💩 My senior cat is going #2 outside the Litter box 💩
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My vet is either stumped, or is trying to run every diagnostic he can think of to run up my tab. Just moved to the area less than a year ago - not long enough to build up trust.
Sorry for the length, but I have a feeling the Devil will be in the details...
* Species: Feline
* Age: 12.5
* Sex/Neuter status: Female/Unknown
* Breed: UNK. Best Guess: Bombay
* Body weight: smol
* History: Below
* Clinical signs: #2 outside litter box
* Duration: 5-6 months
* Your general location: Western USA
* Links to any test results, X-rays, vet reports etc. that you have: n/a
PATIENT HISTORY:
- 13 y.o. female cat. (Intact, as far as we know) never had a litter.
- 100% indoor since Kittenhood
- No major health issues up until this one.
- No change in appetite or disposition.
- 3 years ago when our younger cat joined us from foster care, she either caught Feline Herpes from her, or the stress of the new addition aggravated a dormant case.
- Food is a combination of timed wet food, which she prefers, and free feeding of Dry kibble. Both Wet and Dry are regular Adult Cat, Blue Buffalo Brand.
- no Urine outside litter box. Feces only
GLOSSARY:
I dont know the veterinary / biological terms, so I made up my own for the stinky abnormalities I find on my floors:
- Dump - full regular bowel movement, but outside litter box💩
- Dumpling- about 1.5 Tbsp soft fecal matter, Outside the Litter Box. Thin extrusion. Shaped like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Not firm, not liquid, closer to a gel that holds its shape.🤢
- PB&J Dumpling - Same as a Dumpling but with small amount of fresh blood, coated in Clear, glossy mucus. 🤮
FREQUENCY:
Frequency for all types remains consistent even after the vet visits.
- Dumps: 1 or 2 per month, usually close to food bowl. Sometimes followed by a Dumpling.
- Dumplings: 1 or 2 per week, immediately after regular bowel movement , between 2 and 10 feet of litter box, random locations.
About 4 months ago, Started finding PB&J Dumplings in random spots, usually within 10 ft of the litter box enclosure.
'Dumplings' only appear once or twice a week, So it took me a while to figure out which cat was leaving these little treasures.
Also starting around the same time, once every 3-4 weeks, we would find full Dumps near the food bowl.
Eventually determined the phantom pooper to be my older cat, when we caught her in the act. Later we discovered the sequence of events:
She takes a regular Bowel movement in the litter box, then shortly after exiting, walks elsewhere to squat out a Dumpling.
I hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary when cleaning out the litter box, but it would be hard to tell when all dried up and litter stuck to it.
Tried adding some slippery elm to her food, and when that didn't seem to help, Took her in for a vet visit.
FEEDBACK FROM MY VETERINARIAN:
VISIT 1: one month ago
in addition to a regular examination, I asked the vet to express her anal glands. He said one went fine, the other he said didn't want to release.
We were sent home with a kit with a syringe of grey paste, and capsules of white powder you're supposed to sprinkle on their food. i don't remember the name of the medicine but it came in a pink box and was supposed to help balance gut biome.
About 4 days after the visit, she made a PB&J Dumpling that looked gnarlier than ones before. A little more blood, mucus looked like snot. Called, scheduled a follow up for that upcoming weekend.
However, that mid-week PB&J between the Vet visits was actually the last Dumpling that had any blood or visible mucus involved, which I attributed to the medicine doing its thing. I still kept the follow up appointment.
VISIT 2: 7 days after Visit 1
Vet looked her over again, He tried to express that one anal gland that didn't cooperate last visit. He said he got as aggressive as he felt comfortable, but it still wouldn't release, and it was definitely hurting her when he tried working it.
He doesn't seem sure where to start.
His recommendations and what he found during both examinations were not terribly surprising , given her age.
- Blood work, for 'bio function'
- Dental treatment to remove tartar, which is done under anesthesia.
- Scope-view lower GI. Also under anesthesia.
He said I could save at least some money by going with the dental treatment, and doing the Lower G.I. scope at the same appointment while still under, but this combo is still going to set me back just under $1900.
I'm certainly not opposed to paying for a positive outcome, but I'm just not in a position to write blank checks.
HELP ME HELP MY CAT:
The only thing that has changed in the last month, is there is no more blood or mucus with the dumplings. I'll take it, but still pretty much at square one.
I find it hard to believe this problem is so rare or exotic that someone here in this forum doesn't have at least a theory as to what is going on.
I know with cats and dogs, we shouldn't be to be surprised when accidents happen. 1 or 2 misplaced logs per month, and some 'bonus material' 1 or 2x weekly isn't a lot. For me anyway. My spouse has a lower threshold. Just out of bad timing, she's had to deal with the majority of the mighty, full size, by-the-food bowl-bowel movements, which sends her retching.
I love all of my pets, but this one is special. We're bonded. Soul mates. Real talk: I know House cats CAN live into their 20s, but 13-14 years is when a typical life expectancy is reached. She will be 13 in October.
I wish I could say money is no object. It just is. I need help planning my next steps carefully. I cant vaporize our savings and/or go into debt diagnosing this issue just to find out which treatment or surgery I wont be able to afford.
Which of the Vet clinic's recommendations would you go with? (I'm leaning towards Bloodwork.)
What, if any OTC medicines do you think I should try?
Might a Senior wet food or a different brand help?
Additional litter box already on its way.
Anyone else here have this same issue?
Kind regards, and Thank you for your help.