vomiting digested food

Let's talk about cat poop!

Healthy Poop in Cats

How often should a cat 'go'?

The general rule of thumb is that a cat should poop at least once a day. However, the frequency of your cat's bowel movements is affected by multiple factors including the age (i.e. kittens defecate more often than adults), diet, exercise, and health status (i.e. IBD, hyperthyroidism, parasites, CKD).

Because of this, the exact frequency of the bowel movement will be individual, and you should monitor for its fluctuations instead. If your cat's bowel movements start to differ from the normal frequency for longer than a day or two, it is advisable to pay a visit to the vet and resolve the cause of the change.

What does healthy poop look like?

Healthy cat poop should be deep brown in color (but not too dark nor black) and malleable in consistency (similar to modeling clay; it should be firm enough to leave little to no residue on the ground when picked up, yet pliable and not too hard). Poop should be passed in one piece or a few smaller pieces of somewhat cylindrical shape and segmented appearance. The odor shouldn't be too foul, although this can be variable.

Unhealthy Poop in Cats

The key signs to look out for in your cat's poop are the consistency, shape and color. The stool's consistency is directly influenced by the amount of moisture in it, which gives you an insight into the colonic health. The colon (or the large intestine) reabsorbs the remaining water and other key nutrients from the indigestible material, thus solidifying this material into the firm stool. The consistency of the stool can be descriptively scored to help you recognize if your cat's stool is healthy.

A comprehensive fecal scoring guide was described by Purina. According to Purina's guide, the consistency of the healthy stool can be scored on the scale from 1 to 7. The healthy stool (as described above) is scored with 2, while the stool that is too hard and dry is scored with 1. Scores from 3 to 7 are reserved for moist, mushy or liquid stools.

Hard stool (score 1) is typically a sign of constipation, which can be associated with dehydration, colon obstruction or certain metabolic and neurological conditions. Thus, if you notice that your cat is passing poop that is too hard in consistency, you should pay a visit to the vet and address the issue. The hard poop is passed in smaller, more spherical pellets which leave no residue on the ground, and the passing itself requires more effort.

Soft, mushy or liquid stools (scores 3-7) can be a sign of bacterial infections, intestinal parasites, or food intolerance. If your cat's poop is moist on the surface, thus leaving residue on the ground, but retains the shape and form when picked up, then its consistency can be scored with 3. This poop has little to no visible segmentation, but is not considered to be an alarming sign.

If the poop is so moist that it feels saggy and it loses form when picked up (but does retain a logged shape when passed), then the consistency can be scored with 4. Furthermore, if the stool is passed in a pile rather than the logs, then it is scored with 5. If your cat passes liquid stool with texture but no shape, then the consistency is scored with 6. Liquid stool without any texture nor shape is scored with 7.

Soft or fluid stool (as described by the scores 4-7), accompanied by a more frequent bowel movement, are referred to as diarrhea. While the causes for diarrhea are variable and often multi-factorial, this state is considered to be an important, sign of underlying problems and is a legitimate reason to consult with your vet. Sometimes, diarrhea can be caused by stress (i.e. moving to a new environment or bringing in a new pet), or food allergies and intolerance.

Other times, however, diarrhea can be a symptom of a disease, a bacterial infection, or even intestinal parasites. If your cat is suffering from diarrhea, make sure to closely monitor the frequency on your cat's bowel movement, so you can report it to your veterinarian. Keep an eye on other signs of disease and injury and the changes in your cat's behavior. This will be key for the diagnosis of the underlying cause.

Contact your veterinarian ASAP after spotting the symptoms, especially if diarrhea persists for more than two days and is accompanied by lack of appetite, lethargy, or vomiting. The veterinarian will diagnose the underlying cause and help you design a special recovery diet for your cat until it recovers.

The stool is a direct insight into its colonic health. It can help you recognize if your cat is eating the right diet and drinking enough water or if it's suffering from certain health problems. So, the next time you clean the litter box, make sure to quickly inspect if your cat's poop is healthy! A healthy cat is a happy cat.


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Possible Causes for Your Cat Vomiting Clear Liquid

Vomiting is not normal in cats, and when your cat vomits clear liquid, it can be a sign of a serious illness. Vomiting itself is what is considered to be a nonspecific symptom. It could be associated with an array of health concerns. Some of these can include things like hairballs, internal obstructions, pancreatitis, eating too quickly, constipation, indigestion, parasitic infections, poisoning, stress, depression, or even anxiety.

