Sick cat or bad vet?

[Tomcats]

He has bloody stool and the vet says hairballs?

Did the vet actually examine the stool, or is he guessing? Lots of vets do not examine stool, I know from experience.

Several thoughts --- new vet, pumpkin added to food, Metamucil sprinkled on food, water added to food, fresh water put out more often or a fountain (cats are weird about water sources - you need to entice them to drink more)

Blood in stool is a worrisome sign. It could be nothing, or a host of things. If your cat is allowed to suffer constipation too long, he could get megacolon. That would be a disaster for both of you.

[Tomcats]

"FYI NEVER give your cat any Hartz products. They are bad news"

Hi Mitts,

I never heard this before. Dr S (I won't mention his name here) used to recommend Hartz to my mom all the time. Please educate me!

[Tomcats]

Thank you all. He eats, and only eats, cat food from Aldi or Sam's club.

That is part of the problem, I think. Those two foods have caused us a lot of digestive issues in the past when we had too many cats and no cash.

Try Purina, Friskies, or if you can afford a little more, Authority.

[Mitts & Tess]

This is just the tip of the iceberg in complaints about Hartz flea and tick products. The company has turned a blind eye for years and refused to address the problem. Now people have had enough and there are many lawsuits against Hartz. Google Hartz Lawsuits and you will be stunned. Esp if you read thru posts on Hartzvictums.org

WARNING!! Do NOT use Sergeant's or Hartz flea products!!!! - YouTube

[Tomcats]

Thank you for this link. I knew there was an issue with the collars, but had no idea it was this bad. The vet in Sierra Vista used to carry Hartz products on his shelf. We bought the flea spray. Yikes!

[SimonCat]

The blood could be coming from the constipation, rather than farther up the intestines. I think someone here mentioned adding pumpkin, and that is a great option. You might also want to see if you can find a food that has a novel (new) protein that your cat has not been exposed to before. Sometimes this can cause difficult digestion.
You definitely want to get this rectified (as you are), as constipation and sluggy digestion can result in Mega-Colon

[scottd]

Originally Posted by Nell

A food from Aldi or Sam's Club is probably a very low quality food as well.

I looked at the wet and dry food at Aldi in the past. I thought it might be decent since Trader Joe's is somewhat related to Aldi but it's not. It's what you would expect from a grocery store brand. I was buying food for the animal shelter and I ended up buying food elsewhere.

I'm not sure about Sam's Club but I do know they sell their own brand too.