# Blood in cat stool..



## Nerina (Nov 15, 2005)

Okay a bit of back story...I recently adopted a cat from the shelter back in June. He had his medical notes from the shelter on what they had treated him for when I picked him up (ingrown nail and some dewormer and vaccine shots). I took him for a first time visit to my vet that gave him a clean bill of health. 

Well, a week into his time at my house and I noticed telltale signs of tape worm...which was weird because I thought he already had a dewormer and had been checked at my vets. So I talked with my vet and they said the shelter is supposed to do 2 treatments but generally only give one because the end up putting most of the older cats down (he is an older cat 4-5 yrs). Evidently tapeworms do not show up on most fecal tests either.

So I gave him a dewormer 3 weeks ago and today am going to give him his follow-up pill but before I got to that I smelled this horrible POO smell in my house. I have 3 other cats but they have NEVER missed the litter and there was a huge poo on the outside edge, and floor, of the litter box. This new cat has a habit of facing IN instead of OUT when going potty. He has nearly missed several times now but finally accomplished to drop his present outside the box.

My poor husband was gagging trying to clean up the mess and noticed a very small but noticeable amount of blood in the poo. Like, with litter all over it you never would have seen it. 

Any ideas here? I am going to call my vet tomorrow but wanted to know if anyone has ever seen a little bit of blood and if this is can happen without it being some serious health problem...or if it could be related to his current deworming treatment from 3 weeks back. 

The deworming med is a pill called Virbantel 30mg.

Thanks all,

Nerina~


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

Cats can have hemorroids (swollen vein in the rectum) and pass a small amount of bright red blood due to irritation. The medication and frequent stools to pass the dead worms can cause irritation. Call the vet to be sure their aren't other concerns.

What about a larger litterbox, like a rubbermaid container?


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

Both of my kittens had some blood in their stool when they got their dewormer, but it was only the day after taking the medicine. However, I am not sure if it is the same because the regular dewormer that all cats get is not what you would use to treat tapeworms. Your best bet is to call the vet and ask if the blood is a side-affect to that specific wormer.


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## Nerina (Nov 15, 2005)

I will be calling in the morning...I was just a little panicked and you all are always there for all of my cats problems. ~Thanks~

I must say though...that cat has some of the worst smelling poo! I mean...it was like a bomb went off. I had to light two candles and about a pack of matches to air it out. The biggest issue is he is REALLY flighty. I think he was going potty, backwards facing as usual, and then was spooked and ran out. He does face the wrong way when going potty though and I don't know why. All of the other 3 face out and make funny faces when they go potty....LOL. 

I have the largest cat litter boxes I could find at the store that have high sides and a big lip going out. I put that inside a cardboard box that I periodically discard so it contains any missed pee or poo. Yay for that!

I appreciate the replies...I know the vet will have some good advice tomorrow. If anything I can bring a sample to her to check out. I just hope it's nothing serious.

Nerina~


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

It's probably just some kind of parasite or bacteria taking up residence in his intestines- they'll probably want to take a "fresh" sample to send to the lab. Bad odor is usually a symptom of parasites/bacteria as well as blood.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

A little red blood on the outside of the poop usually isn't serious. It could be indicative of parasites...there could be more than just tapeworms. Or it could just be stress related since he's in a new home. Or due to irritation from the diarrhea. The vet should be made aware and another stool sample should be tested, but it's not life threatening or an emergency.


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