Cats' Soft Stools and Diarrhea: Tips for a Healthy Gast

On average, a cat's stool should be dry, smooth, and have a complete shape. If the stool is more like nuts, it indicates that the cat may be experiencing constipation, and it could even suggest more severe gastrointestinal issues.

What are the Causes of Feline Gastrointestinal Issues?

There are many factors that can lead to feline gastrointestinal problems, but the most common are dietary issues combined with the cat's inherently fragile digestive system.

1. Food Intolerance

Cats are obligate carnivores with a short digestive tract, only half the length of a rabbit's, primarily designed for protein digestion. If their food contains excessive amounts of indigestible starch, plant materials, or too much fat, it can easily lead to soft stools and diarrhea.

2. Food Allergies

Cats can have a variety of allergens, including protein allergies, and some may be allergic to dairy products or grains. If these ingredients are present in their food, it can also cause diarrhea.

3. Food Poisoning

Cats can suffer from acute poisoning if they consume spoiled food or bacteria that exceed safe levels. Additionally, ingestion of common plants like snake plants, lilies, and dieffenbachia can also lead to poisoning, causing diarrhea and vomiting in cats.

4. Health Conditions

Diseases that can cause diarrhea in cats include inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), feline distemper, hyperthyroidism, liver disease, kidney failure, and parasitic infections.

Excluding these causes, sudden changes in food and environment can also easily lead to diarrhea in cats, as their digestive systems lack the ability to adapt to changes effectively.

For example, some cats have been eating the same brand of cat food for a while. After the owner reads a selection guide, they spend a lot of money on a highend brand with a high protein content and good nutrition. The owner thinks, "Now the cat will really be treated well," but after giving it to the cat, voilà, the cat starts having diarrhea immediately.

This has led many cat owners to believe that highprotein cat food can cause diarrhea and soft stools in cats. Does this mean that cats can't enjoy such good food?

Actually, it's not the cat food's fault.

Cats rely on various digestive enzymes and bacteria within their digestive tract to process food. If a cat is weak from birth or has been eating the same type of food for a long time, it may have insufficient digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria, poor regulatory abilities, and a lack of activity. Even a slight change in food or environment can cause the intestines to "lose their way," leading to poor digestion, soft stools, and diarrhea. Therefore, it's important to transition to new food slowly, taking at least a week to gradually switch from old to new food, while also调理ing the cat's digestive system to improve its adaptability to digestion.