Soft stool with occasional blood

I've read a number of threads that deal with something similar, but not exactly the problem I'm having with my cat. Poco is a two year old cat, part Maine Coon, who has been having partially soft stool with occasional blood. It's only partially soft because it will start off looking like normal brown logs and then end up looking like a cow pie that's the color of peanut butter. Every so often, there is a little bit of blood in there. We have taken him to the vet, and the fecal test came back negative. He did have tapeworms, but we gave him the last of his pills earlier this week.

It seems like this has been more of a problem over the past few months, but I haven't noticed any change in his behavior or energy level. There hasn't been any new stressors (except taking him to the vet probably stressed him out). We were feeding him Purina, but switched to a grain free food about three weeks ago at the recommendation of the vet. We tried to switch him to the new food gradually by mixing the old and new as is usually recommended. He also gets wet food every night (which doesn't list any grains in the ingredient list but isn't specifically marked as grain free). He drinks plenty of water and has a hearty appetite, so it doesn't seem like he is in need of emergency care.

Any suggestions as to what might be going on and how to help him?

I'd wait to see if the tapeworms are really gone before changing food. Sometimes it can take multiple treatments and you'll want to get a fresh stool sample testing to make sure they are gone. Even then, it can take a few weeks for the intestines to stabilize and everything to go back to normal. Add on the food change and it is even more likely that it is just his body stabilizing/normalizing.  

Personally, I would make sure the tapeworms were gone and wait 2-3 weeks before taking action. This is of course assuming that the tapeworms were 100% responsible for the problems.

If you still notice problems in the beginning of March then consider switching to a grain free food with a different protein source.  

Thanks so much for your suggestion! So you think the tapeworms could have been at least partly contributing to the soft stool? Could it have contributed to the blood as well?

Also, my vet said the test they ran wouldn't show tapeworms, only other parasites. She told us to look out for tapeworms and I actually noticed them after Poco went to the bathroom. Should I be asking for the vet to run a different/more inclusive parasite test?

Tapeworms can be found in tests BUT they are hard to find. Because of various factors they won't be in every sample and even if they are they are pretty small. Probably why your first test was negative. That said, I still like doing a second test after treatment. My vet doesn't require and appointment for a testing so it's just the testing fee. In which case it is worth it to me to just double check that the first test wasn't a false negative for something else and on the off chance they do see tapeworm.

While tapeworms don't always cause digestive issues they can. Add on the medicine to treat it and the food change and your kitties digestive system is having some stressful times right now. I would wait for things to calm down assuming that it doesn't get worse and there are no other symptoms.

If it continues past the 2-3 week it could be an allergy or intolerance developing. It could also be IBS. All three are managed by controlling diet and limited ingredient or different proteins. There are a lot of threads (one active right now) about food options for those issues so I won't go super in depth.

It doesn't sound like it is one of the more serious causes but do talk to your vet if you notice other things happening. Vomiting, lethargic, lumps or bumps, etc. In your situation I might have blood work and an X-ray done just to be on the safe side of we ended up back at the vet but I also tend to be overly cautious and aggressive when it comes to my cat medical needs. I also like to avoid repeat visits by just covering all the bases in one (mostly because of past experiences and bad vets teaching me to question and push back).