So, my lovely and affectionate cat Lucy is battling diarreha (sorry, never know how to spell that). I've taken her to the vet; they did a fecal, blood test, took a look at what I feed her, and came up with: nothing. They've suggested that maybe she's suddenly become allergic to her food (she's 2yrs).

I told this to a friend of mine who is a vet and she thought that maybe Lucy's got coccidiae (spelling again), so I gave her and the other kitties in my house a month of daily pills. And I was SO excited, because Lucy got totally better!! All cleaned up and no more dripping.

But now, after 2 weeks off the meds, Lucy's right back at it. I feel so bad for her. She's drippy, does the scooting thing across the carpet to try to clean herself, and is SO stinky that I have to pretend I don't have a nose when she comes up and wants to cuddle with me. And then I have to change my shirt, because some of her poopers usually rub off on me. I do try to wipe her (which she hates) but I'm not certain what else I should do. Another round of meds for the household?

I'm just so sad for her... I'm going to take her to the vet again, but since they didn't know what it was in the first place, and she DID get better on those meds that my friend gave me, I don't think their suggestion of changing the cat food (which is Simple Life or something--just rice and chicken) will help her. Anyone else had this happen with their kitties?

She's also gained a lot of weight over the past year. She's at 12+ lbs now. What do I do with my big fat stinky friendly wonderful kitty?! I want to help her!

awwww I'm sorry for you and kitty :( I don't have any advice as this hasn't happened to my guys yet. Keep us posted on what you find.

And just to keep things light :) :

Artist: Phoebe Buffay
Song: Smelly Cat Medley
Three, four...

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
It's not your fault

They won't take you to the vet
You're obviously not their favorite pet
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault

You may not be a bed of roses
You're not friend to those with noses
I'll miss you before we're done
Or the world will smell as one

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
It's not your fault

(Phoebe) Oh are we done?

One, two, what's that smell?

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
You're getting fat

I think that I'm gonna be sick
It's your ears, and nose and pick
Part of it, tempt me

One, two, what's that smell?

All the dogs in the neighborhood
Are saying this for your own good
What, you're fat, so you can't run
No fun, I bet, No fun

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
Porno makes you eat like that
I saw you in the shopping mall

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault,
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault

We know what was in your food
They say it might affect your mood

You smell like something dead (3x)

One, two, what's that smell?

(Phoebe)Yeah, that's not the song

I wouldn't go back to that first vet, definitely. Seek out another opinion.

I'm sorry I don't have better advice for you. :-/ I've not run into a situation like that before.

2 things come to mind here..Well three really. 1, could be reinfected with the micro organism you treated for, 2, could be that it wasn't a long enough treatment with the flagyl or metronidazole, and three, might be something along the lines of a pancreatic insufficiency (enzyme) which can be added to the food directly. I'd rule out #'s 1 and 2 by re- Tx ing with the meds once more.. Also, might be a good idea to have someone real good at it, do a direct smear of the fecal.. Can be real easy to miss those buggars even if you're skilled.. T.

2 things come to mind here..Well three really. 1, could be reinfected with the micro organism you treated for, 2, could be that it wasn't a long enough treatment with the flagyl or metronidazole, and three, might be something along the lines of a pancreatic insufficiency (enzyme) which can be added to the food directly. I'd rule out #'s 1 and 2 by re- Tx ing with the meds once more.. Also, might be a good idea to have someone real good at it, do a direct smear of the fecal.. Can be real easy to miss those buggars even if you're skilled.. T.

Thanks Tash! I'm going to run this by my vet friend and see if she can help me with it.

jennarose, I think you're right--those vets were't very helpful; time to go elsewhere.

And, vggiegirl, OH you have me laughing. I'd totally forgotten about that song! Hah! Of course, now I can't get it out of my head...

So, I've got Lucy back on the pills for the rest of the month (it's Albon or something); from the smear it looked like it was the coccidea (sp?) again. Poor thing. And I'm giving her 5-10 ccs of pink stuff twice a day, too. Hah! THAT has not gone over well. My shower and my kitty end up covered in pink goo. Sigh. But at least she's not stinky any more. Just three more weeks of this to go, and hopefully this time she'll beat down those little buggers and stay healthy. :)

good luck :)
for future reference how is this passed around? do your cats go outside? anyway i hope she gets better for good this time

Cats catch it from other animals' feces. Which is probably how Lucy caught it: from a foster cats; she's a big co-groomer. Even though all my fosters have received all their shots and everything, these little buggers aren't ones that cats can be innoculated against. Apparently you can 'tell' who's infected b/c they'll have runny poopers (the kind that literaly drop out when they're walking around), however many cats who are infected can can fight this off on their own but still be in the carrier-stage and infect other cats. I don't know which foster gave it to her, because they've all seemed healthy, but apparently my Lucy Liu isn't one who can fight this off w/out drugs. My other cat wasn't ever affected. Either he's not as big into grooming or he just has a stronger system and took care of them all by himself.

Dogs or cats with diarrhea, tests to help diagnosis:
1. fecal flotation and direct smear: look for parasites and bacterial overgrowth.
2. food trial: can have food allergies to which the gut responds by pushing everything through quicky. Can still gain wieght with this.
3: blood test for exocrine panacreatic insufficieny, also CBC and chemistry panel for underlying diseases or organ dysfunction.
4. endoscopy and biopsy: an invasive way to hopefully get to the bottom of the problem..

Coccidea is a protozoal organism (single cell, but more complex than bacteria), it is sometimes considered to be normal gut flora in small numbers. If it's found on a fecal, then there is usually enough of the organism to be causing the diarrhea. Since it was not seen on the fecal your original vet did, it is not likely to be the cause of the problem. Once it is found to be getting out of hand, it can be treated with mitronidozole (flagyl). However, if given at high enough doses, metronidozole can cause neurological problems. I would not use it unless it was warrented.

Since your cat did respond to the metronidozole, but it did not cure the problem, I would try the limited ingredient diet with a protein and carb source she has not had before and stay on it for at least 8-10 weeks. You may need to also give here other medication at the same time to help her gut heal. Do not repeat the meds without a vet's exam, that's an expense and task that may do more harm than good.