Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com
The best cat food for diarrhea gives your cat’s GI tract a break, relieves inflammation, and allows the body to heal. If your cat is experiencing acute diarrhea, that might mean a few days on a bland diet.
In cases of chronic diarrhea caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or long-lasting issues, more permanent dietary changes can help. For cats with chronic diarrhea, the best food is free of irritants and allergens, gentle on the GI tract, and ready to encourage healthy digestion.
I spoke to veterinary experts to determine the best cat food for diarrhea and assembled a list of our top recommendations to help you choose.
At a Glance: The Best Cat Food for Diarrhea
Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Absolutely Rabbit Dinner Morsels Cat Food
- Rabbit is a novel protein for many cats
- Rich in animal-sourced protein and fat
- Easily digestible with few main ingredients
Smalls Ground Bird Fresh Cat Food
- Easily digestible fresh food
- Chicken is the only protein source
- Rich in hydrating moisture
Nulo Freestyle Turkey & Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
- Contains four sources of animal protein
- Rich in hydrating moisture
- Relies on animal-sourced omega-3 fatty acids
Open Farm Homestead Turkey Rustic Blend Wet Food
- Single source of high-quality animal protein
- No fillers, animal by-products, or vaguely named ingredients
- Contains the moisture your cat needs for hydration
Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food
- Features highly-digestible animal proteins
- Significantly lower carbohydrate content than the typical dry food
- Contains salmon oil as a source of anti-inflammatory fatty acids
Wellness CORE Digestive Health Turkey Pate Grain-Free Wet Cat Food
- Easily digestible and rich in moisture
- Top four ingredients are all animal-based
- Prebiotic fiber helps support gut health
Raised Right Chicken & Pumpkin Paté for Adult Cats
- Species-appropriate blend of muscle meat and organs
- Contains pumpkin as a source of dietary fiber
- Rich in moisture to support your cat’s hydration
Caru Classic Turkey Stew Wet Cat Food
- Rich in protein and hydrating moisture
- Easily digestible with low carbohydrate content
- Cardboard carton is easy to close for leftover storage
Primal Turkey Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food
- Made with turkey—an excellent option for cats who like poultry but can’t eat chicken
- A limited-ingredient diet for cats with allergies and food sensitivities
- Free from common irritating ingredients
Instinct by Nature’s Variety Kitten Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe
- Rich in easily-digestible animal protein sources
- Free of common irritating ingredients
- Contains salmon, which is a good source of DHA for brain and eye development
Weruva Truluxe Steak Frites Dinner Canned Cat Food
- Protein-rich recipe made with beef
- Easily digestible formula
- Rich in hydrating moisture
Acute vs. Chronic Diarrhea
If your cat has acute diarrhea due to illness or eating something they shouldn’t have, you don’t necessarily need to permanently change their diet. Fasting for up to 12 hours followed by feeding a bland, easily digestible food for a few days may help. After the stool returns to normal, you should be able to return to your cat’s usual diet.
Chronic diarrhea that occurs intermittently or consistently for more than three weeks may demand significant dietary changes. It could stem from allergies, food intolerances, IBD, or other issues and may manifest as part of an issue generally referred to as a “sensitive stomach.”
If your cat has chronic diarrhea, a trip to the veterinarian is a good idea. The vet can run diagnostic tests, including bloodwork, to determine the cause of your cat’s endless loose stool. On top of treating the underlying cause of your cat’s issues, long-term dietary modification may be required.
Why Trust Cats.com
Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com
Several members of our team, each with countless hours of cat food research and testing under their belts, selected the products recommended below and tested them with their own cats at home. Our recommendations were informed by careful research and veterinary advice related to the dietary management of diarrhea in cats.
In testing, our team members analyze the product’s nutritional information, research the brand, read customer reviews, and offer the products to our own cats. We made observations about the products’ packaging, appearance, aroma, and texture while our cats provided their opinion on the food’s taste and general appeal.
Our Top 11 Picks for the Best Cat Food for Diarrhea
We’ve chosen Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Absolutely Rabbit Dinner Morsels as the overall best cat food for diarrhea. These raw morsels are packed with easily digestible meat and organs, plus sources of fiber and probiotics for digestive health. But it’s not the right choice for every cat.
Every cat is unique and the best diet to resolve diarrhea will depend on the underlying cause of your cat’s issues. Your veterinarian can help you obtain a diagnosis and determine the best course of treatment. If dietary modification is likely to help, one of the foods we’ve recommended may be a good fit.
What to Look for in Cat Food to Stop Diarrhea
If your veterinarian recommends dietary changes to stop diarrhea, they may suggest an elimination diet. This stripped-down diet eliminates those familiar ingredients that may have triggered your cat’s diarrhea and replaces them with novel proteins.
