Kitten leaves poop stains everywhere she goes-- can't hold her anymore

[leeksychan]

My 8 month old kitten Reese has started leaving poop marks almost everywhere she goes. We're constantly throwing blankets and clothes in the wash. I just picked her up to get her out of our bathroom and when I put her down I had a poop stain on my shirt.... it's becoming way too frequent. It didn't start until a couple weeks ago. She was fixed about a month ago. Anything I can do? Anything I should try? Different food? Please help!!

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• leeksychan
• Nov 15, 2016

 

[red top rescue]

You should get her to a vet or at least take a fecal sample.  That is not normal or healthy and deserves attention.  If all that checks out, then consider changing her food.  Some cats are allergic to some things,  My friend's cat is allergic to CHICKEN which is in most foods.  Some are allergic to potatoes which are showing up in cat foods these days. 

 

[missmimz]

What is she eating? Any changes in food in the last few weeks? 

 

[leeksychan]

Her food hasn't changed recently. When we first got her at 5 months, we had her eating kitten food. But then she prefers our older cat's food (Iams Indoor Hairball control.) The bag says for cats over 1 year but we figured she would be okay eating that? Her poop stains started within the past couple weeks... and this morning she had pooped outside of the litter box for the first time since we had her. In other words she's been eating our older cat's food for quite a while.

 

[pushylady]

Was she normal before her spay surgery? If this started afterward, then it makes me think that perhaps her intestinal flora got way out of whack because of the surgery and post op meds. This happens frequently with human surgery. If she doesn't have an allergy and is eating the same food she's eaten all her young life with no issues, I suggest looking into probiotics to sort out her gut flora.

 

[artiemom]

My guy has IBD and has problems with constipation.. I am not saying this is the cause of your kitty's staining...

I notice when My guy is either constipated or has soft bowels, then he leaves 'presents' all over the house.. they can be real 'presents' or a smear on my pillowcase..

Yes, it is very annoying.. 

My questions would be:

What is the consistency of her poop? Is is hard or soft?

Does she seem to have intestinal gas? You can feel her tummy rumbling when she lies on your lap. I noticed my guy has gas.. It seems when he expels gas, he gives me a present..

Could a piece of poop, just hang on, and she smears it when she sits?

Could she be getting a piece of poop on her fur? 

I agree on getting a stool specimen done..

And I would monitor her food, giving her the appropriate food. 

I think the food formulated for passing hairballs would have some extra stuff in it, to make it easier to pass fur balls in the poop. It may be that this cat does not need the extra stuff...

She is better off without it...

Change her food to a regular one..

Does your other cat have problems with fur balls? If not, then I would not give her the food either..I would make sure I brush her, and again monitor her for fur balls. Then I would act on what I see.

This is the issue with feeding in a house with more than one cat. They always seem to prefer the other cat's food...

Good Luck... just betting it is the fur ball food...

BTW gorgeous kitty!!  Orange females are not that common because the gene for orange coloring lies on the same chromosome as the male gender...

 

[red top rescue]

Hairball control food probably has too much fiber, and the fact they say for cats over one year is probably important or they would say "for all ages" as some foods do.  It doesn't have all the things in the right quantity that a growing kitten needs.  You said her poop was normal when you got her at 5 ,months and she was eating a kitten food (Iams also?) and she's 8 months now so I would definitely suspect that the hairball control food has too much fiber. 

 

[leeksychan]

Reese is eating Purina "Gentle" food for easy digestion now. We believe it is an anal gland issue because her "leakage" is usually just a very foul smelling liquid, not necessarily feces. 

 

[missmimz]

I'd get her off low quality kibble and put her on some wet food. Tikicat, Weruva, or Merrick LID, even fancy feast classic would be ok. Kibble is a huge trigger for digestive issues, and anything you can buy at the grocery store, or target, or walmart, is not good. 

 

[LTS3]

If it's an anal gland issue, you can express the glands yourself at home to keep leakage to a minimum. Ask the vet to show you how to do this so you don't need to take your cat to the vet or a groomer every so often for expressing and pay $$. There are online how-to articles and videos on how to express a cat's anal glands but a vet should show you the proper way to do it.I recommend exrpessing the glands in the bathroom where any mess is easy to clean up with a pet safe cleaner, wear old clothes that you don't mind getting potentially dirty, and have paper towels or pet wipes on hand to clean up the cat afterwards. You may need an extra pair of hands to hold the cat while you express the glands. Some cats really hate being touched back there.

Just saw your other thread about the GoFundMe thing. No prescription medicine is needed for anal glands that simply need to be emptied. Just express the glands yourself however often it is needed for your cat. Some vets may push prescription food that are high in fiber but they are not needed. More serious issues like anal gland infection or impaction will need treatment but it sounds like your cat just needs some help getting the goo out. Look into low cost vet clinics in your area. http://www.thecatsite.com/a/no-money-for-vet-care-how-to-find-help-and-save-your-cats-life

I don't think food really has anything to do with anal gland issues. My Aby eats raw and his glands need to be expressed every so often because he starts to really stink back there. Some cats just need a little help with their anal glands. Purina isn't the best brand available. Both your cats would benefit from a healthier diet. Cats and survive on most any food but won't thrive on a poor diet. Kind of like a junk food diet vs a healthy "Mediterranean diet" or "Atkins diet" for people. There are better brands of dry foods out there if you need to feed dry. Including canned food in the diet is ideal.

 

[leeksychan]

So now I'm confused because last night, my fiance and I smelled something really foul/poopy and then found a wet spot on our sheets that smelled so horrid. We initially blamed Reese and set her out of the room. Then today I was sitting on my couch and Sandy, my older cat (8 years) came up with me and laid in a ball on my lap. When I got up, I was smelling that smell again. I found that same wet stain on my pants!!!! So it was Sandy!! How can both of my cats be doing this??? And I have noticed Sandy licks her backside wayyyyy too much.

There are slight differences between them. Reese leaves actual poo stains, Sandy leaves oily liquidy stains. They both have mostly loose stool in the litter box. I'm calling their vet tomorrow, I'm guessing I need to take them both in??? I'm so confused on what diet to be giving them. Sandy has NEVER had problems before, until she started eating Reese's new food.