Hi all,

I have a female cat, approximately 1 year old (I found her on the
street when she was about 6 months old, I think she had just run away
from her old home because she was perfectly clean when I found her),
who has been fixed. I have noticed that every once in a while (maybe
once a month?), I find a spot of blood on the side of her litter box;
this spot can be either one small bright-red spot, or sometimes a bit
bigger with a diluted appearance. Is this something to be worried
about?

Also, I don't know if this is related, on a few occasions (maybe 3 or
4 times), she has left a stool outside her box. On these occasions,
the stool was grey and very soft.

I put these two things together in my head because this morning I found both.

So, I'm wondering what's wrong with her, and are these two things related?

Thanks!

Why not take her to the vet?

A physical examination or even a lab analysis might reveal all.

Spot of blood?  Do cats get periods, perhaps?

Hi pronobono,

I will take her, but I'd like to have an idea beforehand of what may
be wrong. It's always nice to be informed before you get told of some
scary possiblities.

Hi Richard

Look on the bright side ... It may be something and nothing.

Good Health to your cat; and Good Luck to you.

Bryan

Let's look at it this way...

You have a Down's Syndrome child, profoundly challenged and unable to
communicate. The child is still loving and responsive and looks to you
for nearly every aspect of care.

Every once in a while, you notice the child has unusually colored soft
stools. Also, on occasion you see blood and/or bloody urine drops.

What do you do? 

I will tell you what you do NOT do. You do not wonder what you should
do after the second or third time observing this symptom. You know
what poop should look like and you know that the place for blood is
not in the litter box, the wall, the floor, indeed not anyplace
outside of the body. Divergence from the norm is an indication you
should seek outside help.

As to cause for the grey, soft feces off the top of my head I'm gonna
say giardiasis; inflammatory bowel disease; lymphocytic plasmacytic
enteritis; enterocolitis; intestinal, cecal, colonic, rectal, or
mesenteric neoplasia; hamartomas; or neoplasia of the exocrine
pancreas, to name a few things.

Could be an upset tummy from getting into the garbage or eating scraps.

The urine could be any of literally hundreds of things from anthrax
(really!) to vesicourachal diverticula (I tried to come up with a "Z"
disease so it would be from A to Z, and failed). Most likely it's a
urinary tract infection or, much more seriously, bladder stones.

A sensible vet will want to take a urine sample and examine it
microscopically and test it for the usual urine stuff-- blood,
protein, ketones, lymphocytes, bilirubin, glucose, blah blah blah. The
microscopic exam will give a lot of information, showing things that
shouldn't be there from bacteria to cancerous cells.

Expect to pay for an exam, urinalysis, sample collection (depite
potential complications the best way to get a urine sample is directly
from the cat while it is at the vet rather than getting it yourself at
home, trust me), and probably a few other things, plus any procedures
and meds to treat it. All this is, of course, predicated on what an
actual examination shows.

If your cats are like mine-- and whose aren't?-- they truly are litle
"retreads" and you've got to care for them as such. They're cheaper
than kids and more fun than drugs... or is it the other way 'round?

I recall once trying to get a urine sample from a dog.

Armed with a jam jar, I took him for a walk and directed him to one of
his favourite tree.

Obligingly, he cocked his leg and did the necessary into the cleverly
positioned jar.

Unfortunately, at the end of the performance, he dropped his leg on
the jar of carefully collected urine and drenched me in the stuff.

I would imagine that cats are even more difficult.

Imagine getting a sample from a lion.

Bryan--

Google "cystocentesis." Makes life so much easier.

Wow, Mark, cystocentesis is obviously the way to go!

What's more I think I've already got a suitable needle.

Many thanks!

Bryan

Well, as I had said, I am going to the Vet (just made an appointment).
Thanks for your advice.