Expert: Ali - 6/13/2009

Question
QUESTION: I woke up this morning to find drops of blood from my female cat. There was a few drops down the stairs, Then a more significant show at the bottom of the stairs. My cat (Swiffer 6 1/2 years) was under a bed, Which is normal. When I called her she came right away.. again normal. She let me pat her and it looked like nothing was wrong. When she turned I saw blood in her fur around her butt. She is behaving normally, Eating, And being my suck which is usual. She is not fixed, Has never had a bloody show when in heat. She did get out the other day, And I am wondering if this is a sign of pregnancy, or pregnancy complications?
I really can't afford a vet trip at this moment, But dont want to postpone if something is wrong. Any answer or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you

ANSWER: Brittny,

There could be any number of issues going on here, but I'm concerned that something serious is happening. I understand that finances are tight at this point and an unnecessary trip to the vet would be best avoided. Since I recognize that an unexpected vet bill is difficult for many pet parents to afford I keep an ever growing list of charitable organizations and rescue groups that may be willing to cover some or all of the medical expenses necessary to diagnose and treat Swiffer's medical condition. I'll do my best to help find you some help with the veterinary expenses for Swiffer, since there are so many organizations all that I ask is for pet parents to give me a general idea where they're writing from so that I only provide resources in your general area - in the US the state is fine, in Canada the province is okay, obviously the more information I know about where you're writing from the more likely I'll be to find organizations that will help pets and their caregivers with medical expenses in your area. I would encourage you to let me know where to look for organizations that might be of help when it comes to covering some or all of Swiffer's medical bill as soon as possible because I'm concerned that whatever is causing the bleeding could become serious if not diagnosed and treated in time.

Based on the information you've provided in your short question if Swiffer was my cat she'd be headed to the vet immediately to be assessed, diagnosed and receive appropriate treatment. I can't say for sure whether Swiffer's bleeding is a result of being hit by a car, a foreign body, a serious fall, an infection or a miscarriage to name a few possible causes. Obviously determining the origin of Swiffer's bleeding would be helpful for the vet to determine what's happening. It's very important that whatever is causing the bleeding is diagnosed, treated so that the bleeding stops regardless of where the problem originates. There is a possibility that Swiffer may need a blood transfusion or IV fluids to help her cope with the blood loss because cats are much smaller than people and they haven't got much blood to lose so what looks like a small amount of blood loss to us could prove too much for a cat to cope with.

I'm not a vet so I can't provide you with a diagnosis (even if I was a vet I couldn't diagnose what's happening without seeing the cat). Unfortunately Swiffer may have been the victim of an act of cruelty that left her badly hurt if she's allowed outside, it's not a pleasant thought, but there's a chance that whatever is going on with Swiffer could be a result of being hit, kicked or otherwise injured, if this is the case it's important to have the vet collect evidence ASAP so that charges can be laid if the cruelty investigators in your area find the person responsible. It's possible that your kitty has ingested some sort of toxic substance, but I'd expect more in the way of symptoms if this was the case. This little girl may have eaten a foreign body that's caused some damage to her digestive tract, but if this was the case I'd expect her to be lethargic, lose her appetite and appear somewhat subdued.

If there's any chance that Swiffer could be pregnant then if she's bleeding from her vagina it could be an indication that she's given birth to kittens, I suspect you would have heard or seen babies by this point, however it's not uncommon for queens to hide their babies. Giving birth would help to explain small amounts of bloody discharge up to a certain point. If your girl is having mucous like or pus tinged vaginal discharge along with the blood she could have an extremely serious and potentially fatal uterine infection called pyometra. The treatment for pyometra is emergency surgery to spay the cat, however this is often significantly more expensive than a routine spay because the surgery is more complex, takes more of the vet's time and the cat needs to be watched more closely after surgery to ensure that she isn't becoming seriously ill. If a queens uterus becomes very distended there's a chance that it could rupture and spread the infection throughout her abdomen, unfortunately the prognosis at that point wouldn't be good. If Swiffer is allowed outside or has access to one or more intact male cats she may have become pregnant, it's uncommon but there's a chance she could be having a miscarriage or be in premature labor, but again I would think you would have seen kittens by this point. It's not normal for a cat to bleed when they're in season, this is something that happens with female dogs. Swiffer could have a urinary tract infection which is very painful, it's not unusual for a cat's urine to be substantially colored with blood in this case. Another possible explanation for the blood loss you're seeing is that your little one could have crystals in her urine or a partial blockage in her urinary tract, but that would be unusual for a female cat provided that she's eating a decent food and isn't obese. Female cats have significantly larger urinary tracts than male cats which makes blockages less common, the risk of blockages in a cat's urinary tract increases dramatically when cats are fed low quality, species inappropriate diets and allowed to become obese.

I'd be more than happy to send you information that will allow you to understand the unique nutritional needs of your cat and how the quality of her diet is directly related to many serious health problems that are unfortunately becoming more common since our cats have been eating many commercially manufactured diets. It's difficult for pet parents to get good, reliable information about pet foods so that the average caregiver is able to make a well informed choice when it comes to what they want their pets to be eating. Unfortunately there's not much in the way of standards or legislation regarding what is or isn't acceptable in terms of which ingredients can be included in the food, transparency of pet food labels or minimum standards as far as the quality of ingredients used in pet foods.

There isn't any law against companies labelling pet foods as vet recommended, premium or all natural so these words on the bag, can or box aren't an assurance of quality. Shortly before the Menu Foods recalls became public my eldest resident cat developed severe renal failure and almost lost her life after she ate melamine tainted food. Luckily MC survived, so many other cats and dogs lost their fight for life. I lost a significant amount of trust in the pet food industry since the massive pet food recall and I think it's important to help pet parents understand the nutritional needs of their cats and make informed decisions about what they want their pet to be eating, maybe some good will come from MC's near fatal bout with renal failure. Speaking of recalls, I was recently on the Menu Foods web site and there's a completely new pet food recall, apparently this time acetaminophen is somehow ending up in pet food.

