stray

Question
My mother called me today to say that she came home from work to find a very rough looking black cat with a collar laying on her couch.  (came through the dog door).  My  mom fed it and as it walked to the food bowl the backend of the cat kept falling all over the place.  It also started pooping liquid as it was eating.  My mom is concerned it may just be malnourished and she can nurse it back to health but I think it may have a serious contagious illness and should call animal control.  I could not find anything online that put the two symptoms together.  Does this sound like just a malnourishment problem?

Answer
Hi Windy,

I would be surprised if the cat is STRICTLY malnourished. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that he has anything contagious (I'm not sure if there are any cats in the house, but cats don't commonly carry diseases that threaten humans or dogs). However, judging by his state, he does need medical care, not just at-home supportive care right now.

Any number of things could be causing his symptoms. Dehydration and malnutrition alone can cause the hind legs to give out. But this can also be a symptom of diabetes or even liver problems. Both of these will, in turn, cause malnutrition. Sometimes diarrhea occurs secondarily because B12 is low when cats are malnourished. This aids in maintaining a healthy digestive tract, and when deficient, diarrhea can result.

Hyperthyroidism is another condition that is likely to cause malnourishment, poor body condition and diarrhea.

The feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency viruses can also cause these symptoms. A quick in office test can yield results in 10 minutes. These viruses are contagious to other cats, so he should be isolated if he tests positive.

But many cases of diarrhea are caused by protozoan or bacterial germs or parasitic worms. Pets are not usually at risk unless they share litter boxes (or if dogs eat feces, some germs may affect them). I recommend keeping the kitty separated with his own litter box if you have other cats until he finishes any treatments recommended by the vet.

Best of luck!
Jessica