Why does a kitten or adult cat's stool become light: reasons for the change in stool color to white, gray or yellow

Animal feces have diagnostic value for a veterinarian. As a rule, it is sent to the laboratory to check for the presence of parasites, but by asking the owners about the color, consistency of feces and frequency of bowel movements, the veterinarian can make preliminary conclusions about the presence of diseases of the internal organs. How can cat owners understand that the stool is not in order and that they need to take their pet to the veterinary clinic?

What might the stool of a sick animal look like?

In the tray of his pet, the owner may find feces that differ in shape:

• ointment-like;
• mushy;
• liquid;
• foamy;
• in the form of “goat peas”;
• in the form of a tape or pencil.

By smell they distinguish: sour, rancid, putrefactive.

• Feces acquire a sour smell when the absorption of fatty acids in the small intestine is disrupted or due to fermentation processes in the large intestine.
• An unpleasant odor, similar to the smell of bad oil, occurs when the secretory function of the pancreas is disrupted or when the flow of bile is disrupted.
• The smell of rotting occurs when digestion in the stomach is disrupted, dyspepsia develops with the proliferation of putrefactive microflora in the intestines. Or the cat suffers from colitis with ulcerations.

It is customary to distinguish feces by color:

• red (beetroot);
• black (tarry);
• dark brown;
• light brown;
• with a scarlet admixture (undigested blood);
• yellow;
• light yellow;
• greenish yellow;
• bleached slightly yellow, gray, gray-white.

A healthy cat can have red or beetroot feces if it has eaten beets or food colored with bright dyes. This coloring is not pathological and soon the stool acquires a normal color.

Diagnostics

If the owner has noticed that his cat has pooped more than once with feces that are significantly different in color, smell and consistency from the norm, it is necessary to find out the causes of this pathological condition as soon as possible, so a visit to the veterinarian and a comprehensive diagnosis is indispensable. At the first appointment, the doctor will examine the pet, ask the owner what symptoms are bothering his pet and how long the problems with bowel movements have been observed. If it is not possible to immediately establish an accurate diagnosis, a referral is given to such additional research methods as:

• general clinical analysis of blood and urine;
• fecal analysis for the presence of worms, as well as blood, mucous and other inclusions;
• biochemistry;
• Ultrasound of the abdominal organs.

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Medicines and dosage for diarrhea in a kitten

There is a list of medications for loose stools tested by veterinarians and cat lovers.

Causes of changes in stool color

The color of feces, as well as its smell, and consistency change due to errors in the animal’s diet or disturbances in the digestive process, in the movement of the food bolus through the intestines, due to evacuation dysfunction or enzymatic deficiency. For the same reason, a cat's stool may contain large amounts of mucus.

Black-colored feces indicate the presence of blood in the stool that has been enzymatically processed in the stomach. This means that the animal is bleeding from one of the upper parts of the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach). This type of feces is called melena and its appearance is usually accompanied by additional symptoms: a disturbance in the general condition of the animal, weakness, and sometimes vomiting.

Very dark, brown, almost black color of feces occurs in cats due to insufficient digestion of food in the stomach. With the development of pathogenic microflora (putrefactive) in the cat’s intestines, the feces also become very dark. In addition, it acquires an unpleasant specific odor similar to the smell of decaying meat. Stool may be dark if you are constipated. In this case, the consistency becomes dense and looks like a highly structured sausage or individual dense peas. Ulcerative colitis, increased secretory activity of the mucous lining of the large intestine can cause too dark stool.

Light, slightly brown feces occur in animals with increased evacuation function of the large intestine. With the active movement of the food bolus through the intestines, the food is not processed properly. And nutrients are not fully absorbed from it.

An animal's stool may be mixed with fresh blood due to ulcerative colitis, a disintegrating tumor of the lower intestine, or trauma to the lower intestine with a sharp object (a fragment of a chicken bone, a needle or another object swallowed by an animal). A small amount of blood may be present in the stool with anal fissures and bleeding from hemorrhoids. With internal hemorrhoids and spastic colitis, the animal's feces take the form of a ribbon or pencil.

Yellow feces occur in animals on a dairy diet. This color of stool can be due to disruption of digestive processes in the small intestine and the development of dyspepsia associated with fermentation processes. Very light yellow stool occurs when the enzymatic activity of the pancreas is insufficient.

