Cat Digestive Problems

Like humans, cats are also prone to develop a number of digestive problems, including diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and indigestion. Several factors can be attributed to these common cat health problems. If these digestive problems persist for several days, they can lead to some potentially life-threatening conditions.

Digestive Problems in Cats

Causes
Though a number of factors can compromise feline digestive health, pancreatic insufficiency, intestinal obstruction, pancreatitis, hair balls and parasites and parvovirus have been observed to be the most common causes. Pancreatic insufficiency refers to a low level of digestive enzymes, secreted by the pancreas. An insufficient secretion of pancreatic enzyme impairs the normal digestion of foods. As a result, the cats will not get enough nutrition and will start losing weight. Another common cause is intestinal obstruction, which can occur due to ingestion of some indigestible substances like threads or strings or some small objects. In such a situation, you may observe your cat trying to throw up or pass stool, without any success.

Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas, that can cause abdominal pain. In this disorder, the digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas do not pass into the intestine. Instead, they get spilled inside the pancreas and start digesting the tissues of the pancreas. This causes inflammation of the pancreas and produces pain in the abdomen. Apart from this, cats are likely to ingest or swallow a lot of hair while grooming themselves. The fur is not a digestible substance and hence, accumulates in the stomach, until the cat throws up the hair ball. Again, parasites like intestinal worms can also cause such a problem in cats. The common parasites that can take shelter in the intestine of your pets are tapeworms, hookworms and roundworms. Similarly, viral infections caused by parvovirus can also cause a lot of digestive problems.

Symptoms
Symptoms can differ from cat to cat to a large extent. However, the most common symptoms include diarrhea, greasy and soft stool, abdominal tenderness, weight loss and nausea and vomiting. In addition to these, if a cat is suffering from worm infestation, you can observe weakness or fatigue in your cat and blood in his or her stool. Parvovirus, in particular, can cause bloody diarrhea and yellow or white colored foamy vomit.

Treatment
The treatment is determined by the underlying causes. As for example, a case of worm infestation would require appropriate deworming medications, while intestinal obstruction usually requires surgery. Similarly, hair balls in the stomach or intestine may also need surgical removal. However, usually cats do not face much trouble in vomiting hair balls. Antibiotics are also used to treat infection caused by parvovirus, especially, if it is a mild infection. Severe cases, on the other hand, would necessitate intravenous administration of fluid and antibiotics. For pancreatitis, veterinarians usually recommend fasting for a day and subsequently, small and bland meals. But, intravenous administration of fluid and antibiotics may also be required occasionally.

If the symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting persist for several days, then it may indicate some major problem with the digestive system. In such a situation, immediately consult a veterinarian to avoid serious complications.