What Does Blood in Your Cat’s Stool Mean? Find Out if You Should See a Vet · Kinship Leave a comment

Blood is a scary factor to see. If it’s a scrape in your knee, it’s one factor. But when it’s inner, it’s straightforward to get alarmed. 

A little bit of blood in your cat’s stool just isn’t at all times an emergency. Generally, the underlying trigger might be anal gland irritation, hemorrhoids, or stress. Nonetheless, in additional troubling instances, the place it’s persistent or accompanied by different signs, this will point out that your cat is in poor health.

Pet parenting offers, only for our kin

Get (completely free) offers for meals, treats, equipment, tech, and means extra pet parenting must-haves.

Get Offers

As a cat mother or father, it’s important to study in regards to the distinction between the 2, so when it’s time in your cat to see their vet.

What does blood in your cat’s poop imply?

There might be variations within the look of the blood, relying on the place it comes from within the intestinal tract. Vivid purple blood, referred to as hematochezia, tends to return from low within the intestines, such because the anus, rectum, or colon. Darkish and tarry blood is digested blood, referred to as melena, and comes from larger within the intestinal tract, such because the small intestines. 

Is blood in your cat’s poop regular?

No, blood in your cat’s stool just isn’t regular. You need to by no means ignore it. If it occurs one or two occasions and is just a minimal quantity, this may very well be a short lived response to a dietary change or delicate intestinal upset. Nonetheless, if it persists or is heavy, you will need to speak to your veterinarian. 

How critical is blood in your cat’s stool?

Since you’ll be able to’t see the within of your cat’s intestinal tract, you gained’t know if it’s critical. Seriousness relies on the underlying trigger. If it solely occurs a few times and the bleeding is a minimal quantity, that is in all probability not an emergency. 

Nonetheless, if bleeding persists or is heavy, you need to seek the advice of your veterinarian, particularly if different signs accompany it. Look ahead to such indicators as vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy. Persistent or heavy bleeding, together with these signs, can imply one thing extra critical, resembling infections, parasites, and even most cancers. 

What causes bloody poop in cats?

A number of situations can result in blood in a cat’s stool: 

• Sudden meals adjustments, meals intolerances, or allergy symptoms

• Worms resembling hookworms or protozoal infections

• Salmonella, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), or panleukopenia

• Power irritation of the intestines.

• Exhausting stools 

• Ingesting non-food objects 

• Growths within the gastrointestinal tract 

• Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (a sudden, extreme situation requiring pressing care)

These are all situations that require your pet to be seen by a veterinarian.

How do vets diagnose bloody poop in cats?

There are a number of issues a vet can do to attempt to discover the reason for the blood, together with:

How do vets deal with cats with bloody poop?

You’ll be able to’t deal with a dysfunction till the underlying trigger. The outcomes of the vet examination and any testing will hopefully decide the underlying trigger, so remedy can start. Remedy can embrace the next.

• Dietary changes: switching to a hypoallergenic or fiber-rich weight-reduction plan

• Deworming medicine: if parasites are detected

• Antibiotics or probiotics: for bacterial infections or intestine well being

• Anti-inflammatory medicine: to handle IBD or colitis

• Fluid remedy: if dehydration is current

• Surgical procedure: in instances of tumors, blockages, or extreme injury

Most situations might be handled. And be assured that there are much more treatable points than non-treatable situations inflicting blood in your cat’s stool. 

FAQs

What does it imply in case your cat is pooping blood however has no different signs?

In case your cat has no different signs and is appearing usually, you need to be capable of wait and monitor their situation over the following day or so. If the blood continues or their situation will get worse, see your vet. 

Can worms trigger blood in cats’ poop?

Sure, completely. Hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms can irritate the intestinal lining of your cat and trigger bleeding. Luckily, that’s a simple situation to repair. A fecal examination and a few deworming medicine will do the trick. 

Can stress trigger blood in cats’ poop?

Sure, stress can contribute to colitis, resulting in blood or mucus within the stool. Stress-induced colitis is usually non permanent, however a vet ought to consider your cat if their signs persist.

Can altering cat meals trigger blood?

Sure, sudden dietary adjustments can upset your cat’s digestive system, resulting in diarrhea, irritation, and typically minor bleeding. In the event you change your cat’s meals, you need to do it slowly, transitioning over as a lot as per week. 

Backside line

• Whereas blood in your cat’s stool might be scary, it will possibly normally be handled simply. 

• Persistent blood or heavy bleeding could require extra diagnostic checks and extra sophisticated remedy. 

• Monitoring your cat’s litter field is important for catching abnormalities as quickly as they happen. 

References

• Marks, Stanley L, and Michael D Willard. “Diarrhea in Kittens.” Elsevier EBooks, 1 Jan. 2006, pp. 133–143, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7149963, https://doi.org/10.1016/b0-72-160423-4/50018-4. 

• Matz, ME, and WG Guilford. “Laboratory Procedures for the Prognosis of Gastrointestinal Tract Illnesses of Canine and Cats.” New Zealand Veterinary Journal, vol. 51, no. 6, Dec. 2003, pp. 292–301, https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2003.36383.