Cats can have some other diseases throughout their lives, but there are some that require much more attention than others. One of them is the colitis, which is the inflammation of the colon, that is, of the penultimate section of the large intestine before the rectum.
This is a problem that will make you feel very bad, so let's see what are the symptoms and their treatment to help them.
What are the causes of colitis?
Colitis in cats can be caused by several reasons, which are:
Internal parasites
Microscopic
Coccidia, Giardias or Trichomonas fetus are internal parasites that cause acute colitis with days when felines are relatively well except for diarrhea.
Macroscopic
Although it is not very common in cats, Trichuris or 'see me whip' is a parasite that must be taken into account as it can cause diarrhea with some blood.
Infections
Viral
There are many viruses, such as the feline coronavirus that causes feline infectious peritonitis, parvo virus causing panleukopenia, rotavitus and others such as toravirus, that can cause acute diarrhea.
Bacterial
Salmonella, Clostridium or bacteria Escherichia coli they can cause diarrhea.
Inflammatory bowel disease
It is a disease caused by infiltration of the intestine by defensive cells of different types or mixedhence there is plasmacytic colitis, lymphocytic colitis, etc. The origin is usually an immune disorder and the treatment is the administration of corticosteroids with immunosuppressants.
Other causes
Other possible causes of colitis in cats include the following:
- septicemia
- Intestinal obstruction
- Liver disease
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of colitis can vary depending on the cause. A) Yes, if it is caused by parasites, cats may have vomiting, loss of appetite, shapeless and / or bloody stools, which have a characteristic odor.
If it is from an infectionIt will depend a lot on the cause of said infection, but in general, in addition to diarrhea, we will see that they also have loss of appetite and / or weight, apathy, vomiting, lack of personal hygiene.
How is it treated?
Again, it will depend on the cause 🙂:
- Parasites: with an internal antiparasitic, either in pills or syrups, it is usually sufficient. In any case, cats must be well controlled for new symptoms such as vomiting or apathy.
- Virus or bacterial infections: with antibiotics.
What should cats with colitis eat?
By having the colon inflamed until they do not improve they must eat a soft diet that includes cooked turkey chicken breasts -boneless- mixed with fresh cheese or natural yogurt, and a little brown rice that provides fiber. Another option is to give them a specific feed for cats with intestinal diseases, which will surely be much easier for them to eat if they do not usually eat natural food or if they have never eaten it before.
This diet should be followed for about 5 days, or until the veterinarian deems it necessary.
We hope it has been of interest to you.