If your cat’s diarrhea vanishes while on the elimination diet, you can re-incorporate ingredients one by one to determine which one caused the symptoms. Here are some features to look for in cat food for diarrhea.
Species-Appropriate Formulation
Minimize inflammation by giving your cat a species-appropriate diet centering around fresh muscle meat and organs. Ingredients that aren’t species-appropriate aren’t efficiently utilized by your cat’s body and may contribute to digestive issues like diarrhea, constipation, or flatulence.
Look for a recipe that, when measured as dry matter, contains at least 40% crude protein and around 20% crude fat. High-moisture diets are the most appropriate choice for cats. Cats get most of their hydration from the moisture in food, so if you feed kibble or another low-moisture diet, be sure to supplement your cat’s water intake elsewhere.
Short List of Easily Digestible Ingredients
The shorter the ingredient list, the better. A long list of ingredients means there are more potential triggers for irritation, inflammation, or allergic reactions. By providing a high-quality, meat-based cat food with minimal carbohydrates, plant protein, and irritating additives, you lessen the burden on your cat’s GI tract.
Look for a source of animal protein as the first ingredient followed by supplemental proteins and animal-sourced fats. While the carbohydrate content should be kept low — ideally below 10% when measured as dry matter — cats have a limited ability to digest nutritious plant ingredients like whole grains, low-starch veggies, and fruits. Legumes and processed grains like corn, wheat, and soy may be harder to digest.
Supplements to Support Digestive Health
Gut dysbiosis—an imbalance of good and bad microorganisms in the gut microbiome—is a major factor in chronic diarrhea. To manage your cat’s diarrhea, fortify those “good” populations by administering probiotics. While most probiotics can help, the S. boulardii strain is the gold standard for cats with diarrhea.
Cat foods and supplements that contain slippery elm bark may benefit your cat’s digestion as well. Pumpkin is another option. It contains soluble fiber which may help bulk up your cat’s stool. Just be sure to use cooked fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin free from added spice or sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best food to feed a cat with diarrhea?
In some cases, the best food is no food at all. For cases of acute diarrhea, many vets recommend withholding food for 12 to 24 hours (give plenty of water during this time) to give the cat’s stomach a chance to settle. From there, a bland diet for a few days is recommended, followed by a high-moisture, meat-centric recipe formulated for complete nutrition.
How can I firm up my cat’s poop?
Increasing your cat’s intake of dietary fiber may help. Try canned pumpkin (unsweetened), which is rich in soluble fiber and gentle on your cat’s stomach. Other bland foods like cooked white rice may help as well.
Is dry food better for a cat with diarrhea?
No. A high-moisture diet is best because it’s more digestible and helps prevent dehydration. That said, a high-quality dry diet with plenty of supplemental moisture may be better than a cheap wet food loaded with by-products, fillers, and irritating additives.
My cat, Chippie, is 13, and has hyperthyroidism. This is causing chronic diarrhea. The most common treatment for cat hyperthyroidism is methimazole. The methimazole makes the diarrhea worse. Current vet wanted to prescribe Purina Pro Plan Fortiflora probiotics to help with the diarrhea. I declined because it contains the TOXIC SODIUM SELENITE, WHICH HAS BEEN LINKED TO CAT/DOG HYPERTHYROIDISM. (I belive that sodium selenite in Chippie’s previous diets caused the hyperthyroidism in the first place. It is present in MANY cat foods.) So the vet instead prescribed another paste-based probiotic, and an anti-diarrhea med. THE EFFECT WAS MINIMAL TO NONE. I have tried feeding Chippie fresh cooked chicken and rice, boiled chicken and rice, boiled ground beef and rice (because I read there are rare cases if cat allergy to chicken). I tried adding canned pumpkin to the boiled ground beef and rice, with babyfood pumpkin, and Fussy Cat with pumpkin bits. Pumpkin clearly was not working for poor Chippie. The ONLY thing that has been working is FRESHLY COOKED SWEET POTATO. I also put some ground flax seed in it as an anti-inflammatory agent. Another good ingredient to add TO THIS is chicken bone broth with NO ONIONS, NO GARLIC, OR OTHER CAT-TOXIC INGREDIENTS. Bone broth has good nutrients and is a known source of electroytes, which a cat with diarrhea may be losing. I mix about a rounded tablespoon of the sweet potato with some Hill’s Science Diet wet kitten food for extra protein, as Chippie needs to regain some body mass lost from the chronic diarrhea. It took me over a year (might even be 2 yrs) to solve Chippie’s diarrhea problem. Hope this post helps someone else.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I would like to note, for others’ reference, that Fortiflora is not a prescription drug. It’s a food supplement that anyone can buy through many different retailers without a prescription. Additionally, it would be helpful to see some sources on the notion that sodium selenite is toxic to cats. Are you referencing Spallholz, I. E. and Raftery’s 1987 “Nutritional, chemical toxicological evaluation of high selenium yeast” published in the International Symposium of Se in Biology and Medicine, pages 516- 52? I wasn’t able to find this study’s original text, but it does seem to find some dangers to sodium selenite consumption. Nonetheless, I’ve not found any substantial pieces indicating that it causes hyperthyroidism. Anyway, thank you for sharing what’s helped you, and I also hope that it can be beneficial to someone else.
