Mary Allen
According to These Criteria, You Examine Cat Feces
There are five factors to look for when examining your cat’s poop:
- What color is the cat poop?
- What shape is he?
- What is consistency?
- How much poo do you find in the litter box?
- How is the smell
What Does a Healthy Cat’s Stool Look Like?
Most cats do their business once a day, going to the litter box every 24 to 36 hours. You can recognize “normal”, healthy cat droppings by the following criteria:
- deep brown color
- elongated and flexible
- firm but not too hard consistency
- light, not too putrid odor
But remember that cats are individuals. Each animal’s stool may be different, even though it is in good health. However, irregularities such as diarrhea, constipation, or sudden uncleanliness can be an indication of health problems in the animal.
Color of the Stool: This Can Mean It
If the cat has a light-brown stool, that’s no reason to worry. But the color of the feces can give an indication if your four-legged friend is having problems digesting it. The colors can mean:
- White to yellowish feces in cats can indicate that your four-legged friend has a lot of grain and little coloring in the cat food. But it can also indicate problems with the bile.
- The greenish stool is usually harmless if it only occurs for a short time. Your four-legged friend has simply eaten a lot of green stuff like grass.
- Red stool can occur due to blood in the stool. Reasons can be inflammation in the digestive tract, infections, or parasites. Be sure to visit the vet!
- Dark to black feces in cats can also be a sign of blood in the stool. There may be bleeding in the stomach or intestines. Again, a medical professional should look at the animal.
- Gray poop in cats is an occasional occurrence and can be a sign of problems with the pancreas.
Cat Feces for Diarrhea
Light brown, mushy feces in cats is an indication of diarrhea. Almost every owner will deal with it at some point. There are many reasons for this, ranging from intolerance to diseases in the gastrointestinal tract. Possible causes are:
- changes in feeding
- food allergies or intolerances
- spoiled feed
- abdominal influenza
- inflammation in the intestines
- worm infestation
- infections with various bacteria or parasites
- the disease of the pancreas
- overactive thyroid
- cancer
In all of these cases, the cat may pass soft feces. In general, you should always see your vet if your cat’s diarrhea lasts longer than a day or two or is particularly severe. Then there is a risk of dehydration, meaning that your cat loses too much water and with it vital electrolytes such as calcium, sodium, and magnesium.
Cat is Constipated: Clues from the Litter Box
While cat owners notice diarrhea very quickly, constipation can be overlooked at first. Here in particular it is advantageous to examine the litter box regularly. The cat has hard excrement or you can’t find any excrement in the litter box?
This is a strong indication that your velvet paw is suffering from constipation. Possible causes are:
- the wrong diet, for example, not enough fiber
- food allergies or intolerances
- feed change
- intake of too little liquid
- obstruction of the digestive tract by foreign objects
- excess hairballs in the digestive tract
- pelvic fracture
- enlargement of the large intestine (megacolon)
- tumor
- renal insufficiency
- intestinal obstruction
If constipation lasts for several days or is so severe that your cat is visibly in pain, you should contact the vet immediately. The same applies if your cat has blood in its stool. Slimy feces in cats can also be a sign of a life-threatening illness.
When Should I Go to the Vet?
In general, as soon as your cat suffers from digestive problems for more than two days, you should always visit the vet. In addition to abnormalities in the cat feces, do you notice other signs of illness such as fever, listlessness, restlessness, loss of appetite, or vomiting in your house tiger? Then it is all the more important to have your fur nose examined by a vet as soon as possible.