Please Help Me. Diarrhea And Bleeding From Anus

That1CatLady

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Hi sorry for the title. I'm freaking out and have been for 4 days now. My cat has an appt. at the vet on the 26th as I dont have the money until then and I'm so scared that something is gonna happen before then.

My cat is a 5 year old neutered Male. For the last 4 days his butt has been swollen and inflamed. Hes also been having bad diarrhea and there is bright red blood in his stool. He doesn't go in the litter box anymore either. He scoots across the floors and hes constantly meowing like hes in pain.

It breaks my heart everytime I hear it. I feel helpless and like an awful person for not being able to take care of him. I read somewhere else that I could use Neosporin ointment pain reliever on his bum so I did today but hes still howling in pain.

Hes never been sick a day in his life hes an indoor kitty and has never gotten outside. A few weeks back I took in a stray kitten that had these same symptoms but less severe and they cleared up within 3 days. I had them separated during this time and never let them near each other until the kitten was tested and saw a vet. They do sometimes use one another's litter box. I've seen my adult Male cat eat the kitten formulated food as well.

I'm terrified and scared I'm gonna lose my baby. Is it okay that his appt. Is still 2 days away? That would be about a week since his symptoms have started. Is he gonna be okay? Please help me!! I can't sleep this is all I think about D:
 

betsygee

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I'm so sorry about your kitty. I don't have any experience with this kind of problem. Hopefully another member will read this who can give you some insight about it.

How is he doing today?
 

BlueJay

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First off, if the neosporin hasn't improved the situation, I would stop using it. There is mixed advice about using it on cats, some sources says it is fine for short term use and some day it should never be used in cats. In general, I don't use any human medicines on kitties because many of them are toxic to cats. However, if it seems to be helping the situation right now...it might make sense to continue. Unless it is causing other problems.

When you made the appointment, were you able to talk to the vet, and discuss the symptoms? Did they think it was serious? What did the vet day when you took the kitten in with the same issue?

Have the symptoms gotten worse in the past week, or are they consistent? Is he eating fine? Is he lethargic? My guess is that if he hasn't been getting worse each day, he probably won't just drop off the deep end unexpectedly. The inflamed butt might be from increased diahrea, that can be irritating.

I've never had a cat with this issue so I'm not speaking from experience with that, but I do know that if they aren't eating and drinking, or if they are lethargic, it is more serious than if the cat just had diarhea. They can get dehydrated more easily with diarrhea.
 

neely

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There is mixed advice about using it on cats, some sources says it is fine for short term use and some day it should never be used in cats. In general, I don't use any human medicines on kitties because many of them are toxic to cats.
First, welcome to TCS! :wave3: Second, I agree with the above quote. You may be interested in this Article which discusses whether OTC medications are safe:
Are Otc Medications Safe For Your Cat?
Note: the paragraph on "Beware of ointments & topical treatments"

Best of luck! Please keep us updated when you see the vet in two days.:alright:
 

FeebysOwner

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I will always err on the side of cautious with Feeby, so my two cents' worth is to call the vet and tell them what is going on and see if they want to see him early. If they don't want to, they had better have a good set of instructions for you to follow to help your little guy out in the meantime.
 
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That1CatLady

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First off, if the neosporin hasn't improved the situation, I would stop using it. There is mixed advice about using it on cats, some sources says it is fine for short term use and some day it should never be used in cats. In general, I don't use any human medicines on kitties because many of them are toxic to cats. However, if it seems to be helping the situation right now...it might make sense to continue. Unless it is causing other problems.

When you made the appointment, were you able to talk to the vet, and discuss the symptoms? Did they think it was serious? What did the vet day when you took the kitten in with the same issue?

Have the symptoms gotten worse in the past week, or are they consistent? Is he eating fine? Is he lethargic? My guess is that if he hasn't been getting worse each day, he probably won't just drop off the deep end unexpectedly. The inflamed butt might be from increased diahrea, that can be irritating.

I've never had a cat with this issue so I'm not speaking from experience with that, but I do know that if they aren't eating and drinking, or if they are lethargic, it is more serious than if the cat just had diarhea. They can get dehydrated more easily with diarrhea.
Hes doing the same today though hes been meowing less. I don't know if it's getting better or its because of the Neosporin but I stopped applying it after this morning. Hes eating fine just as much as he used to. Hes been making it to the litter box today but still has blood in his stool and diarrhea. His anus is also still inflamed and puffy.
 
