kitty with loose poo and blood!!

[kittymama]

Hello,

I took my two male cats to the vet ~2 weeks ago when they were both not acting right. One is a 7 year old 17-pounder who was throwing up everything he ate! Upon x-rays we found he had a hardened hair ball in his belly which eventually passed, and he is back to normal. My other kitty is a 5 year old 10-pounder who loves to run, jump, and play. I was pretty sure he was having diarrhea problems b/c I had been finding big wet lumpy turds that he neglected to cover up. This kitty also has problems with peeing outside the box. If ever I leave a towel or furry rug on the floor, he will curl up on top of it and pee. The vet did a urinalysis to rule out infection and sure enough, he was clean. He definitely has some behavioral issues.

We wound up putting the second kitty on antibiotics b/c I thought he was the one with diarrhea. Now, 2 weeks later, I'm not so sure. I've been finding a loose turd in one of the 4 litter boxes I have, approximately ever 2 days. Today there was one, uncovered again, with a little bit of blood on top.

I spent $430 at the vet to get these 2 rascals healthy, and yet SOMEONE, i'm not sure who, is still having bad poos. I also have a female kitty who moved in about 3 months ago, who is large and in charge, but I really don't think she's the one with the problems. I really think it's my 10 pound kitty......... but he's acting purrfectly normal! He's eating, drinking, playing, and acting like his normal self......???

What should I do??? I guess part of me wants to hear "he'll be fine, it will pass, this happens all the time," but it's been nearly 3 weeks since I've been finding these sad loose turds in the boxes, and I don't know what to do! I'm going out of town over labor day weeken and don't want my absence to aggravate things. Any responses greatly appreciated, thank you.

[Malibu's Mom]

A few questions -

Have you seen any of them straining to go to the bathroom? Have there been any other symptoms you've seen - losing weight, change in appetite, drinking more, more lethargic, peeing more frequently?

Have you gotten blood tests done? I'd definitely ask to do a senior blood panel on the 5 yr old, as well as a fecal exam. I think he's probably the one having the issues. The peeing outside of the box, loose stools, diarrhea and the blood says to me that there's something going on with him to me.

Why did they put him on antibiotics? Did he test positive for something?

There's so many things that could cause these symptoms.

I hope it's nothing major and he gets better soon. We all know what it's like to be worried about your kitties. Hugs to you.

[Lizzie]

There is no substitute for seeing a vet and it may cost you less in the long run.

That said, fresh blood on a stool is a sign of lower gi tract bleed - colon usually. The cause can be giardia, coccidia or another parasite. Does your cat go outside?

It could be trauma. Again, this would usually happen to a cat who is allowed outside.

Another possible cause is irritable bowel syndrome. This is a younger cat who is being dominated both by an older male cat and a female cat and who may be responding by peeing in inappropriate places. So, in spite of behaving normally, he could be upset and that could translate into irritable bowel just as people who are going through a great deal of stress can act normally but develop IBS. From what my vet has told me, there is no truly definitive test. They can do an ultrasound and take a biopsy but that will show inflammation, etc. but not give an absolute diagnosis.

If you don't want to take him back to the vet yet, or can't (and we all understand financial constraints), you could look up feline IBS online and see about a diet that might help him. You could try giving him a space of his own for part of each day and making sure he gets fussing from you separate from the others. If it is stress, and he has IBS, there are drugs that could help him - but then you need to see a vet.

Bottom line is that he does have a problem and he does need help - sorry!

[kittymama]

THank you for the replies.

My 5 year old kitty has had peepee problems since he was a kitten. He had an infection once and we treated it quickly and it subsided, but since then his urinary tract has been healthy, it's his behavior that hasn't changed. I don't know why he loves to curl up on towels/rugs and pee on them, I guess he just feels really relaxed when he does so.

I'm still not sure exactly which kitty is having the problem, so I will try something my vet suggested which is to put (non-toxic) crayon shavings into their poo. A different color for each cat. That way, I can see what color shavings are in the poo and determine which kitty is having the diarrhea problems. My 5 year old kitty absolutely HATES going to the vet and it stresses him out even more, so I will first try this test before I subject him further.

Otherwise, he is acting exaclty the same and eating regularly, and has not lost any weight. He is definitely not one to be dominated - he and his brother have a pretty loving relationship, but the new girl kitty is pretty mean to him. My boyfriend thinks SHE may be the one with the poo problem, because she gets poo stuck to the fur around her booty, and she rarely cleans it so I wind up having to wipe it off with a warm cloth, which she HATES!!

I will continue to monitor all of my kitties for another 2-3 days and if it doesn't improve I will take him and whoever else may be having the issue (as revealed by the crayons) to the vet.