Hi Jay, this post got stuck in moderation for a week—apologies! I just approved it and have passed your question along to our veterinary moderator as a top priority. I know you're really feeling for your cat and want to find ways to help her feel better, so I'm sorry about the slow reply and hope you can get this figured out soon.
All the best,
Mallory
Hi Jay,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat has been unwell and that it’s been going on for a few years. That must be difficult for both of you. It sounds like she’s had a complicated illness.
IBD does present quite similarly to lymphoma in terms of symptoms and ultrasound findings in the beginning. Usually cats with lymphoma would progressively deteriorate and lose weight. Did she ever have a biopsy of her intestine taken? An intestinal biopsy would tell the difference between these two but unfortunately it’s more invasive.
IBD is very common in cats and some cats might respond to diet alone but others need medication along with this. I can see from your message above that you’ve tried a lot of diets already, have you tried a gastrointestinal diet before? If not I would recommend this for at least 6 weeks (provided it doesn’t make her worse). If you have tried this, then I would recommend a hypoallergenic diet or novel protein diet (e.g. a diet with a single protein such as rabbit, venison, or turkey). It’s important to only feed one diet at a time with no other food or treats at all as these might aggravate an allergy and prevent her from responding to the new diet.
Cats with IBD can often benefit from probiotics as they often have a bacterial imbalance in their gut. I note that your cat was given this initially. They can be given for long periods but I’d discuss this with your vet first. I’d recommend the probiotic ‘Fortiflora’ which comes in sachet form and I’ve had good success with this in cats that I’ve treated in the past.
Other medications such as steroids or antibiotics (metronidazole) are sometimes needed to control the IBD symptoms too. Some cats with IBD are deficient in B12 and may need supplementation which can help the gastro signs; your vet can check this with a blood test. It’s also important to rule out any issue with the pancreas as this secretes digestive enzymes which sometimes need supplementation too.
If your cat isn’t losing weight and has a good appetite with no blood in her faeces, I would focus on diet and probiotics initially for at least 6 weeks provided she’s doing well. I’d check this with your vet also as they know your cat’s case best.
These links might be helpful;
https://cats.com/best-cat-food-for-ibd
https://cats.com/digestive-enzymes-for-cats
https://cats.com/?s=fortiflora
https://cats.com/reviews/best-probiotics-cats
https://cats.com/vitamin-b12-for-cats
I hope this helps,
Aisling
Hi Jay,
I feel your pain. I have a cat that has runny poops and goes to the litter box often but only a small amount of runny poops came out. However, I would like to share with you a treatment that I've been using. I've used GI Support by Dr. Mercola for the digestive tract. You can also find a vlog with Dr. Karen Becker at https://youtu.be/c2JpJSLJug0.