Stool may have greenish impurities due to the presence of bilirubin in it (normally it is absent). Bilirubin enters the stool due to increased peristaltic activity or prolonged use of antibacterial agents and sulfonamides. Suppression of intestinal microflora leads to dysbiosis, although it is believed that cats do not suffer from it. This may be rare in the wild, but eating foods containing antibacterial agents and using such drugs for treatment can lead to serious suppression of the cat's natural intestinal microflora.

Colorless, depigmented or grayish-white feces occur in an animal due to the lack of bile pigments that color it. This occurs when access to the intestines for bile is blocked. A similar situation arises due to infectious diseases of the cat, which cause hepatitis. The reason for the lack of release of bile into the intestines may be mechanical defects (severe spasm of the bile ducts, blockage with a stone), helminthic infestations and organic pathology of the hepatobiliary system (including the growth of tumors). Usually, in this case, the cat’s urine becomes a rich beer color, weakness appears, the quality of the coat deteriorates, and appetite is impaired. Visible mucous membranes, the whites of the eyes and the inside of the cat's ear turn a bright yellow color.

Is a cat whose stool has become light-colored contagious?

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the parasitic protist Toxoplasma, is one of the causes of inflammation of the gallbladder and ducts. For healthy people with good immunity, Toxoplasma poses virtually no threat.

The situation is different for pregnant women or women who become infected on the eve of conception. Parasites can affect the development of the fetus, cause irreversible changes in the development of its internal organs, and provoke miscarriage or stillbirth.

In antenatal clinics, pregnant women are required to undergo testing to detect toxoplasmosis.

Changes in the color of stool may be a consequence of infection with worms, which not only have settled in the intestines, but have also spread throughout the body, including ending up in the liver.

Worms are quickly transmitted from cats to humans, so you need to avoid contact with a sick animal, take special care when cleaning the toilet, and keep children away from it.

Why did my cat's feces change in color?

The factor contributing to this pathology most often is the presence of blood in the stool, but there may be several reasons for this. Bleeding occurs both in the stomach and in different parts of the intestines, which poses a mortal danger to the cat.

This happens in the following cases, each of which requires an individual approach to treatment:

1. Worms very often cause this problem. They live in the pet’s intestines, attaching to its walls, thereby violating their integrity. Once in the large intestine, the blood is digested and changes the color of the animal's stool.
2. Gastritis or colitis of traumatic origin is an inflammatory process in the stomach or small intestine that is caused by foreign objects. Most often this happens if a cat eats bird bones. When chewed, splintered pieces are obtained that easily injure the internal organs of the animal. Perforations, wounds and microcracks on the walls of organs also appear from other swallowed objects.
3. Peptic ulcer of the stomach, duodenum, gastritis and enterocolitis of the same type, all these diseases cause the appearance of bleeding ulcers on the walls of organs, which leads to blackening of the animal’s feces.
4. Tumors of the small intestine and stomach, especially malignant ones, lead to ulcers and internal bleeding.
5. The hemorrhagic form of gastroenteritis leads to detachment of the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the stomach and some parts of the intestine, injuring small vessels and causing bleeding. This inflammation occurs as a result of complications from severe bacterial and viral infections; the cause may be an autoimmune disease of the animal, severe stress, disturbances in the process of blood clotting, complete intolerance to any food product, food component, or a severe allergic reaction.

Each of the diseases requires urgent and effective treatment. It is impossible to make a diagnosis and select medications on your own.

Treatment at home is only possible if you are completely sure that the pet is suffering from a helminthic infestation. This can only be determined by the presence of parasites in the animal’s feces. But you still can’t do without a consultation and a visit to the veterinarian, since the animal requires not only anti-parasite remedies, but also complex therapy.

Treatment by a veterinarian

Cat owners should immediately realize that it is not white feces, as such, that are being treated, but the cause that led to this condition is being eliminated. The speed of restoration of the color of feces will depend on the severity of the condition and the general condition of the cat’s body at the time of contacting the veterinary clinic. Sometimes it is possible to restore the color of stool within a few days, sometimes treatment will take longer. There are rare cases when the condition may be irreversible (liver block, oncology).

A correct diagnosis can be made based on:

• clinical examination;
• blood tests (biochemistry and general);
• urine and feces examinations;
• Ultrasound;
• x-ray;
• biopsy (usually taken from the liver, but performed quite rarely).

Any therapy will be meaningless without normalizing the cat’s diet or transferring the cat to a special diet recommended by the veterinarian, according to its state of health.

What treatment is used (schedules and course durations are developed only by veterinarians with individual dosage selection):

• hepatoprotectors that normalize liver functions and metabolic processes (thiotriazolin, Essentiale, Hepatovet, Hepatoject);
• choleretic drugs (ursosan, allohol, cholenzyme);
• relieving spasms and biliary-hepatic colic (buscopan, baralgin, papaverine, mebeverine).

