I think Tuffy is pooping blood

[tom w]

Hi, This morning I went into the bathroom and noticed a bloody mess in the bathtub. There was a little brown like diarhea, some mucus looking stuff and what looks like bright red blood, the main spot was about 1 1/2" around with drips of blood in the tub and on the floor. I thought it was Missy ,our old cat because she sometimes goes in the tub for some reason but I happen to notice Tuffys rear end is all red and funny looking and there is allot of stuff in the fur around his rear end also. I tried to clean his behind up to see if it comes back but he cried when I tried to wash him like it really hurt. I looked over Missy and she shows no sign of any blood or anything around her behind.

Tuffy has been on zithromax for almost a week now, and his blood tests from his last vet checkup show he is anemic [sp?] and had a high white count. Could the zithromax be making him bleed? Of coarse its a holiday so I can't get hold of his vet and I don't know what else to do??? I am not positive it came from Tuffy I am only going by how his butt looks. The other possibility is Missy coughed up the mess. Either way I don't know what to do.

 

[yosemite]

I would try to get Tuffy into an emergency clinic to have it checked out. It sounds pretty uncomfortable for the poor kitty and obviously painful if he doesn't want you touching the area to clean it.

 

[xocats]

I second this opinion. If Tuffy were my kitty I would go to an emergency vet right away.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I would try to get Tuffy into an emergency clinic to have it checked out. It sounds pretty uncomfortable for the poor kitty and obviously painful if he doesn't want you touching the area to clean it.

 

[tom w]

I called the vet office, they are closed today but they got ahold of Tuffys vet and she just called me back and told me to watch him close today and bring him in first thing in the morning unless he is loosing alot of blood then I will have to go someplace with him. There emergency place that covers for them is a long ways from us and big time expensive.

 

[dawnofsierra]

I'm glad you spoke with your Vet and will have Tuffy in to his Vet first thing in the morning. Poor, poor Tuffy! This internal bleeding could only be exacerbating his anemia. For an issue as serious as this, I would be moved to get my baby into the ER Vet, expensive or not. Please do continue to assess him very carefully today and seriously consider having him examined by the Emergency Vet if he seems to have any increase in symptoms, shows excessive lethargy, or anything of the sort. I wonder if he should receive only his water and Pedialyte today to give his tummy a rest from digesting food?

 

[hell603]

Something is surely irritating the heck out of your babies system could ver well be the meds. Keep an eye on him and all the best - it's hard to feel help less.

Please keep us in the loop!!

 

[tom w]

Part of the problem is I am not sure the stuff came from Tuffy, It almost looked like it was thrown up, not pooped out. The vet told me to try and catch Tuffy in the litter box and put some in a bag and in the fridge till tomorrow. She said even if the blood didn't come from him she wants to see him just because of how sore his rear end is.

She also said to watch Missy real close. She throws up her food sometimes but I have never seen anything like this looked. Missy is getting up there in age so maybe I am worried about the wrong cat. None of the cats are acting sick, Tuffy has been acting better than he ever has. Its hard to keep track of whats going on with 5 cats sometimes.

 

[hell603]

From experience with bloody poop and diarreah (sp) due to Food Allergies - to me it sure sounds like it was poop not throw up. Loki used to have that and yes, there always was a trail of blood spots on the floor leading away from the litterbox (it would literally drip from his behind) as well as a mess on his behind and in the litterbox incl. mucus. Bright red blood usually means that the lower intestins would be involved. My best guess, until you see the Vet, would be that the meds or something is causing Irritable bowels and the outcome is what you saw.


All the best to your baby

 

[hissy]

Are there bubbles in the diarrhea? If so the bubbles and the blood is a classic sign of salmonella. Please, if you see Tuffy pooping air bubbles get the cat to the vet NOW-

Blood and mucuous can be parasites, a bacterial infection, or an allergy to the food. I would be sure the kitten is hydrated (use pedialyte) You can also feed either shredded chicken mixed with cooked rice, or cooked hamburger mixed with cooked rice to help bind up the stool. You can use a tiny bit of desitin ointment on a sore bum as well.

Good luck

 

[tourmaline]

I don't have any advice, but wanted to say that I'm sorry that all this is happening and thinking good thoughts for you today. Good luck.

 

[hell603]

Tom - how is Tuffy????

 

[tom w]

Tuffy is going into the vet at 2:30 today. I have not seen any more blood anywhere but he has diahrea yet. The vet didn't thing his meds were the problem but I haven't gave any to him the last 2 days. I hope he don't have some kind of major problem that can't be helped. It would just break my heart to watch him waste away.

