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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / November 2004Regurgitating Black Granules
I have an older cat that is suffering from chronic renal failure. I've been to several feline CRF pages on the net, so I am fairly familir with the symptoms. The problem my cat is having is that when he coughs up a hairball every so often there will be stange black or very dark grey particles along with the hairball. Often there is no hairball and only the black stuff. Sometimes the particles are very fine and sometimes they are larger flecks. Anyone ever seen this before? Thanks! John > I have an older cat that is suffering from chronic renal failure. > I've been to several feline CRF pages on the net, so I am fairly [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Anyone ever seen this before? Digested blood often looks like coffee grounds. Take your cat to a vet with a sample of the vomitus. > Thanks! > > John > I have an older cat that is suffering from chronic renal failure. > I've been to several feline CRF pages on the net, so I am fairly [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > John Yes, I have; I'm trying to think back to when my (RIP) cat Debbie did this, a few years ago - she had CRF & was 16. The granules resemble coffee grounds, sort of? Is probably old blood, but I can't remember now what we (vet & I) did to counteract the problem, or the whys & wherefores behind it. There were so many issues at hand w/her CRF - which I had pretty well in hand at the time, but time has now blurred some of the details. Anyway, it's not unheard of w/ CRF cats, & I'd tell your vet about it, ASAP. Cathy When my CRF kitty progressed to the stage of being anemic she started eating cat litter. When the litter was wet it looked kinda like black dots. I'd see them in her water dish (cus they'd wash off her mouth when she drank) and when she threw up they'd be there too. > I have an older cat that is suffering from chronic renal failure. > I've been to several feline CRF pages on the net, so I am fairly [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > John > When my CRF kitty progressed to the stage of being anemic she started eating > cat litter. When the litter was wet it looked kinda like black dots. I'd see > them in her water dish (cus they'd wash off her mouth when she drank) and > when she threw up they'd be there too. Yes, this I distinctly remember; after then getting the blood results which showed her PVC to be below "x"%-age, I started giving Debbie (cat) Procrit shots - which in her case, worked. Cathy > > I have an older cat that is suffering from chronic renal failure. > > I've been to several feline CRF pages on the net, so I am fairly [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > > > John > When my CRF kitty progressed to the stage of being anemic she started eating > cat litter. When the litter was wet it looked kinda like black dots. I'd see > them in her water dish (cus they'd wash off her mouth when she drank) and > when she threw up they'd be there too. My wife has noticed the black dots in the water dish as well. Furthermore, they do not dissolve in water or anything else. I suspect he may not be eating the litter directly, but he might be tracking it out on his feet and then cleaning his feet. Recently I've had to start changing the box more frequently because his urination has increased, so he may be ingesting some litter that way. Thanks for all the replys! John Here's an excerpt from an awesome CRF web site - www.felinecrf.org. If your cat has CRF please don't assume that he's licking litter of his feet... seriously, he could be eating it. I suspected my Pandora was eating it but never saw it happen, then one day I caught her. It was so sad to see that. 8-( Anyway, please consider having your cat checked for anemia. Eating Litter/Licking Concrete This is known as pica. Many vets are not aware of this symptom in relation to CRF-induced anaemia, but if a CRF cat suddenly starts eating litter, PCV levels (anaemia measurement) should always be tested. Thomas was already being treated for anaemia when he began to eat his litter. Sure enough, when we tested him, his anaemia had worsened, so we increased his medication and as soon as his anaemia improved his litter eating stopped. > > When my CRF kitty progressed to the stage of being anemic she started eating > > cat litter. When the litter was wet it looked kinda like black dots. I'd see [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > John I concur w/ this post. I also used this particular website a lot while dealing w/ my cat's CRF, & it was spot-on, re: her symptoms & the available treatments. Pica - eating strange stuff, often litter, in a CRF cat - is a sign of anemia & needs to be investigated. The vet will run a quick blood test - PCV (packed cell volume) & will know if your cat is anemic or not. Cathy Eating > Here's an excerpt from an awesome CRF web site - www.felinecrf.org. If your > cat has CRF please don't assume that he's licking litter of his feet... [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > > > John << it was spot-on, >> Haha, homage to Helen? Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace "One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human." (Loren Eisely) > << it was spot-on, >> > > Haha, homage to Helen? ;-) You know, I can't figure out if I've simply picked this up over the years from British friends, or if it's becoming more commonly used over here - that maybe I've heard other Americans using it lately & so have picked it up? Cathy << maybe I've heard other Americans using it lately & so have picked it up? >> Hmmm, I don't think I've ever heard an American use it...'til now :) Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace "One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human." (Loren Eisely) > << maybe I've heard other Americans using it lately & so have picked it up? >> > > Hmmm, I don't think I've ever heard an American use it...'til now :) Well, my sister does. Otoh, she & I share some British friends. ;-) And we both read a fair amount of British authored books - which may also be an influence. Out of curiosity I'll try to pay more attention, & see if others here, around me, ever use it... Cathy << Out of curiosity I'll try to pay more attention, & see if others here, around me, ever use it... Cathy >> It's really good terminology. Any other way of saying it doesn't sound as "right," really. Like "right on" (too sixties), "on target" (too MBA)...I can't really think of a good synonym for it. Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace "One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human." (Loren Eisely) Hi Kim, Thanks for the reply. Sorry it took a while for me to notice. Actually I have recently had his anemia checked by a vet and she noted several external factors that led her to believe that he was doing well in that regard. I presume when you say medication you are referring to Procrit? Anyway, what I did was to change his litter from Tidy Cat to Swheat Scoop, which is a wheat-based litter. Since making the switch his vomiting has nearly stopped and there are no more litter specks on those rare occasions when he does. Not that this means that his anemia isn't worsening. We'll still get him checked out. It just looks like the wheat litter is a better litter. If he is eating it, which I don't believe he is, it is at least not as harmful... Thanks again for the tips... John B Davis > Here's an excerpt from an awesome CRF web site - www.felinecrf.org. If your > cat has CRF please don't assume that he's licking litter of his feet... [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > > > John |
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