No-shpa is highly not recommended for cats due to the high risk of developing unwanted side effects;

What does it mean if a cat has white stool? The cat has white stools and lethargy

Naturally, each case should be considered individually, because many factors can simultaneously have a direct impact on a cat’s stool, which are not always easy to establish without special tests.

The first thing you should do if you suddenly notice a cat has white stool is to try to remember what he ate the day before, because there is a whole group of products that can affect the bowel movement of animals in such a somewhat unusual at first glance way. In fact, everything has a fairly simple explanation and white feces in a cat can easily be caused by an insufficient amount of enzymes, as a result of which individual ingredients (mainly proteins of animal origin) are not completely digested or, in general, pass through the pet’s intestines. For example, a situation where a cat has white stools most often occurs after eating too fatty dense cottage cheese, white meat and fish. Some types of chicken by-products, and in particular necks, are especially difficult to digest.

Interesting situations also occur with combined feeding, when a pet’s stool can be fragmented not only in consistency, but also in color (partially whitish, partially dark brown with clearly defined boundaries). So, this can be explained by the fact that on the same day the fluffy purr ate dry granulated food and natural proteins (dairy, meat or fish products, etc.). In principle, there is nothing terrible or pathological in this, and if the owner no longer wants to observe such external manifestations in his ward, it is enough to simply reconsider his daily diet.

Another fairly common reason why a cat may have white feces is an imbalance in the protein-carbohydrate balance in their body. Such changes are often observed when a pet regularly receives improperly balanced food and its menu is dominated by carbohydrates, while the entire emphasis should be placed on proteins (proteins of animal origin).

Meanwhile, we should not forget that a cat by nature is a predator and even the fluffiest and most harmless purr is in dire need of meat, so you should not deprive it of such a simple pleasure, because it really is of enormous importance for the normal development of the pet.

That is why an abundance of grain crops, as well as vegetable soups, are not included in the normal diet for cats, although, of course, some types of cereals should still be present in it. For example, almost all cats are recommended to be given rice regularly, even in small quantities. Also, for those pets who suffer from chronic constipation, a significant increase in the volume of ingredients containing easily digestible fiber of plant origin (vegetable stews and soups) is provided. At the same time, the presence of animal proteins in the daily menu must, if not be maintained at the same level, then be reduced in small quantities, mainly by increasing the consumption of carbohydrate-containing ingredients.

If, as a result of such an updated diet, the owner suddenly notices that the cat has white feces, but he is still alert and active, then it is advisable to again amend the menu, continuing experiments until the animal’s stool is completely normalized. Things will be completely different if, in parallel with a change in the color of the stool, other negative symptoms are observed, be it lack of appetite, apathy or, on the contrary, unjustified aggression and irritability, lethargy, drowsiness, as well as an increase in general body temperature.

In this case, there is no point in being idle, waiting for everything to work out on its own, because it is more likely to say that the problem is not in the diet at all, but in the functioning of the pet’s internal organs. So, it is quite possible that the liver or gall bladder has suffered a serious malfunction, which most often occurs when there is an excessive concentration of bile or its obstruction into the duodenum. In the latter case, you should additionally observe your pet’s urine, because if it has changed color, then the above assumption is indeed justified.

In addition, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the fact that the cat’s feces are white, but also to its various impurities and inclusions. The fact is that if a cat's white stool contains mucus or blood, then the problems can be much more serious, affecting the entire digestive system of the pet as a whole.

So, if you notice white feces in a cat with all the side symptoms described above, you should immediately show it to a specialist who will examine and palpate the liver, and also prescribe an ultrasound of the internal organs and a biochemical blood test.

Causes of diarrhea in a kitten

Loose stools in a kitten can occur for various reasons. The most common one is mistakes when preparing a diet. Due to the immaturity of the digestive system, the pet’s stomach and intestines may react to a new or poor-quality product with vomiting or diarrhea.

Severe diarrhea is accompanied by infectious diseases of viral or bacterial etiology, as well as helminthic infestations. Diarrhea often occurs due to foreign objects entering the digestive tract.

Poor nutrition

This is the most common cause of diarrhea in kittens from 1 to 5 months of age. The digestive system of young animals is very sensitive, so diarrhea often occurs due to errors in nutrition.

The disorder can be triggered by the following factors:

• change of diet, sudden transition to new food;
• consumption of low-quality or prohibited products;
• overeating – the kitten’s stomach cannot cope with a large amount of food.

