Cat health question - HUGE stools?

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HappyCat

HappyCat

Member Since 2013
So to begin Jerrys been my little angel he's been officially OTJ almost 5 weeks now and despite surfing high he's been in range and doing great. Due for a weigh in but beyond that doing great.
I have a health question regarding my cat who will be 10 this May. She's such an angel that her name very fittingly is Chaos.
Chaos has been having the biggest stools I've ever seen in my life lately. Not to be graphic but you'd swear it came from a person, easily 2-3x the size of what I'm used to with others. So I've been scooping her box constantly but she's gotten herself banned from the bedroom from urinating on the bed multiple times even after scooping - she'll never poop elsewhere but keeps getting my fully made bed with urine. She also has terrible dandruff which Jerry had in his diabetes but has cleared up. I don't know if taking in a sample would help or if she's gotta go too but she's a vicious little girl so I'm trying to get an idea how to handle this. Thanks for any help!
 
So glad to hear that Jerry the Happy Cat is still doing well.

Here are some ideas about Chaos's huge poop issues. In an older cat, there are several reasons for HUGE stools like you describe.

- idiopathic megacolon -- this is a disease that occurs for reasons we don't understand and the colon gets very large, and so does the stool, but becomes too large for cats to pass
- diseases causing excessive resorption of water from the colon such as kidney disease and hyperthyroidism
- masses in the intestines making it difficult to pass stool around the mass, and the stool gets very large
- anal gland disease (infection, impaction, masses) can make it painful to defecate and cause very large stools
- perineal hernia -- hernia next to the rectum causing abnormal accumulation of stools -- very uncommon in cats
- electrolyte imbalances (less common)
- small pelvic canal -- this is usually from prior trauma like being hit by a car and very unlikely if your cat was never injured

Is she straining in the litter box?
Any diet change recently?
Drinking more? less?
Peeing more frequently or just in inappropriate places?

With the other symptoms of the dry flakey skin, I think it's time you got Chaos to the vet and had her checked out.
 
Sarah,
Yep, vet and xray time to see if there's poop backed up that needs help.

I also have a megacolon baby that has bad asthma. He sleeps on my bed during the day. If he wakes up with a coughing attack, he pees right there. I tried everything to keep from having to ban him from the bed and FINALLY found a solution - VINYL table cloth! The one I found was on clearance for $3 and fits the top of my queen bed exactly. It's heavy enough to contain the pee until it's cleaned up. I keep the vinyl side up - tried the fuzzy side first but that kept catching their claws when they'd move around. One of mine doesn't like the vinyl, I throw an old towel where he likes to lay.

HUGS and PRAYERS for a solution!
 
Deb and Wink so great to hear from you again! That's a very good starting point of possibilities I really appreciate it.
From what I can tell she doesn't strain she seems to pass them just fine but they're disturbingly huge. I would say maaaybe a little extra water consumption but nothing close to diabetic level, I'd say urine levels about the same but hard to judge when in random places. She got moved cuz multiple times she soaked through the bedspread flat sheet fitted sheet AND mattress protector I had to super bleach the poor bed multiple times. No diet change for her which I now feel guilty about. She truly is vicious she was abused as a kitten and bounced around multiple homes till she found me. Not by force but by choice she's a bedroom cat to heck with cats and visitors. So admittedly she's still on kibble and I'm kicking myself for it now. She gets wet food too but hasn't quite taken to pate she likes the gravy stuff and I try not to do that too often. Yes I know tsk tsk. And I feel awful about it so another thing to check with the vet about.
Squeaky and KT excellent suggestion with the tarp I had considered it but she's the sort who would take it as an invitation. In the peeing aspect she's had little quirks her whole life that are infuriating. You could have changed her box 5 minutes ago it doesn't matter. Leave your pants on the floor they're a target. Leave your towel on the floor after a shower that's fair game. Even a trash or grocery bag is up for the marking, I can live with her wanting a clean house. That's been a thing since the beginning but NEVER the bed till just recently and I'd prefer nowhere but anywhere but the bed! I'm sad I had to move her we've been together almost 10 years. It's still happening in her own way though I use trash bags instead of box liners (cheaper) and she pulls down excess bag and marks that. The kittens will be 2 this summer which is what makes me think it's not territorial but her telling me something. I figured the response would be a vet. She either gets terrified thinking she's given away or goes into kill mode so I'm not looking forward to it I'm always expecting a $150 vicious animal surcharge! But good news or bad I appreciate the input as always.
 
What is the consistency of the feces - soft, firm, rock hard?
What color are they - pale, chocolate, black?
How smelly are they - rank, unpleasant, mild?

Those are clues to what is happening too.

Check out Feline Constipation to read more about the feline GI tract, how it works, what can go wrong, and some ways to deal with constipation,
 
That may depend. Fresh they look firm but upon drying could be rock hard they're oily even when buried. They're always in one huge piece with ripples in it. I'm bad at measurements and haven't physically measured but they're probably a good 3-4 inches long or so. Definitely more black than chocolate colored. None of it is pleasant lol but I do hide my nose in my shirt and don't have to with others so I'd definitely say rank. I'll certainly do research but always enjoy input. Thanks a bunch!
 
If a cat is having difficulty digesting fats, the stool could be oily. Examples include gall bladder disease or insufficient lipase (an enzyme that breaks down fat for absorption). Might be something to check with the vet.
 
Thank you I appreciate all you've done to help my kitty family from the beginning you're an angel.
 
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