My cat's normal stool has a red coating. Is it blood? Should I worry?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Barb. I'm glad to hear that she is still eating and acting like herself. If a cat experiences a bit of difficulty passing a bowel movement, they will strain. This can irritate the colon resulting in bright red blood streaks on the feces. Contact you veterinarian in the morning. Fecal testing will likely be recommended to rule out any intestinal parasites causing the blood. A diet modification may be needed to make it easier for her to pass stool if this becomes a repeated problem for her. You can add canned food for the extra moisture content or your veterinarian may recommend a higher fiber food or supplement. I hope this information helps!

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.

I could be wrong but it doesn't look like blood to me, it's too bright almost pink to be fresh blood. she could have eaten something that had this color and did not get digested. check the stools again today or tomorrow to make sure it was a one time thing.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Often when there is foreign material in the GI tract motility will slow down so I would not be surprised that she has not passed more stool. The blood is likely due to irritation of the colon wall from the foil. I don't know what medication you are giving her so I am unsure what to tell you about how long it will take for her to produce any stool. If she is eating and drinking and acting normally I would not be overly concerned at this stage. Just keep in contact with your veterinarian as to how she is doing and if you and/or your veterinarian are concerned then take her back in for a follow-up exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

No, do not give your cat rice. Just feed canned food. If the blood was only noticed once I would not be overly worried. If it persists then you should have your vet check her out. A common reason for blood in the stools in a young cat is intestinal parasites.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend withholding food for at least 8 hours and then initiating a bland diet as outlined below. The blood is likely due to gastritis with irritation in the stomach / GI tract. If the vomiting does not resolve or it worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps and that he feels better soon! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

If he is acting completely normal then I would actually recommend monitoring this for now. This could be an isolated incident where there was mild irritation of his intestines. If it repeats itself then most definitely get him checked out. But there is a chance that things will go back to normal on their own.