maroon discharge + gas + empty vomit...no answers

[wynden]

Hi,

I have a 3yr old male cat who I adopted from the humane society as a kitten. He has always been an indoor cat and has always been up to date on all health checks and shots.

He has always been a real lightweight, even though he seems to eat fine. He is usually just 7-8lb. He has always had a slightly sensitive stomach - I gave him a little milk once and he threw up right after consuming it. He has always had softer stools, but generally seems happy and healthy. I feed him a vet recommended diet and he has always eaten it without any problem. I have not introduced anything new to his diet or lifestyle.

Lately he's been throwing up a fair amount. I initially chalked it up to the season, because he's a long hair. But instead of every 1-3 weeks as usual, he is doing it once or twice a day. And there is no hairball - it just looks like saliva. I also noticed that it had a definite pinkish hue.

Simultaneously, he developed diarrhea. It began exactly one week ago. I also noticed a dark red glob among the stool, which looked like a bit of tissue, to me.

The severity of the diarrhea has fluctuated, but there has consistently been a dark maroon discharge along with the feces. And in the past two days, there is only the maroon stuff.

Yesterday his discomfort was most obvious. He kept getting in the litter box and then back out without doing anything. Or else he would excrete a small amount of the maroon liquid and that's it. Then he would just sit stiffly. Even when he got in my lap he didn't lie on his side like he normally does, and when he started to run into the other room to see something he'd lost sight of out the window, he immediately stopped as if it weren't worth the bother. He's not lethargic, but he has not been playing at all.

So to sum up, we have pinkish-saliva like vomit with no contents. Runny to no stool except a dark maroon liquid (which makes me think of blood but it is not bright red). And evident discomfort.

I have taken him to the vet, but all that they were able to determine was that he had gas. The x-rays showed something in his stomach, but the vet thought it was food. He has not passed anything but the red discharge in 2 days, so I was not able to provide a sample. The litter soaked up the red stuff before they could examine it.

We did confirm that he doesn't have worms, aids or leukemia... but unless the blood labs provide new information then I will have no explanation for what seem to be very serious symptoms. If anyone has had a similar experience or has any information on these types of symptoms, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thank you.

[Love4himies]

It almost sounds like he may have IBD. Something is bothering him and not having a bowel movement for two days should be a huge red flag for your vet. Perhaps a second opinion is in order.

Having a maroon discharge and vomiting is not normal and the cause needs to be found.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[wynden]

I completely agree. I was frustrated that the vet seemed to underplay the severity of these symptoms. I'm just hoping that some test or other will give me better answers. But just in case, I'm trying to find out whatever I can.

Thanks for your support.

[Love4himies]

Could the maroon be blood mixed with mucous? Intestines work very similarly to sinuses, when they are sick, they will produce mucous. With IBD, there could also be sores, similar to cold sores that bleed.

[wynden]

Yes, it could definitely be. It had a filmy consistency.

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome to the board, wynden.

Your cat's symptoms sound very similar to the symptoms our dog had when he developed IBD. I would consider blood loss through the intestine to be pretty serious... Have you considered seeking a second opinion?

I hope you get some answers soon and your kitty recovers quickly!