Blood in stools

jili

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I have been noticing blood in my kittens stools (fresh blood) for awhile now. This might happen every day, or every other day. I have two kittens and notice that this has been happening with both of them. Occasionally I will see a little blood-tinge on their little behinds.

I've had several fecal cultures done, as well as the smears to examine for bacteria.

My vet didn't seem overly concerned. He suggested that I switch them off of a kitten formula onto Nutro Natural Choice adult formula. He told me that adult formulas have more fiber and sometimes the kitten formulas have so much packed into them, nutrient & supplement-wise, that they can be irritating on their little digestive tracts.

They had been eating Iams kitten formula, as well as a splitting a can of Fancy Feast or Iams Kitten canned formula each day. In addition, I was occasionally seeing some soft stools. He didn't think that the wet food was the problem, and thought my choice of wet foods was OK.

The kittens seem to like the Nutro food, and I have noticed that we haven't had any soft stools since starting it two weeks ago. I'm still concerned about the blood, though. Otherwise, they are growing and seem very healthy to me.

I'm off to call the vet again. I'd appreciate anyone's advice or experience with a similar issue.

thanks!
Jill
 

hissy

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Jili,

You can start feeding them some canned pumpkin, just about a teaspoon in their canned food should do the trick. They could have a bit of colitis. You can also start adding Grapefruit Seed Extract to their water dish- about 3 drops per bowl, this will destroy any harmful bacteria in their systems if it exists.
 

candy

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I give my IBS cat acidophilus and it seems to help keep his stools consistent. He had blood in his stools to begin with but then they got really soft...it sounds like a minor GI upset with your kitty. Good luck.
 
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jili

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Thanks for the advice so far.

About the pumpkin-- a tsp. per how much cat food? They split a small can each evening. I may give that a try. And how long does the pumpkin keep once you open the can? It would take forever to go through a can at the rate of a tsp. per day.

I just talked to the vet who seems puzzled, thinks it should be something benign. He wants me to stop by and pick up an antibiotic for them, which I can do tomorrow (I work late tonight), and then I'll give him a call on Friday.

I think what puzzles me is that they both are doing it--but their cultures have been clear!

Thanks!
 

cat-tech

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I would be concerned with your vet's "not concerned" approach. You said this has been going on "awhile". Blood in the stool of young kittens is NOT normal, at all.

While the fecals may have not produced anything, your vet may not be looking for the obvious, such as e-coli, campylobacter, salmonella, giardia. Sometimes, the oocysts or spores don't show up in one fecal, your vet should get agressive with this to ensure that nothing is left undetected. If the fecals have consistently proven negative for the above, then a serology to rule them out might be needed, ask your vet about it.

Depending on the age of your kittens may depend on their ability to digest certain foods. Kittens younger than 6 months often cannot tolerate the oils used in processed canned food. For this reason, dry might be more appropriate. At 6 months or older, any kitten can be graduated to an adult quality food, but if there are loose stools, blood or mucous in the stools, it's time to review the ingredients for indications of food intolerances.................Traci
 
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jili

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Where would I find grapefruit seed extract?
 

candy

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You can find GSE at most health food stores.
I would be a little wary of giving antibiotics as a stab in the dark though.
 

lovemypets

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Did the vet check for worms? Has your kitty lost any weight? That might indicate the presence of a parasite.
 
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jili

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We've had the kittens for two months, and in that time they've doubled their weight. Their coats are shiny and soft and are really starting to fill out. They really do seem like healthy kittens.

They've been checked for parasites and bacteria several times and results have been negative.

Jill
 
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