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Blood?!?

post #1 of 11
4/5/10 at 6:00pm
Thread Starter 
I came home last night to an alarming patch of blood in the middle of the kitchen floor. It looked like it started with a spot of blood about the size of a quarter, then it got smeared all over. I immediately started a cat count, all were accounted for, and nobody appeared to have an injury. Nobody had bloody paws so I didn't even know who smeared it everywhere.

3 of the cats are totally feral and 3 are semi-feral so I can't look too closely at them, but there was nothing obvious anyway. Nobody is limping, they all ate a big meal after I dished out the canned food, and there are no facial scratches. There is NO blood anywhere else in the house, not even tracked from the kitchen.

What could it be from? Any suggestions? It was bright red blood, but completely dried. Which I thought was weird. Usually dried blood is kind of brownish. Although when I wiped it up it turned a bit brown on the paper towel.

The only thing I can think of is that it looks like the time a fully engorged tick fell off one of the dogs and I accidentally stepped on it. But there wasn't this much blood that time. Plus it's not tick time yet.
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post #2 of 11
4/5/10 at 6:22pm
Are they all spayed? Dogs, too? If no, it could be something as simple as heat.

If yes, you may want to keep an eye on their litter box habits. It could be blood in the urine or feces. Maybe try separating the cats up to see which one it's coming from?

Good luck!

Okie
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post #3 of 11
4/5/10 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, they're all spayed/neutered. Even the rabbits (who are enjoying their outdoor enclosure right now so I know it wasn't them). Plus cats don't bleed when in heat. And the dogs were with me all day so it wasn't them (that was my first thought because the dogs are constantly cutting their paws or lips).

I have 17 indoor cats....LOL. 16 who have run of the house (Silka lives in the bedroom because she doesn't like other cats). So separating them is not really do-able. I mean, I could pull one at a time for a night in the spare bathroom, but keeping each one separate from one another would be near impossible.

My second thought was blood in the feces/urine. The possibility scares me. But really I think there would be some blood in/around the litterboxes. I didn't see anything while scooping, and there's no blood smeared on the boxes themselves. And there was no poop mixed in the blood puddle.
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post #4 of 11
4/5/10 at 6:46pm
Could one of the kitties have caught a mouse??
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post #5 of 11
4/5/10 at 6:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by taterbug View Post
Could one of the kitties have caught a mouse??
Hehe, that would be a very stupid mouse to be in my house!

I thought it might be one of the goldfish.....the tank is covered but you never know. But they're all accounted for.
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post #6 of 11
4/5/10 at 6:53pm
It's a long shot but.....flea dirt? (turns red when wet)
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post #7 of 11
4/5/10 at 6:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
Yes, they're all spayed/neutered. Even the rabbits (who are enjoying their outdoor enclosure right now so I know it wasn't them). Plus cats don't bleed when in heat. And the dogs were with me all day so it wasn't them (that was my first thought because the dogs are constantly cutting their paws or lips).

I have 17 indoor cats....LOL. 16 who have run of the house (Silka lives in the bedroom because she doesn't like other cats). So separating them is not really do-able. I mean, I could pull one at a time for a night in the spare bathroom, but keeping each one separate from one another would be near impossible.

My second thought was blood in the feces/urine. The possibility scares me. But really I think there would be some blood in/around the litterboxes. I didn't see anything while scooping, and there's no blood smeared on the boxes themselves. And there was no poop mixed in the blood puddle.
Hmm... could still be blood in the feces/urine. Maybe separate half, and see if it happens again, then separate the half that it happened in and see if it happens, so on until you find the culprit???
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post #8 of 11
4/5/10 at 7:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
It's a long shot but.....flea dirt? (turns red when wet)
WAY too much blood to be flea dirt. I have seen plenty of flea dirt, . And this isn't it.

If it happens again I'm going to have to do something to narrow down the victim, obviously. If it never happens again the mystery is going to drive me crazy....LOL.
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post #9 of 11
4/7/10 at 3:30pm
I am not sure if this could be the case but have you checked for a UTI in any of your cats??? I know you have a house full and that can make it harder to determine the culprit. If the urine was concentrated it may have come out very bloody looking.

Just a thought. Good Luck!
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post #10 of 11
4/8/10 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
Just to update---I still haven't figured out what happened, and it hasn't happened again. I suppose it'll just be one of those mysteries that will haunt me forever..... . Darn mysterious kitties .
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post #11 of 11
4/8/10 at 7:23pm
LOL, yeah, but the mysteries make for good conversation!
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