Cat poop -- Concerned (POOP PICS ARE INCLUDED)

shlurp

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I'd like to start off by saying I have taken her to the vet and they tested her poo beforehand, which came back negative for parasites. They said she looks okay, and that they expressed her anal glands( I believe that's the proper wording).
The reason I had taken her in is because of blood in her poop(one example will be the first picture). Vet gave me a probiotic for her to take until I could get in for a visit. He then prescribed an antibiotic (metronidazole) to give her. I cannot for the life of me safely give her this without fear of getting it down the wrong pipe or hurting her trying to hold her still, and most of it she drools/spits up(she also will not eat anything I've tried mixing it in with). I called again, and he recommended hill's science diet light wet food ( although I believe in this case it should be the digestive health? will not hear back until tuesday, though ), which I will be getting asap. I also had mentioned she threw up white foam yesterday.
While I haven't seen nearly as much blood, I did find a poop this morning that has me pretty concerned(although I'm not 100% sure it is her or one of my other two babies).
flash on:
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View recent photos[7799].jpg

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per above image, the thing on the tip there-- I used paper towel to try to see what that could be, but have no idea. It's consistency was like caramel/taffy?
IMG_3356.PNG

This is all the same poop, for some reason flash really lightened the color, but it did help make the red spots more visible.
Could this be a sign of the antibiotics/probiotics at work? Or does this indicate there is a larger problem? I have not noticed any behavioral problems. There was pee yesterday next to one of the litterboxes, but I was not positive who, and it seemed like to much for my other girl to be 'marking'. I have also recently switched them to wood pellet litter, though, so that may be the culprit.
If any more info is needed that I may have missed, I'll add it, and respond to all questions. Any clarity on specific things to look for in poop also extremely helpful, as any guide online I've found only talks about consistency, none of which have matched with the other red flags I've been seeing.
 
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shlurp

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Note: cat taken to vet is about 3years old.
 

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OK...good news, this is not occult blood, which causes a "coffee ground" or tarry appearance to the stool, and is an indication of bleeding in the stomach or upper GI tract. Identifiable blood is almost always from the lower tract, and can, on occasion, be caused by such things are polyps in the lower intestine, which tend to become irritated and bleed (in both humans and cats), or even (MAYBE) hemorrhoids (this is very iffy...some vets say cats can have them, others say not, but they would be extremely rare, at best). These are not the only suspects, by a long shot, only what came to mind off the top of my head.

What I found interesting was the fact that this is very "mucous-y" poop, which can indicate a lot of things. This is one of the simpler articles I found about it:


Let us know how your baby is getting along!
 

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Metronidazole (as you have found out) is extremely bitter and dissolves very quickly when it hits any moisture. Hence, once it hits the moist mouth and tongue, it dissolves and spreads the horrible taste all over poor kitty’s mouth. And here comes the excessive salivation. I’ve had this issue and I put the medication into a gelatin capsule. No flavor! Chances are more than extremely slim you're going to send it down the windpipe. Just drop the capsule straight (capsule pointed down, not sideways) down into the back of the throat and give it a little push with your finger. It should go down. You can even coat the end of the capsule with a little butter to make it slippery. The mucous is typically a sign of intestinal irritation. This may all resolve once you’re able to successfully get the medication into her. If it doesn’t, talk to your vet again. Good luck!
 

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If you absolutely cannot give her the Metro, you can get it compounded into a transdermal gel to rub into her ear:).

Also, if you want, you could try feeding her just plain poached chicken for a few days to give her digestive tract a break and see what happens. This is not 100% nutritionally complete, but is okay to feed for several days as long as we aren't talking about a young kitten. I would probably feed this over the prescription food to see if it works. You can even try giving her some slippery elm bark (most people give it in syrup form) as that also coats the intestines and helps with diarrhea and/or soft stool. Just don't give that within a couple hours of any medication.

Did this soft stool start after anything specific? Maybe a food change?
 
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shlurp

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OK...good news, this is not occult blood, which causes a "coffee ground" or tarry appearance to the stool, and is an indication of bleeding in the stomach or upper GI tract. Identifiable blood is almost always from the lower tract, and can, on occasion, be caused by such things are polyps in the lower intestine, which tend to become irritated and bleed (in both humans and cats), or even (MAYBE) hemorrhoids (this is very iffy...some vets say cats can have them, others say not, but they would be extremely rare, at best). These are not the only suspects, by a long shot, only what came to mind off the top of my head.