Infectious and invasive diseases

In case of infectious diseases, kittens experience not only vomiting and diarrhea, but also other symptoms:

• depression, lethargy;
• discharge from the eyes;
• temperature increase;
• cough;
• wheezing;
• runny nose;
• loss of appetite or complete refusal to eat.

Diarrhea is accompanied by dangerous diseases such as salmonellosis and panleukopenia. The prognosis for the treatment of these diseases is unfavorable.

Salmonellosis

Diarrhea in a small kitten 1-2 months old, which is accompanied by mucous vomiting and fever, may indicate infection with salmonellosis. With this disease, kittens also have other symptoms - cough, purulent discharge from the nose and eyes, and bloody inclusions may be present in the stool.

In kittens, salmonellosis is often complicated by bronchopneumonia.

Plague

Diarrhea in kittens under 3 or 4 months of age may be a symptom of panleukopenia. This disease is caused by a virus that affects the bone marrow, small intestinal mucosa and lymphoid tissue. Feline distemper develops rapidly and occurs with an increase in temperature to 41 degrees, vomiting, profuse diarrhea and apathy.

About 50% of animals die within a few days of infection.

Attention! Diarrhea in a 4-month-old kitten with panleukopenia is not dangerous if its mother has previously been vaccinated against feline distemper. In this case, her descendants have antibodies to the virus in their blood, and they will recover.

Worm infestations

Helminth infections are often accompanied by alternating diarrhea and constipation. Parasites that live in the intestines secrete toxins and injure its mucous membrane. Therefore, the animal experiences disturbances in the functioning of the digestive tract.

Diarrhea in a kitten may begin immediately after taking deworming tablets. This is how the intestines try to get rid of impurities.

Foreign body

Little kittens love to play with small objects - buttons, threads, Christmas tree rain and candy wrappers. If an animal ingests any of the above, vomiting and diarrhea are the most harmless things that can happen.

If a foreign object remains in the body, it can damage the walls of the small or large intestine as it moves through the digestive tract.

Other factors (allergy, stress, poisoning, vitamin deficiency)

The causes of severe diarrhea are not always associated with intestinal dysfunction. Diarrhea in a one-month-old kitten can even be caused by stress. If the bowel disorder began immediately after weaning from the mother or transferring the animal to a new owner, most likely it is associated with anxiety.

If a kitten has diarrhea, but there are no signs of an infectious disease, the animal did not overeat, the food did not change, it is worth taking into account other factors that could cause the disorder:

• allergy;
• avitaminosis;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, gastroenteritis;
• poisoning with toxic substances - household chemicals, plants;
• reaction to a vaccine or medication;
• change of teeth;
• benign or malignant neoplasms.

It is almost impossible to determine the exact cause of diarrhea without an examination. Therefore, it is important to show the kitten to a doctor. The clinic will take tests, do an ultrasound, and, if necessary, an X-ray of the abdominal cavity.

The veterinarian will compare the clinical picture and research data, make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Symptoms of helminthiasis

Signs of parasites appearing in an animal’s body can be different. Symptoms directly depend on the type of helminths that have entered the cat’s body and the degree of worm damage.

At the initial stage, the disease does not detect itself, but progresses very quickly, as a result of which the cat becomes weaker day by day.

The main signs of worm infection:

• The animal becomes lethargic and gets tired quickly.
• Small white worms appear in the cat's stool.
• The pet's belly becomes dense and severe bloating can be observed.
• The cat loses its appetite and may refuse food.
• The fur loses its shine and begins to fall out.
• Vomit.
• Problems with passing stool. Constipation alternates with intestinal upset.
• A cat can “ride” on its butt.
• The pet becomes nervous and restless.

What affects the change in the color of stool to white or gray - the reasons for its discoloration

An element called stercobilin is responsible for the color of stool; it is the end product of the breakdown of bilirubin. Stercobilin colors stool brown. Therefore, light-colored feces indicate a lack of stercobilin. You can read more about the process of coloring excrement and the color variations it can take in the article about the color of feces.

Now let's find out what may be associated with a lack of coloring pigment.

White feces as a result of gallbladder dysfunction

One of the most common causes of white stool is blockage of the gallbladder ducts. Stercobilin is a bile pigment and, due to the difficulty of its transportation, feces become discolored, becoming white, gray or clay-colored. Other symptoms may indicate problems with bile transport, the most obvious being yellowing of the eyes and skin. Blockage of the bile ducts can occur due to tumors or the formation of stones. Stones, in turn, are very dangerous, since the bile duct connects to the pancreatic duct, which will lead to disruption of its secretions.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW!

