Investigating Causes of Mucus and Blood in My Cat's Stool

[~christina~]

I was just wondering why I haven't thought about this before but mindlessly dealt with it and cleaned it up.

Mew-mew my cat is a year old and for half a year he has had mucus (brown-clear) with sometimes a trace amount of blood in it. (not too much just a hair-literally looks like a red line) It usually stuck to his behind and I had to catch him before it became stuck to the bathroom floor where I have his litterbox. I read online that it may be a parasite (worm or who knows what else) but I remember giving him a dewormer when he was little and nothing happened. (stool was same) Since he had no behavioral changes I assumed everything was alright and school took up my priorities and I forgot about it.

It still occurs and I think it could be a number of things but I'm not sure including:

1. maybe I don't feed him enough (I feed him with a small disney cup and I usually feed him half of that)http://www.antiquemystique.com/pages/665_jpg.htm => looks like the one on the right. I can feel his hip bones so does that mean he is underweight? (what are the conditons that would deem him underweight) I do feed him the same amount that I did when he was little.
   
2. parasites - worms (any other? I hear giardia can cause it as well)

note: I am planning to bring him to the vet.

 

[NoTime]

Too little information.
Really, It's incredibly fine detail that goes into making a diagnosis.

I might suggest you take a stool sample to the vets with you.

Hope everything turns out well.

 

[Moonbear]

If you can get a fresh sample when you head to the vet, that's the best. They can get a sample if they need it, but it harrasses the cat a lot more.

As for how much to feed, there are usually feeding charts on the sides of the food bag to tell you how much to feed by weight, and other than adjusting a tiny bit for the individual cat, they're usually pretty close unless there's something particularly unusual about your cat. For example, Ember is just about 10 lbs, and gets about a half cup of food each day (she eats a little less than that, more like 3/8 cup...there's always some left in the food dish the next day) plus a quarter of one of those 3 oz cans of wet food (that's more of a "healthy" treat for her, and is why she doesn't finish the whole half cup of dry food). It's pretty close to what the feeding charts on the food she gets suggest.

 

[~christina~]

If you can get a fresh sample when you head to the vet, that's the best. They can get a sample if they need it, but it harrasses the cat a lot more.

As for how much to feed, there are usually feeding charts on the sides of the food bag to tell you how much to feed by weight, and other than adjusting a tiny bit for the individual cat, they're usually pretty close unless there's something particularly unusual about your cat. For example, Ember is just about 10 lbs, and gets about a half cup of food each day (she eats a little less than that, more like 3/8 cup...there's always some left in the food dish the next day) plus a quarter of one of those 3 oz cans of wet food (that's more of a "healthy" treat for her, and is why she doesn't finish the whole half cup of dry food). It's pretty close to what the feeding charts on the food she gets suggest.

My cat always finishes his food but it depends. In the morning he'll eat all of the food but at night he doesn't want to finish it all. I have to push him or tell him to finish his food and sometimes he'll be a baby and won't eat the last bits until I hold it for him.

If the cat is underweight, won't reading the bag for that particular weight give you the incorrect amount to feed the cat? I would think that feeding your cat more would make them gain weight. (old babysitter left food out and her cat looked like garfield)

 

[NoTime]

the whole half cup of dry food

My cats were male, but I had a lot of trouble with the dry food.
A few bouts of cistitis and some research convinced me to eliminate it.
Effectively a lot more work, but no more life threatening bladder/urethra problems after that.

 

[~christina~]

My cats were male, but I had a lot of trouble with the dry food.
A few bouts of cistitis and some research convinced me to eliminate it.
Effectively a lot more work, but no more life threatening bladder/urethra problems after that.

I feed my cat meow mix. I forgot to mention that he drinks very very little water each day.
http://www.giftbaskets.org/usrimage/1dog's bow wow.jpg (dish) and I fill it halfway with water. He drinks about 1/3 of that a day and his breath stinks heavily. He isn't neutered as well. (I don't let him outdoors and he doesn't spray so it's not a problem)
Is this a problem?

 

[NoTime]

her cat looked like garfield)

Hee Hee! I started to get that problem for a while.
It took some convincing of one of the neighbors that I did feed them now and then.

 

[Moonbear]

My cat always finishes his food but it depends. In the morning he'll eat all of the food but at night he doesn't want to finish it all. I have to push him or tell him to finish his food and sometimes he'll be a baby and won't eat the last bits until I hold it for him.

