Ask Dr Claire

My 6 week old kitten has blood in her stool, her diet is wet kitten food, lactose free milk, and some dry food. This is the first time I’ve seen it.

In this case, we really need to find the cause of the blood in the stool so that we can treat your kitten’s problem (not just the symptom). This will help us reach the best treatment plan too.

Some of the underlying causes of blood in the stool of a kitten might be:

  • Infectious disease (bacteria, viruses etc)
  • Constipation (irritation to colon from hard poop)
  • Parasites (kittens should be wormed every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age then monthly)
  • Dietary indiscretion- eating something unusual
  • Dietary intolerance or allergy
  • Colitis- from infection, dietary intolerance or stress
  • Toxin or poisons eaten i.e rat sac
  • Internal medical condition
  • Sudden change in diet can also cause an upset bowel

Blood in the stool always should be investigated, a hands-on examination from your local vet would be a great place to start.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire