My senior cat has rectal bleeding. What's wrong and how to help?

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 cat. Bleeding from the rectum can be caused by a coagulation disorder, immune mediated disorder (IMHA), rectal prolapse or severe colitis. I would highly recommend taking Murphy in to your local vet right away to have him evaluated to determine the underlying cause since there are many possibilities here. I hope that your pet Murphy is able to make a full and speedy recovery soon! Best of luck and take care.

Check all orifice of the body to find out where the blood is coming from. Check his paws for cuts or other injuries. Your cat should not be bleeding. He could be suffering from bad teeth, bleeding abscesses or ulcers in the mouth, an intestinal problem, an infected anal gland or a urethral obstruction. If you find that the blood is coming from a small injury on a paw, clean the wound and observe whether the bleeding stops. If not, you can put a bit of cotton wool on the wound and leave it there, this helps coagulation. If the wound is large it needs to be seen by a vet. If you find that he is losing blood from his anus or penis, then he needs to be seen at a pet ER tonight as he may have a blocked urethra or a bleeding colon or rectum and will need prescription antibiotics or be unblocked if the urethra is blocked. Should he be bleeding from his mouth or have a painful mouth, he will need to be seen by a vet ASAP as these lesions in the mouth are very painful and could possibly keep him from eating and drinking properly. He may also need a dental cleaning and removal of the offending teeth. Sorry I cannot be more specific as I do not know where your kitty is bleeding from.

Poor guy. He sounds ill indeed. Many disease processes can cause loose bloody stool including: intestinal parasites, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, lymphoma (cancer of the intestines), dietary indiscretion (eating something he shouldn't have), and even a bacterial infection. The first step would be to do a full panel bloodwork analysis, fecal exam and urinalysis done on Oliver. This should be ble to narrow things down quite a bit so that your vet can know what Oliver needs treatment wise. I would suggest scheduling an appt for him soon at your local vet. I hope that your pet Oliver is able to recover from his bloody stool and illness. Best wishes and take care.

I can't tell exactly what is goin on from the picture. If the rectum is actually prolapsed (like a little tube sticking out) then Blaze really needs medical attention. If it is just swollen and irritated, then the best you can do is to keep it clean with a wet wash cloth. This problem is often associated with diarrhea. The straining during diarrhea can push the colon out, and it will not heal normally without curing the diarrhea. If the prolapse does not resolve on its own, the pet may need surgery. Common causes for diarrhea in a kitten include food intolerance or allergies, intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral gastroenteritis, among a few others. Here is an article you may find helpful: https://www.petcoach.co/article/rectal-prolapse-protruding-rectum-in-the-cat/

Pets with profuse bleeding from the rectum and/or vomiting blood need to be examined by the veterinarian quickly. This bleeding can indicate serious conditions like a ruptured tumor or hollow organ, severe parasites, liver failure or poisoning. Jasmine needs to be examined by the veterinarian quickly. Best of luck.

I hate to hear that Jet is giving you such a scare! Yes, I would recommend to take Jet into the veterinarian's office today. The blood is either from his rectum or his bladder. The doctor need to check a urinalysis and will give him medication. Urinary tract infections, crystals in the urine, sterile cystitis and bladder stones can all cause bleeding in the urinary tract. These conditions are also painful (which cats can hide). I would recommend to take in a stool sample just in case the doctor wants to look at that as well. Blood in the stool indicates significant inflammation in the intestines and is treated with antibiotics to prevent the bacteria from moving into the blood stream. I hope Jet starts feeling better soon! Thank you for using Pet Coach!