What I found interesting was the fact that this is very "mucous-y" poop, which can indicate a lot of things. This is one of the simpler articles I found about it:

[/URL]

Let us know how your baby is getting along!
OK...good news, this is not occult blood, which causes a "coffee ground" or tarry appearance to the stool, and is an indication of bleeding in the stomach or upper GI tract. Identifiable blood is almost always from the lower tract, and can, on occasion, be caused by such things are polyps in the lower intestine, which tend to become irritated and bleed (in both humans and cats), or even (MAYBE) hemorrhoids (this is very iffy...some vets say cats can have them, others say not, but they would be extremely rare, at best). These are not the only suspects, by a long shot, only what came to mind off the top of my head.

What I found interesting was the fact that this is very "mucous-y" poop, which can indicate a lot of things. This is one of the simpler articles I found about it:

[/URL]

Let us know how your baby is getting along!
The mucus was also confusing for me! I can never find pictures of actual poop that would show normal amounts/look vs concerning, and though I mentioned this to the vet, and the color, he didn't seem to concerned(same call as when I originally posted) and just recommended the Hills food.
 
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shlurp

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Metronidazole (as you have found out) is extremely bitter and dissolves very quickly when it hits any moisture. Hence, once it hits the moist mouth and tongue, it dissolves and spreads the horrible taste all over poor kitty’s mouth. And here comes the excessive salivation. I’ve had this issue and I put the medication into a gelatin capsule. No flavor! Chances are more than extremely slim you're going to send it down the windpipe. Just drop the capsule straight (capsule pointed down, not sideways) down into the back of the throat and give it a little push with your finger. It should go down. You can even coat the end of the capsule with a little butter to make it slippery. The mucous is typically a sign of intestinal irritation. This may all resolve once you’re able to successfully get the medication into her. If it doesn’t, talk to your vet again. Good luck!
Part of the problem was getting her mouth open- the vet told me to be careful as their jaw can break easily which freaked me out. She's very squirmy, so I'm unsure how to go about that. Do you have any tips on how to do so with that? And are gelatin capsules on amazon by chance?
Also would like to note that I have not given it to her since, so I'm a little worried that may affect it.
 
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shlurp

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If you absolutely cannot give her the Metro, you can get it compounded into a transdermal gel to rub into her ear:).

Also, if you want, you could try feeding her just plain poached chicken for a few days to give her digestive tract a break and see what happens. This is not 100% nutritionally complete, but is okay to feed for several days as long as we aren't talking about a young kitten. I would probably feed this over the prescription food to see if it works. You can even try giving her some slippery elm bark (most people give it in syrup form) as that also coats the intestines and helps with diarrhea and/or soft stool. Just don't give that within a couple hours of any medication.

Did this soft stool start after anything specific? Maybe a food change?
Really? I was trying to see about that but my vet didn't mention that at all! The vet tech did say something about a different form, so I wonder why he didn't.. I'll ask him when he's back in office Tuesday.

I think he mentioned something about unsalted chicken broth- but I completely forgot to ask if you can use broth made for humans. Do you happen to know? I've also given a little bit of 100% canned pumpkin here and there. I'll have to look into poached chicken as I'm honestly clueless about how to serve her that and what to look out for. I've never even heard of elm bark-- where could I find that? Are there any adverse affects that you know of?

No, they've had a consistent diet of dry kibble, but I'm currently looking into how to switch to a raw diet. I'm going to talk to my vet about it first to see if I should wait till she's feeling better. The only big change I can think of would have to be the switch in litters( although part of me hopes that's not it, as I can't find anything better/less toxic then kiln-dried wood pellets).
 
