Unlike the sudden onset upset we just mentioned, chronic enteropathies are slower to appear and tend to last a long time. Diarrhea and weight loss are common signs. Again, it can be caused by many different things such as adverse food reactions, immune reactions and genetics.

The colon is part of the large bowel and when this gets inflamed it’s called colitis. It’s usually very characteristic and most cats show the same signs - looking like they urgently need to have a poop, they might strain to have a poop but not much comes out, and one of the classic signs of colitis is fresh blood and/or slimy mucus in the stools.

The same as in humans, when cats are constipated, they find pooping difficult and they might go to the toilet much less frequently. Constipation can be caused by lots of things. Eating bones, feathers and fur can make the stools hard and difficult to pass, the presence of lots of hair, especially in long-haired cats or a sluggish bowel will also mean that the stools are dry and difficult to shift. Some breeds like the Siamese are more prone to a sluggish bowel than others. This can result in a condition called megacolon.

This is a complex condition in cats and can be difficult to diagnose with vague signs. These signs include vomiting, lethargy and lack of appetite. In cats it can seem to come and go and often goes hand in hand with other problems like adverse food reactions and inflammatory bowel disease.

Cats can react badly to certain foods for a number of reasons and together we call these adverse food reactions. True food allergies are rarer than people think and they tend to be caused by proteins in foods such as chicken, fish and milk. Food allergies can cause vomiting and diarrhea and also skin issues like itchiness and excessive grooming.