Female cat has brown dried crust on her rear. What should I do?

I would be extremely concerned that Lola has a pyometra. This is a life threatening infection of the uterus that requires immediate veterinary treatment. It would cause a creamy brown mucus discharge. A pyo is fatal without treatment, so I would take Lola into a vet right away. The vet can do a physical exam, blood tests, a urinalysis, and x-rays to diagnose she does have a pyo. If she does, spaying her in part of the recommended treatment. Please take her into a vet now.

As your cat is spayed, it is possible that the discharge you are seeing is coming from the urethra rather than the vagina as both open up into a common vestibule in the body. Dark brown secretions may indicate blood or infection in the urine, and bringing in a sample of your cat's urine to your local vet can be used to determine if this is the case. You may see other signs of illness such as more frequent trips to the bathroom, attempting to go without success, yowling, or pain and irritation. Infections are usually treated with a round of antibiotics as well as switching to a urinary friendly diet. Increasing your cats water consumption will also help reduce further infections. In some very rare cases, part of the uterus can be left behind during a spay which may become infected. Signs of infection include swelling of the abdomen, extreme pain and lethargy, and greenish or yellow discharge in addition to other possible discharge. This is a serious condition which should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Zuri! I find that crust develops around the anus and vulva of overweight cats. They can not reach those areas to groom. I recommend having Zuri lose weight if overweight and in the mean time wipe her anus and vulva once to twice daily with an unscented or water baby wipe. I wish you the best!

Discharge from the vulva of an unspayed female is always very concerning. Your cat may have a urinary tract infection or may have a more serious condition called a pyometra. This is where the uterus becomes infected. Pyometra can be life threatening. If this is what is going on with Panda she will need surgery to have her uterus removed. She will also need to be on antibiotics. I would recommend taking Panda in to see your vet as soon as possible so she can be evaluated and treatment can be initiated. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

One possibility is that the tears are not draining properly. If the eye is small, then this would definitely explain why it's not draining properly and is ending up on her face. They can also get blocked tear ducts that will cause a similar problem. If the eye and conjunctiva do not appear red, then I would not be worried about infection or other inflammation causing the discharge, but I'd have to examine her to be sure. Unfortunately, what you are describing is not specific to any one condition, so I am not able to narrow-down the causes and provide advice about treating it. I can say that if it is a blocked tear duct, or other drainage problem, then it would require veterinary intervention. It is best to have a veterinarian examine her to get a specific diagnosis. I'm sure that a great amount of information can be obtained from just an exam, or some minimal testing. I hope that helps and all is well with Ellie.

It is probably brownish in color around the vulva due to the fact that she cannot clean the area. I suggest you just take some baby wipes (gentle formula) and wipe that area twice a day to keep it clean until the E-collar can come off. Please consider getting her spayed as soon as you can to avoid any future problems.

That discharge is very abnormal. My guess is that she may have a pyometra (uterine infection). I suggest you get her to a vet as soon as you can. If you are not near an emergency vet she can likely wait until morning as long as she is eating and drinking OK. If she is acting sick then you need to find an emergency vet right now. This is not something you can treat at home. Best wishes.