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shlurp

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I'd like to start off by saying I have taken her to the vet and they tested her poo beforehand, which came back negative for parasites. They said she looks okay, and that they expressed her anal glands( I believe that's the proper wording).
The reason I had taken her in is because of blood in her poop(one example will be the first picture). Vet gave me a probiotic for her to take until I could get in for a visit. He then prescribed an antibiotic (metronidazole) to give her. I cannot for the life of me safely give her this without fear of getting it down the wrong pipe or hurting her trying to hold her still, and most of it she drools/spits up(she also will not eat anything I've tried mixing it in with). I called again, and he recommended hill's science diet light wet food ( although I believe in this case it should be the digestive health? will not hear back until tuesday, though ), which I will be getting asap. I also had mentioned she threw up white foam yesterday.
While I haven't seen nearly as much blood, I did find a poop this morning that has me pretty concerned(although I'm not 100% sure it is her or one of my other two babies).
flash on:
View attachment 379489View attachment 379490
flash off:
View attachment 379491
View attachment 379494
View attachment 379492
per above image, the thing on the tip there-- I used paper towel to try to see what that could be, but have no idea. It's consistency was like caramel/taffy?
View attachment 379493
This is all the same poop, for some reason flash really lightened the color, but it did help make the red spots more visible.
Could this be a sign of the antibiotics/probiotics at work? Or does this indicate there is a larger problem? I have not noticed any behavioral problems. There was pee yesterday next to one of the litterboxes, but I was not positive who, and it seemed like to much for my other girl to be 'marking'. I have also recently switched them to wood pellet litter, though, so that may be the culprit.
If any more info is needed that I may have missed, I'll add it, and respond to all questions. Any clarity on specific things to look for in poop also extremely helpful, as any guide online I've found only talks about consistency, none of which have matched with the other red flags I've been seeing.

UPDATE: More mucus/jelly-like substance, this time visibly a yellow-ish color. Also, some white thing( I didn't think to check consistency but it looked squishy), and a darker part that looked to be hair/hairball?
5920212.PNG
592021.PNG
5920213_LI.jpg
 

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I know you said they tested for parasites and it was negative but this still looks like it could be parasite-related to me. Have you sent these pictures to the vet yet?
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Really? I was trying to see about that but my vet didn't mention that at all! The vet tech did say something about a different form, so I wonder why he didn't.. I'll ask him when he's back in office Tuesday.

I think he mentioned something about unsalted chicken broth- but I completely forgot to ask if you can use broth made for humans. Do you happen to know? I've also given a little bit of 100% canned pumpkin here and there. I'll have to look into poached chicken as I'm honestly clueless about how to serve her that and what to look out for. I've never even heard of elm bark-- where could I find that? Are there any adverse affects that you know of?

No, they've had a consistent diet of dry kibble, but I'm currently looking into how to switch to a raw diet. I'm going to talk to my vet about it first to see if I should wait till she's feeling better. The only big change I can think of would have to be the switch in litters( although part of me hopes that's not it, as I can't find anything better/less toxic then kiln-dried wood pellets).
Absolutely Metro can be compounded. I needed to give it to one of my guys, that's how I know! All you need is a prescription for it to be compounded and then present it to a compounding pharmacy. If you don't have one where you live, there are plenty on-line. Just google them.

I would NOT use unsalted chicken broth for humans. they use onions and garlic in that, and you don't want to give those to cats. Just poach some chicken breasts or thighs, or both, in water, then when it cools, shred it up and give some, with some broth to her.

As far as Slippery Elm Bark goes, you can buy it at any health food store, probably even at any drug store, but you really want pure Slippery Elm Bark, no additives if possible. To make the syrup, you need to cook it with water. Again, you can google it. Some people just sprinkle some of it on their food in powder form, but if you have a picky eater, they might not eat it in either form. Mine won't even it when I mix it with tuna juice :sigh: But if your girl isn't too picky, you can mix it right into her poached chicken and that would be super. The only adverse effect I know of is that it blocks other medications from doing their thing, so you need to give this at other times thn giving meds.

The change in litter could be the cause, as stress can actually cause all kinds of issues, and a change in litter can cause stress. Cat's are so sensitive. I simply moved one of their litterboxes and they went appoplexic! And I'm guessing to switch from a regular litter to this type was quite a change for them. Did they balk? I know I tried to switch once to Onokat (I think that's it) and they wouldn't have it! One cat simply refused to use that box until I switched back, even when I just put a thin layer of the new stuff on top of their regular litter.

So their consistent diet of dry kibble has been the SAME kibble all along? No change in formula, etc.? That could make a difference too.
 
