Worried about one of my cats (poop issues)

My cat buttons for the past two days has been pooping everywhere. Yesterday I woke up to 10+ small piles of poop all over my apartment, and in my bed.As well as little droplets of poop all over the floor and couch.  She isn't in any obvious distress, her anus isn't swollen, but she has stool continuously leaking out. It's the consistency of toothpaste. She seems to pause every so often to pass a larger pile.

I gave her plenty of fluids yesterday, and kept her in the bathroom most of the day. After a few hours in there, she seemed fine. So I gave her a "half" bath as she had tried to cover some poop up and got it all over her paws and legs. She did fine the rest of the day.

This morning I woke up and it had happened again. Only this time she went under the bed to deposit multiple large piles of poo rather than the litter box (which is clean, and less than 6 ft away from the bed)

she had had accidents on the bed again (I woke up by rolling over in it..  ) and all over the floor. Again she isn't in distress (though I know cats hide pain) again I inspected her anus, besides the ring of poop around it from sitting down and leaking poop, she looks okay. I felt her belly, it isn't swollen. She is in the bathroom again, and is not happy about it at all.

A little back story:

Buttons had kittens 6 weeks ago, when she was a kitten, the people we adopted her from told us about how she had had poop issues in the past, but didn't mention what they were, but her anus was gaping when we first brought her home. It stopped after a day and she has been fine ever since then, until now that is. She gets diarrhea several times a month, and she poops a ton more than my other cats, but I didn't realize it could have been the issue and honestly I felt like the "poop issue" they were speaking of was about how much she pooped. Almost as much as my three other cats combined. She is a year old this month. I'm wondering if perhaps she has a medical condition like IBD?

Recently, around the same time she gave birth, my adult cat Hera started attacking her. At first it was growls and hisses and light punches but it turned into her drawing blood more than once. I've since kept them as separated as possible, doing weird daily schedules for the two of them to be separated as I live in a tiny single bedroom apartment. We know that if that doesn't stop, we will have to find Buttons a new home, as Hera is older, and was here first. Even though the thought makes me cry. The situation hasn't improved, only gotten worse. The kittens are older now, and Hera spends a lot of time with the kittens, and she loves them, but she HATES Buttons. I'm thinking perhaps the poop problem could be stress related? She hasn't had any changes in food.

I'm asking here, because I cannot afford a vet right now at all. I have less than $50 to my name until Friday, and then I have bills to pay. I'm moving in two months and all of my money has gone to bills, pet food/litter stockpiles, and deposits and things to move. I have applied for the "vet assistance" things, but I was declined for whatever reason, and the other ones still require me to put down a deposit I don't have. I've asked my father who owes me money to pay me back, and he doesn't have the money right now either.

Normally I have an emergency vet fund, but that was taken up by prepaying the SPCA to spay and neuter and vaccinate the 6 kittens when they are old enough. It's non refundable, and the SPCA place only does spay and neuter and vaccines, so I can't take Buttons there to get vet care and use that money that I have prepaid.

I'm very worried about her, I don't know if this is something that I should keep her away from all other cats, or if it's just her, or a stress problem, I have no idea. I cannot afford a vet, my boyfriend is going to get home from work and be furious about the cat poop everywhere for the second time, as he already doesn't like Buttons very much because she was very destructive as a kitten. He doesn't think the same way I do.

I don't know what to do, I need some advise here, if anyone knows if there is anything cheap I can buy to help her, or if it would be best to surrender her to a rescue if this problem seems very serious. I'm distraught right now. Please help if you have any advise

First of all, thank you for spaying and neutering the kittens! Is Button's getting spayed as well?

How long has the "poop issue" been going on? Has she been wormed recently? What specific foods/brands are you feeding her?

I don't think the poop issue is stress related, especially since she had issues when she was a kitten. I'd guess food allergies/sensitivities first, or worms. If financially possible, you could take a stool sample to the vet to test for parasites. If you can rule both of those out, IBD is a possibility.

She has been wormed recently, she eats the same food my other cats do, a brand called goodlife, and royal canin for wet food. She's been eating them both for several months. It's been happening for two days, but it's so much poop, it's more than I thought an animal could produce in a short period of time.

She will be spayed along with the kittens, provided she is better then.

None of my other cats have this problem at all. All of them are having their normal typical bowel movements in the litterboxes.

I'll call around and ask how much a stool sample would be, thank you

I just went into the bathroom to check on her, and the amount of poop in there is more than what my three other cats would produce in several days.

Four LARGE piles of it, and several smaller ones.

I would honestly get her to a vet ASAP. I know you can't afford it right now, but you may be able to contact a rescue to see if they can help you with vet bills. I really think she's in danger of getting dehydrated if she's having runny stool that much. She may need fluids. That's a lot of poop, and the consistency is very worrisome. 

