4 Month Old Kitten with Bloody Stools

[Liz Marie]

My 4 month old kitten has been having occasional bloody stools (very rarely diarrhea, but often a bit loose) since I adopted her at 8 weeks.  She had a normal stool culture and tested negative for feline leukemia and FIV.  She's had all her shots, except for the outdoor series booster which she'll receive in 3 weeks.  She's also received a round of antibiotics (for the bloody stools) and antifungal (after the antibiotics, for ringworm).  She has not been exposed to any other cats since I adopted her.  She eats normally (Science Diet Kitten, wet food only - won't eat dry) and is otherwise happy, healthy, and playful.  Any ideas on what this could be?  (One other note - she chews on everything including wires which I've tried my best to keep out of reach, but she still occasionally gets one...Could this mean a long-term bowel obstruction?)  Thanks!

[Liz Marie]

Thank you so much for your response!

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Your veterinarian can imperically de-worm your kitten even she has tested negative for parasites multiple times.  There are literally thousands of intestinal parasites, for which it is impossible to test them all.  Giardia Lambia is not diagnosed by stool culture, but by antigen test.  She could be treated  for  it just in case with low dose flagyl. Coccidia can also cause bloody stool, and is treated with Albon.   X-Rays could check for linear or other foreign bodies that could cause blood in the stool.  Placing hot pepper sauce on exposed wires will stop her chewing on them.  Lastly, food sensitivities can cause GI difficulties which must be controlled by a hypoallergenic diet.

[Liz Marie]

I wrote bowel obstruction, but what I meant was damage from a bit of wire that she swallowed or something.  I'm guessing not, since I've seen occasional bleeding since I adopted her.  Also, I've taken her to the vet several times (for this and her vaccinations) - I'm mostly wondering whether I need to treat the latest bleeding (one formed stool with blood, one very loose with blood) as an emergency, or just keep an eye on her.  The vet's first guess was giardia (ruled out by stool culture, but given antibiotics) and then colitis.