# Do cats get diarrhea while on antibioitics?



## pops (Jan 15, 2005)

My never-been-sick cat has been on antibiotics since she came down with a lung infection last week and has been having the runs.

I observed her while she was using the litterbox earlier and noticed that she has some gas and very runny poop.

Do cats get diarrhea while on antibiotics? Does it clear up once they go off the meds?


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## Gudewife (Jun 27, 2004)

Oh, yes indeedy! Clindamycin is the ONLY thing that's ever made my cat quit eating...she had very bad diarrhea and stopped eating entirely (and this cat has NEVER left food in a bowl, ever...she is an iron-gut cat and will eat anything, so when she backed away from her food with her ears pinned back, we had a biiiigggg problem).

It usually resolves as the intestines rebuild their normal chemistry after the antibiotics stop. Plain yogurt or supplemental digestive enzymes can help speed up the process, if your cat will eat them. Sometimes, Flagyl (another antibiotic) can help reduce intestinal inflamation and help get things back to normal (though it is really nasty-tasting and cats don't like it at all). Plain, bland foods (boiled skinless chicken breast, boiled white rice, yogurt, cottage cheese) can help too, by making the digestive process as easy as possible for a few days.

You might want to ring your vet to inform them of the diarrhea; there may be a different antibiotic that could be substituted (especially if this treatment is to be long-term), or they may want to see her for a quick recheck and may be able to help you get her digestive tract back to normal more quickly. I believe in notifying doctors of any medication side effects I encounter (mine or the cat's), just so that everyone's up-to-speed if there are problems later.

But yes, antibiotics can cause diarrhea, and it often resolves after the meds are done, but sometimes the digestive tract needs a little help or a jump-start to get back to normal.


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## kmonceaux (Jan 12, 2005)

*diarrhea by antibiotics*

Mine were recently on amoxi drops (amoxicillin) and they both developed diarrhea but it did clear up a couple of days later after they were off the meds. I did inform the vet and they said it was normal but to make sure and keep an eye on them. They were eating, drinking, and playing as normal so they said it should not be anything to worry about but to keep an eye on them to make sure.


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## pops (Jan 15, 2005)

Ooh, thanks! 

She's back to her normal self, meowing all the time and eating well, except for the excessive scratching of her head which led to some bald patches and the diarrhea.

She had her last course of meds this morning, so fingers crossed that the scratching and diarrhea go off in the next couple of days.


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