Worried Mama About Cat

by Shari
(Bowling Green, Ky)

I have a heavy Calico cat that is approximately 7-8 years old. She weighs about 19 pounds. I have recently noticed she is passing a lot of blood through her stool. She also 'goes potty' in front of the litter box which she has done frequently throughout her life. I am assuming this is a sign of some sort of parasite. We have both dogs and cats, and I am concerned for all of their health. What is our best option for detection and treatment as it would be quite expensive for us to take all of our animals to the vet for possible diagnoses.


Dear Shari,

You can't jump to the conclusion that it is a parasite even though that is one of the possibilities. It may be a parasite, but it could also be from constipation, irritable bowel, or unfortunately cancer (less likely).

You need to take a sample of her feces to the vet and have it analyzed under the microscope. If parasites are found and your animals have a prior relationship with a vet, you may be able to get enough medication to treat them all without taking them all in.

If it is not parasites, she should be examined thoroughly and possible bloodwork analyzed and if nothing is found, x-rays would be in order.

Thank you for writing. She's very pretty.

Dr. Neely