# Bright red blood and mucous in stool



## fruitriver (Feb 10, 2012)

I have noticed bits of bright red blood, mucus and diarrhea for the past couple of weeks in my 14 year old cat. I can't remember exactly when it started, as we have 5 cats in the house and I can only see if it has blood when I see her go (because if it's covered with litter I just throw it out)
I think it is chronic or episodic colitis. It sometimes starts out normal and then the last bits are jelly like and often have blood. Sometimes it's just mucousy wet poop. It never has much blood at all, only dots or small streaks.
I have noticed she has gone to the litterbox a lot today.
Sorry for the gross description, aha. We are taking her to the vet tomorrow hopefully.

I actually think it is stress. This has happened twice where she's had bloody poop for a couple of weeks and it's always been when we have my dad's two cats over. They REALLY stress her out! She's always hissing at them. I don't think it's a coincidence that it happened when they came over. One of them may have worms too, so it could be that. I hope it's stress but I won't rule out anything more serious yet.

We took her to the vet pretty recently after the last time and they found nothing wrong with her or her stool.

We are taking her to the vet tomorrow like I said, but I would appreciate any help.


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## Gabby88 (Jul 23, 2014)

I had this problem with my foster kittens. The vet gave me antibiotics and probiotics and it cleared up within 2 days. I would definitely take her to the vet though. She could get very dehydrated and the blood could be signs of larger problems. Only a vet can tell.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Especially at 14 years old...


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Well my cat recently was diagnosed with colits, too. He's on liquid metronidozle to sooth his colon and control diarrhea, and also on buprenorphine for pain he was having right after producing wet stools. He's no longer in pain and his stools and rear end have started to look more normal again. I've been also feeding him wet canned food with some warm water and probiotics added in so he doesn't get dehydrated and the abx doesn't aggravate his normal healthy flora.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

How is your kitty doing? Stress can easily bring on colitis. I have one who's prone to stress colitis, and she'll get that mucous-y bit of blood at the end of a poop. 

You might try a calming collar or pheromone spray when the other cats are around - or is it possible for you to keep them separated?


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

It could just be stress, but with an older cat, it could also be something else. I sincerely hope it's not, but in that case, I think a vet visit is needed.


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## DarylCat (Oct 12, 2014)

Daryl had this when I adopted him, along with diarrhea and a slight temp. The vet dewormed him and put him on antibiotics. Hope your vet visit goes smoothly and your cat feels better!


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## fruitriver (Feb 10, 2012)

Took her to the vet yesterday, they prescribed metronidazole for diarrhea, something applied by eye for dry eyes and a drop applied by eye for life.

Does anyone have any experience with metronidazole? I read about cases of it making cats very ill. It is a 50 mg pull taken twice daily for 10 days. She has been sleeping a lot today, does anyone know if that could make her sleepy? She got up once to eat stretch and walk around and then went back to bed. She had diarrhea last night but none so far today.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

happycat,

I'm glad the diarrhea has stopped. You may consider adding probiotics to her food since metronidazole can deplete and disturb healthy, normal, good flora from her GI tract. You want kitty to _continue_ to have nice, firm stools, even _after_ the metronidazole administration finishes!

From my understanding, metronidazole is an antibiotic that is commonly used for felines. The biggest deal with met is that it usually tastes horrible to cats, and most owners struggle with getting their cats continually take it, especially in pill form. My rx for G was liquid metronidazole this time (has almond oil to help its bad taste), and he was also given a 50 mg dose (1 mL) twice daily, he weighed in a little over 9 lbs. Does your kitty weigh about the same? If she weighs much less, I'd worry about dosage, but if not, it's probably the correct amount. However, I don't think being sleepy/lethargic(?) is one of its side effects. Here's a link on more about metronidazole:
Metronidazole for Dogs & Cats (Generic Flagyl) - 1800PetMeds

Do you think perhaps the eye drops are making your kitty sleepy? I'd at least give the vet a phone call to see if there may be something else going on, or if it's a possible side effect of the eye drops. I have dry eyes myself, and I know some days my eyes are just too tired so it feels better to sleep or take naps. Fish oil/EFAs has sort of helped me in that respect, so maybe it's something you'd consider feeding her if it's ok with your vet? Feeding a portion of unsalted, water packed sardines (maybe once a week) is sometimes what I feed my two (since I also do raw).