If the cat is underweight, won't reading the bag for that particular weight give you the incorrect amount to feed the cat? I would think that feeding your cat more would make them gain weight. (old babysitter left food out and her cat looked like garfield)

If the vet tells you the cat is underweight, you'll want to feed more. I leave food out continuously. My cat nibbles all day (mostly during the middle of the night when I'm sleeping actually). If I give her wet food and she doesn't eat it, I just leave it until the next morning, and then any leftover gets taken away. With the dry food, she's good at regulating her own eating. Though, that depends on the food. I top off the food in the morning with a little of a hairball control food that she would gobble down if that's all I gave her (that's 1/8 cup...I use an actual measuring cup), but her Science Diet regular food she'll pace herself eating and doesn't overeat (she'll leave leftover if it's too much). So, if I have to go away, I can put out a huge mound of food and she'll just eat what she needs. Not all cats do that. I know people who used to leave their cat with a huge mound of food when they traveled for a weekend, then one weekend forgot something at home and ran back, only to realize the cat had gobbled down most of the food in the first hour they were gone. They had cat-sitters after that. But, that's really only an issue when you go away. If you keep track of how much you're feeding each day, and don't give more than they need, however fast or slow they eat it, they still get the same amount of food (it's the people who just put out a big mound of food every day and don't measure it and just let the cat eat as much as they want when they're a cat that eats as much as you give it that end up with fat cats).

I've seen the same with dogs. Some you can leave dry food out all day and they'll just eat as much as they need a little bit at a time, while others you have to feed in meals because they'll gobble down as much as you put out and practically inhale the food. I guess it's like people too...some can eat a little at a time when they're hungry and stop when satisfied, and others will just keep eating until they're sick as long as there's food in front of them.

The vet will tell you if the cat is underweight or not and if it is, how much extra to feed. If you do need to feed more, don't force it at a meal if he's not hungry, just leave it out so he can get it whenever he is hungry.

 

[NoTime]

I feed my cat meow mix. I forgot to mention that he drinks very very little water each day.
http://www.giftbaskets.org/usrimage/1dog's bow wow.jpg (dish) and I fill it halfway with water. He drinks about 1/3 of that a day and his breath stinks heavily. He isn't neutered as well. (I don't let him outdoors and he doesn't spray so it's not a problem)
Is this a problem?

Stinky breath is probably a good reason to go to the vet in and of itself.

I might recommend the neutering though.
As he gets older it will most likely become a problem.

 

[~christina~]

If the vet tells you the cat is underweight, you'll want to feed more. I leave food out continuously. My cat nibbles all day (mostly during the middle of the night when I'm sleeping actually). If I give her wet food and she doesn't eat it, I just leave it until the next morning, and then any leftover gets taken away. With the dry food, she's good at regulating her own eating. Though, that depends on the food. I top off the food in the morning with a little of a hairball control food that she would gobble down if that's all I gave her (that's 1/8 cup...I use an actual measuring cup), but her Science Diet regular food she'll pace herself eating and doesn't overeat (she'll leave leftover if it's too much). So, if I have to go away, I can put out a huge mound of food and she'll just eat what she needs. Not all cats do that. I know people who used to leave their cat with a huge mound of food when they traveled for a weekend, then one weekend forgot something at home and ran back, only to realize the cat had gobbled down most of the food in the first hour they were gone. They had cat-sitters after that. But, that's really only an issue when you go away. If you keep track of how much you're feeding each day, and don't give more than they need, however fast or slow they eat it, they still get the same amount of food (it's the people who just put out a big mound of food every day and don't measure it and just let the cat eat as much as they want when they're a cat that eats as much as you give it that end up with fat cats).

I've seen the same with dogs. Some you can leave dry food out all day and they'll just eat as much as they need a little bit at a time, while others you have to feed in meals because they'll gobble down as much as you put out and practically inhale the food. I guess it's like people too...some can eat a little at a time when they're hungry and stop when satisfied, and others will just keep eating until they're sick as long as there's food in front of them.

The vet will tell you if the cat is underweight or not and if it is, how much extra to feed. If you do need to feed more, don't force it at a meal if he's not hungry, just leave it out so he can get it whenever he is hungry.

I have a thing about leaving food out just sitting there. Maybe it's because my mother tells me to eat everything on the plate? I tried feeding him like you said, one day when I had to leave early and wasn't going to be back until later and the result was "diarrhea." I gave him the food and a little more as well that day and when I left for half an hour and forgot something in the house I went back and at the same time checked on him. He ate all the food! After that I just came home and fed him after that incident.