Sadly there's a significant gap between what we as pet parents believe our vets know about nutrition and what they're actually taught. Many pet food manufacturers provide veterinarians with free food that they can sell for a substantial profit or pay the vet in exchange for recommending their food and advertising in the clinic. For the most part unless a veterinarian makes a specific effort to learn more about nutrition they're being educated by the pet food industry itself which is awfully dangerous in my opinion. I think that the 2007 Menu Foods pet food recalls clearly show us that allowing the pet food manufacturers to educate vets and set their own standards really isn't a wise or safe idea. I can direct you to a web site created by a veterinarian with the intention of educating pet parents about providing the best possible nutrition for cats and I'd also be happy to send you an article about the pet industry that will explain more about the pet food industry.

Hopefully the information I've provided is somewhat helpful, I will do my best to get you some help with the cost of Swiffer's care if necessary. If you'd like me to clarify anything in this answer or you'd like more information regarding cats I'd be more than happy to help you out and address any questions or concerns you might have.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi there, First of all I would like to thank you for your quick response, and many ideas. I just wanted to clarify when Swiffer got out, it was only to my back deck, and she wont go farther than that.. Odd for a cat but she knows the boundaries. So getting hit, or beaten is not really a possibility. I know at night there is a big tom cat that comes to my glass door to see her, and I thought maybe he had come around through the day, But that was over a week ago.
Since yesterday I have bathed her, To help her get clean and she didn't mind the bath so much, She has been sucky still. But still eating, using the litter box, and taking treats etc when offered. I dont know about the crystals, because she seems to not be in pain. That is the part that is confusing me. She will let me rub her stomach etc, Anywhere I want, and she is not meowing like she is in pain at all. I do have another female cat who is a little younger than Swiffer, and Swiffer has always taken on the Mom, or big sister role with her, But the past 2 days they seem to not be going near eachother. Not running through the house and night, or chasing eachother all night until they have really almost driven me crazy, haha. So I dont know if the other female (Whoopi) Knows that she is not feeling well?
Anyways I have no problem giving information on where I live, I like in Ontario Canada, Stoney Creek.
Thank you again so much, Any suggestion or ideas are really appreciated.
Oh, and last night Swiffer was fine, She seems to like to sleep on the cold floors, instead of the bed where she usually does, or even the spot on the carpet she usually sleeps? She still seems fine today. Thanks!
Brittny

Answer
Brittny,

You mentioned a couple of things that may point to what's happening with Swiffer. I'm not sure if the bleeding has completely stopped at this point, but the fact that she's seeking out cool places to lie is sometimes an indicator of a urinary tract infection or blockage in the urinary tract. Unfortunately the majority of cats won't show obvious signs of pain unless they're extremely uncomfortable, it's an instinct related to survival in the animal kingdom - a weak animal is likely to become a dead one quite quickly. For example, my middle cat was following me around and talking to me earlier this evening and when he opened his mouth to meow I happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be blood in his mouth, upon further investigation I found that my little guy's lower right fang was bloody and it looks like he actually managed to crack the tooth itself vertically, he isn't keen on letting me see his mouth right now so I spoke with my vet and she recommended bringing him in to the clinic tomorrow evening so that she could evaluate his condition and make recommendations based on what she finds. I know if I cracked my tooth the way that it appears he has I'd be pretty uncomfortable but the only telltale sign is that he's a bit more aloof and slightly more tired. Just as a means of easing your mind I'd recommend doing a few simple tests at home to see if further investigation by a veterinarian is warranted. First since Swiffer's been bleeding it's a good idea to check what color her gums are, if they're pale or white it's a reliable indicator that they're anemic for some reason, in Swiffer's case that might be related to her bleeding or some other disease process happening in her body. Taking Swiffer's temperature using a digital thermometer (obviously you don't want to use the thermometer that any person is going to use because taking the cat's temperature must be done rectally). It's important to lubricate the thermometer with KY jelly or vaseline, have someone hold Swiffer firmly by holding her side against their body and preventing her from moving forward or backwards suddenly - you don't want to risk injury to her intestines because that can be quite serious. Once you're confident that Swiffer's going to stay put you can insert the thermometer into her rectum about 1 inch or so, if you aren't experienced at taking a cat's temperature I'd suggest holding the thermometer 1 1/2 inches above the end so that you won't insert it too far. Normal body temperature for cats is between 100.5-102.5 degrees farenheit, if Swiffer's temperature is 103 or higher or lower than 100.5 she needs to be seen by a vet so that the underlying problem can be quickly diagnosed and treated appropriately.


As for potential resources that may help to cover the cost of Swiffer's vet care if she needs to be seen there aren't as many in Ontario as there are in other parts of North America. Some veterinarians work closely with financing companies and will accept some form of payment plan so this is an option that may be available to you depending upon the relationship you have with your veterinarian. The Farley Foundation is the only resource I have on my list for Ontario, the web address is www.thefarleyfoundation.org.

Other more general organizations which may offer some assistance are listed below:

- Help-A-Pet: www.help-a-pet.org
- Angels for Animals: www.angels4animals.org
- Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program: www.fveap.org
- Cats in Crisis: http://www.catsincrisis.org
- Feline Outreach: www.felineoutreach.org

Hopefully Swiffer's bleeding was an isolated incident and she's okay, but if she isn't these organizations may be willing to help you out or one of the other options I've provided will offer some help to defray some or all of the total cost of Swiffer's treatment if she needs medical care.