I would hate to post prematurely but today she had a semi-firm poop! I think we just might be headed in the right direction :) Maybe finally, there is an end in sight for this poor kitten. In my desperation to fix her, I did exactly what you shouldn't do and switched multiple things all at once. I cut her Lysine by 1/4, took her off the Fortiflora and introduced both rabbit and the canned duck. At least now that I don't feel she's in a critical state, (provided she stabilizes), I can make introductions slowly while I continue to monitor her. Something I did has had to have helped her for her to get firm again, right? Oh, I really hope she gets better now. Carmen - I really feel for you having to go through that all winter. My girl only leaked a few times (on the way to the box) and it was a minimal amount. You were fortunate to be able to get it resolved! Controversy aside, my indoor/outdoor cats never had these issues either. I'm planning on leaving this one as an indoor (except for walking) so hopefully I can get a balanced diet for her. lfncy - Oh yeah, I have read your postings! I even tried the pumpkin you talked about. The dx between the T-Foetus and giardia seems to be a huge problem. What I just read was the way they make a determination between the two is how the parasite's tail 'swims'. Its got to be an ultra-fresh sample, also so they can see it wiggle. What I've been told (for kittens) is that it can resolve 'spontaneously' after about a year. It doesn't actually go away, they just don't have any more symptoms of it. I hope I've gotten to the bottom of this, as you did, without having to put her through the exploratory procedures. I looked on-line and didn't see Wellness in a duck or rabbit formula. That is definitely a brand I would use. I can't keep her on the RX food indefinitely, its premo-expensive and she eats like a chow-hound. If I can rule out that chicken or beef is tolerable, I could try those. Thanks for the well-wishes! I'll post an update when I can confirm how she's doing.

I believe that experiences are shaped by experiences themselves. Especially in the medical field, weather it be human or veterinarian. I have just had so many problems misdiagnosed by vets that I've lost count. I have a memorable one. My Shepherd/Lab, Tara, about 10 years old had an off smell. Not a dirty smell, just an off smell. I couldn't figure out what it was, my regular vet wasn't concerned, and my dermatology vet said not to worry. Weeks past, and the smell got worse, plus Tara's coat was appearing very oily. Then one day she started to bite herself severely trying to relieve itching. She was literally damaging herself trying to get relief. My regular vet consulted with dermatology vet, and they both agreed that the dog had "fox mites" even though there was no evidence of them. Treatments that lasted about three weeks took place. In the meantime, the situation was getting worse. By this time, Tara had chewed off at least half of her fur and had severe infections. I was sleeping with her on the floor to comfort her. Because I was so concerned, I took her into dermatology vet and left her for a day for observation. Again, vet said that medication was working (even though I could see that it wasn't) and that we should continue with the medication prescribed. The next day the situation took a drastic turn for the worse, and I decided I couldn't take it any more, and the dog was suffering. I was so desperate that I called the Pennsylvania Veterinary School and was ready to take her there from Maryland. They told me that the best dermatology vet to be treating her was the one I had. The day I decided that things just had to end, I located another dermatology vet. I took in Tara, and the vet came up with a completely different infection for a diagnosis. In short, the treatment was taking place for the wrong problem for at least three weeks, new vet fixed things, and Tara lived for another 4 years. This experience and others prior and after, have made me extremely cautious when it comes to what is being done to my pets. I have also learned that if there are multiple vets in a practice, things can take place to increase revenue that simply should not be allowed. But again, when we who do not have formal training, we take our pets to someone who we think we can trust to fix things. I have come to rely heavily on all advice, weather it could be wrong or right when health issues come up with my dogs. When I get all of the information I can find in front of me, I weigh my decision, consult with at least 2-3 other vets, and I alone have the final say, as to what is going to happen to my pets. Just a thought. SG

