Expert: Jessica - 7/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have a female cat which is 10 months old.  She has undergone an operation to remove her reproductive organs in mid-march of this year.

I found that there is bleeding from stool occasionally.  Why is this so ? I worry that there is something abnormal.

I recently found that she caught a cold. Is it necessary to take drugs ?

By the way, is it necessary for the cat to take a bath periodically ?

Thanks,
Morris


ANSWER: Hi Morris.  Some cats have a little blood in their stool periodically if they strain when they have a bowel movement.  This could be due to some diarrhea or constipation.  Roundworms or other intestinal infections can also cause irritation in the intestines and cause the presence of blood in the stool.  These should be treated with a medication from your vet.  If you are noticing blood in the stool regularly, she should have a check up.  You may want to bring a stool sample to the vet so they can check it for parasites.

It is often necessary for cats with colds to take antibiotics.  As with humans, colds tend to start off as viral infections in cats.  These cannot be cured with antibiotics and must run their course.  But as the cat’s immune system is busy fighting the viral infection, it becomes susceptible to bacterial infections, and these require antibiotics to get rid of.  So again, your kitty should see the vet if she’s got cold symptoms that include any thick nasal or eye discharge.

As for bathing, cats generally do not require it.  If your kitty gets into a greasy mess, you can use a handwashing dish soap to bath her, or if her coat is just excessively dirty or dull, you can use a mild baby shampoo or shampoo made for cats.  However, cat saliva has enzymes in it that is made to break down oils, and their tongue has barbs on it to rake out dirt and dander.  This make bathing unnecessary in cats who groom themselves properly.  You can help keep her coat extra clean and shiny by brushing her once or twice a week for short haired cats, or as often as once a day for long haired cats, instead.  If you really wanted to bathe her for some reason, you should try not to do it more than once a month, so you don’t strip the natural oils from her skin and fur.

Good luck with your kitty.  Hope she's feeling better soon!

Jessica



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

QUESTION: I found that the reason may be due to constipation. Because I saw her go to the toilet frequently but cannot excrete (or little) waste product. How to remedy ?

By the way, how long for the cat to change their adult teeth ?

Thank you.

Morris

Answer
She should really see a vet if she is not able to pass stool to determine how severe the constipation is.  If there is too much fecal build up, she will probably need an enema to resolve the problem.  If it appears that she has been passing stool but it is just of a harder than normal consistency, then the vet can give you a laxative for her.  Most of the time, this will be a lubricant laxative, but sometimes stimulant laxatives are used.  If she has a tendency to become constipated in the future, you may want to mix a teaspoon of pea or squash baby food into some canned cat food each day to help keep her regular.  Also, you can give her 5 mls of a petrolatum-based hairball treatment each day if her stools seem to be smaller or harder than usual, until they return to normal.

As for her adult teeth, by 10 months, they are all in.  The first baby teeth are replaced by adult ones beginning at around 3 months, and the last adult teeth come in at around 6 months old.