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## fruitriver (Feb 10, 2012)

TabbCatt said:


> happycat,
> 
> I'm glad the diarrhea has stopped. You may consider adding probiotics to her food since metronidazole can deplete and disturb healthy, normal, good flora from her GI tract. You want kitty to _continue_ to have nice, firm stools, even _after_ the metronidazole administration finishes!
> 
> ...


Thank you for your helpful reply! I honestly cannot be certain that she is sleeping more than usual, I'm probably looking too into it and monitoring her to much! Cats DO sleep a lot after all. 

I think I'm going to give her tonights dosages, monitor her tomorrow and see if she really is sleeping too much, and if she IS, call the vet. Does that sound appropriate? She is acting perfectly fine.
Also, it was very easy to get her to eat the pill. This food obsessed kitty scarfed down the pill pocket it was in. I'm not sure how much she weighs....she is pretty fat though, but normally sized. So unless she is a very small cat, no need for worry there right?

Once again, I appreciate your answer, I didn't even think about the fact that it could be the drops!


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## DarylCat (Oct 12, 2014)

That's what Daryl was prescribed also. His was a chicken flavored liquid which I put on his food. I was glad, because I'm new with cats and I don't think I would've been able to get a pill in him. He acted fine, no side effects that I could see.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

happycat said:


> I think I'm going to give her tonights dosages, monitor her tomorrow and see if she really is sleeping too much, and if she IS, call the vet. Does that sound appropriate? She is acting perfectly fine.
> Also, it was very easy to get her to eat the pill. This food obsessed kitty scarfed down the pill pocket it was in. I'm not sure how much she weighs....she is pretty fat though, but normally sized. So unless she is a very small cat, no need for worry there right?


Yes, I think that's fine. I'd also keep checking her eliminations, too. Ah, yes, pill pockets work beautifully with met pills, I imagine, lol. And just fyi, the liquid met is no better than the pill for G--it's really greasy and smelly goop!

You can find out how much she weighs by checking in with the clinic...I'm assuming her vitals were checked when you first took her in? The vet tech usually takes temp, listens to the heart, and weighs them, so you could easily find out from them--they should have it in their records, and that's how they should be given the correct med dosage (along with age).

Hope your kitty continues to improve like my G has, he was only on met for a few days, unlike your full 10 days, but he's truly back to his usual naughty self, and I _still_ adore him, haha! :mrgreen:


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## fruitriver (Feb 10, 2012)

The medicine has been working perfect for a couple of weeks, no blood or diarrhea at all. We just got her off of it a few days ago and she had blood in her stool today...any suggestions? About to call the vet.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Oh no, I'm so sorry too hear that, happycat. Was the bloody stool a one time occurance and did you notice your kitty in any pain or straining while going? Hope you find the real underlying cause of this, and let us know. So many of us has had this problem before, and bloody stools are always worrisome to me.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Did they ever do blood work when you went to the vet? If not I think you really should, because it can be very telling what the blood work shows, and it can also rule some things out. Also an x-ray. Sometimes, but not always, you can see if there is something going on with an x-ray. Sometimes the x-ray is not enough and they need to do an ultra sound, which you might have to go to a specialist for that, I know my vet has someone come in to do the ultrasounds, and I know they are not cheap. But I'd start with the blood work and the x-ray, at the very least. And don't just go by the "everything looks fine on the blood work", because some vets will tell you that, and maybe another vet looks at the results and does see a potential problem. There is someone here on this forum who has vet tech experience and can go over the blood results with you if you get them and want to post them. 

At 14 years old, and the bloody poop continuing, I think you really need to have them do some more tests. Cats are really good at hiding pain, and you want to be sure they aren't missing something right now that they could be treating. I know she will hate going back and getting blood drawn, but if it were my cat, I would do this. 

Hoping for the best for your kitty.


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## Shybail (Nov 1, 2013)

Did the vet figure anything out? I have a 14 yr old cat who had diahrrea and put on met. Thought she had a bout of pancreatitis. She got better and was eating again and now has diahrrea again with some blood in it. But her bloodwork was great in oct. I am thinking maybe she has a form of ibd or colitis? You could ask the vet about those, assuming blood work was good.
I may have to call my vet again. Anyone know what to give for diahrrea? Very picky cat. I do have pro/prebiotics that i gave for a couple days. She is also on pred every other day for itchy skin.


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