"You can learn a lot by paying attention to what you scoop"
Many things can influence the physical characteristics of feces. Your
cat's diet is a major factor. High quality food generally produces high
quality BMs. Ideally you will find one "perfect poop" from each of your
cats every 24-36 hours.
The Perfect Poop
Whenever you scoop, be aware of color, shape, consistency, amount,
and odor. Notice what "normal" looks like for your cat(s).
What do you want to see?
- Rich brown color
- well formed
- moist enough that litter sticks to it
- odor should not drive you out of the room
Feces from two cats - can you see the differences?
When more than one cat uses a litter pan, subltle differences can
tell you a lot. Cats are creatures of habit, if you pay attention you
will soon have a pretty good idea what belongs to whom.
- location in the pan? - individual cats often go in the same spot
everytime
- is it buried? - some cats cover some do not
- if there is hair what color is it? - useful if you have
diferenct color cats
- size? - a big cat will probably have bigger BM
When you want to take a closer look or when you need to bring a
sample to your veterinarian, use a sealable plastic bag - turn it inside
out and pick up a specimen.
carpet fibers string together balls of feces in this BM
this cat chews on the fringe of an area rug
Constipation
Constipation can be a problem for cats. It may begin with anything
that causes painful or difficult defecation, and is often chronic and
progressive. Passing dry, hard BMs can be uncomfortable.
Feces gets dry when:
- it sits in the colon for too long - kitty may be unhappy with
litter pan options?
- a cat is not taking in enough water - kitty fed dry food and not
happy with water sources?
- a cat has kidney disease or diabetes - large volume of urine
produced may cause the body to resorb too much water from feces in
the colon.
a "hairball" can have a tubular shape
Cats swallow hair when they groom. Much of this hair will pass
uneventfully and end up in the litter pan, but it can cause problems as
it makes its way through the system.
"hairy poop" with pointed end
Hair that does not pass out of the stomach may be vomited. Appearance
and odor will depend on amount of hair that has accumulated and length
of time the hair has been in your cat's stomach.
A large amount of hair in the feces can contribute to a constipation
problem. Hair in a bowel movement can also produce a "cling on" (feces
that hangs from the anus and then drops off as your kitty exits the
litter pan.
Doubled over "J" Poop on a bath mat
Another notable finding is the "J poop" These often end up on the
floor close to the litter pan. the kitty tries to go in the pan,
strains, things don't move, jumps out, still feels the urge, squats,
strains some more -- ah! sweet success.
The interesting characteristic is the doubled over end. This can be
caused by a perianal hernia - a weakness that allows a bowel movement to
get side tracked just inside the anal sphincter. Passing a "doubled
over" BM can be painful and may cause a kitty to avoid defecating.
It is worth noting dry, hard, hairy, misshapen and /or infrequent
bowel movements because we can often manage these risk factors for
constipation by changing diet, litter pan options, water resources, and
possibly using a stool softener to avoid progressive irreversible
changes in colon function.
"Regularity is the
Key to Longevity" dmg
Diarrhea
Diarrhea catches our attention much more easily than the subtle
changes noted above. (especially if your kitty is not making it to the
litterpan) When you seek help from your veterinarian, you will want to
be able to describe what the diarrhea looks like
It is easy to tell that this is not normal.
You want to note...
- color
- consistency
- blood? mucus?
- odor
- when
- where
- how much
- how often and for how long
In addition to your report on the history of the problem your
veterinarian will want to examine a sample of the feces for the presence
of intestinal parasites.
roundworms passed after treatment
These are
roundworms that passed after treatment; now this kitty's diarrhea
should resolve.
For more information about intestinal parasites that infect cats vist
Companion Animal Parasite Council
CAPC Cat Parasites
Debra M. Givin D.V.M. February 5, 2008
-Thanks to
http://www.catdocmaine.com
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