Any pet that we decide to welcome into our home needs care that ensures it enjoys a good quality of life. For this care we need a very important resource, our time. We need time to accompany our pet, to pamper it and to be attentive to any changes that may indicate a change in its he alth. These changes can be observed very clearly through food, urine and evacuation.
In this article on our site we focus on evacuation and talk about the presence of blood in cat feces, a fairly common occurrence that can occur for many reasons. In this way, if you observe this sign in your feline, accompanied or not by other symptoms, keep reading to discover everything about bloody feces in cats
My cat poops blood, is it normal?
Finding blood in the cat's feces is not normal and should be interpreted as a warning sign, since everything that affects to the digestive system can have a systemic impact on the body of our pet, hence the cat's diet is one of the most important factors to maintain its he alth.
Elements such as blood or mucus should not be interpreted as normal signs when found in the feces, but this does not necessarily imply that they are due to a serious disease that compromises the life of the animal.
Types of blood in cat feces
One of the first aspects that we must differentiate and that will be very useful to give the veterinarian the appropriate information is the color of the blood, since it has different meanings. Let's see below why this is so important and what each coloration means:
- Red blood in the cat's feces: If the blood in the cat's poop is red, this indicates that it has not been digested and therefore comes from the lower digestive tract, usually the colon or rectum. In this case we talk about hematochezia and we can find the stained feces or even observe how the blood falls when our cat defecates.
- Black blood in the cat's feces: if the blood present in our cat's feces is black, this tells us that has been digested and therefore comes from the upper part of the digestive tract. Here we are talking about melena and blood is more difficult to identify but is characterized by its tar-like appearance.
Causes of blood in cat feces
The causes of this disorder can be very diverse and the severity, treatment and prognosis will vary depending on each specific cause. Next, we will see what are the main causes that can cause the presence of blood in your cat's feces:
- Eating Errors: A sudden change in diet, eating too much or choosing a poor quality food can irritate the colon and cause alterations both in the evacuation and in the composition of the feces, causing the presence of blood in them. So, if you've recently changed his diet and you've started noticing that your cat poops red blood, this may be the problem. Therefore, it is important to introduce any changes gradually, first mixing both foods and gradually removing the old food. Likewise, if the cause is poor quality feed, it is as simple as acquiring a more suitable one.
- Intestinal parasites: Intestinal parasites that can infest your cat's gastrointestinal tract are a common cause of bloody stools. stool. In this case, we will also observe signs such as malaise, weakness and even weight loss.
- Damage to the rectal mucosa: the rectum is a highly vascular area with a large blood supply, this also means that it is an area very sensitive and delicate. When the cat follows a diet deficient in fiber, constipation and a greater effort to evacuate can occur, which can damage the rectal mucosa and cause it to bleed.
- Colitis: colitis is a term that indicates inflammation of the colonand that produces bleeding in the mucosa of this intestinal section that, later, is externalized in the stool with the presence of blood. In the cat, colitis can be caused by the colonization of bacteria of the Clostridium genus.
- Traumatisms: Due to their independent and exploratory nature, cats are very susceptible to various types of blows and these can cause internal bleeding which, although not visible, are manifested through the presence of blood in the stool.
- Taking NSAIDs: NSAIDs are drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugsand can be used in both cats and dogs as long as they are for veterinary use. Generally, they are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Due to their mechanism of action, this type of anti-inflammatory decreases the secretion of protective mucus in the stomach and can cause bleeding ulcers in the gastric mucosa. In these cases, it is common to observe vomiting and bloody stools in cats.
- Tumors: One cause of blood in the cat's feces can be cell overgrowth in the digestive tract. This does not imply that the nature of the tumor can be benign or malignant, something that the veterinarian will confirm.
Bloody diarrhea in cats
A sudden change in diet can also be the cause of bloody diarrhea in cats. This is so because your digestive system is much more sensitive, so you need to adapt to changes in diet progressively in order not to suffer damage that ends up triggering diarrhea and the presence of blood in the stool.
Although the above is usually the most common cause, the truth is that it is not the only one that can show bloody diarrhea as a symptom. Thus, the following conditions are also behind this sign:
- Feline Panleukopenia: Also known as distemper in cats, panleukopenia is a disease caused by a virus that mainly affects puppies and very young kittens. It causes a serious infection that can spread throughout the body or attack the uterus and nervous system. In any case, among its main symptoms is diarrhea with black blood, that is, digested. This is a sign that the disease is advanced, so you need to go to the vet immediately.
- Feline leukemia: also caused by a virus, can develop bloody diarrhea in cats that also experience secondary infections due to infection. lowering of defenses that the leukemia virus causes.
- Coccidiosis: Cryptosporidium coccidium is the main cause of fresh blood in cat diarrhoea.
- Stress: cats are very susceptible, so the slightest change in their routine can cause them to become seriously stressed and anxiety. Stress can produce, among other symptoms, vomiting and bloody diarrhea in the cat that suffers from it. In these cases, we will see the presence of fresh blood, so the diarrhea will have a reddish color.
Feces with blood and mucus in cats
When a cat poops with blood and mucus, it is very likely that there has been some kind of injury to the rectal mucosa or that it is irritated. Likewise, bacterial infections in the rectum or colon also tend to present blood and mucus in the stool.
However, the truth is that most of the causes mentioned in the previous sections can show mucus as well as blood, so it is necessary to see a specialist in all cases.
What to do if I see blood in my cat's stool?
It is important that you go to the vet as soon as possible because serious causes can be hidden behind this sign, but we reiterate that this is not always the case. The veterinarian will take into account all the symptoms and signs present, perform a complete physical examination, as well as blood and stool teststhat allow you to define the underlying cause and treat it appropriately.
To finish, we recommend that you provide the following information when you go to the vet in order to more easily find out the cause of blood in your cat's feces:
- When did the symptoms appear and if they have appeared more than once in the last few months.
- If the cat has lost its appetite and is showing weakness.
- It is important to take a stool sample and report any changes in consistency or frequency of bowel movements.
- We must also report any strange behavior we have observed in our cat.
Now, if you suspect that the presence of blood in your cat's feces is due to stress or a change in its diet, then we recommend you follow these tips:
- Find the stressor and remove it if possible. If it is not possible because it is a move, changes in furniture or the arrival of a new animal, then you will have to work on adapting your cat to its new situation. To do this, you can use synthetic pheromones, designed to promote a relaxed and safe environment for cats, and establish appropriate guidelines for the situation.
- Check the quality of the feed and buy a new one if the problem is that it is not up to the nutritional needs of cats.
- Introduce the new food gradually If you have already changed the food and this is the cause of bloody diarrhea in your cat or loose stools, then you should wait for it to go away on its own. Normally, after 24-48 hours, intestinal transit is balanced.
