Why is my cat pooping bloody, hard stool with string? Vet needed?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hugo. Yes, I do recommend that he sees his veterinarian. The diarrhea can be a result of his underlying gastrointestinal disease or a separate new problem. He may have urinated outside of the box as he is not feeling well. I suspect his veterinarian will want to test both urine and fecal samples though to determine how best to treat him. I hope this information helps!

Poor Champ! Bright red blood in the stool is definitely not normal, and is an indication that he has a medical problem of some kind. Medical issues like this are a very common cause of pooping outside the litter box, so it's likely that the underlying problem will need to be diagnosed and treated in order to stop this behavior. Some possible causes of blood in the stool, along with accidents outside the litter box, would include an intestinal infection of some kind, intestinal parasites, a GI issue like pancreatitis or colitis, a food allergy or intolerance to something in his diet, or inflammatory bowel disease. I would recommend taking Champ to the vet for an exam and some testing to help determine what's wrong - take a fecal sample with you if you can, so that it can be checked for parasites. Your veterinarian may also suggest lab work or other testing if needed, and will prescribe appropriate medication to treat the problem depending on what is found.

The fact that Poe is exhibiting Pica, ie eating non-edible things is a very loud warning sign that he is ill. Bleeding from the intestinal tract can be a sign of sharp foreign body trauma, but it can also be a sign of serious intestinal disease. Please take poe to your veterinarian for an exam. You may also want to bring a stool sample. Your vet will need to do blood tests, and likely xrays in order to be able to find his problem.

Fresco sounds like he may be constipated. Here is a link to an article about this condition. There are some helpful hints on how to treat at home. This can be a serious problem so please, if you try some home remedies and he doesn't respond in a couple days you need to take him to your vet for an exam. He could have something more serious like Megacolon. http://www.vetstreet.com/care/constipation-in-cats Hope this helps.

I would inform the owners and ask them their wishes. If they are going to be gone for an extended period, I would feel better if the cat could be seen by a vet before then, since the condition seems to be not improving. They may need to call their vet to authorize you to take the cat in on their behalf. Since you are the sitter, I could see him maybe peeing outside the box in protest to someone else taking care of them, but, unless the cat is extremely sensitive to stress, I wouldn't think a petsitter would be enough to make him have intestinal upset. He could have parasites, a bacterial infection or has eaten something that disagreed with him, among other possibilities. If they will be home in the next day or so they may want to get him seen themselves and as long as he continues to eat and drink and behave normally, that should be okay.

I would be worried about constipation. If he is having trouble passing stool they will get blood and mucus. They will also vomit when they are constipated. He may need an enema to help remove the feces. They may be able to feel his belly and see if they feel hard stool present or they may want to take xrays. Try and encourage as much water as possible and if he will eat canned food try that. The high moisture content can help. IF it continues they will want to see him and give an enema and possibly put him on a stool softener.

This is a medical emergency, and Lucky needs to see a vet immediately. He could be suffering from a foreign body, GI polyps, or GI tumors causing him to vomiting, not be able to poop, and not eat or drink. He needs veterinary treatment now. I would see if there is an ER vet clinic in your area. If there isn't, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Please take him into a vet immediately.