You are here:

Ask the Veterinarian/My Cat Pooped Blood!

Advertisement

Expert: - 1/26/2010


Question
Today we found some blood in my cat's feces. It was not vibrant red, but not really dark either - somewhere in between. My cat is female, about 5 months old. Prior to this she was using her litter box, but now she is using the bathroom floor. It is suspected that she is also vomiting. She eats quite a bit, and she's been drinking about the same amount of water as our other two cats. The amount of feces she has been producing is larger than it has been before, and appears to be a bit more runny - not quite enough for diarrhea.  

Answer
Bright red blood in the stool is usually a sign of bowel irritation. This is commonly from a new food, or eating too much, or a bad diet that doesn't agree with her and isn't digested properly.

She isn't using the litter box because she doesn't feel well and wants you to know it.

You need to get her on a different food, one that is highly digestible, has a higher nutrient content so they don't need to eat as much and one that is gentle on the stomach for her.

I would get a 4 lb bag of Science Diet Sensitive Stomach formula and switch her over to it slowly over 7 days. You will see a big difference in her eating habits after 3 weeks time. It takes that long for the new food to get a hold in the system and for her energy needs to be met completely with less food. Then she will start eating much less.

Cats and dogs eat to meet their energy needs and feeding cheap food is like them trying to get steak protein out of a box of saltine crackers. It's not going to happen.

So take the three bag challenge and see what it will do for her.

http://www.feedingisbelieving.com/believe/3BagChallengeForm.jsp

I guarantee you will see a huge difference and she will thank you for it. Get one tomorrow and mix it into the old food. The sooner you switch her the better she will be.

If she does continue to have blood in her stool then she should see the vet.

Ask the Veterinarian

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.