What is the discharge coming from my cats bottom?

Our question this week was:

My cat has a secretion coming either from her vagina or her anus. She drips after going to the bathroom. It started after we moved from one country to another. She is very fat, so she doesn’t reach to clean herself. She was eating science diet and now we changed to prescription science r/d. What do you think this could be? Thank you.

Anabella Lewin

Answer

Hi Anabella– thanks for your email. You question was – why is your cat having a secretion that comes from her bottom after she goes to the bathroom. You also noted that she is “obese”.

To be honest – it is difficult to answer that question without seeing your cat. There are a few possibilities that I’ll discuss below. Your best bet is to see your veterinarian to determine the underlying cause.

Another suggestion is…If possible, the next time your cat goes to the bathroom and does this – gently wipe her bottom and look character and smell of the discharge. This may help tell you what it is.

The possibilities are:

Urine – it is not common for a cat to keep dribbling urine after she goes to the bathroom. Most cats with other urinary problems such as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Normal urine can be relatively clear to yellow and smells like urine. Some urinary problems can cause blood which would look bloody on a tissue.

Feces – this should be obvious. It would be dark and fecal colored on a tissue. If she is having diarrhea you could see some seepage. Some obese cats can have difficulty cleaning and can have some rectal soiling. In fact – in overweight cats – this is relatively common.

Vaginal discharge – this is uncommon in spayed female cats but can occur with vaginitis. Vaginitis usually is associated with additional signs such as excessive licking (or attempts to lick) the vaginal area. This discharge can be a variety of colors and may or may not have an odor.

Anal gland discharge – there are two anal glands located on each side of the rectum. There is normally some discharge released with a normal bowel movement. Some cats can have small amounts of anal gland discharge but I would not expect “drips”. On a tissue – this discharge can be yellow to brown and has a very foul odor.

A couple articles that might be helpful to you are Vaginitis in cats, Diarrhea in Cats and Anal Glands in Cats.

It may be a simple as she can’t clean herself well due to her obesity and any discharge is obvious on her (I have seen several cats with this problem). In this case – weight loss (which you are working on with the Hills Prescription r/d diet) is your best bet. Another article that might be helpful is Obesity in Cats.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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