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Brand new kitty, bloated belly, blood in stool

post #1 of 6
8/29/10 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 
I adopted a kitty over the weekend at a small animal shelter. The shelter was kind of a dump. I think for the most part they were doing the best they can. It is a "kill" shelter, so I'm sure they have to put down many cats and dogs. There were over 60 kitties, most of them with their mommies still) in cages. The buildings were two little storage shed type buildings. The building #2 had one cat that was sneezing constantly. I left that building, aired out, washed my hands with antibiotic gel, then went back to building #1. All the kitties seemed healthy in there. No runny/crusty eyes or nose, no sneezing, etc. I picked out an adorable kitty. Her first poo poo that we saw was slightly loose and had a little bit of blood in it. We tried not to freak out. Her tummy seems a little bloated to me, and my daughter said she thinks it's a little tender also. She eats like a pig, seems to feel fine. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow for sure. Any ideas on what is going on with her?? (Oh--on her paperwork it said that they gave her worm meds. She has not been tested for any of the kitty diseases. They gave her a shot she called the 5-way shot.)
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post #2 of 6
8/29/10 at 7:02pm
I suppose the worst possibility is coccidiosis or giardia, both of which are treatable and which your vet can check for. Most likely is a little constipation, often due to a change in food, which is a constant problem in shelters (I volunteer at our local shelter). You say the stool was a little loose; did you notice any odd color, smell, or mucous?

It often takes a little while for a kitten's digestive tract to settle down; they have to establish the normal digestive flora, which they do not have at birth. Feeding a good-quality soft food can help their systems get used to a new situation.

The vet will check her for all the real nasties, and with any luck, there won't be any big problems. Thank you for adopting from the shelter, and check back here with any reports, questions, etc.

And, of course, we'd like to see photos of the new little sweety.
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post #3 of 6
8/29/10 at 7:18pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah....the poop was REALLY STINKY but not foul in any strange way!
It might have had a little mucous in it...not sure. The blood was not bright red, and just kinda mixed in, in a small area. It wasn't loose like coccidiosis like I've seen before, but maybe in the early stages?? Would that make her tummy somewhat bloated?
I'll try to post some pictures of her soon. She is a sweetie for sure. We adopted another kitty on July 4th. She needed a playmate soooo bad. That's one reason why we got Stella. It is working out perfectly. And our other kitty (Bailey) hasn't picked on our old cats once since we got Stella.
All our cats are either shelter cats or strays. I have fostered many cats, and rescued cats and dogs. I can't say that I've volunteered in a shelter though. Now THAT'S something to brag about!
Apparently somebody dumped Stella, her 4 siblings, her mother, and 2 other adult cats along the side of a country road. Some kind citizen rounded them all up and took them to the shelter.
Thank you for your kind and thoughful reply.
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post #4 of 6
8/29/10 at 7:18pm
Welcome to TCS and congratulations on your new kitty! I have family in New Braunfels; what a small world!

Even if she's been treated for worms, you may be seeing the after effects. Of course, like Mr.Blanche mentioned it could be giardia or coccidia (parasites), which are treatable. The food or worms or parasites could all be causing the bloating. The stress of a new environment may also be contributing to the situtation, too. Keep her confined in a spare bedroom or laundry or bathroom with litter box, toys, food, water and bedding to prevent any accidents or reduce the likelihood of accidents.

I would also recommend a good high-quality canned kitten food 3 or 4 times a day and dry kitten food available all the time. I have a 16 week old kitten and I feed him either Wellness canned or EVO canned and Royal Canin kitten dry. The Wellness I buy at PetCo, but PetsMart has recently started carrying the Wellness line. The EVO I buy at the feed store. Royal Canin is available at both PetCo and PetsMart.

Let us know how she does through the evening and what the vet says tomorrow.
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post #5 of 6
8/30/10 at 6:50am
Thread Starter 
Stephanie.....New Braunfels is a really nice town. I don't do water sports so that's a big part of NB. I'm not into German activities either, but it's a nice peaceful town and not too big!

We wanted our 4 month old to have a playmate so she would leave our older cats alone. Bailey is SOOOOOO rough with her, and it's not just playing. It's BEATING HER UP. My Mom lives with me (she's 80) and she is going to keep Stella in her bedroom most of the day and maybe bring her out for short periods of time when she is there to supervise. I'm going to call the vet in a few minutes to see if I get her in.

I could have gone to another shelter and found one that was closer to the age of Bailey, but this place had so many kitties and I knew that most of them would be euthanized. I just had to save at least one.
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post #6 of 6
8/30/10 at 4:31pm
I've been to NB many times, way before Schlitterbahn became the place to go! LOL I do enjoy a good burger and onion rings at Pat's Place though. Yummo!

I adopted a kitty from the city pound 5 years ago and she's a sweet, sweet girl. I didn't want to adopt a cat from the pound, but like you, I wanted to save at least 1 life.

What did the vet say about your baby today?
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