Gallstones form due to poor nutrition or frequent fasting. The gallbladder requires regular contractions, which occur during meals. When the gallbladder contracts, it releases bile into the intestines to break down fats. During fasting, there is no contraction and, accordingly, no release of bile, which leads to the formation of stones!

When the pancreatic ducts are blocked, its juices will begin to corrode its own tissues, which will further contribute to the leakage of pancreatic juice, which in turn will begin to break down the body from the inside and can be fatal. Therefore, white feces is one of the signs of the need for an urgent medical examination.

Light-colored stool as a symptom of liver dysfunction

The liver plays one of the main roles in digestion. It is in it that bile acids are formed, which then accumulate in the gallbladder. This is not the only process occurring in the liver that causes the stool to change color to gray or white. A lot of different processes and metabolisms of various kinds of substances occur in the liver. In particular, the metabolism of bilirubin, during the breakdown of which the coloring pigment stercobilin is formed. Various types of liver dysfunction can also appear as white feces.

Other causes of white stool in adults

White feces can be caused not only by the reasons described above; the microflora of the intestine itself can affect the change in the color of poop. Light-colored feces occur when bile pigments do not interact properly due to changes in intestinal microflora.

The microflora, in turn, may change for the following reasons:

• Use of any medications that contribute to intestinal dysbiosis. This phenomenon most often occurs while taking antibiotics.
• Perhaps you have recently experienced severe stress, which could contribute to changes in the intestines that cause lightening of the stool.
• A sudden change in diet or poor nutrition also leads to intestinal dysfunction. This is a stressful situation for the body. Therefore, this factor can be attributed to the above. Most often, this factor influences the change in color of stool to gray in children when changing their diet.

The above-mentioned reasons for changes in intestinal microflora most often cause white feces.

If your feces have changed color to white, gray or clayey and this is accompanied by other changes in your body, for example, nausea, sudden changes in temperature, pain in the liver, yellowing of the eyes or skin, then most likely the cause of the white feces is a malfunction liver and gall bladder. In such cases, you should not self-medicate. Problems with these organs can lead to serious consequences, including death. And incorrect self-treatment will only negatively affect the situation and instead of providing treatment, you only finish off your organs. Our body is an integral system, everything in it is interconnected. And if some organ fails, perhaps the source of the problem is in a completely different place. To identify the cause, it is necessary to undergo a series of tests and conduct an examination; this cannot be done at home.

Why is my cat's stool white: urgently go to the clinic

The coloring of feces in a light color does not always indicate errors in nutrition.

There are situations when the breeder must deliver the cat to the RosVet Exhibition Center immediately. The list includes:

• liver pathologies occurring with metabolic disorders and inflammation (hepatitis, hepatosis);
• the pancreas does not provide enough enzymes for digestion;
• developmental anomalies of the gallbladder and its ducts (adhesions, torsion);
• cysts, purulent abscesses;
• cirrhosis of the liver (with pathology, little bile is produced);
• cholangiohepatitis, cholangitis (inflammatory process in the bile ducts and bladder).

You should be alert to some kidney diseases, in which there is an accumulation of toxic products in the body, which then affect the functioning of the liver.

Tumors of various origins in the liver and biliary system can interfere with the normal release of bile into the intestines. The absence of bladder contractions (atony) completely stops the flow of bile into the gastrointestinal tract, and there is a risk of rupture and peritonitis.

What to do for prevention?

Liquid or dry feces, which are constantly observed in a pet, in any case, are evidence of some kind of internal progressive disorder. To prevent consequences dangerous to the cat’s health and life, it is important to follow preventive rules. First of all, it is important to monitor the cat’s nutrition and provide it with fresh and clean water. Do not forget to carry out preventive anthelmintic treatment.

If viral infectious diseases develop, do not self-medicate, but take the animal to a veterinarian, who, based on the diagnostic results, will select an effective treatment. In order for the cat’s body to more actively resist various diseases, it is useful to strengthen the pet’s immunity. To do this, it is recommended to give courses of vitamins and various biologically active supplements, which are selected by the veterinarian, taking into account the individual characteristics of the cat.

Causes of light-colored stool in pregnant women and children

Before a child can be born, it must be conceived and then carried to term. So let's start with pregnant women first and then move on to children.

In pregnant women, gray feces can be observed due to the consumption of large amounts of fruits and all kinds of vitamin complexes. A child needs a lot of vitamins. If this is not accompanied by abdominal pain and other types of ailments, then most likely there is no cause for concern. When changing the diet, the color of feces should normalize. But it is better to consult a doctor.