 

[hell603]

i know - it is so hard when we feel so helpless when it comes to our babies.

let us know how the vet visit went.

plenty of huggs and kisses to all your babies, esp. Tuffy

 

[tom w]

I just got back with Tuffy, We were gone most of the day yesturday so I didn't get a sample for the vet to check. but after she looked him over and the way I discribed the mess in the bathtub she thinks he has a fresh batch of worms so she treated him for worms again and also gave me some stuff to help coat his tummy and insides to help cut down on the irritation.

She also rechecked his blood to see if he is still enemic, She said he is alot better than he was the last time she tested him so thats good news.

They gave me a little break on the cost this time, Only charged me $22.80 for all they did and the meds.

I hope we have things under control now.

 

[xocats]

You are doing a great job at keeping such a close eye on Tuffy. Your vet sounds like a very understanding person.
If Tuffy shows any unusual symptoms that you cannot explain, get him back in to a vet immediately.
Over the next few days...keep us posted about how he is doing.
Hang in there Tuffy.

 

[tom w]

Thanks for the suport everyone, I am watching him real close. I am trying to catch him in the litter box to see if there are any signs of bleeding, but with 5 cats using one big litter box and clumping litter its hard to tell whats going on with just one cat.

The vet didn't think he had a bleeding ulcer or something like that because the blood I saw was bright red, like if I cut my finger and let it bleed in the bathtub. not old dark stinky blood. Plus when I said there was a little diahrea [sp?] and alot of clear looking thick stuff with all the blood she said it sure sounded like a new batch of worms.

She also said if he has worms and the med is working I should be able to see him getting rid of the worms but I am not sure what she meant by this?

 

[hissy]

Roundworms typically cause blood and mucuous to be passed Tom. What she meant by her comment is that the pills that she gave the cat are toxic, so the worms will be expelled. Roundworms come out in two ways, they are either vomited up or passed through the stool. You can't miss them, they look like mounds of spaghetti and they will still be alive for the most part when they are expelled. You want to clean them out of the box, or off the floor, put them in an airtight plastic bag and throw them away.

Tapeworms look like live rice segments and they come out in the stool.

 

[tom w]

Thanks Hissy on the worm stuff, I have been trying to watch him in the litter box but so far since all this started I can't catch him in there. I have been cleaning it allot lately to see if there is anything that looks like the bloody stuff but with the clumping litter its hard to tell.

Tuffy has been acting just fine with all this, in some ways better than ever. At the vet he was OK till she took his temp and that hurt him so much he bit my hand as I was trying to hold him and he cried out. He is normaly very quiet at the vet so it must have really hurt his rear end when she checked his temp.

Most of the redness and swelling has gone away from his rear end now and he moves around alot more like it isn't hurting him near as much as it was.

Is there any way to tell a cats age when you have no clue? The vet tech looked at his teeth and guessed about 3 years old, but the vet wouldn't offer a guess. To me he looks older than 3 years and he also acts older than that. He also has a bit of loose flabby skin hanging under his belly like older cats get, or maybe he was alot bigger at one time in his life. He is 10.5 lbs but looks thin but he is very strong with stocky legs, when the vet tech gave him his worm pills she made a comment on how strong he is.

 

[stampit3d]

How about iceolating him in a room by himself with his own litter til he "goes" and you can retrieve the sample?
I`m wondering....could the clumping litter be irritating his already sore bottom??? (I`m only asking, as i don`t use anything but clay....but I do know that the clumping kind looks "sandy" to me, and I remember getting sand inside my bathing suit when I was a kid and it wore me raw between my "cheeks".
Linda

 

[tom w]

Hi, I want to update Tuffy, He is doing great on his new meds. He sneezes once in a while still but not the sneezing attacks like he had. I haven't heard him have one of his bad coughing attacks for many days either. He is also getting a little bigger around the belly again so he don't look so thin, I hope this is a good sign and not a bad one.

But now or old kitty Missy is real sick, the vet looked her over and said she is good shape for her age. The vet thinks it just a cold or whatever it is called in cats, she put her on antibiotics just to make sure it don't turn into something bad. I was worried because she is almost 18 years old and its hit her alot worse than the young cats who had it. Her head is all stuffed up and she has alot of clear drainage from her eyes and nose. She is looking a little better tonite though. I hope this cold stuff don't keep going around and around in all the cats. Do they build up any tolerance to this stuff after they had it once?