Bast & Shakti both have diarrhea.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Hello Loups.  It's awful when you can't get to the root cause of something persistent like this, and I do feel for you and your beautiful babies

I wonder if the condition your vet was talking about was giardia which is caused by a single cell parasite.  It can be picked up in stagnant or dirty water or via faeces.

I dont think it's likely to be rat poison unless you've noticed bloody stools (though these can be caused by giardia too).  Most rat poisons cause internal bleeding or work by attacking the nervous system.  Results are generally rapid and fatal.

Sadly many routine tests undertaken by a vet are expensive - some more so than others.  If cost is an ongoing concern (and we all appreciate how quickly they can mount and how every penny counts) it may be worth having a discussion with your vet, and see if there is anything they can offer  by way of an extended payment plan, or if there is a Blue Cross or PDSA centre nearby where you may qualify for low cost treatment.

I do hope you can get answers to your questions, and get the girls started on an effective treatment.   

[Loups]

Hi Lyn and thanks for your reply.

Here's where we're at:

I called the vet again and asked to actually see a vet but all I got was a another phone consultation. Was told to take stool samples for both of the girls, which I did over three days. Took them over to the practice (without the cats). Asked how much it'd be and was told they didn't know and would call me back later that day, which they did. £99. Each! After some deliberation I just had Shakti's sent away as they both have the same problem.

Those came back on Friday negative. They said they'd done something which sounded like "javid", but I'm not sure. I'm hearing impaired so using the phone is a challenge for me!

I need to call them back but thought I'd see if you all had any advice on what to do next as, to be perfectly honest, this is starting to feel a little bit like a cash-grab. Is getting a stool sample tested really almost a hundred quid? Is that the going rate? I've never had an issue with this vet so I don't say that lightly! So far they've had over £200 from me and I'm no closer to finding out what's wrong with my girls. 

Oh and each time I've spoken to the vet he's said, "I think it's a virus, but..." and he proceeds to shift to something else, usually costing a packet!

To answer your questions:

They both go out, but only Shakti goes further than the back garden. She hunts, Bast doesn't. Actually Shakti brought a flippin' rat home and dumped it in the conservatory for me last week! Usually it's field mice or voles and she normally eats them, but the rat was completely intact. And very dead.

There is a chap at the back of our house and one house over (if that makes sense?) who keeps pigeons and I have wondered if he puts rat poison down as pigeons and rats are usually bedfellows. I don't know him, we've never met so I have to admit I'm a bit reluctant to speak to him, but at this point if it's upsetting someone or loosing my girls I'll upset him!

That said, neither of them are vomiting or showing any other signs of distress. Would rat poison show up in a stool sample test do you know?

We don't keep any poisonous plants in or around the house and I don't believe any of our neighbours have lilies etc. on their properties. We've been here seven years now and this is the first time anything like this has happened and I don't think there's been any changes locally. No-one's moved in to our part of the village as far as I'm aware. One of our neighbours is a real gossip so we'd definitely know if something had happened!

I did read the site you linked to, thanks. I had stumbled across it previously and I think that's where I got the bland chicken etc. advice from.

Currently giving the girls a sensitive food I found on Vet UK, it's rabbit. Not sure if I'm doing the right thing there as, when I asked the vet, he just said that they do one and pretty much left it at that. Have been restricting the wet food too, just giving them a spoon full of wet food at a time over the course of a day, so it works out about one 85g packet each. Also using Sainsbury's own fish selection, like Applause. Again, don't know if I'm doing right here?

I think that's covered everything.

Thanks again.

P.S: Apologies, I forgot to bold my first post for the lady who's sight impaired.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

Hi and welcome back - although I'm sorry that you have come back because of a problem with your kitties 

I think a lot of the problem is that your vet is treating 'blind' as the cats haven't been examined. Under normal circumstances, I would expect blood and stool samples to have been taken by now, and the cats given a full examination too of course. You are right to be reluctant to give another course of antibiotics without knowing what is actually causing the problem. Antibiotics will only work for bacterial causes, they are not effective against viruses, toxins etc

Can you confirm whether your cats have access to outside, or are they indoors only? Is there anything that they could be scavenging or chewing on to cause the problem? Household plants for instance (lilies are toxic to cats)?

This has some helpful info, at the very least it might give you some ideas to discuss with your vet

https://pet-gp.co.uk/diarrhoea-in-cats-symptoms-causes-and-treatments/

Please let us know how things go, if you are able.

[Loups]

Hi everyone,

Sorry I've not been around for a long time, I did say I'd try and stick around but my health has been poor. So apologies for asking advice... again!

Long story short: Shakti started to get diarrhea about seven weeks ago. Took her to the vet (before the lockdown) and he gave her a course of antibiotics. They didn't seem to work at first, but at the same time I took her off the usual Purina One dry food and started her on Vet UK's Rabbit (she doesn't really like it tbh!) and she started to firm up.

Then Bast got it! 

Then Shakti got it again! 

So I took them both off their usual wet and dry food and just left the rabbit dry for them and then started giving them chicken breast and cod (not too much) to see if that helped. Nope.

The week before last I got back in touch with the vet and he did a phone consultation and prescribed more antibiotics for both of them, but he said they might have a virus although I can't remember which he said. Finished the tablets last Thursday, no change.

I've just started reintroducing them to Gourmet Mon Petite, just a teaspoon full each at a time. It looks like they're just starting to firm up a bit, but they are dropping some nasty wind bombs!

I really don't want to get a third course of tablets so thought I'd ask here for some advice before going back to the vet. Am I doing right or wrong? Is there a food I should try? More chicken? Less chicken? No chicken? I've got a freezer full of chicken and I'm vegetarian!

Thanks, as always.