Blood after going to the bathroom

Good Evening,

My cats name is Butterbean, she is a 4 year old orange tabby.  Over the years we have had problems with her mouth being swollen combined with excessive itching and now blood drops on the floor outside of her litter box.  She has always been sensitive about her ears which have always checked out.  Diarrhea is more normal than not.  I have taken her to the vet many times over the years.  Each time she always checks out perfect on all of her tests.  She used to eat Fancy Feast & Purina when she lived with her sister.   She didn't have a bathroom problems when she was with her sister kitty and none for about a year after we moved out. BB and I live in a 1 bedroom loft with lots of toys and love.  She never seems stressed, depressed or lonely.  Eventually she was eating Tikki wet food and Taste of the Wild dry food. After a certain point it wasn't going away so I took away the wet food thinking it was maybe too rich.   It still didn't stop so I then took away the wet food.  It still hasn't gone away.  These have been over long periods of time so I am giving new foods adequate time to work.  She does seem like she is a better mood since the Taste of the Wild & Tikki foods.

Are there any recommendations on a food that maybe is good for allergies, natural, no grain, or organic??

Thank you for your help.  Butterbean really appreciates it :-)  

[opus88]

hi and welcome...can all be associated with  allergies or intolerance within the diet., from the swollen mouth/itching to the diarrhea &/or Inflammatory bowel Disease (IBD)....but this may take some time to all sort out,first of all I will send you some links to do some reading and we'll take it from there ok.. there have been some problems with purina foods, you can check these posts out to see if there maybe a correlation there. how long has she been off this food?

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cats/consumer-reports-on-PURINA-Cat-and-Dog-food/show/1701333?personal_page_id=861539

are you feeding her from plastic bowls? these harbour bacteria, if you are change to ceramic or metal.
Do NOT feed dry foods, they are full of preservatives and tons of other additives.
I'm not real familiar with Tiki foods....I think they have a fairly good reputation, however for cats with any allergies or intolerances the diet must be GRAIN FREE...grains are a common allergen.
If you are feeding chicken as the protein...change it to a novel protein such as beef, fish or venison...venison is a very good choice however in my experience most cats don't like it...but well worth a try.
remember if you are changing brands to do so slowly or this will cause even more GI upset.
I will send you another site, this one is all on foods and why not to feed dry..how it can cause IBD. this Vet also has great info on how to transition to a wet diet, she also list the best grain free commercial diets...just click on the right side of her article for this info.
www.catinfo.org

this site I will send you to look at the photo of 'indolent ulcer' see if you think it resembles your kitties lip....good article all abt EGC and allergies there too....just whatever you do DON'T resort to the steroids or cyclosporine that it recommends...they cause many more issues, I think knowledge and some other changes are going to work without resorting to that drastic a medication...

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_eosinophilic_granuloma.html

also on the bottom of that page click on where is says...'more information about food allergies' again more good info.

well there I've given you tons to read for starters...come back after a read and we'll take it from there.....don't give up hope for dear Butterbean♥

[opus88]

geez I did mean to ask, is the blood from her rectum or bladder can you tell? does she have blood mixed in with the diarrhea?

[Butterbean_Jenn]

Wow.  Thank you for the tips & links!  The blood rarely shows up in her stool or diarrhea and the bleeding comes from her rectum.  She has been off Purina for about 2 years.  She doesn't eat or drink from plastic bowls.  

After reading some of your links, I may start with a hypo-allergenic food.  While i thought http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/  was one of the best dry cat foods, it wasn't hypo-allergenic.  I also may try to increase her water intake by some tuna water.  I will continue to look around.  

I will keep you posted on what dry food I buy for yet another trial period.  She is so sweet & I hate that she may not be feeling the best.  I want to do everything I can to make her the happiest cat & I think you have shared some valuable tips.  Thank you for your help!

[opus88]

I thought that was what you meant by seeing blood, that it was associated with her bowels...a classic sign of IBD and food intolerances....
there have been many cats who have improved greatly by being fed a raw food diet...however many owners aren't wanting to go that route. and many cats won't accept that either. Vets do recommend a hypoallergenic diet but again many cats will refuse that too. most important to stay away from dry foods and especially grains....keep the protein source  a good one...read the labels make sure its NOT meat by-products.
water is important for sure, but NOT tuna water...too high in mercury.

there are 2 excellent supplements that will help alot. both of these are much cheaper if bought in human supplement form. I will send you a link to where I buy all my cat supplements from. the 2 names I give you are the safest for cats use and will help alot with her IBD. and diarrhea. if you do buy other brands just be very sure they are FREE of sugar,salt,soy,yeast,corn,wheat, preservatives and coloring.....

the probiotic listed has the most strains of beneficial bacteria for gut health, it comes in powder form and just need to sprinkle a dab on her wet food each day.

http://www.iherb.com/Garden-of-Life-Primal-Defense-Powder-HSO-Probiotic-Formula-81-g/3159

this other product is Slippery Elm Bark...or SEB. this is very very good for soothing the mucosa of the bowel and helps with diarrhea (or constipation too)...its also an excellent product. if you decide to order let me know and I will tell you how to prepare for cats...

http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Slippery-Elm-Powder-4-oz-113-g/788