I still wonder how much water a cat should drink normally...his breath really really smells bad. (makes you want to hurl)

 

[Moonbear]

I feed my cat meow mix. I forgot to mention that he drinks very very little water each day.
http://www.giftbaskets.org/usrimage/1dog's bow wow.jpg (dish) and I fill it halfway with water. He drinks about 1/3 of that a day and his breath stinks heavily. He isn't neutered as well. (I don't let him outdoors and he doesn't spray so it's not a problem)
Is this a problem?

That's probably enough water. I'm not sure how much mine drinks. She prefers the toilet bowl over her nice clean water dish. Though, stinky breath can be a sign of a problem. Maybe he has bad teeth? Do you ever brush his teeth? It might be hard to start now that he's already an adult (I started getting Ember used to it as a kitten, and she still fights it a bit). The vet can check that too, and show you how to do it. Dietary needs of an intact male will be a bit more than a neutered one. But just feeling hip bones doesn't mean much, especially if "Garfield" is your only basis for comparison.

Anyway, you're doing the most important thing, and that's taking him to the vet to find out if this is a problem or not. Keep track of all your concerns so you don't leave any out when you visit the vet.

 

[~christina~]

Stinky breath is probably a good reason to go to the vet in and of itself.

I might recommend the neutering though.
As he gets older it will most likely become a problem.

So your cat's breath did not stink?

how so is the non neutering a problem?

That's probably enough water. I'm not sure how much mine drinks. She prefers the toilet bowl over her nice clean water dish. Though, stinky breath can be a sign of a problem. Maybe he has bad teeth? Do you ever brush his teeth? It might be hard to start now that he's already an adult (I started getting Ember used to it as a kitten, and she still fights it a bit). The vet can check that too, and show you how to do it. Dietary needs of an intact male will be a bit more than a neutered one. But just feeling hip bones doesn't mean much, especially if "Garfield" is your only basis for comparison.

lol..
I don't brush his teeth. Stinky breath is probably not enough water.
I think I'll be fine doing that, he is a docile cat. (but he really sounds like a motor and complains nonstop when I clip his nails) He also bounces off the walls litteraly.(I assume this is usual) He like tummy rubs and licks you if he wants you to stop doing something that he doesn't like as opposed to biting. ^__^

Anyway, you're doing the most important thing, and that's taking him to the vet to find out if this is a problem or not. Keep track of all your concerns so you don't leave any out when you visit the vet.

True, I think I will keep a list.

 

[Moonbear]

I have a thing about leaving food out just sitting there. Maybe it's because my mother tells me to eat everything on the plate? I tried feeding him like you said, one day when I had to leave early and wasn't going to be back until later and the result was "diarrhea." I gave him the food and a little more as well that day and when I left for half an hour and forgot something in the house I went back and at the same time checked on him. He ate all the food! After that I just came home and fed him after that incident.

Well, then either he's undernourished and hungry, or one of those little piggy cats who does need to be fed in smaller meals. It won't hurt to leave a little overnight, but clearly if he eats everything you put out and ends up with diarrhea from gobbling it too fast, you can't just leave it out all the time. Oh well.

 

[Moonbear]

So your cat's breath did not stink?

My cat's breath doesn't stink either...unless she's had a fish flavored wet food for her snack, and then her breath smells like fish for a while. Could be a sign of a metabolic problem, or bad teeth (i.e., an abscess).

how so is the non neutering a problem?

In males, mostly they may develop problems with spraying later on that can't be corrected with late neutering. With females, as my parents who never listened to me when I told them to get their dog spayed learned the hard way, they can get very serious uterine infections when they're older. In the case of my parent's dog, it ended up becoming a systemic infection requiring the dog getting spayed and hospitalized for about a week or two and cost them a small fortune in vet bills. The same infection can affect a large range of mammals (it's really common in cattle and horses actually). So, with males the issues are mostly behavioral. With females, it is really more important for their health as they get older, and since it's a lot less risk to a younger animal to have the surgery than an older one, it's best to spay when they're young, even if they are only indoors or you don't otherwise care about the behavioral concerns.

 

[NoTime]

So your cat's breath did not stink?

how so is the non neutering a problem?

Not as a rule, or at least not to me.
Occasionally, they would.
The few times it was persistent, like lasting more than a few days, it was a problem.
Generally minor issues, except for one time is was a big deal.

As far as the neutering goes your cat is still a little on the young side.
It won't stay no problem.

 

[lisab]

My kitty - Sweet Miss Pheobe - has breath that always smells of tuna, whether I feed her tuna or not. It isn't that bad, though. I agree with Moonbear - if your kitty's breath is really bad, you should probably take him to the vet. That, and the mucus, could be trouble.

