My Cat has Soft Stools with Blood!?!

Hello,

My 5 year old Ragdoll (Weighing at about 16 pounds)  has a "sensitive stomach" which was diagnosed by the previous owner.  We have had him for about 3 years and he usually has diarrhea, sometimes mixed in with blood.  Sometimes he can't hold it and goes on the floor.  It gets stuck on his butt and is hard for us to get out so we don't because he meows constantly.  We are tired (and so is he) about this, and we want a solution.  He is on grain-free dry food and frinks a good amount of water.  My husband sometimes gives him Kefir.  Please help, we don't know what to do

-Summer

Did you get vet records from the previous owner? If so, take those records to your vet and explain what is happening. If not, ask for them if you still have contact information or if you know which vet they used ask if you can get authorization to get the records from their vet. Having past test results and attempted treatments will help greatly in your situation now.  I would be hesitant to believe that you are dealing with a sensitive stomach with the amount of time it has been going on and severity of the symptoms without some documentation that the prior owner did try to find another cause. 

Bloody diarrhea is not normal. Regular diarrhea even without blood is not normal. I have had cats with sensitive stomachs before and both times they would vomit and eat smaller amounts. While their stools were occasionally loose it wasn't to the degree you are describing. In my situation, once we ruled out medical problems and were left with a sensitive system we were able to find a diet that eliminated most of the problems. Each cat is different and in my case one cat needed Royal Canin Sensitive formula (I am not a fan of the food really, but it worked for her and something is better than nothing) and the other needed no shrimp, elevated bowls and watching for overeating. 

In your case, I would start with a stool sample (its easier if you bring a fresh stool sample or if your vet is nearby you can swing by and grab a sample container before the appointment). That would rule out any sort of parasite as the cause. I would probably do an x-ray so they can see if there is a blockage, air buildup or maybe a misalignment of the internal structure causing it. Blood work, likely a full diagnostic panel, would rule out any underlying illness as the culprit. Talk with your vet of course to see what they recommend and if you can get the old records that would help greatly. You can also try one thing at a time to rule things out before doing a more expensive test. I tend to tell my vet what I want and unless it is completely unnecessary she has learned to go with what I want. I also tend to do all the tests at once so I don't have to do multiple exams or trips. But I have had bad experiences with vets brushing me off when it was something or wanting to try to save me money by not doing a particular test and then it costs me twice as much to get the test later and rushed. 

At the same time you can try an elimination diet to figure out a food option that will help the tummy if it is really just a sensitive stomach. You can get a prescription food from your vet that has limited ingredients or find a commercial limited ingredient food. The forums have a lot of advice on limited ingredient foods. The basic idea is that something in your cats food is causing the problem. So you need to carefully change the protein and binders a little at a time until you find the mix that doesn't cause problems. You would want to make a list of everything in the current food and find an alternative with a different protein source and binder (that would be the meat listed in the first 10 and the binder would be potato, pea, tapioca, etc used to hold it together). Then slow transition to the new food and feed the new food for 6-8 weeks. If there is no change then repeat the process until you find something that works. Keep in mind that you may end up like I did with a non-grain free food but in some situations it is better the cat eats and keeps it in than eats what we would prefer. If you find a food that works you would need to make sure to read the label and check each new bag against the old to make sure a formula change doesn't happen. Also mix the last half of the old bag with the new to make sure the differences in batches don't upset the tummy worse. 

You will probably hear other people talking about raw or wet food. One of them may end up being a better option. I don't know enough about either option though to give much advice. My cats free feed dry and split a can of wet each day. I have also heard of pureed pumpkin helping with digestive issues or starting an elimination diet with boiled plain chicken and rice to give the tummy a bland diet to cleanse it essentially. Again, no experience with either of those to really say. 

I agree with the above, and would definitely changing food again until you find something that helps. Has he had a fecal check for worms, they can cause problems too, and almost all cats have them. Don't think that because a cat is inside it can't have worms, it does happen. I would also shave his anal area at least until you get things under control, it would make life a lot easier. Also make sure he is not getting access to any kind of milk product, cottage cheese, cheese,  ice cream, milk, and KEFIR, it is a milk product!  It can definitely cause bloody diarrhea, especially in a cat that has sensitivity issues, most adult cats are lactose intolerant!  All the luck, and please keep us posted!

As other have mentioned first thing to do is to rule out a medical issue. If that's clear, the most likely cause is a food issue. Here are some good tips about using probiotics, and a fresh bio appropriate diet to treat diarrhea. Remember, cats are obligate carnivores, so they need fresh meat in their diet, not dried kibble that has a lot of things they can't digest like corn, wheat, soy, and veggies. 

http://www.foodfurlife.com/my-cat-has-diarrhea---what-do-i-do.html

Kieka said:

 

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Has your vet discussed inflammatory bowel disease?  If not, besides testing for parasites I'd be discussing that.