Understanding The Purpose of Veterinarians

Most cats are able to use the litter box throughout their lives without any serious problems, so it can be alarming for a pet parent to notice that a cat isn't able to finish the job. If you've seen your cat with part of a stool sticking out of their rear end, your cat could have a serious problem. Keep reading to learn what you must do if your cat experiences this issue.

Call Veterinarian

Your very first step should be to get in contact with a veterinarian. Cats who cannot fully release stools are typically experiencing some kind of blockage. These blockages can be very dangerous to a cat's health and even become fatal if your cat is unable to clear its bowels. In order to prevent the matter from getting worse, set up an appointment with your veterinarian right away. If your cat appears to be in visible distress, make an emergency appointment and go in immediately.

Don't Manually Remove or Extract

Seeing a cat walking around with a stool sticking out can be repulsive and concerning, so pet parents often choose to try and help their cat by removing it. Unfortunately, this rarely solves the problem and can cause more difficulties for your cat.

If your cat's stool isn't fully expelled due to hair in the bowel, manually removing the stool could cause the hair still in the bowel to break loose. This could cause more severe blockages that could threaten your cat's health. In addition, if there's something in the stool that's too big to pass through your cat's bowel or rectum, trying to remove it could hurt your cat.

Use an E-collar and Hairball Treats

Until you get to the veterinarian's office, you should ideally put an e-collar on your cat. This will prevent your cat from licking itself or pulling out the stool themselves. In addition, if you have any on-hand, consider feeding your cat some hairball treats. Most hairball treats contain petroleum jelly that can help hair to pass through the intestines more easily. This may be helpful in loosening your cat's stool and allowing your cat to pass it fully.

Intestinal or bowel blockages are serious business and a partially extruded stool is a warning sign that should never be ignored. If your cat has been regularly having trouble defecating, straining in the litter box, or has been unable to fully expel a stool, contact a vet, like one from Berlin Township Animal Hospital, immediately for help.