Blood in Feces

[aly]

SOmebody please help! I just found blood in Shiloh's feces. Should I go to the emergency vet or wait until tomorrow? I'm going to look on the net to see what this could be a symptom of. Everything else is normal and she's acting normal. She is eating and drinking like normal and has her normal amount of energy. She was just wrestling with Reece.

Sandra?? Do you know what it could be?

[lizbud]

Aly,
Could be just a reaction with a temporary
constipation problem.If it is not mixed
with the stool, but only on the outside of
it. Has Shiloh ever had this before?
If she's eating & acting normal, it's a good
sign it's nothing really serious.I've seen it
maybe 2 times in two years with my kitties.
It was a one day event and not an everyday
thing. I know you will do what's best for
her , but it is scary for you. Good Luck
with Shiloh.. .

[4 feline house]

Lizbud is correct. From my experience, unless it is black or looks like coffee grounds, or is actually "in" the stool, it's usually just a little constipation problem. Of course, you will want to check with your vet, but it can probably wait until morning.

[aly]

I called the emergency vet. They told me to watch for straining, frequent trips to the litter box, or lethargy. If any of that happens I'll take her to the emergency clinic. Otherwise I'll call my vet in the morning for an appointment.

Thanks for the replies. I am REALLY worried about her. She's always so healthy and has never had a health problem since I got her.

[Sudilar]

Aly, good luck with your Shiloh! Hope everything is ok!

[Pam]

Just saw this post now! I hope Shiloh is OK. How is she doing today?

[wayne0214]

My vet told me, after taking Snow Cat to her office for the same problem, this at times could be due to their diet. She said certain foods may cause this and that there is nothing to worry about, assuming it is not a persistant thing. You might check to see if there have been temporary dietary changes, such as switch-feeding them "meaty-goodness (canned) cat food".

......wayne

[aly]

Hmmm, guess what? The day before it happened, I had fed her half a small can of wet food which she normally never gets

I've been in close contact with my vet and she says that is probably the cause. I've also been on Litter Box Patrol and haven't seen any more blood. Shiloh is still acting normal. In fact she and the dogs got into some trouble while home alone yesterday... ripped open their Xmas presents

[purrley]

My Spencer is sick again - this morning I checked the litter box and found bloody diaherra on the side of the box. I know it's Spence - right now his fur does not look good and he's extremely mopy. I just had him into the vet a couple weeks ago because of blood in his vomit - now this. This cat is a walking health problem!!!I wonder if he has eaten any dog food which may have caused this trouble - anyway it's vet time again.

[Gio]

Hi Aly, any news on Shiloh. Something similar happened to one of mine as well and luckily it was nothing serious, but in spite of the vet's reassurance I was a nervous wreck for a while.

Oops our posts must have crossed! I'm pleased that there is nothing wrong with her.

[ December 21, 2001: Message edited by: Gio ]

[wayne0214]

Purrley, I surmize that your kittie has not been in the best of health (as I'm new to this board). If you leave meaty dog food out, your furkid might be eating it, but the remainder of the problems do not sound as though they are directly related. Although I am certainly no expert on the subject. Have you chekced him for internal parasites?

..........wayne

[sasvermont]

My two kitties had a few bouts with blood in their stools and the Vet gave me different dry food for them. It is Science Diet WD, high fiber. Once I started feeding them the WD, the bloody stools lessened, although they still have it from time to time. The Vet tested them for every thing under the sun .....and they are happy kitties, so we are just going to keep an eye on it/them. There seems to be a connection between what they eat and their stools. If I give them "off their diet foods", and I do, they seem to have the problem return, just not as badly as when they were on different dry food. I would have the cat checked for parasites etc. and if all is fine, then switch the food. Some cats have sensitive digestive tracts. Mine do for sure. Hope this helps! I think that is why they remain so thin. Vets rule, eh?

[4 feline house]

Aly, shame for blaming Shiloh for something that clearly the dogs were responsible for! In fact, I'm sure she was doing her best to make them behave, but a kitty is only a kitty.

[purrley]

Just got back from taking Spencer to the vet - AGAIN - this time looks like he picked up the giordia bug - he's had this before so they put water under his skin because of dehydration and now he takes another 10 days of pills. Guess I'm going to have to be more diligent on cleaning cat boxes - that's gotta be where he picked it up.

[sasvermont]

Hi,

My cats had Girardia when I first picked them up from the breeder. The breeder was shocked to hear it when I told her the results from their Vet visit. I was too. The breeder thought they acquired it from drinking dirty water. Needless to say, it is all better....but I suspect if one cat has it, and shares a litter box then they should all be treated? Sounds like a nightmare to me. By the way, I bought the pills on line, in the products for "fish" section. Saved myself lots of money. I keep the pills on hand now.

Information:

What are Giardia? Giardia are sometimes confused with worms because they invade the gastrointestinal tract and can cause diarrhea. They are not worms; instead, they are one-celled parasites classified as protozoa.

Sorry to hear you have such a yucky thing happening in your household.

SAS