Acute Diarrhea- large and small bowel Primary GI Overeating Diet change Toxins/food poisoning Food sensitivity Hemorrhagic enteritis Parvo (dogs) Rounds, hooks, whips Bacteria- Camplyobacter, Salmonella, Clostridia Sharp/traumatic FB Intussusception Extra GI Acute severe pancreatitis Addisons Sepsis/toxemias Drugs- antibiotics especially Chronic Small Bowel diarrhea Primary GI Food insensitivity IBD Food responsive diarrhea Antibiotic responsive diarrhea Lymphangectasia Neoplasia- LSA, adenocarcinoma, mastocytosis, leiomyoma, myosarcoma Rounds, hooks, giardia, coccidia Chronic intussusception Extra GI Exocine pancreatic insufficiency Liver failure Renal failure Addisons Hyperthyroidism Chronic Large Bowel Diarrhea Primary GI Fiber responsive colitis Food sensitivity Irritable bowel syndrome Fiber responsive diarrhea Antibiotic responsive diarrhea Neoplasia- adenocarcinoma, lymphosarcoma (common in FeLV+ cats at young age) Whips Chronic intussusception IBS Secondary to chronic small bowel diarrhea Renal failure This is from my class notes. The easiest way to approach diarrhea is to first classify it as acute vs chronic (your cat has chronic diarrhea), and then to classify it large bowel or small bowel diarrhea, or both. Here's how to tell the difference between large and small bowel diarrhea: Small bowel diarrhea: Weight loss, polyphagia, vomiting, abdominal distension, halitosis common; normal to increased frequency of defecation; increased volume, no mucus or hematochezia (bright red blood) Large bowel diarrhea Weight loss, polyphagia, vomiting, abdominal distension, halitosis uncommon; increased frequency of defecation, normal-decreased volume, mucus present, hematochezia present Then you work through the list of differentials and test for or eliminate each one as a cause for your cat's diarrhea. Some things are easier to diagnose than others- parasites are easy when present, food allergy or irritable bowel syndrome usually requires intestinal biopsy for example. First thing I'd do is make sure you know your cat is FeLV and FIV negative; those are fatal diseases and may affect your decision to pursue further diagnostics. FeLV can cause GI lymphoma in very young cats, so I would be especially sure you weren't dealing with an FeLV positive cat who frankly has no hope for recovery before allowing the cat to suffer further and for you to waste money on more diagnostics and treatment. Your vet can test for FeLV and FIV with a few drops of blood and a 10 minute SNAP test while you wait. In any dog or cat with diarrhea, I deworm with 3-5 days of fenbendazole regardless of stool tests. Parasites don't always shed eggs into the sample you get. Sometimes I also treat for coccidia with ponazuril if I have strong suspicions even if I can't get a sample or don't see any in the sample. It doesn't hurt to deworm and may solve the problem. You can't test for giardia, coccidia, and bacteria by a sample from home. It must be FRESH and examined immediately, because once those bugs stop moving, it's almost impossible to find them. And no bacteria is just as bad as a bacterial overgrowth, but I can't believe anything they say regarding bacteria in an old sample anyway. I always give probiotics to patients with diarrhea to help re-establish normal intestinal flora. I hope you can get to the bottom of this soon. Diarrhea is no fun for your cat or for you.

I wanted to thank everyone for their generous help. Many of the suggestions made were for books she already had and loved, so you were right on target as to the kind of books I wanted. In the end, I wandered up and down the bookstore shelves picking off cozy-looking mysteries at random. Several had Christmas themes, which I thought she might enjoy, perhaps even extending her holiday enjoyment. Surely she will like some of them. In case anyone else is interested, I am providing a list of the ones I bought for her. Mistletoe Murder (a Lucy Stone mystery) by Leslie Meier Mrs. Malory and No Cure for Death by Hazel Holt Secrets on Saturday (a Lois Meade mystery) by Ann Purser Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight by Emily Brightwell Not a Girl Detective (a Cece Caruso mystery) by Susan Kandel Dead Guy's Stuff (a Jane Wheel mystery) by Sharon Fiffer Mum's the Word (a Flower Shop mystery) by Kate Collins Organize Your Corpses by Mary Jane Maffini Sit, Stay, Slay (a Kendra Ballantyne Pet-Sitter mystery) by Linda O. Johnston Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs) by Jacqueline Winspear I may look around for one or two more, since the box I bought will nicely hold two more paperbacks. It was a pleasure finding these books for her. I don't know how much longer she will continue to read. Rosefolly