My 16-year-old cat has bright blood from his rear. What's wrong?

It is possible that this particular stool was difficult to pass and you helping to remove it may have caused a small amount of bleeding from the rectal tissue. Cats can become constipated, and if she has been passing less stool than usual, straining to defecate and had a decreased appetite I would recommend seeing a veterinarian. There are some other things that can cause blood in the stool as well including intestinal parasites, colitis or even inflammatory bowel disease. If the blood is persistent you should make an appointment to see your veterinarian as well.

It sounds like Smokey has colitis, or an inflammation of the colon. In older cats that have this problem I worry about irritable bowel disease, hyperthyroidism and intestinal lymphoma (cancer). Since this has been getting progressively worse over the past year I would recommend taking her in to be checked out by the vet. They may recommend doing a fecal exam to rule out intestinal parasites, blood work, and possibly X-rays and an ultrasound. Good luck.

Poor Reggie! If you noticed the blood after he used the litter box, I would suspect there is some irritation of his colon or anal sacs causing the bleeding. Keep a close eye on him for now, and if you see more bleeding, then take him into the vet. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

If he is bleeding from the rectum it is possible there could be some irritation due to GI upset, parasites, anal gland issues, etc. If he has also not been vaccinated, I highly recommend bringing Jake into a vet for an exam, a fecal exam, care, and possibly getting started on a vaccination plan if he is eligible. Many places offer treatment plans that can be spread out over several visits to help decrease cost, or can point you to vaccination or low cost clinics. Your local animal shelter may also offer low cost care or clinics. If you're having trouble affording care, this site may also help give you additional ideas to make treatment more affordable so Jake can get any treatment he needs: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

I would be very suspicious that he had a urinary blockage, was able to pass the obstructing material and that's when he got all wet and litter covered and may have passed blood. It would be the best plan if action to take him to your veterinarian for an exam and a urinalysis. Explain exactly what is going on. He may have an infection, crystalsi in his urine or bladder stones. If he was obstructed, he could do it again very soon and this can be a life threatening emergency.

There can be many things causing this, including IBD, intestinal lymphoma, constipation causing trauma to the colon, intestinal parasites, anal gland issues, rectal polyps, bleeding/clotting disorders, among many others. I would recommend that Scooter be evaluated by your veterinarian to see what could be the cause and to receive appropriate treatment.

These are very concerning signs - bleeding from the mouth can be a sign of a serious illness such as heart disease, severe liver or kidney disease, a clotting disorder, or severe dental problems. Combined with the fact that he is just laying down and pooping without realizing it, I would be very worried that he has a serious, life-threatening problem as this is extremely abnormal in cats - it often indicates that they are so weak and sick that they don't notice or care that they are soiling themselves. I would recommend getting your kitty to an emergency vet right away - he/she can do a thorough oral exam, and may also need to do blood work and x-rays to help diagnose the problem and see what can be done to help him.