Question:
I have two rescue cats, both 2 years old, and in the past few days we've noticed blood spots on various places -- a blanket on the couch, my workout bag sitting on the floor, then the couch cushions themselves.
(Any tricks for getting blood out of a blue and white couch? Yikes!)
Anyway, we examined both felines and they show no obvious outward signs of bleeding and both are behaving completely normally. One of them, who has escaped outside a few times lately, has been licking his anal area more than usual, but that's all. There is no blood in the litter box.
Any ideas what's going on?
Furmom to Miles and Laurence, 2-year-old brothers and the feline loves of my life.
Answer:
Try salt water for the couch. Failing that you can buy special preperations specifically for blood, ink, etc, etc. You could also try biological washing powder. DO NOT use hot water as it makes the blood stain. Use cold.
Ok, just because theres no blood in the litter tray doesnt mean theres not a problem with the bottom.
What I strongly recommend is that you take the cats to the vets. Hopefully the vet will be proactive and take bloods from both just to see the state of their health and get a baseline to work from.
Personally I would start with simple things like a thorough exam. I work with rabbits and I examine mine through massage. I work over the entire body and get used to the feel of my animals. That way if theres anything unusual I notice it quickly. Check the nails because a broken nail can bleed like a sweet or leave spots of blood and an indoor cat could easily break a nail.
I would make sure the cats are well wormed and free from parasites as these can also cause bleeding.
A cotton bud wiped around the inside of the anus might reveal blood but I would want the vet to do this as it is easy to rupture the bowel wall.
My guess with this one is a broken nail. It seems the most obvious.
Good luck with tracking down the problem.
Kisses to your cats.xx.
Answer:

Yes, all good advice there. Nothing more to add except my agreement.
Tim
Answer:
My first thought was a broken nail. The woman who cleans my house called me at work one day saying there were little spots of blood all over the house and since she was cleaning them up wanted me to know. She didn't see any obvious problems with any of the cats and since they were little spots I said I'd check it out when I got home...Kobi had a broken nail, tore the darn thing almost completely off.
Onyx & Callie May forever in my heart.
Answer:
Yes, all good thoughts here. Since you see the cat licking his anal area also, I would get it checked out by your vet.
I had a similar experience as Doodlebug. Snickers chewed his nails too short and bled I agree, check the nails as well as the body.
One other thought...do the cats have any issues with aggression toward each other? Are they play fighting? Just wondering if one cat might have scratched the other.
Owned by Pepper and Pumpkin RIP Snickers 8/22/00 -- 11/28/06
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/