I've never known an old male intact cat that doesn't spray. My brother used to breed a hybrid breed (Bengal). He would only have one male at a time, but still they always sprayed all the time. And if you think the breath is bad, that spray is...YUCK!

Also, Phoebe doesn't drink much water, either.

 

[~christina~]

My cat's breath doesn't stink either...unless she's had a fish flavored wet food for her snack, and then her breath smells like fish for a while. Could be a sign of a metabolic problem, or bad teeth (i.e., an abscess).

Oh no. He has tartar on his teeth but I got rid of it by scraping it off. The whole thing popped off his tooth. (He complained a lot because it was a whole lump and it was stuck quite good)

In males, mostly they may develop problems with spraying later on that can't be corrected with late neutering. With females, as my parents who never listened to me when I told them to get their dog spayed learned the hard way, they can get very serious uterine infections when they're older. In the case of my parent's dog, it ended up becoming a systemic infection requiring the dog getting spayed and hospitalized for about a week or two and cost them a small fortune in vet bills. The same infection can affect a large range of mammals (it's really common in cattle and horses actually). So, with males the issues are mostly behavioral. With females, it is really more important for their health as they get older, and since it's a lot less risk to a younger animal to have the surgery than an older one, it's best to spay when they're young, even if they are only indoors or you don't otherwise care about the behavioral concerns.

My kitty's fine behaviourally though. He used to spray and then stopped. He is a year and a half old. (not too old not too young) I purchased a ticket to get a discount for neutering/spaying but it expired and I never used it.
He doesn't bite and I taught him that when he was younger and he has never scratched me on purpose.I even taught him I even to to wait for his toys if they got near my feet since from experience I know that if they're playing, it is easy for them to hurt you.

 

[~christina~]

My kitty - Sweet Miss Pheobe - has breath that always smells of tuna, whether I feed her tuna or not. It isn't that bad, though. I agree with Moonbear - if your kitty's breath is really bad, you should probably take him to the vet. That, and the mucus, could be trouble.

I've never known an old male intact cat that doesn't spray. My brother used to breed a hybrid breed (Bengal). He would only have one male at a time, but still they always sprayed all the time. And if you think the breath is bad, that spray is...YUCK!

Also, Phoebe doesn't drink much water, either.

His urine smells quite horrible to tell the truth but he only goes in the litterbox. I went to the zoo and the snow leopard's cage smelled like cat urine as well.
Bengals are pretty cats.

 

[Moonbear]

His urine smells quite horrible to tell the truth but he only goes in the litterbox. I went to the zoo and the snow leopard's cage smelled like cat urine as well.
Bengals are pretty cats.

The urine of intact male cats DOES stink, so that part could be totally normal.

 

[Cyrus]

Your cats name is MEW MEW, that's awesome!

 

[~christina~]

Your cats name is MEW MEW, that's awesome!

Thanks it sure is

 

[Evo]

I had a cat named MewKiss. I'll never forget that first trip to the vet. What? MUCOUS?

We later changed her name to Moose.

 

[Moonbear]

I had a cat named MewKiss. I'll never forget that first trip to the vet. What? MUCOUS?

We later changed her name to Moose.

I'd have changed it to Mucus, but I have a strange sense of humor. Then again, a cat named Moose is pretty funny too. One of my friends had this tiny, delicate looking female cat named Knuckles. I think she started out with a name like Tinkerbell or something very feminine, but her brothers ended up taking the cat for a while when she had to move to an apt that didn't allow cats, and they refused to have a cat with such a "girly" name, so renamed her Knuckles. I thought it was hilarious.

Sort of like my nephew's rabbit. My sister tried naming him Freckles...such a boring name. My nephew couldn't say it when he was younger, so it turned into Pickles...much better. But, now I get told it's "Picklesfrecklesbunnyrabbit" Kids!

 

[~christina~]

I had a cat named MewKiss. I'll never forget that first trip to the vet. What? MUCOUS?

We later changed her name to Moose.

lol

I'd have changed it to Mucus, but I have a strange sense of humor. Then again, a cat named Moose is pretty funny too. One of my friends had this tiny, delicate looking female cat named Knuckles. I think she started out with a name like Tinkerbell or something very feminine, but her brothers ended up taking the cat for a while when she had to move to an apt that didn't allow cats, and they refused to have a cat with such a "girly" name, so renamed her Knuckles. I thought it was hilarious.

Knuckles reminds me of a cat that my guidance counselor had that was declawed. It would go and and punch people.