Both of those foods have a lot of ingredients that are not in a cat's natural diet. The Goodlife food I looked at had a ton of rice in it, plus potato, and a lot of other veggies. Royal Canin has wheat gluten and flour. It also has carrageenan which has been known to cause stomach issues in cats.

Could you switch her to a limited ingredient diet and see if that helps? I like Merrick Limited Ingredient canned (it doesn't contain rice, potato, grains, or carrageenan.) I would start with Turkey (since it's not in her current food) stick with turkey for a week or so, and then begin adding in other flavors slowly if the soft stool gets better. Merrick is available at Petco.

Edit: I just saw that it's only been happening for 2 days. I'd go with the vet first. I thought the poop thing has been on going since she was a kitten. Could she have gotten into something to make her sick? Poison? Household cleaner?

When we first got her we were told she had "issues", for the first 24hrs after we got her she had an inflamed anus but there have been no issues since then. She does poop a lot, but I figured she just poops a bit more than other cats, and has diarrhea a few times a month but this is a much bigger issue. She has produced enough stool for multiple humans in the past two days. I've given her pedialyte and she is willingly drinking plenty of fluids, and stoo; has been leaking out of her. It's slowed down a lot, but that's what happened yesterday too.

I've already tried contacting rescues and financial aid for her and have been denied since they have no extra resources to spend right now, and the financial aid for animals I'm not sure why I was denied.

The rescue told me I could surrender her to them, and pay the $30 fee to surrender, and that's all they can offer for help.

I'll try switching her to a limited ingredient diet and keeping a close watch on her. My boyfriend insists that if it continues a few more days we need to surrender her to the rescue so she can get care, but I'm going to do anything I can to prevent that. I'll ask friends for money if it doesn't stop.

There aren't any cleaners she could have gotten into, I keep the harsh ones locked away and haven't used them in a few weeks. I clean the floors with apple cider vinegar, and I even let that dry completely before kitties are allowed on the tile.

newkitties said:

 
She does poop a lot, but I figured she just poops a bit more than other cats, and has diarrhea a few times a month but this is a much bigger issue. 

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Yeah, diarrhea is never a normal occurrence in cats. It's a sign of something bigger. Try the Limited Ingredient diet. Merrick LID, or Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient are pretty good. Both contain peas, which aren't great, but it's much less veggies then her current food. I'd stay away from Blue Buffalo, and Natural Balance foods. Both contain A LOT of veggies. Read the back of the can and stay away from wheat, corn, soy, rice, gluten, potatoes, carrageenan and you want the least amount of veggies you can get. Cats are designed to eat meat.

If that doesn't solve it, I'd take a stool sample to the vet and have her tested for giardia. She may have gotten it from one of her kittens. It's pretty common in young cats. She may have had it when you got her, hence the initial "poop issues."

Looks like I don't have much time to switch her foods, her last few stools have had blood in them. And there was glob of blood on the bathroom floor. I called everyone I knew if they could help, and no one is willing or able, I even asked my neighbor.. I've been crying, I just got off the phone with the emergency vet who will not help her without at least a $150 deposit, and I don't even have that much right now. I've called all the ones I have access too. I tried to convince them, and they will not. I'm so distraught. We've been advised to continue offering her fluids which luckily she is willing to drink, and to take away her food for the night so it may clear up some of the diarrhea.

My boyfriend and I have decided to take her to the local rescue center tomorrow morning when they open to get the care she so obviously needs. We are going to try and work something out with them in the morning, about the possibility of getting her back. I just don't understand why they would take her for the $30 and keep her, but are unwilling to work out a payment plan for treatment..

I just wish this isn't happening, or at least happened at a different time when money wasn't tight like this.

I'm thinking that there must have been some way she got into the trash or something was left out for her to get into somehow, this just came on so sudden with no explanation, all of my other cats are fine as well as her kittens. I feel responsible with this. I just hope it's an easy fix problem and that she will be okay.

Thank you for your help, I appreciate it. I feel so so guilty, I just wish this wasn't happening. I love her so much, which is why I can't let her be sick like this I suppose.. 

Her kittens will remain in my care, luckily she hasn't ever been super bonded with them and hasn't paid them much mind, so hopefully she isn't too terribly depressed.. I'll update tomorrow. Hopefully over the night I find someone willing to help me out, or even if a few friends can pitch in a little. 

It sounds like you're making the right (yet very hard) decision. Sometimes love means realizing that we can't give them the care they deserve. I hope you're able to work something out with the rescue. Sending healing vibes to your fur baby! 

Definitely post an update when you can. Hugs!   

How is she doing today?