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That1CatLady

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First, welcome to TCS! :wave3: Second, I agree with the above quote. You may be interested in this Article which discusses whether OTC medications are safe:
Are Otc Medications Safe For Your Cat?
Note: the paragraph on "Beware of ointments & topical treatments"

Best of luck! Please keep us updated when you see the vet in two days.:alright:
Thanks you and the previous poster as well for this. I've stopped using it now though it did seem to lessen his pain.
 

Genesis123

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I am not a vet, but I have had periodic experience with the symptoms you are describing. I am not giving advice (use it at your own risk), but will tell you what I do in these situations.

I assume you are feeding your cat dry food. If so, this explains the bleeding (in my opinion). If I see blood in my cat's stool, I immediately take him off dry food and give him "homemade" food. Frankly, of late, I usually just open a can of tuna or salmon, mix a teaspoon or two of pure cranberry juice into it, and give him that for a couple days. A touch of vegetable oil might help, too, if his anus is enflamed (1/2 teaspoon?).

I do not use medications, that are made for humans, on cats. And, remember, your cat is apt to lick his anus (to clean it) and will be ingesting the medication (which is not made for, even, human consumption).

When I see blood is any of my cats' stools, I have come to believe they have been on dry (commercial) food too long -- and, perhaps... or, probably... not taking in enough water/liquid to compensate for it. Dry cat food (each kernel) can absorb a lot of water. In my opinion, if the cat is not drinking enough liquid for the food to absorb, it absorbs it from the cat's body -- even to the point of making it bleed.

The fact that the blood is bright red means it's newly produced; it is not blood that has set in the body for a long period of time.

So, as I said, I switch my cat to a homemade diet, even if just for a few days. I think "wet homemade" food is safer than "commercial wet" food when trying to heal an illness. (My opinion.)

Your cat scooting his butt on the floor concerns me. It could be because of the irritation caused by the inflammation -- and, perhaps, most likely. But, make sure he does not have fleas in that area. (COMB him, if he does. Don't douse him with chemical treatments.) BE SURE, TOO, he doesn't have worms. Worms can cause constipation. I had a cat that, twice, had worms, his rectum swelled, he couldn't poop -- and I gave him a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in between meals of "tuna in vegetable oil". Then. I just waited it out. It may have taken a day or two, but he, eventually, pooped, the swelling went down and there were no more worms. [The oil smothers the worms, makes it nearly impossible for them to attach to the intestines, and helps eliminate the worms from the body... in my opinion.] In fact, any time my cats get worms, this is how I treat them. Always works.

So, "if I were you", I would go to the store, get several cans of tuna in water. Add a teaspoon of vegetable (or canola) oil and give it to your cat. I'm almost will to bet the bleeding will stop within 24 hours. (I like to add a little pure cranberry juice because it kills, and prevents, infection -- and, if a cat has a internal wound, it's helps relieve the possibility of infection.)

Generally, try to get your cat to drink "enough" liquids. My cats have several dishes of water (some bottled, some tap). They love the liquid from canned vegetables. They get a little milk (actually Half & Half) quite often. And, you could soak the dry cat food in water, until it's saturated, to not only give your cat more moisture, but (also) help prevent the dry cat food from moisture from the cat's body.

So, that's all I can think of off the top of my head. My opinion is it's because of the dry cat food. IF you feed your cat wet food, forget everything I've said, and I'm sorry if I've wasted your time. (lol)

I hope this helps, seriously.
 
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That1CatLady

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I am not a vet, but I have had periodic experience with the symptoms you are describing. I am not giving advice (use it at your own risk), but will tell you what I do in these situations.

I assume you are feeding your cat dry food. If so, this explains the bleeding (in my opinion). If I see blood in my cat's stool, I immediately take him off dry food and give him "homemade" food. Frankly, of late, I usually just open a can of tuna or salmon, mix a teaspoon or two of pure cranberry juice into it, and give him that for a couple days. A touch of vegetable oil might help, too, if his anus is enflamed (1/2 teaspoon?).

I do not use medications, that are made for humans, on cats. And, remember, your cat is apt to lick his anus (to clean it) and will be ingesting the medication (which is not made for, even, human consumption).

