Blood on stool

I found blood in the litter today. I've gone through the older stuff, and it seems to be the only blood I can find (without breaking apart each clump). I have two cats (Dana and Leo), but I assume it to be Leo due to the poo being very soft, and out of the two cats, Leo has the most residue around the anus.

I previously posted about finding little blood spots on my blankets, where they lay, but I assumed it was blood from their mouth, as Leo was loosing his baby teeth and some of his gums were in fact bleeding. This was a week ago:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=226591

Both cats are acting normally, and playing and running around just as usual. They are eating normally, and I've now brought the litter in the computer room, where I can monitor when each goes in and spot any further details.

I've called a vet and with these descriptions, and they suggested it could be a hairball that is irritating "something on the inside" (cant remember the term) and could cause that. They suggested a possible laxative, but also gave me the option to come for a check up, with a bloody stool analysis, which would cost me about 80$. I'd like to know more before taking him however.



What could this be caused by, and should I be alarmed?

I can't tell you what it is...nor can I tell you whether or not to be alarmed..but I, personally, would be quite alarmed. The blood is very red and pooled a bit and the stool itself is way too soft and very light in color. I would take your kitty in for a fecal as soon as you know which one it was. It is especially concerning that there are blood spots on the bed possibly caused by blood leaking from your cat's rectum.

This has been happening with my Kody for over 2 years on and off. I am alarmed by it everytime I see it, but my vet is not!!!! He told me pretty much the same thing your vet told you--that it was probably just a hairball or something that he ate causing irritation. I finally opted to have a endoscope, and the results showed nothing was wrong. I was eventually told "colitis" and that it would most likely come and go. The first couple of times the vet prescribed metronidazole and prednisolone. It would go away and come back a month or so later. Then he got to where he would just tell me to come in and pick up a prescription for the metronidazole. Since December Kody has been on a low dose of Tylan that the vet puts in small capsules for me--he says Kody's is caused by inflammation in the colon..Eventually, I will stop the Tylan everyday and go to every other day and see if that will help.

I just couldn't take seeing that bright blood... I would get sick everytime I looked in the litterbox and saw it.

This may or may not be what your vet decides it is with your kitty---so yes, I would definitely take him in. It could be irritaion caused by a hairball or even a food problem--some kitties get this just from being upset by something--but there is always the chance it could be a real problem. I was getting very frustrated that my vet never seemed very concerned--but I have read many articles about it and it does seem to be a common problem.

I remember your post from last week as I replied to it. Now, I would be very concerned seeing that in the litter box. Your kitty needs to be checked out at the vet and have a fecal exam as well. I personally would not wait, it could be something simple, especially if you get on top of the problem right away. Let us know how it goes at the vet .

My boy has sometimes had a trace of bright red blood after a bm (usually because of a little upset tummy - I suspect he may have IBD, but not to a great degree). Normally, as I understand it, bright red blood is not as critical a danger sign as dark tarry blood inside the feces...but, that said, that looks like a fair amount. I'd be going in for an exam.

It's true, sometimes a little bright blood is just a sign of straining - and if it's a one-off, or not repeated often, it's usually nothing to worry about that much. But.....and I know it's tough, it would be for me too, I'd be digging up the $80 if I possibly could.