# Kitten's bum bleeding. Please help!



## Lolasmummyadele (Aug 28, 2014)

Lola is 14 weeks old. Had had both sets of her vaccinations at 9 and 12 weeks which included advocate and worming tablets.

Lola's mum was Bengal of half Bengal and the Dad was unknown so just bare that in mind because I've done a lot of research and from what I've gathered, bengals suffer a lot with dietary problems?

So lola was weened by the breeder on Royal Canin kitten and Felix pouches. When we bought her home we switched her straight to whiskers dry/wet pouches. Saw the adverts on TV and was cheap. Our vet advised us at our 9 week check to take her off pouches and for to have a dry food diet only as that is better for her. 

Lola's poo was like, thick hommous. It STANK and was a light tan/orangy/brown colour. Every time Lola pooped, we had to wipe her bum because it would stick to her anus , like cover it. Didn't think this was right. Googled it and found out whiskers is really crap for your cat! 


Went to the pet shop the next day and told him about her poo. He advised Nutram. Oh my god, it was amazing. Proper dark brown, firm sausage like poos. Was a slight odour but didn't stink at all. However, after a few days on this her bum would bleed after a poo. No blood in the poo or wee but her anus would have blood all around it. Would wipe away and wouldn't continue to bleed. Called the vets straight away. They said as long as she keeps eating and acting normal she should be fine. And she was. 

So this continued for a few days but it happened again the next day so we went to a different pet shop. They said there was too much protein in the Nutram and she was straining to much so it burst a blood vessel. Change her to a diet with less protein.

Changed her to Iams. No blood but back to SRINKY hommous poo.

Went back to original pet shop, suggested 'simple' she's been on it for 2 days now, not firmed up yet. STINKS. And tonight she bled again.

She is still fine . Loves her food still and acting normal but this is horrible. I've booked a vet appointment for her on Saturday. I'll try and get a poo and wee sample to take with me. But please help. I don't know what to do. I'm going to have a nervous brake down. I'm a first time cat owner and I love her so much. I don't want this to happen to her.

Please help


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

Oh dear, poor Lola 

Firstly, the vet should've told you to change foods gradually, not to make a sudden switch, like over about five days add a little of the new food to what she currently eats, adding a little more each day until she has switched over. This can save a lot of runny bum problems.

Secondly though a lot of cat foods can cause the problems you mention because even some of the food recommended by vets is not very good, as it contains a lot of grains like wheat and maize, which cats can't actually digest, and can cause the pale coloured stinky poop. I know my Jumpy gets this if ever he has a food containing grains or vegetable extracts...

Wet food is actually better than dry, but it mustn't contain cereals or veg protein. My cats are on Sheba Fine Flakes and their poos are fine! Also butchers classic tins are grain free and should be fine for your kitten too!

So they are two of the cheap foods which are easily available, but many people prefer to buy food online from the Zooplus website where you can get higher meat contents and some of us even feed raw food (specially made for cats with all the right nutrients in, like Taurine). Their tummies tend to cope much better with this as it's much closer to their natural diet..hope this helps!


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Poor little kitten! I'm glad you've come here for help because, not surprisingly, you've been given some very poor advice by vets and pet store employees alike.

First of all dry is not "better for her". Dry is actually a very poor diet for cats. Cats are obligate carnivores designed by nature to get their moisture from their food. they won't drink enough on a dry diet to make up for the lack. And that is only one reason, but the main one, which all other reasons stem from.

Secondly, being an obligate carnivore, there really isn't such a thing as "too much protein", as long as it is the right kind of protein. Again, cats are designed by nature to eat a diet very high in protein, MEAT protein.

As far as all the food changing, you've run through enough changes to cover a year in a cat's life, that much change about, especially dry food changes, really wreaks havoc on a cat's digestive system. It's not your fault, you've been given some very bad advice.

A cat _can_ handle variety, of the right kind...meaning canned and raw. But dry..not so much. None of those dry foods are good for her.

I recommend you find a good low carb, grain free, and if possible, fruit and veggie free, (and no sugar!) canned food, and stick with it and only it for now. Avoid fish, just start with one brand, one protein. Add a probiotic to help her digestion adjust and cope.

Once she's doing well with that, keeping her on the probiotic, you can start, gradually, adding a variety of other canned proteins.

Here's a good website that explains the importance of a wet diet for cats:

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health

She's an American vet so the food lists won't help you much, but the info on why to avoid dry food is applicable for cats in any country.


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## Jellypi3 (Jan 3, 2014)

I'd recommend the Happy Kitty Company, their trial pack is amazing and the food went down a storm for my two!