Newborn babies may also experience abnormal stool color. Infants' poop may contain white specks. These inclusions are nothing more than lumps of fat from the mother's breast milk. Also, when fed heavily with formula milk, baby shit can take on a light color. Diet adjustments are necessary to normalize the color of the newborn's stool. But do not lose your vigilance, carefully monitor your child’s behavior and possible changes in mood; perhaps something hurts him. In this case, the cause of light-colored poop is no longer food, but something else. In any case, it is better to play it safe and consult your pediatrician.

So the couple came to take stock. Know that you need to regularly check what you got there when you go to the toilet for the most part. What if there is a message or distress signal there for you? In some cases, changes noticed in time will play a significant role in treatment. Be attentive to all changes in your body; it has its own alphabet to communicate with you, and sometimes its letters are poop.

And remember, a site about poop will always be happy to help you in any life situation. We wish you healthy feces and excellent digestion and appetite!

Relief!

What to feed a kitten with diarrhea

A hunger strike is a hunger strike, but you still need to feed the baby something. After a 12-hour break in nutrition, you need to start giving the baby food. If the kitten is small and very weak, you will have to feed it with a pipette or from a bottle.

The main task will be to prevent dehydration!

The transition to a normal diet (healthy!) is carried out gradually: you need low-calorie, low-fat food. It will be possible to feed the cat chicken broth, kefir, boiled eggs, rice porridge, and minced chicken, but not all at once on the same day.

If the condition worsens, the animal is taken to a doctor. If recovery is noticeable, then kefir is included in the diet. The diet is not changed for a while, only gradually adding other foods. Milk is completely excluded, as is fried, smoked, and fatty milk.

What do worm eggs look like?

Let's say you find something that looks like worms in your pet's stool, what should you do next? First, you need to understand what you see. Fecal matter may contain live and dead parasites, their eggs, incompletely digested food, and inedible objects that the cat swallowed accidentally or intentionally.

The range of parasites that a cat can become infected with amounts to hundreds of species. Each parasite belongs to a specific family, subfamily or species. Each type of worm has similar features: color, length, body shape, shape and color of eggs. First, let's figure out what worm eggs look like, which you can distinguish visually.

White round spots in stool - what is it?

Almost all worms that parasitize the body of cats are very modest in size and have microscopic eggs that are invisible to the human eye. The exception is tapeworms, which are also called tapeworms and tapeworms.

The body of these parasites consists of:

• Heads with oral apparatus, several rows of hooks and/or suckers.
• Segments (segments) that form a long body.
• This is incredible! Depending on the type of worm, its body can consist of 4–200 segments. Each segment is a vessel for 1–800 eggs, which must be released into the external environment.

The most common tapeworm that affects cats is the cucumber tapeworm (often called borage). Parasite eggs can be identified by visual signs:

• Round with slightly pointed tips, similar to sesame or cucumber seeds.
• White, slightly transparent.
• The main distinguishing feature is that the eggs move and move due to the flat muscles of the segment.

Tapeworm eggs are most often found:

• In feces.
• On the pet's bedding.
• On the fur around the anus.

The life cycle of borage has its own peculiarities. Each worm is hermaphrodite, meaning it reproduces and fertilizes its own eggs. The egg, released into the external environment, begins to move to find a temporary carrier. The egg is eaten by a flea (flea eater), which becomes a vessel for the maturation of the egg.

When the parasite is ready to molt, it hibernates and waits for the right conditions. A flea living on a cat gets caught in the pet's teeth when it tries to relieve the itching. The swallowed flea is digested, and the egg sheds as soon as it enters the intestines.

Once in a suitable habitat, the head of the parasite is implanted into the intestinal mucosa, in other words, it digs into it with hooks and begins to drink blood. Within 30–40 days, the worm matures and becomes sexually mature. Afterwards, the helminth begins to form segments, each of which contains a fertilized egg. The last segment (the tail of the worm) breaks off and comes out with the feces as soon as the egg is ready to “move” into the body of a temporary carrier.

Your cat is constipated or changes in stool color

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Lack of bowel movements is always a sign that your pet is unhealthy. The norm is considered to be at least one bowel movement per day.

