In short, diarrhoea in a kitten with blood present (even if only for the day) needs to see your local vet for a hands-on examination as soon as possible.

Diarrhoea is really just a symptom and can be the result of many underlying causes. In this case, we really need to find the cause of the diarrhoea so that we can treat your kitten’s problem (not just the symptom). This will help us reach the best treatment plan too.

Some of the underlying causes of diarrhoea in a kitten might be:

• Infectious disease (bacteria, viruses, parasites)
• Stress (from travel, change of environment, leaving mother, kittens etc)
• Dietary change
• Gut problems (inflammatory bowel disease, tumours, obstructions, food intolerance or food allergies)
• Dietary indiscretion (more of a dog thing but some kittens will eat anything and everything too!)
• Clotting problem (e.g. from ingestion of toxin)

When kittens get sick regardless of the cause, they can go downhill quickly. We call it fading kitten syndrome and they become progressively dehydrated, get low blood sugar and become cold. Your kitten is so young and needs supportive care and treatment when unwell.

Better to be safe than sorry with kittens.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can book a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail, as soon as possible.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire