Rectal bleeding - how urgent?

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danam531

danam531

Member Since 2017
came home tonight to find several spots of bloody stools. More blood than stool, unfortunately. I know this isn't good. But how urgent is it, given that it's 2am on a Sunday?

Thanks
 
danam531 said:
came home tonight to find several spots of bloody stools. More blood than stool, unfortunately. I know this isn't good. But how urgent is it, given that it's 2am on a Sunday?

Thanks
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Not an expert at all but I would say to get some veterinary advice at least over the phone. How does he/she seem otherwise. It can be caused by inflammation and may be quite treatable of course but at this stage you don't know what has caused it I presume? Also can you check bg. When Lila recently had diarrhoea her bgs went very low as food was rushing through her system.
 
Any bleeding would warrant a vet consult/visit. If it's frank blood and the stool is a normal colour and consistency, then the blood could be from the anal glands rather than the bowel. Was Bailey straining to defecate? I think I would err on the side of caution and have Bailey checked ASAP to determine the origin of the problem. An infection in the anal glands could lead to an abscess which is quite painful.
 
If it's a drop of say not urgent, but this sounds like more then a drop. I'd go immediately.
 
Thanks, all. He seems to be pretty back to normal this morning. He was begging for food, as usual. Which makes sense since he didn't eat much last night. Personality is pretty much normal. Based on this I think I'll continue to watch today and get him into the vet as soon as I can tomorrow (Monday).
 
I don't know if this translates from humans to cats but here we go. As a life long Hemorrhoids sufferer (secrets out now!) I can say there is a difference between blood on the stool and blood in the stool. Make sense? Blood in the stool almost certainly means it's coming from further up the GI tract. If it's not getting horrific you might spare your kitty, you and your wallet the trauma of an emergency visit if you follow up first thing Monday. What MrWorfMen's Mom said is especially important, watch for pain and straining. Keep an eye on kitty and let us know.
 
It wasn't necessarily on the stool. There was a pretty decent sized pool of blood, watered down. At least a foot circle in diameter.
 
Are you sure it wasn't pee with blood in it? That could indicate a bladder or kidney infection both of which our sugar kitties are prone. I would definitely get Bailey to the vet tomorrow for a check even if there is no further blood noted today.
 
@MrWorfMen's Mom @JanetNJ
A foot? That's an emergency. Has it stopped? It's 3 PM here. If it's stopped and everything else is normal you could wait until tomorrow. I can't judge the situation because it depends on how well the cat travels, how long a trip it is, do you have 3 mortgage payments to spare, do you have kids at home who need you? I would not put this off very long. Is there a chance he swallowed something? Noah's brother Andrew once swallowed a paper clip.
 
Noah & me said:
@MrWorfMen's Mom @JanetNJ
A foot? That's an emergency. Has it stopped? It's 3 PM here. If it's stopped and everything else is normal you could wait until tomorrow. I can't judge the situation because it depends on how well the cat travels, how long a trip it is, do you have 3 mortgage payments to spare, do you have kids at home who need you? I would not put this off very long. Is there a chance he swallowed something? Noah's brother Andrew once swallowed a paper clip.
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I agree... I would have brought her in last night or this morning. That's scary
 
@Noah & me I agree that if I had known that yesterday there wouldn't have been any hedging on my part....I would have recommended a vet visit immediately. If however there has been no further sign of blood since that occurrence, it may be safe to wait until tomorrow morning although personally I would be taking the cat to the vet to be sure. If there has been no further bleeding since, I'm still wondering if it is an anal gland problem. That can be messy and the amount of blood involved alarming if it has abscessed and pops.
 
Nothing further since what I saw last night. Seems ok, but I had to leave the house for a few hours. It's definitely possible that the larger spot was urine with blood. He will be going to the vet ASAP in the morning unless I see something again today.
 
Since you are somewhat familiar with anal glands, do either of them look swollen, dried blood, etc...? That amount sounds like a rupture .
That would cause enough pain that numbers could increase, appetite could go down, and even meatloafing or hiding.

Be sure and ask the vet about that tomorrow.
i would definitely get him in tomorrow, non-emergency .
Ask about his glands, and also ibd since he's been having diarrhea. The liquid-y sounds a lot like ibd starting....
 
A foot as in 12 inches. But it was very watered down in that spot. I wish I had taken a picture now! I took the day off tomorrow so I'll be getting him in as soon as they let me. I'm not sure about the anal glands, I just know they've had to clean them out at the vet several times. Will definitely ask them to look. Hopefully it's nothing severe. He's definitely not eating all that MUCH, but is still eating. He has indeed been hiding under the bed for a few weeks now, but I had assumed it was bc my other cat is a bully. Let you all know what happens tomorrow!
 
danam531 said:
A foot as in 12 inches. But it was very watered down in that spot. I wish I had taken a picture now! I took the day off tomorrow so I'll be getting him in as soon as they let me. I'm not sure about the anal glands, I just know they've had to clean them out at the vet several times. Will definitely ask them to look. Hopefully it's nothing severe. He's definitely not eating all that MUCH, but is still eating. He has indeed been hiding under the bed for a few weeks now, but I had assumed it was bc my other cat is a bully. Let you all know what happens tomorrow!
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Just a thought if you are able to, it may be worth taking a urine sample in to the vet when you go today, just in case it may have been urine with blood in it? Hope appt goes well.
 
Well, $200 later we are back at home with no real answers. They cleared out what was in his anal glands (just a little), took an X-ray (nothing) and gave him some fluids. He seems fine. No one knows what happened, basically.
 
danam531 said:
Well, $200 later we are back at home with no real answers. They cleared out what was in his anal glands (just a little), took an X-ray (nothing) and gave him some fluids. He seems fine. No one knows what happened, basically.
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Good that nothing bad was found. It's a watch and wait situation. Maybe a little blood vessel just popped when he was straining to poop. o_O
 
Yes, hoping it was something like that. Will watch him and see! Thanks for all the advice, everyone!
 
Nope. Just an X-ray that showed the bladder. I haven't seen any blood in the urine since Saturday.
 
I would definitely keep a close watch on his bm's etc. My current kitty would have a lot of fresh blood on and around his poop when he was beginning to develop IBD due to straining etc. Let's hope it was a one time thing.
 
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