9/28 Bear AMPS 371 +4 537?? PMPS 306 Diarrhea??

Can cats get the flu?? Both Bear and my civvie have been eating less than normal for the past two days but I thought that Bear was just getting closer to regulation and not being such a pig-face. Today though, while I was at work, DBF said both of them were using the boxes frequently and and seemed to have diarrhea. Do cats get stomach flus? Is there anything I can do for them, hydration-wise? Other than frequent visits to the litter boxes they seem to be their normal selves, Bear is doing the "I'm king of the world" Bear thing and Mama, the civvie, was trying to play with the thread I was using earlier and is begging for her normal amount of excess attention.

(She is currently laying on my foot while I type this. My poor sick babies!!)

I can't answer your questions, but I sure hope they both feel better soon.

I belive it is possible for cats to get the "flu" or something like it (most feline illnesses are species specific (Zoonosis) and do not affect humans or other animals) I do recall that the "bird flu" was contagious to both humans and there were several infected cats/dogs and other mammals (most likely contracted through eating infected birds)

More common causes of "loose stools" are however food related (change in diet, food-bourne infection) A common cause in outdoor "roaming" cats is known comically in Veterinary practice as Garbageitis (indecriminate consumption) in which cats eat from garbabge cans or the like and get a self-limiting "food poisoning". Parasites (ie. worms) can also cause loose stools. At the time Spooky developed diabetes he also had several weeks of 3-5 times daily very loose (explosive) diarrhea which I had attributed to his moster appitite and obsessive drinking (he seemed otherwise healthy) the drinking and hunger were of course caused by the diabeties. During his blood work at the vet it was discovered his Eosinophiles were very high (a white blood cells that maily fights parasites) he recieved a shot of Pancur and I was given 1 tablet to give my other cat at home. Although I never noticed any worms in the feces of either cat, within 2 days of the treatment the diarrhea was gone. the appitite and drinking improved once his diabetes was somewhat regulated. Since then I have learned that even indoor cats can get worms etc. (although not as easily as outdoor cats) apparently the worm eggs are found everywhere, mostly in the soil which we humans drag into the house on our shoes etc. Cats live on the floor and clean themselves with thier toungue which means they swallow the eggs which is part of the life cycle of the parasites. My vet recommens a worm tablet at least 2x per year for indoor cats (every 3 months for free roamers).

Aww, sorry to hear they're not feeling great. Forti Flora would be good to sprinkle on their food - in our area you have to get it from the vet (if they carry it), or online. Or a human probiotic can be used. WCF may be able to tell you who has it locally. And you can add some extra water to their food to make sure they're hydrated. If it's really bad they should probably see a vet.

Plain yogurt also contains good gut cultures, but I don't have any experience with using that.

Hopefully they're still eating for you, especially Mr. Bear.

Nina's suggestions re. FortiFlora or another probiotic are good. I've only been able to find FortiFlora on-line.

Have you made any changes in Bear's diet -- including a change in a variety of food. My guys had a bout of loose stool when I fed beef. Bottom line is that you may need to do some detective work. Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse, check with your vet.

I'm so grossed out by the thought of worm eggs on my shoes.