Stool Question!

[anxiousmama]

Hello furriends!

Before I get into anything, I want to say I’m taking Momo to the vet to get a professional opinion, but it won’t be until Monday, so I’m just looking for a little peace of mind (maybe).

My handsome boy seems to have delicate systems (respiratory and GI). When we got him, he was (of course ) on Science Diet kibble with Fancy Feast wet food 2x daily. He had constant stinky, watery poos and horrible gas. I don’t know how they didn’t figure out there was an issue with what they fed him at the shelter. So, I reduced his wet food intake a bit and things firmed up, so I slowly switched him to Orijen Fit & Trim kibble with Tiki Cat grill flavors for wet food.

I figured out that I may have upped his protein too much, because the stool got soft again and never sorted itself out even after weeks and the reintroduction of a small % of the Science Diet. I didn’t want to reduce his wet food intake because of the moisture content, so I changed him to a food with just a little less protein, Acana First Feast (I know it’s kitten food, but I compared the ingredients and nutritional breakdown of their flavors and it’s very very similar, just a little higher protein than their others). His stool became normal consistency for the most part immediately, so I thought great, I found the food for him!

The only issue, though, is the color...it’s so very dark. The inside is a dark brown, but the outside after it dries looks almost black. This scares me, of course, because that could be blood and he has been chewing some carpet lately and ingesting some of it. He’s happy and active and has no behavioral or other changes, and I know intestinal blockage usually comes with diarrhea/vomiting rather than dark stools, but I still worry. I’ve had cats in the past whose stool is pretty dark once it dries, but this seems darker on the outside to me.

I don’t want him to have an emergency, especially because I have to work quite a bit this weekend! Should I be overly concerned? It’s been this way for at least a week or two and I feel horrible for waiting so long to look up whether or not it’s in the normal range of color for kitty stool.

In the meantime, I’m going to increase his wet food intake a little, add a can of the Tiki Cat foods that have pumpkin in them to the mix, and be extra meticulous about keeping his water fountain fully topped up, since I did read that if it isn’t blood it could be dehydration.

Thank you in advance!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Cat stool color can be impacted by the coloring of the foods themselves. Are you sure that is not the case in your situation? Is his stool still of good consistency?

The other thing you can do while you wait for your vet appt. is take a fecal sample (even some litter on it is OK) to the vet so they can check for blood. Most vets will accept a sample this way - without an appt. - and you would have the answer about the possible blood nearly instantaneously - as they usually can check for blood in their office in a matter of moments. Just call them to verify you can bring a sample in.

 

[anxiousmama]

Hi. Cat stool color can be impacted by the coloring of the foods themselves. Are you sure that is not the case in your situation? Is his stool still of good consistency?

The other thing you can do while you wait for your vet appt. is take a fecal sample (even some litter on it is OK) to the vet so they can check for blood. Most vets will accept a sample this way - without an appt. - and you would have the answer about the possible blood nearly instantaneously - as they usually can check for blood in their office in a matter of moments. Just call them to verify you can bring a sample in.

Thanks! I’m not sure if it’s the food coloration, but I’m hoping that’s all it is. He’s due for a check-up anyway, so I don’t mind taking him in, I’ll see what I can do about a stool sample. It seems okay consistency, good sized logs and the interior is brown.