Cleaning the cat's litter box is the perfect time for you to look at your cat's poop closely.
But why would you want to do that? You can check on your cat's current state of health simply by taking a look at its poop. Yes, your cat's poop can tell if your moggy is healthy or experiencing digestive or other health challenges.
When you know what "healthy" or "good" poop is, you can quickly assess what's expected and what's not.
The Characteristics Of Cat Poop
Color
Good poop is usually brown. Pale yellow poo may signify problems with the liver, gallbladder, or obstruction to your cat's bile duct. If it is black or bloody, it may indicate blood in the stool.
Odor
Yes, poop smells, but the odor should not be too foul. If you clean your cat's litter box regularly, you will know if the scent is typical or too disgusting.
Shape And Consistency
Here are the tell-tale signs of cat poop via a fecal score chart:
Score 1
Poop in the shape of small, hard balls is also unhealthy because this can mean your cat is constipated. Constipation can be a symptom of more severe health concerns like dehydration, metabolic conditions, neurological circumstances, and even colon obstruction.
Score 2-3
Healthy cat poop is usually neither too hard nor too soft and easy to scoop.
Score 4-7
This is a common indication of cat diarrhea. Too soft and almost liquid-like poop is not good either, especially if it doesn't form any apparent shape. Diarrhea in cats may be caused by intestinal parasites, bacterial infection, and food intolerance.
Identifying a case of severe diarrhea can be more challenging because it is so easy to assume that the liquid stool is urine. If you want to be sure it is poop, you can scoop the poop or use disposable gloves and test the texture.
The Others Unhealthy Cat Poop
Super Dry Stools
Aside from small, hard ball-shaped poo, a cat suffering from constipation may pass stools that are dry.
Low Frequency
If the frequency of bowel movement is not daily, your cat may be lack of fiber.
Black and Bloody Poop
Causes of blood in cat poop include food allergies or eating something unsuitable, stomach bleeding, infection, parasites, reaction to some medications, anal gland issues and colitis (inflammation of the large intestine).
Mucus or Greasy Poop
The poop can also be gooey with signs of mucus. Pudding-like or greasy poop more than two times a day is an indication of possible intestinal, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, parasites or an infestation of tapeworms, whipworms.
Scooping Up
If your cat's poop is healthy, it is an indicator that you simply need to continue what you are doing in terms of your cat's diet and maintenance.
But if it shows signs of unhealthy poop and other symptoms like lethargy, loss of appetite, and vomiting, head to the vet at the earliest.
Good job in getting that healthy poop!