If the act of defecation occurs untimely and with long delays, this can lead to intoxication of the animal and other serious negative consequences. If you notice that the cat does not go to the toilet or meows and makes other sounds when defecating, spends a lot of time on this process, but often without results, if the feces are dry and the amount is small, you can talk about constipation in the cat. Constipation can be caused by an unbalanced diet, low protein food, dehydration, or the formation of hairballs in the esophagus. In cases of constipation and complicated bowel movements of your pet, you must contact your veterinarian and take the prescribed treatment.

A change in the color of stool may indicate problems of various origins. The normal color of feces is brown. When the color is normal, but the stool is loose, this can be caused by eating poor quality, stale food, as well as infection by parasites. But what if the stool is an unusual color?

If the stool turns black, this may indicate the presence of digested blood, which indicates internal bleeding in the upper digestive tract.

If blood is found in the stool in the state in which everyone is accustomed to seeing it, scarlet or bright red, it means that the blood has not been digested and bleeding is taking place in the lower parts of the digestive tract. In any case, the presence of bleeding in any part of the digestive tract should not be ignored and prompt assistance from a veterinarian.

If your pet's stool has acquired a greenish or yellowish tint, this may indicate problems with digestion of food, dysbiosis and other digestive disorders. If the stool is completely light yellow or even beige, white, this is an indication of a malfunction of the liver.

Grayish feces indicate problems with digesting the food you eat. If the feces are oily or watery, this may indicate failures in the absorption of excess fluid by the intestinal walls.

If any of the listed manifestations of changes in the quality, quantity, or consistency of your cat’s stool occur, you should immediately contact your veterinarian, take stool tests, and, having received the results and referrals from a specialist, begin treatment.

It is strictly not recommended to start treatment with human drugs and dosages on your own, as this can aggravate the animal’s condition and precious time will be lost.

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Treating diarrhea in a cat at home

Many owners are accustomed to considering diarrhea as a non-serious disruption of the gastrointestinal tract and to help their pet at home. Moreover, most people don’t even think about the fact that not all medications from the human pharmacy are safe for animals.

If for some reason you cannot contact a veterinarian and treat the animal yourself, carefully read the instructions for the medications!

With the exception of just a few remedies, medications for diarrhea force it to stop. Considering that diarrhea serves as a means to cleanse the intestines in case of poisoning, its forced stop can lead to an increase in intoxication and a deterioration in the pet’s condition. Many drugs cannot be combined or used if the cat has gastrointestinal pathologies.

Activated charcoal for diarrhea

Activated charcoal has been and remains the most common treatment for diarrhea. The drug is practically harmless, but in case of overdose it can lead to constipation. Charcoal is not recommended if the animal is already dehydrated.

The drug’s operating algorithm is as follows:

• Once in the stomach, the tablets become soggy and turn into mush.
• Coal moves into the intestines, where it begins to actively absorb liquids containing toxins.
• The drug is excreted naturally in the feces.

Practice shows that activated carbon is effective if the cat has diarrhea due to poisoning or eating low-quality products. However, the drug is powerless if toxins have already entered the bloodstream. When choosing a drug at a pharmacy, pay attention to its varieties:

• Standard activated carbon - dosage 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight.
• Activated carbon with enhanced formula - recommended dosage: 1 tablet per 20–30 kg of weight.
• White coal is an adsorbent based on silicon dioxide, recommended dosage: 1 tablet per 20-40 kg of weight.

Tip: If you cannot feed the tablet to your pet, you can crush it, mix it thoroughly in water and pour it into the mouth using a syringe.

Enterosgel

Enterosgel is considered a higher generation adsorbent. The drug is available in the form of a paste that is colorless and odorless. Most animals suffering from intoxication eat enterosgel without coercion. There are no side effects or contraindications for the drug; it is considered completely safe and is even prescribed to children from birth. In any case, overdoses should be avoided, especially if the animal is dehydrated. Enterosgel should be given every 2-3 hours until the condition improves.

Note! The average dosage per dose for cats is: 1-2 ml of a solution prepared from 1 teaspoon of gel per 50-100 ml of water (or half a teaspoon of gel if the cat eats it on its own).

Smecta

Smecta is considered a universal, harmless drug with three main functions:

• Eliminate toxins.
• Protection of mucous membranes.
• Stabilization of intestinal motility.

Smecta is produced in disposable sachets, in the form of a homogeneous, creamy powder with a sweetish odor. The drug is used only in the form of a suspension: disposable sachets are diluted in a glass of water (250 ml). For convenience, when treating cats, the sachet is diluted in 100 ml of water and half the dose is given (5 cubes from a syringe).

Advice: before using Smecta, stir the suspension thoroughly, as the powder settles quickly.

