Cat has diarrhea on the rugs

I have a roommate that has a cat that has diarrhea all the time. She took her to the vet and the Dr ran a bunch of tests, but they came back normal. The cat has diarrhea about 5-7 times a day on various rugs through out the house. Although the cat will go into the box to pee. Every once in a great while the cat will poop in the box but doesn't cover it.

She doesn't seem to have urgent diarrhea as I've watched her scouting out a place to go, then scratching on the carpet for a while be for she eliminates. She has been this way since she was a kitten and it just keeps getting worse. Could this be a behavioral problem and what can we do about it???

Help please, I don't want to lose a roommate and good friend over this.

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My Thoughts:

First, I'm just a cat lover, so I can't really argue with what a vet has to say. But, this is certainly not your typical litter box problem, although it does fall under the inappropriate elimination category. I doubt that this is strictly behavioral. Although stress and other emotional problems can cause diarrhea, I would be looking for a medical problem first.

Second, this is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed by a veterinarian as soon as possible and get to an answer. It doesn't take much for a little 10 or 12 pound body to lose enough water to cause problems. The dehydration that results from chronic diarrhea is dangerous. I would worry about the cat experiencing body system breakdown from dehydration, or at the very least, a shortened life-span.

There are a number of causes for chronic diarrhea in cats including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Feline IBD). Other causes include a reaction to toxins, cancer, diseases of the major organs, bacterial infections, food allergies, parasites, and the list goes on.

Feline IBD is difficult to diagnose, and difficult to treat. It often requires dietary changes and some holistic veterinarians will recommend other options as well. The cause is not really known, but it's possible that immune system factors are involved, and if your vet agrees, there are some products that are said to boost a cat's immune system.

Whatever the cause, there are veterinary internal medicine specialists, gastroenterologists, and so forth that may be equipped to handle a case this severe. If there is a veterinary college near you that might be an option.

Proper diagnosis for these types of issues may require numerous tests as well as trying some dietary changes to eliminate preservatives and artificial ingredients. I don't know what tests have been performed, but you might want to check against this list of tests for chronic diarrhea in cats contained in this article and if anything is missing, you perhaps haven't gone far enough in the diagnostic process (the page will ask you to register, but you don't have to).

You can also follow the logic in this case on diarrhea.

This is a little technical, but it does have some diagnostic info on chronic diarrhea that you might be able to reference.

This site recommends starting with a phone consultation for diagnosing chronic diarrhea that might be IBD.

Speaking of that, you can get a phone consultation from Cornell -- one of the best cat health resources in the world.

I realize that all of this costs money and time and a lot of effort, but it's the only way I know of to get an answer.

I hope that helps and good luck with this,

-Kurt