon!

My senior indoor cat has smelly diarrhea. What could be causing it?

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