Smecta can be given every 2-4 hours until the condition improves. If no positive dynamics are observed (diarrhea gets worse), it is better to consult a veterinarian. The drug has not so much adsorbing as enveloping properties, so even with severe diarrhea it quickly relieves the condition.

Furazolidone

Furazolidone is an antimicrobial drug whose main active ingredient is furatsilin. The product is effective for diarrhea that occurs due to the proliferation of anaerobic microflora. It is not recommended to use the drug without accurately establishing the cause of the disease, since it may not have a therapeutic effect, and delay will lead to a deterioration in health.

Note! According to the manufacturers, furazolidone has immunostimulating properties, so it is sometimes prescribed to treat diarrhea of ​​unknown origin.

Enterofuril

Enterofuril is a drug that veterinarians often prescribe to kittens. The problem is that a fragile body is very vulnerable to viruses and infectious diseases, the first symptom of which is often diarrhea. It is not recommended to use the drug without a doctor's prescription, since it is not compatible with many medications and has a wide range of contraindications.

Enterofuril is considered a complex antimicrobial drug that alleviates diarrhea after the first dose. The narrow spectrum of the drug implies an accurate understanding of the cause of diarrhea. If diarrhea develops due to poisoning, the use of enterofuril will worsen the situation.

Loperamide

Loperamide is strictly not recommended for use without a doctor's prescription. The drug helps stop diarrhea by slowing or completely stopping intestinal motility. Simply put, the animal’s intestines stop working and feces do not come out. The use of loperamide is important if the animal has developed very severe dehydration. In case of poisoning, infection with a virus or infectious pathogens, loperamide will worsen the situation.

Important! The drug is categorically not recommended for the treatment of kittens, since after a forced intestinal stop, it is very difficult to “start” it.

About your pets' excrement

In this article we will talk about a sensitive topic. about your pets' excrement, aka feces.

Any encyclopedia will tell you - feces (faeces; synonyms: feces, excrement) - the contents of the distal part of the large intestine, released during defecation.

Normally, cats have bowel movements once or twice a day, the stool is formed, slightly moist and soft, dark brown in color, there is no mucus, blood or undigested food in it. Ideally, the size of the stool should be significantly smaller than the amount of food on the plate (25%). When there is less output than input, the cat extracts more nutrients from the food. Large stools are caused by the presence of undigested filler in feed such as corn and other plant products.

First aid

To stop diarrhea in a kitten, you need to eliminate its cause. Treatment at home is aimed primarily at preventing dehydration, as well as alleviating the pet’s condition.

The first thing to do if a small kitten has diarrhea is to put it on a fasting diet for 12 hours. The drinking bowl should be washed and filled with fresh water. With diarrhea, the body quickly loses fluid, so it is important to replenish its reserves.

If the kitten does not approach the drinking bowl, it must be soldered from a syringe without a needle with Regidron solution.

Attention! It is important to limit the contact of a sick animal with other pets to prevent them from becoming infected.

After some time there should be improvement. The normalization of the kitten's condition is indicated by increasing intervals between acts of defecation. Gradually, the liquid stool will acquire a mushy consistency. Then you can give the animal some food.

Veterinarians recommend feeding a kitten with diarrhea only therapeutic and prophylactic food, because it does not irritate the intestinal mucosa and is easily digested.

If the diarrhea does not go away, you can give the kitten one of the medications that help remove toxins from the body and normalize the intestinal microflora:

1. Smecta. Dilute half the contents of the sachet in 100 ml of water. Give 3-5 ml 3-4 times a day.
2. Enterosgel. Squeeze half a centimeter of gel out of the tube and dilute it in 20 ml of water. Give 3-5 ml three times a day.
3. Bifidumbacterin. The contents of one bottle are diluted in 5 ml of water and given to the kitten to drink 2 times a day.

Attention! If home therapy does not produce results, and diarrhea continues for more than 1.5-2 days, a doctor should treat the kitten’s diarrhea. Perhaps diarrhea is one of the symptoms of an infectious disease.

What not to do

They often write on forums that Loperamide will help stop diarrhea when the kitten is squealing. However, in most cases this medicine can only do harm. This drug slows down peristalsis and reduces the frequency of the urge to defecate.

Diarrhea may indeed stop, but all toxins will remain in the intestines and will be absorbed into the blood. Due to severe intoxication, the kitten will feel even worse.

Do not give antibiotics to a sick pet without the advice of a veterinarian. Also, you should not give your animal vodka in the hope that it will kill the pathogenic microorganisms that caused the diarrhea. Alcohol can greatly aggravate a kitten's condition.