Possible Causes for Your Cat Vomiting Clear Liquid

Hairballs

Cats are naturally meticulously clean animals and groom themselves for a large part of their day. As your cat grooms themselves, tiny hook-like structures on their tongue catch loose and dead hair, which is then swallowed. The majority of the hair passes all the way through the digestive tract with no problems, but sometimes the hair stays in the stomach and forms a hairball.

Commonly, cats will vomit up clear liquid prior to a hairball. Although, a cat vomiting up clear liquid with a hairball occasionally can be normal and not a concern, it is important to note that hairballs should not be frequent, painful, or difficult for your cat to pass. Some commercial cat diets and treats are formulated to help prevent formation of hairballs. Adopting a regular brushing schedule and getting your cat comfortable with brushing can also help get rid of any loose fur in your cat's coat that they may otherwise ingest when grooming themselves.

Food and Dietary Changes

When there is a change in your cats feeding schedule, if your cat misses a meal or eats later than normal, your cat may vomit up clear liquid.


In addition, you may have switched your cat’s food too quickly. When changing your cat to a new diet, it is recommended to do it gradually over a one to two-week period gradually decreasing the amount of current cat food while increasing the amount of new cat food.

Your cat may eat too quickly, and this can cause clear vomit or clear vomit with food present. If you cat is a habitual 'scarf and barf' cat or if they have intestinal sensitivities, that may be causing them to vomit up partially digested or undigested food. If your vet has ruled out other medical issues and thinks that what your cat is vomiting up is actually food, they may want you to try a food for sensitive stomachs with your cat. If your cat is still struggling with vomiting food on this special diet, they may then want to put your cat on a strict, hydrolyzed protein diet.

Your vet may also suggest food puzzles for your cat. Food puzzles are a great source of both play and enrichment for your cat. There are more and more manufactured food puzzles available on the market that stimulate both of your cat's predatory and foraging instincts. The added benefit of food puzzles for a cat that chronically vomits their food, though, is that it slows down the chow time so that a cat cannot eat too quickly and then get sick from it.

Indigestion

Just like in people, a cat's stomach produces various gastric juices as well as hydrochloric acid to digest their food. If, however, a cat skips a meal for some reason, or if they are not fed on time, that buildup of juice and acid can irritate the stomach and cause your cat to vomit. Cats with indigestion may vomit yellow foam in addition to white foam. If you and your vet suspect your cat's vomiting is from indigestion, your vet may suggest feeding small, frequent meals at the same time throughout the day so as to alleviate any buildup of stomach acid.

Gastritis

If your cat is one to get into things they shouldn't, it is possible that they have irritated their stomach with something that they have eaten. When this happens, you may see vomiting clear liquid in addition to vomiting blood and/or bile. Your cat may also be exhibiting a decrease in appetite, a depressed attitude, lethargy, or dehydration. Your vet will know just what to do if your cat is vomiting because of gastritis.

Some other causes can include:

  • Parasites

  • Constipation

  • An obstruction of foreign material in the intestinal tract

  • Ingesting a toxin

  • Metabolic disorders such as diabetes, kidney disease, and hyperthyroidism

What Should I Do if My Cat Is Vomiting Clear Liquid?

Some cat owners may describe their cat as 'puke-y' but it should be noted that frequent vomiting is never normal for a cat. Vomiting more than once a week is definitely a sign of issues. If your cat is vomiting clear liquid several times and/or in conjunction with other symptoms such as lack of appetite, weight loss, lethargy, or diarrhea, you should make an appointment with your vet right away. Your vet will want to start with a physical exam, checking your cat's vital signs and palpating your cat's abdomen. After a thorough examination, your vet may also want to run some tests, including blood work and x-rays. Blood work will check your cat's organ function, making sure that there are no signs of liver disease or kidney disease, as well as your cat's red blood cell and platelet levels. An x-ray study will check for any fluid in the abdomen that could potentially be blood and it may also show intestinal gas patterns that could be indicative of a blockage.

Depending on what your doctor finds, your cat may require hospitalization for fluid therapy and supportive care, or they may just need outpatient treatments and oral medications to go home on. If your vet suspects your cat has an intestinal blockage your cat may require surgery to remove whatever the blockage is.


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