When I see blood is any of my cats' stools, I have come to believe they have been on dry (commercial) food too long -- and, perhaps... or, probably... not taking in enough water/liquid to compensate for it. Dry cat food (each kernel) can absorb a lot of water. In my opinion, if the cat is not drinking enough liquid for the food to absorb, it absorbs it from the cat's body -- even to the point of making it bleed.

The fact that the blood is bright red means it's newly produced; it is not blood that has set in the body for a long period of time.

So, as I said, I switch my cat to a homemade diet, even if just for a few days. I think "wet homemade" food is safer than "commercial wet" food when trying to heal an illness. (My opinion.)

Your cat scooting his butt on the floor concerns me. It could be because of the irritation caused by the inflammation -- and, perhaps, most likely. But, make sure he does not have fleas in that area. (COMB him, if he does. Don't douse him with chemical treatments.) BE SURE, TOO, he doesn't have worms. Worms can cause constipation. I had a cat that, twice, had worms, his rectum swelled, he couldn't poop -- and I gave him a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in between meals of "tuna in vegetable oil". Then. I just waited it out. It may have taken a day or two, but he, eventually, pooped, the swelling went down and there were no more worms. [The oil smothers the worms, makes it nearly impossible for them to attach to the intestines, and helps eliminate the worms from the body... in my opinion.] In fact, any time my cats get worms, this is how I treat them. Always works.

So, "if I were you", I would go to the store, get several cans of tuna in water. Add a teaspoon of vegetable (or canola) oil and give it to your cat. I'm almost will to bet the bleeding will stop within 24 hours. (I like to add a little pure cranberry juice because it kills, and prevents, infection -- and, if a cat has a internal wound, it's helps relieve the possibility of infection.)

Generally, try to get your cat to drink "enough" liquids. My cats have several dishes of water (some bottled, some tap). They love the liquid from canned vegetables. They get a little milk (actually Half & Half) quite often. And, you could soak the dry cat food in water, until it's saturated, to not only give your cat more moisture, but (also) help prevent the dry cat food from moisture from the cat's body.

So, that's all I can think of off the top of my head. My opinion is it's because of the dry cat food. IF you feed your cat wet food, forget everything I've said, and I'm sorry if I've wasted your time. (lol)

I hope this helps, seriously.
Thanks for this! Yes he does eat dry food and has been eating the same dry food for years. I'll try everything you said out tomorrow. I hope it works on my little one. Thanks so much.
 

Genesis123

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Thanks for this! Yes he does eat dry food and has been eating the same dry food for years. I'll try everything you said out tomorrow. I hope it works on my little one. Thanks so much.
Truly, I wish you the best. Let us know if it works.
 

Jem

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One thing you could do if (he lets you) is to use a cooled chamomile tea bag as a compress on his anus a few times a day. Brew a cup of tea for yourself, to help keep you calm :thumbsup: Then use the cooled bag on his bum. It can help soothe the tissue and calm inflammation so hopefully he won't be in as much discomfort. It also has antiseptic properties so it will clean his bum at the same time. And it would also be helpful to keep him clean to ensure he does not end up with a UTI from the bacteria from his poop.
 

Genesis123

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Thanks for this! Yes he does eat dry food and has been eating the same dry food for years. I'll try everything you said out tomorrow. I hope it works on my little one. Thanks so much.
Just a side note... If you have some peas around, it wouldn't hurt to mash a little into his fish while you're nursing his current condition.... or, well-cooked butter beans, mashed.... anything like that. The fiber will help heal his insides (bleeding areas).

And, I forgot to mention, straight (pure) cranberry juice (CJ) is, also, an anti-inflammatory. That will help, too. I always give it to my cats, in fish, if they are, suddenly, limping (any condition that might swell), abscesses, fevers, prevention & treatment of UTIs... CJ is handy to have around and keeps long in the fridge. (If a blackish film forms inside on the bottle, don't be concerned -- it's only the sugars breaking down. Shake it & use it. I, actually, prefer it "aged". I have a chronic illness, so use a lot of it myself.)

[Prices of CJ vary, from $4 - $12, depending on where you shop.]

And, of course, anything I've said her is "in my opinion". ;) ... and I am not a vet.
 
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