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## Erenya (Jul 22, 2014)

we have 2 x 5 month old kittens, half bengal & half somali. We made the decision very early to provide a mix of wet and dry food and have stuck to this ever since - partially because they seem very happy on it, and partially because we both work and having dry food down throughout the day makes our life easier. We also made the decision that from day one they would eat a really wide variety of wet and dry foods, to ensure we didn't end up with picky kitties.

I think it's fair to say that they've only turned their noses up at one type of food, and so did I - It smelled NASTY.

Our kittens poo smells. I mean, when they drop one, it stinks! but only for a ten minutes or so and then the smell just fades. But hey, poo does smell, it's the nature of poo! My fella goes to the gym a lot and he says that you can always tell the lads that are on protein shakes because when they fart, it smells awful too, so maybe it's a protein thing as well.

But our kittens poo is always firm and dark - sad to say i always check when i change their litter tray, just in case one of them is unwell

We took our kittens off whiskers very early. they ate a lot more, pooed a lot more and the smell was stronger and lasted longer. Whiskers was banned pretty much immediately.

currently, our little angels are getting a mix of the following wet & Dry foods:

*Wet*
Schesir Tuna & Aloe (Zooplus)
Grau Kitten Beef Duck & Poultry (Zooplus)
Lilly's Organic Kitten (Zooplus)
Porta 21 Chicken (Zooplus)
Iams chicken (Pets @ Home)
Wainwrights Salmon (Pets @ Home)
Royal Canin chicken (Zooplus)
Schmussy Nature - The salmon & the Veal (Zooplus)
James Wellbeloved - The lamb & the Turkey (Pets @ Home)
Hills Science Plan - the Chicken & Fish (Zooplus)
Applaws Chicken (zooplus)
Felix kitten (all flavours, but only occaisionally)

*Dry food*
60g between 2 kittens every day made up of:
25g Advanced nutrition 
25g Hills Science plan
10g Hills prescription i'd (gastrointestinal)

They also get the occaisional bowl of kitten milk and for treats/rewards they get a some raw king prawn or raw tuna steak (not tinned tuna)

We're very particular about what food we give our kittens and probably spend more money than a lot of people, but our opinoin is that this first year is vital in building healthy bones, nerves, muscle and skin, so we'd rather invest a bit more money in making sure that they get the best start in life. Also, by varying their diets every day it means that it one type of food is missing a particular nutient/vitamin/mineral, we hope that this is being picked up by the other types.

We've never had any digestive problems with our cats - other than when they had Iams dry food and one of them was sick as anything until we took them off it - wierd huh!

I'm not going to say our way is best, as obviously every kittie is different and you will need to find what works for your little darling. But I'm pleased to say that our kittens are in really good condition. Our vet is very pleased with them - says they have the best coats of any cat she's seen - and they have lots of energy and seem very content.

They may fart on occaision, but so does my fella and I keep him around


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Please get a giardia test, just to rule out. If its giardia, it wont matter what you feed!


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## Lolasmummyadele (Aug 28, 2014)

Thank you all for your replys. This is just horrible. I had no idea about the dry food! We both work so im happy to give her wet food in the evenings as soon as I get back and maybe leave dry food out 24/7 for her to graze on? With her wet main meal in the late afternoon? 

So a grain free diet? My local pet shop has Canagan? What is the best wet food for her? 

I've got a vet appointment in an hour. I've managed to get a poo sample to take with me. She pooped then after the poo came out - ike bloody mucas followed. But it's all been caught in a contanier and I had to wipe the blood off her little bum :'( 

She acts completely normal, playful and a good apitite still. 

I just want someone to say 'feed her this and this and only that' and then for lola to have normal, healthy poo. I just feel like im swimming in a massive pool of confustion and I'm damaging my poor lola. She's the sweetest kitten. I can't stand it


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Lolasmummyadele said:


> Thank you all for your replys. This is just horrible. I had no idea about the dry food! We both work so im happy to give her wet food in the evenings as soon as I get back and maybe leave dry food out 24/7 for her to graze on? With her wet main meal in the late afternoon?
> 
> So a grain free diet? My local pet shop has Canagan? What is the best wet food for her?
> 
> ...


I sort of did, in my post (see below.)

However I do think you should have the vet do a culture on the poop. this is more expensive and takes longer but it is much more thorough and will check for giardia (as Ang2 mentioned) among other things.

Good luck to your little Lola girl, keep us posted! Glad to know she is perky at least!



lorilu said:


> Poor little kitten! I'm glad you've come here for help because, not surprisingly, you've been given some very poor advice by vets and pet store employees alike.
> 
> First of all dry is not "better for her". Dry is actually a very poor diet for cats. Cats are obligate carnivores designed by nature to get their moisture from their food. they won't drink enough on a dry diet to make up for the lack. And that is only one reason, but the main one, which all other reasons stem from.
> 
> ...


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