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shlurp

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I know you said they tested for parasites and it was negative but this still looks like it could be parasite-related to me. Have you sent these pictures to the vet yet?
he'll be in tuesday so I'll have to tell him I'll be sending them in and hopefully get his work email cause they've never once replied to any emails i've sent
 
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shlurp

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Absolutely Metro can be compounded. I needed to give it to one of my guys, that's how I know! All you need is a prescription for it to be compounded and then present it to a compounding pharmacy. If you don't have one where you live, there are plenty on-line. Just google them.

I would NOT use unsalted chicken broth for humans. they use onions and garlic in that, and you don't want to give those to cats. Just poach some chicken breasts or thighs, or both, in water, then when it cools, shred it up and give some, with some broth to her.

As far as Slippery Elm Bark goes, you can buy it at any health food store, probably even at any drug store, but you really want pure Slippery Elm Bark, no additives if possible. To make the syrup, you need to cook it with water. Again, you can google it. Some people just sprinkle some of it on their food in powder form, but if you have a picky eater, they might not eat it in either form. Mine won't even it when I mix it with tuna juice :sigh: But if your girl isn't too picky, you can mix it right into her poached chicken and that would be super. The only adverse effect I know of is that it blocks other medications from doing their thing, so you need to give this at other times thn giving meds.

The change in litter could be the cause, as stress can actually cause all kinds of issues, and a change in litter can cause stress. Cat's are so sensitive. I simply moved one of their litterboxes and they went appoplexic! And I'm guessing to switch from a regular litter to this type was quite a change for them. Did they balk? I know I tried to switch once to Onokat (I think that's it) and they wouldn't have it! One cat simply refused to use that box until I switched back, even when I just put a thin layer of the new stuff on top of their regular litter.

So their consistent diet of dry kibble has been the SAME kibble all along? No change in formula, etc.? That could make a difference too.
Okay, thanks so much for the detailed info!! I'll bring up the elm bark w/ my vet.

I did try to slowly change it over by mixing them but wood pellets and clay litter do NOT mix well, haha. So I changed one to wood until the next time to clean them out and upped it to two, and from there, 3. Sorry, I don't know what you mean by balk:( They all use it, and the pee was a kinda one-off incident so it also may be her because sometimes she doesn't go in far enough and accidentally pees out the edge(even in the large litterboxes I got TT.TT) I am trying to see how I can make sifting litterboxes, because it might be an issue of stepping on pellets that have been peed on.

Yes! Same formula and even flavor. I made the mistake about half a year ago of getting the salmon flavor (it was 50% off) and they refused it completely.
 

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By balk, I mean did they seem to not want to make the change to the new litter.

This could still be stress related since they have this new litter and there isn't a darned thing they can do about it. Even if they still have clay litter in other boxes :rolleyes2: . Is this particular cat a little more anxious than the other(s)?
 

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Part of the problem was getting her mouth open- the vet told me to be careful as their jaw can break easily which freaked me out. She's very squirmy, so I'm unsure how to go about that. Do you have any tips on how to do so with that? And are gelatin capsules on amazon by chance?
Also would like to note that I have not given it to her since, so I'm a little worried that may affect it.
 

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Part of the problem was getting her mouth open- the vet told me to be careful as their jaw can break easily which freaked me out. She's very squirmy, so I'm unsure how to go about that. Do you have any tips on how to do so with that? And are gelatin capsules on amazon by chance?
Also would like to note that I have not given it to her since, so I'm a little worried that may affect it.
Let me tell you, what your vet said about the cats jaw bones very fragile and now you are afraid you’re going to hurt her and break her jaw is ridiculous. I cannot believe your vet said that. Of course bones are fragile, they’re not that big. But watch the video, you’ll see exactly how to open your kitty’s mouth. You don’t have to worry about breaking her jaw. unless you rip her mouth open with a lot of force, she is going to be fine!!!! If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reply, I’ll be happy to answer them if I can. Not all cats are as amenable as my Icky is but he’s a really good model for this subject. 😻😻😻😻 Jethro was the guy that knocked over the iPad. 😻😻😻😻. I really do suggest getting some gelatin capsules, because the more you make this an unpleasant experience with metronidazole, the less likely you are going to be successful with her treatment. Yes you can get the gel in capsules on Amazon. i would suggest a size 3 capsule but you decide what you need based on the chart. 😻
 

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Xena44

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I’m sorry the video didn’t attach. Can anyone tell me how to share a video? Or how to share it directly with shlurp?
 
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