Odd behaviour question

sammie5

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My kitty (Sam) has done this twice that I've seen. He gets into a panic, races around in apparent distress, and stops to "check out" his butt. Eventually, he will deposit a little bit of poo on the floor, and then he's fine.

He's obviously upset - is usually meticulous about using his litter box. I try to comfort him, and he seems to calm down.

All I can imagine is that his previous owners disciplined him for "accidents" - he seemed to have the same reaction when he vomited, until he realized that he would not be punished.

Right now, he's just lying in the bathtub, and grooming all over.

Is this something I should worry about? (I'm not worried about occasional accidents on the carpet). I just don't like to see him upset.
 

sandie

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Is the poop hard or soft? If it's hard, it may be because he needs a little more fat/oil in his diet to loosen them up a bit. If it's soft, it could be an upset in the tummy, or hair passing as well.
 
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sammie5

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The poop is soft - he does have a lot of trouble with (I think) a sensitive stomach, and with hairballs. He is long haired - and grooms a lot. I try to brush him every day, which also helps.

As long as this is just a behavioural problem, not medical, I'm not worried. He gets very upset, but doesn't appear to be ill or anything. And he used the litter box shortly before this happened.

The thing I've found with an adopted pet (he was 5 when we got him) is that we have very little clue about how he was raised. He appears to have been well cared for, as he doesn't have a lot of difficult behaviours. He also is VERY obedient. I just suspect that he was punished for making a mess on the floor.

When we first got him, if he vomited, he'd panic and run and hide. Now he sits beside me, meows to get my attention, and then vomits. And if he can, he will find a plastic bag or piece of paper to vomit on. Once in a while, he'll do it in another room, and then come to find me and tell me what happened. He's a very considerate kitty.
 

maui

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To me it sounds like maybe he has cramping . . .maybe he has a bit of the runs (diarhea)?

One of my kitties races around before a bm too, and sometimes yowls. If she did the same thing your kitty was doing I would suspect a sore stomach -- particularly because you said he is prone to tummy things.

I don't think it is behavioral.

As far as the barfing on paper, one of my kitties does that too! It is so sweet. She usually finds paper or does it on the tiled floor or linoleum. And she yowls before barfing too. I don't think it is so much to let me know, as much as it is saying I FEEL YUCKY RIGHT NOW. my other cat usually pics a spot six inches away from the tile, in the middle of the carpet. . .ick.
 
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sammie5

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He did have a case of diarhea in the summer, or at least a case of very loose stools (he didn't go more frequently, just a bit of a mess when he did go).

I took him to the vet, who checked him out, and checked the stool sample (or cat poop, as I called it when I presented it to her), and found nothing wrong. She told me to remove food for 12 - 24 hours (hahahahaha), and then sold me a very expensive can of vet food. It cleared up in another day or two.

I'll see if he has any more trouble - he's a pretty happy cat, and I just don't like to see him in any distress.
 

lotsocats

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Your cat sounds like a real sweetheart!

I too think it sounds a little like a tummy problem. What brand of food are you feeding him? It could be that the food just isn't working well with his system.
 
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sammie5

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I am feeding him Nutrience brand dry food (free feeding) and the Pet Value store brand wet food twice a day. He did not do well on Iams, and he seems to tolerate this better. He is a pretty fussy eater.

He was on Fancy Feast wet food for a while too, but this wet food seems better as well, and he really likes it, but only certain flavours (nothing with beef, just the turkey and chicken varieties). I do keep track, and eliminate the ones that seem to cause more problems. However, I don't want to have him just eat one kind of food exclusively, in case we have to change some time in the future.
 
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