My cat is leaving soft poop around the house. What should I do?

Poor Coal! It sounds like he is having a little bit of fecal incontinence. I would have your vet take a look at his feces to make sure he doesn't have any type of parasite or bacterial infection. These can sometimes cause an increase in frequency and even sometimes a little softer stool than normal making it difficult for him to hold it in. If everything there is normal, then I would have your vet check him for any neurological problems. Your vet will be able to see if he needs any treatment for that or if any medicines can be added to help him out. I hope this helps!

Im so glad Porgy did well after the snake bite! How scary. As far as the softer stools you're noticing now that he is using a litterbox indoors- soft stool can be caused by intestinal parasites (which he could have picked up from hunting or from fleas when he was outside), a sensitivity to something in his diet, and even more chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease. I would start by dropping a stool sample off with your veterinarian and/or asking for a dewormer. You could also feed him a very bland diet for a few days (like chicken or turkey human baby food, Gerber and beachnut are common brands) and see if that helps solidify the stools. If the soft stool persists then I would have him seen by his veterinary office. Hope this helps a little!

Hello Sometimes a food intolerance and/or allergy can cause loose/soft stools as well as various intestinal diseases that interfere with food absorption (less common though in cats Colby's age). There are various diets available for cats with food allergies/intolerance, some OTC and some require a vet to prescribe. You can ask your veterinarian if given Colby's medical history if they would recommend changing his food and, if so, what diet they recommend. If possible having a list of all prior diets is helpful.

Staining can be related to not cleaning well (some cats are not as clean as others), a loose/messy stool, not being able to reach the rectal area well to clean (like is Ashes is over weight) or longer fur that gets the stool on it. I recommend to figure out what is happening and try to address it appropriately. If it appears related to a looser stool, have Ashes checked by the veterinarian for parasites or bacterial issues. If the food is suspected to be the issue, I recommend to brand Royal Canin. It often results in less stool production and a good stool quality. I hope this helps.

It's hard to say what could be going on without examining your cat. If the poop is firm and literally falling out as your cat walks, then a neurologic or structural issue with the anus would be a concern. If the stools are loose or diarrhea-like, that should also be addressed by a vet.

Issues with faeces such as these can be indicative of issues in the gut. It could just be inflammation such as gastroenteritis or colitis, but sometimes it can indicate problems such as inflammatory bowel disease or tumours etc. You could try adding a probiotic to both of their feed and see if that helps, but I think it would be worth taking them both to the vet for an exam if it continues for more than a day or so.

If Simba is having no other symptoms other than soft stool you may want to consider adding fiber to his diet. There are some commercial diets that have increased fiber content (senior diets are typically higher in fiber). Another option would be to simply add a tablespoon of fiber powder (like Metamucil) to his food once a day. If this does not help then you may want to consider bringing a stool sample to your vet to be checked to ensure nothing else is going on. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.