• If left untreated, bloody diarrhea can cause a cat to become seriously sick.the cat image by Norbert Tuske from Fotolia.com
  
  Bloody diarrhea in cats is often an unnerving sight for their owners. Some owners are not aware of the problem until they clean the cat’s litter box. However, some cats with this disorder often have strong urges they cannot control and defecate wherever they are when the feeling strikes. Cat diarrhea is symptomatic of both minor and serious issues and typically needs medical help to resolve. If your cat has bloody diarrhea, take it to a veterinarian for treatment.
  
  

Parasites

• Dr. Bari Spielman of the Pet Place website says that bloody diarrhea is caused by an assortment of infectious agents. These culprits can include parasites and protozoa. Parasites that commonly cause blood diarrhea in cats are roundworms and hookworms. These parasites feed off a cat’s blood and absorb its nutrients. They also can cause damage to the cat and cause its stool to become soft and bloody. For instance, hookworms latch onto a cat’s intestine with teeth-like cutting plates, which can cause a cat to bleed. Coccidia is a common protozoa—or single-cell organism—that lives in the cat’s intestine and can cause bloody diarrhea. Dr. Race Foster of the Doctors Foster and Smith website states that advanced cases of coccidia often result in bloody diarrhea.
  
  

Infectious Agents

• Another infection cause is panleukopenia—a viral disease that causes gastrointestinal issues in cats. Bacterial infections, such as Salmonella, also can cause a cat to experience bloody diarrhea.
  
  

Colitis

• Colitis, or the inflammation of the colon, is another cause of bloody diarrhea. An example of colitis is inflammatory bowel disease. Colitis is caused by many factors, including parasites, tumors, polyps and diet issues. Sometimes, the causes are unknown and biopsies are required to find the culprit.
  
  

Bleeding Disorders

• If your cat has bloody diarrhea, it could be suffering from a bleeding disorder. There are many types of bleeding disorders among cats, suggests Spielman. For instance, if the cat ingests rat poison, it could develop a bleeding disorder. Other disorders include inherited clotting problems, decreased platelets, organ failure and liver disorders.