Bloody stool

twofatcats

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For a week or more one of my cats has had diarrhea. It wasn't until last night that I found out for sure which one it is. It is Red Cat. Not only that, but last night and again today, there were signs the stool was slightly bloody, as well. Red has been eating and drinking normally. (It really takes a LOT for that fat cat to lose his appetite!) But I did suspect it was him, as he has been less active lately.

I'll call the vet's office first thing Monday. In the meantime, any ideas on what it might possibly be?
 

jennyr

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It could be a number of things - my first guess would be worms or parasites. Ellie had blood and mucus in her stool and was diagnosed with coccidia. Easily cured, but your vet will know. Are you taking a stool sample in?
 
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twofatcats

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Red Cat just woke me at 2:00 am to get me to follow him. I think he wanted me to see him use the litter box. It was bloodier this time. Do you think this is likely to be serious enough that I need to make an emergency visit to another vet on Sunday? There are no vets in their office on Sunday, and calling one in for emergency call costs a lot more. Plus unless my own vet happens to be the one on call, the other vets are 25-30 miles away and Red Cat is such an anxious cat that I hate to subject him to that long a drive if I don't have to. But if it is necessary, I will, of course.

I just took Red Cat and Purdy to be dewormed (Drontal) last Monday. It was routine, as the cats go outside and I know they eat rodents. My vet feels it is better to just deworm an outdoor cat than to test first, as he says it is a safe med. I told the vet then that one of the cats had been having a bit of diarrhea the previous few days, but I didn't know which one. (I had already had Sheba dewormed the previous week.)

I just looked coccidia up on the web and it says that that doesn't usually infect adult cats, mainly the young. But I suppose Red Cat could just have a weakened immune system. I hope whatever it is isn't going to infect the other two cats.

Yikes, this will be my fifth trip to the vet this month. I was already complaining on about the 7th that it is a good thing I have a lot of food in the cupboard and freezer so I can hopefully make it until my next Social Security check. Naturally, all these vet bills happen to hit the same month my car insurance on both vehicles hits.
 
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twofatcats

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Oh, I didn't plan to take a stool sample in, as my own vet prefers to collect his own sample.
 

jennyr

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I have no more advice to give as it would probably be wrong! I ju
st hope you find out what is wrong quickly. And I would say that if you are really worried that it is getting worse, then perhaps it is and you should at least phone hte vet?
 

stephenq

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Adult cats can become infected with Coccidia although with perhaps less frequency than kittens. All these vet visits.....perhaps you might consider keeping them inside more?
 
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twofatcats

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Well, most of the visits and expense had nothing to do with inside-outside. Sheba had been dragging her butt on the floor, scooting, so I thought maybe she had impacted anal glands. She didn't, but the vet found a tiny growth on her anus he thought might go away with some medication. I tried that for a week and it didn't work, so I took her back and he gave her an injection. If that doesn't work, it will have to be surgery. Sheba was dewormed at the same time she was in for one of these other exams. And she was micro chipped the other time.

Then Red Cat had his routine annual exam and vaccinations. Then Purdy needed his teeth cleaned. It had been a year since either Purdy or Red Cat were dewormed, and I didn't want Purdy to get that at the same time as his anesthetic nor Red Cat at the time of his vaccinations. I thought that would be too much. So I made a separate trip several days later for that.

So I guess I've already been to the vet with my cats five times this month. Red Cat's problem will make #6. And the boys are almost out of their expensive non-allergenic food, Hill's Z/D. That will be another $43+ with tax. Yikes! At this rate, I'll soon have to go back to work to support my cats! (I'm retired.)
 
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twofatcats

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Well, I just called the vet's emergency number. Thankfully, my own vet is on call this weekend. He said that since there was blood in the stool, I really shouldn't wait until tomorrow. I'm taking Red Cat in at noon. The vet said that since Red Cat has just been dewormed and "he is a well-cared for cat", it is likely some form of colitis.
 

talon

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Good wishes for Red Cat!

You sound like me, on occasion I think it would be fastest to just sign my paycheck over to the vets!
 
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twofatcats

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The vet did take a fecal smear to test, and said that, as he suspected, there was no evidence of parasites. So the assumption at this point is that it is colitis. He gave Red Cat an injection, I didn't ask what it was, but am assuming it was Prednisone or something like it, as that seems to be commonly used for this type of problem, according to what I've read on the web. He gave Red Cat the first dose of Metronidazole and I took home enough pills for another nine days. I also picked up the ten pound sack of Hill's Z/D while I was there. But I still don't know what all this is going to cost me. The vet asked if I could just stop by tomorrow and settle up with the receptionist. Can you imagine that happening at a vet clinic in a larger city?

Trying to pill Red Cat is going to be fun! I've always had a terrible time pilling a cat, and Red Cat is strong, heavy, and an active fighter against it. There is no way he will accept a pill in any food. In the first place, he is on a dry hypoallergenic diet, so I can't just try to put it in cheese or something. Besides, in the past whenever I did try to hide it in food, he'd smell it and wouldn't touch it. I had used a short pill-popper with my first cat, but that broke, and the only one I've tried with Red Cat was too long for my small hand and didn't work at all. But after several years, I finally found another short one a while back. I've never tried it with Red Cat yet, so wish me well. I have to give that 14.5 pound fighter a pill twice a day without assistance.
 

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Good luck getting the pills into him! I know how difficult that can be. Hopefully his colitis will clear up quickly.
 
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twofatcats

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The pilling did not go well this morning. The short pill popper didn't work, as he only needed a half pill each time, making it too small to use the pill popper effectively. In the process of trying to get that pill in the mouth, him spitting it out, etc., I probably lost half of the amount he was supposed to take before getting the rest down him. The pill just crumbles too easily. And they are too bitter-tasting to dissolve in water and give with a syringe. That's one way that works with Red Cat with some pills.

I hope things go better tonight, though I have no reason to believe they will. Now that Red Cat has gone through this once, he will have his guard up. Maybe tomorrow I'll go into a neighboring town and buy a bath sheet or beach towel to wrap him in. A regular bath towel is just not big enough for that large cat.

At least one thing went well today. When I went in to pay the bill, it was less than I had expected. The vet only charged me $52 for a Sunday office call instead of the usual $75. I teased the assistant that I should get frequent flyer miles for all the times I've had to fly in there lately.
 
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twofatcats

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I did it! I did it! I got Red Cat's pill down him tonight without TOO much trouble


In the six years I've had him, this was the easiest time I've had. I wrapped him in a beach towel I had on hand. I didn't think this one was going to work, as it was old and so thin I expected him to be able to scratch right through it. But he didn't try to fight very hard this time. Oh, I'm so proud of myself! He got the whole pill down without spitting it out once.
 
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