Dear Dr. John,

My 14-year-old cat seems to have been depressed since his littermate sister died a few months ago. For the last month or two, he has had soft bowel movements and liquid diarrhea at times. My cats have always been strictly indoor cats. What could be the cause of his diarrhea?  Since it comes and goes, I have not had him seen yet but am getting ready to do so. What tests might be done to ascertain the cause and, in the meanwhile, is there anything that I can give him to make him better? He has had one or two episodes of vomiting as well, but I attribute that to the fact that he eats too fast.  S.L.

Dear S.L.,

There are many possible causes to the diarrhea that your cat has been experiencing and having a good understanding of the history, getting a good physical examination, and running the proper diagnostic tests should get to the bottom of it. A good rule of thumb is that if a diarrhea continues for more than 4-5 days, a cat should be seen by your veterinarian, but some feel that even 1-2 days of diarrhea warrants a visit to the doctor. Given the fact that your other cat died not too long ago could suggest stress as a primary reason for the problem. Other possibilities for cat diarrhea include dietary changes, intestinal parasites, toxins, ingesting foreign bodies, infectious agents that can be viral or bacterial, pancreatitis, or inflammatory bowel disease. There are many other possibilities as well, including cancer.

I doubt your indoor cat has been exposed to parasites, toxins, or any infectious agents but the other possibilities are real. I would schedule to have him seen but until then, I would have him skip a meal and then put him on a bland diet with some ground plain chicken and white rice for a day or two. See if that helps. Diagnostically, your veterinarian might submit a fecal test, run some bloodwork, and based on physical examination, may elect to take radiographs or do an abdominal ultrasound. Hopefully he will be fine.

Dr. John de Jong is President of the World Veterinary Association. He owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and can be reached at 781-899-9994.