Finding blood in cat feces – what to do?

Finding blood in cat feces can be somewhat alarming for any owner. The blood draws a lot of attention, but We must wait for a veterinarian’s diagnosis before assuming something serious.

If you find blood in your cat’s feces these tips will help you know how to act:

1. Go to the vet

The first thing you should do is go to the vet to treat the symptoms and look for the cause that is causing this digestive disorder. With the following tips you can help the veterinarian diagnose and find the most appropriate treatment for your pet.

2. Describe the stool

Depending on the color with which the blood appears in the stool, the problem may have one cause or another.

• Red blood. Red blood, bright red, like the one that sprouts when we get hurt, comes from areas of the digestive tract after the stomach, such as the intestine.
• Dark blood or ‘mane’. The color is dark due to the degradation of hemoglobin. This blood is digested and comes from any previous area of ​​the digestive tract – mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach – or it can even be from the respiratory system.

Another aspect in which we can look is the amount, the consistency of the feces, if mucus appears in them and the frequency with which the animal suffers from diarrhea.

3. Does the animal have other symptoms?

If the animal has more symptoms such as defecation efforts, flatulence, weight loss, vomiting, weakness… we must tell the vet.

It will also be important to report any other situation that has changed in the life of the feline, such as a change of feeding, the arrival of a new animal in the home or the possibility of ingesting something toxic.

4. Collect a blood sample in cat feces

The veterinarian will need a stool sample to check for the presence of parasites under a microscope or by rapid tests or a biochemical analysis for diseases. If we take the prepared consultation, a sample can help a lot to identify the origin of the problem.

All the above information, together with the stool sample, will provide the veterinarian with enough data to offer a diagnosis and successful treatment.

5. Never meditate on your own

It is very dangerous to medicate pets on their own. You can cause liver and kidney damage; In addition, you will harm the possible disease that the animal has and will hinder the veterinary diagnosis.

What can cause the presence of blood in cat feces?

There are different causes for which blood may appear in a cat’s feces. These are some of the most frequent:

• Food intolerance or allergy. A cat can develop a food allergy to a specific food in its diet. When the cause is allergy, other symptoms may appear on the skin and vomiting.
• Parasites. Many parasites like the giardia They can cause bloody diarrhea in cats, as well as weight loss and vomiting. Parasitic infections are common in puppies and kittens.
• Inflammatory bowel disease. This disease can affect the cat’s entire digestive tract and its symptoms tend to become chronic, such as diarrhea and vomiting.
• Intoxications. Blood in the stool may appear from poisoning with human medications such as ibuprofen or paracetamol or other toxic products for cats.

Once the veterinarian has found the cause, he will prescribe our cat a treatment to alleviate the symptoms, rehydrate, restore the intestinal flora if necessary, and it may be a special diet for gastrointestinal problems for some time.

It is very important that we comply with all indications so that the cat recovers without problems and, if it is an infectious problem, we must have it isolated from other animals for a certain time to prevent contagion

Acute diarrhea in cats can have many causes, so you have to learn to identify the type of diarrhea and know the treatments.