 

[GeorginaS]

Mucous in his stool could evidence an intestinal issue. My cat has experienced various intestinal inflammation issues and mucous in her stool is one of the symptoms/results/problems. As other people here have recommended to you, christina, I'd suggest taking the mucous sample to your vet when it's fresh. It could be forewarning you of a much larger issue.

My kitty eats wet food exclusively and never, ever drinks water. Not at all.

She has also always and forever had the worst breath on the planet. I swear; it smells like raw sewage. When she's sitting on my lap and yawns, it wafts up to me and, honest to heaven, horrible doesn't begin to describe it. And she doesn't have dental issues.

I'd like to suggest being careful with your cat's teeth, christina. You wouldn't want to accidentally break or crack one while trying to pry tartar off by yourself.

 

[~christina~]

Mucous in his stool could evidence an intestinal issue. My cat has experienced various intestinal inflammation issues and mucous in her stool is one of the symptoms/results/problems. As other people here have recommended to you, christina, I'd suggest taking the mucous sample to your vet when it's fresh. It could be forewarning you of a much larger issue.

O.O;; Oh I'll enjoy this task. But I'm hoping that it's just a parasite and nothing further. What color was this mucous may I ask?(my kitty's was sandy colored)

My kitty eats wet food exclusively and never, ever drinks water. Not at all.

well if your kitty eats wet food I don't think that it would need to drink water but my cat eats dry food.

She has also always and forever had the worst breath on the planet. I swear; it smells like raw sewage. When she's sitting on my lap and yawns, it wafts up to me and, honest to heaven, horrible doesn't begin to describe it. And she doesn't have dental issues.

well faint* would probably do well for the breath of my cat. Are you sure that your cat has no dental issues? did you look?

I'd like to suggest being careful with your cat's teeth, christina. You wouldn't want to accidentally break or crack one while trying to pry tartar off by yourself.

Eh...okay. (never knew it would break his teeth)

 

[GeorginaS]

The mucous has been different colours depending on what else was mixed with it. One time she had a bacteria overgrowth in her intestines, another, there was an issue with a stomach parasite, and a different time it was just because. So, it was more brownish depending on how much feces was mixed with it. With the bacterial overgrowth, it was greenish. Sometimes it's reached a point where her system is entirely devoid of food matter and the mucous was clear. So, yeah, I don't know what to say on that one.

Right about the water. When my cat used to eat dry food, she also drank water. Once I began her diet of solely wet food, she simply stopped drinking water. Which I think is very weird, even though I know she doesn't need any more water than what she's already getting from her food, and her body functions properly. I remark on it because it strikes me as odd that my cat drinks no water at all. A trick the vet recommended to me, though, with wet food or dry, if you want your cat to consume more water, then just mix some with their food. I don't know if yours needs more water or not, christina. Mine appears to be self-regulating on that question.

Yep, I'm positive my cat doesn't have dental issues. She visits her vet quite regularly, more than cats generally do, because of all of the problems she's had. We monitor all things Bean often.

 

[~christina~]

The mucous has been different colours depending on what else was mixed with it. One time she had a bacteria overgrowth in her intestines, another, there was an issue with a stomach parasite, and a different time it was just because. So, it was more brownish depending on how much feces was mixed with it. With the bacterial overgrowth, it was greenish. Sometimes it's reached a point where her system is entirely devoid of food matter and the mucous was clear. So, yeah, I don't know what to say on that one.

How interesting. At least kitty's mucous is not green. My cat's mucous only comes with stool.

Right about the water. When my cat used to eat dry food, she also drank water. Once I began her diet of solely wet food, she simply stopped drinking water. Which I think is very weird, even though I know she doesn't need any more water than what she's already getting from her food, and her body functions properly. I remark on it because it strikes me as odd that my cat drinks no water at all. A trick the vet recommended to me, though, with wet food or dry, if you want your cat to consume more water, then just mix some with their food. I don't know if yours needs more water or not, christina. Mine appears to be self-regulating on that question.

Maybe if cat's drink very little water, the little water that they get from the food is sufficient.

Yep, I'm positive my cat doesn't have dental issues. She visits her vet quite regularly, more than cats generally do, because of all of the problems she's had. We monitor all things Bean often.

So Bean is your cat's name?

 

[Borek]

Bad smell can be a sign of gum problems or stone on the teeth (no idea how it is called in English). In both cases you should consult your vet.

As far as I know, cats don't drink much water in general, at least that's what I read in some book and that's what my observations were. Our cats drank water only occasionally, but they were feed wet canned food.