4/4/2023 Cat diahrrea update. I recently discovered Instinct Freeze-dried Raw Cage-free pellets, and I am happy to say that feeding them in dry form to my hyperthyroid cat, Chippie, works even better for diahrrea than the fresh cooked sweet potato mixed into his wet food. And the pellets have no sodium selenite (toxic) or kelp (high in iodine).
My original comment was focused on the diarrhea problem, but please do review the following references regarding sodium selenite. Note that I have already had 4 cats with hyperthyroidism–all within the last 2 years–3 dead. Chippie is the last one standing. This is NOT a coincidence.
It may be toxic to blood, kidneys, liver, skin, central nervous system of your pet https://www.essentialstuff.org/essentialstuff.org
2.94 times more toxic than Selenium Yeast https://truthaboutpetfood.com/truthaboutpetfood.com
There is no provision in the federal code that states explicitly that sodium selenite is allowed in dog or cat diets https://www.petfoodindustry.com/petfoodindustry.com
Is Selenium Toxicity a Concern for Our Pets?
https://truthaboutpetfood.com/is-selenium-toxicity-a-concern-for-our-pets/
Is raw selenite safe for cats?
-Damage to the liver and spleen in animals has also been observed, according to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). According to the 1986 edition of the Handbook of the Toxicology of Metals, daily intake of about one milligram of selenium as selenite can be toxic.Aug 24, 2011
-The EPA (reminder: the EPA sets NOAEL – No Observed Adverse Effect Level – based on very detailed reviews of numerous studies) determined the highest allowable daily intake of selenium (for a 121 pound human, but based on animal studies) to be 0.853 milligrams per day.
-The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has determined an adult maintenance dog food can have a maximum of 0.57 milligrams per day (based on recommended daily calorie intake, not body weight);
-AAFCO has no maximum level of selenium established for cat food within their pet food regulations.
Beware: Sodium selenite in pet food is toxic
https://www.catsfork.com/CatsKitchen/beware-sodium-selenite-in-pet-food-is-toxic/
…as counter-intuitive as this sounds, it is a truth: the smaller the concentration of toxic selenium, the greater the harm because small concentrations mimic hormones, especially estrogen.
Role of Selenium in Pets Health and Nutrition: A Review
https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ajas.2011.64.70
Research (Fan and Kizer, 1990; Olson, 1986) proved that inorganic selenium sources can be toxic in high doses; affecting an animal’s blood, liver and muscles. Inorganic selenium cannot be fully metabolized or stored in the body. Consequently, selenium deficiencies still arise in animals that are supplemented with inorganic selenium (Lopez et al., 1969).
Selenium concentrations in pet foods is highly variable.
However because inorganic selenium cannot be stored in the body, organic forms of selenium are being increasingly used as they are safer and more efficiently used in the body.
CONCLUSIONS
The role of trace mineral selenium in animals particularly pets is discussed and reviewed. Selenium deficiency is found to be one of the key factor behind many diseases like Kashin beck disease, cardiomyopathy, etc., Selenium levels and its forms in the diets play an important role in managing the trace mineral level in the body of the pet animal. However, toxicity associated with the high dose of selenium makes it vulnerable to pets and other animals due to the narrow difference between its required dose and the toxic dose. Current selenium supplements are mainly dependent on inorganic sources like sodium selenite which are found to be less bioavailable and also toxic. However, relative uses of selenium and its forms would be dependent on its nature of application and end use requirement. Keeping safety of the pet animals and environment as main focus areas, organoselenium compounds would be a good and alternate prospective choices for research scientists working in pet animal nutrition.
[###### This announcement below indicates the likely timeframe when other pet food companies started adding sodium selenite to cat food. This makes sense to me in that before this timeframe none of my cats–even aging ones–were having any hyperthyroidism issues.######]
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT ADDED TO OUR HUMAN GRADE PET FOODS
[The Honest Kitchen] August 14, 2016
https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/blog/new-addition-vitamin-premix/
Thank you so much. I’ll have a read.