You cat poops every day. That makes some of us jealous! The quality of their poop is a very good indication of their overall health. As you scoop and clean your cat’s litter box every day, take a good look at what is in the box. If you have multiple cats, watch for each of them as they head to the box and check their stool to be sure it looks as it should. Right after they eat is usually a great time. I know we are all busy but our furry kids rely on us to help them stay healthy.
Here is the “poop” on your cat’s poop-
Formed stool th
at is a nice brown color and slightly soft is purrfection!
Hard and dark little balls mean constipation. Just looking at this poop makes me think of how painful it must be to pass something this hard. constipation can lead to irritable bowel syndrome or blockages and other problems. Throwing up food right after eating can be a symptom of constipation. Give your cat a laxative like “Cat Lax” or a little salmon oil daily. Be sure to feed your cat canned food every day and maybe cut back on the dry food (It’s not good for them anyway)
Bloody stool can mean parasites. Many microscopic parasites live in their intestines and are kept under control by bacteria and other “good guys” in their gut. If your cat gets stressed or you change their food, this delicate balance can be thrown off and the parasites can get out of control. Protozoa like Giardia and Coccidia can cause a bloody and loose stool. A visit to your veterinarian for testing and treatment is advised.
Little grains of white or brown rice-like things in the stool means tapeworms. Tapeworms are from fleas. If you cat has had fleas 6 weeks or so ago and you treated with a “spot on” flea treatment like Revolution or Frontline to kill the fleas that is great but the tapeworms need to be killed too. The big pet stores sell tablets for tapeworms. Give your cat 1 tablet orally and then another tablet in 2 weeks and perhaps then another tablet in another 2 weeks just to be sure you killed all the tapeworms. Tapeworms can grow to be huge; as much as 3 feet long. They can fill up our cat’s intestines and eat everything he ingests. When the tapeworms mature, they break off into little segments that look like little grains of rice but they are complete little worms waiting to be picked up their next host-yuck!!
Poop with hair in it is not particularly a bad thing. But it is an indication that you should brush your cat more often.
Diarrhea is never good. Especially if your cat suffers for more than a few days. The risk of dehydration increases significantly every day and can be very dangerous for your cat. Dehydration can lead to kidney failure. If your cat has bad diarrhea, call and make an appointment with your veterinarian right away. If it clears up in a few days, you can always cancel but waiting is putting your cat’s health at great risk.
Hope this sheds some light on a dark but important subject.
Happy scooping!