Gastrointestinal Disorders

Pet Care Centre

Gastrointestinal Disorders in Cats

 

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and diseases affect a cat's stomach and intestines, resulting in pain and other problems.

Rate that food moves through the body

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Your cat may have a GI disorder if she suffers from:

Common signs

  • Vomiting

  • Regurgitation

  • Flatulence

  • Weakness

  • Diarrhoea/constipation

Veterinarians recognise many potential types of GI disorders including:

  • Colitis: An acute or chronic inflammation of the membrane lining the colon. Most frequently caused by whipworms (a parasite), tumours or polyps, a change in food, allergies (including those to food), swallowed foreign objects and certain other diseases.

  • Constipation: Usually caused by insufficient fibre and water intake, eating hair, bones or other foreign objects, ageing, tumours, trauma or fractures, prostate disease, spinal cord disease, large bowel nervous disorders, metabolic or endocrine disorders and debilitation.

  • Diarrhoea: Caused by infections, internal parasites, stress, a change in pet food, table scraps or rich snacks, eating spoiled food from the garbage and body organ dysfunction.

  • Gastroenteritis: Inflammation or infection of the gastrointestinal tract, primarily the stomach and intestines. Causes may include eating rancid or spoiled food, swallowing foreign objects, eating toxic plants, internal parasites, stress, food allergies and disease conditions.

  • Pancreatitis: An inflammation or infection of the pancreas (an elongated, tapered gland that is located behind the stomach). Origins are frequently unknown. Potential causes are feeding a food high in fat or rich table foods, infections, disease or trauma.

Your cat's food can have a significant impact on her GI tract health. Veterinarians recommend feeding her a food that is highly digestible to help prevent irritation to her sensitive stomach and intestines. Also, high-soluble and insoluble fibre foods combined with moderate fat levels help support proper intestinal function. Because several of these conditions may be ongoing, long-term nutritional management of the disorder may be required.

For an accurate diagnosis and treatment options, always consult your veterinarian.

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