Q:Last month, a little stray kitten showed up at my house and I brought him into my home (I have three other adult cats). The following day, I took him to the vet to be examined and started on vaccines, etc. He appeared to be about 10 to 12 weeks at the time. During the appointment, I mentioned that his anus sometimes pokes out a little and looks a little red. Other times, it looks normal. The vet advised me to keep an eye on it, and if it doesn’t go back in, I should have him checked out right away. Is there anything I can do to help resolve this, and is it potentially serious?
– Pat Solomon
Dreamstime.com
A: I would concur with your doctor’s opinion. Intermittent prolapse of the rectum (showing the red lining of the rectum) is common in young cats and disappears with age. This condition may result from straining to defecate, and routine deworming is recommended in case intestinal parasites are causative. In most cases, however, the problem disappears as the pet grows. Persistent prolapse of the rectal mucosa (“rectal prolapse”) is a more serious condition that requires surgical replacement of the prolapsed tissue back into the pet. Surgery is only necessary when the prolapse is persistent.
Michael Stone DVM, DACVIM
Clinical Assistant Professor
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
My kitten has a rectal prolapse I am told by a few vets they won’t do it and now it’s worse I have been treating it with cold preparation H , Metrozonizole, had tested for parasites, non present, don’t know what to do , one vet quoted $6000, so sad found 1 vet will call , feeding kmr only 7 weeks old , tomorrow I will call a vet I was told will do this procedure
same here! I’ve done everything and had her undergone to a surgery but we’re surprised it is still protruding! don’t know what to do!
hi christine. rectal proplapses tend to resolve on their own in time. you should watch out for increasing lathargy, vomiting, diarrhea, fever. making a sugar solution is known to be helpful as well. a sugar solution can be made by boiling some water, and take a lot of sugar and let it boil with the water for five or so minutes. the sugar ratio should be higher than the water’s ratio, meaning that less water is required to be boiled and you’ll want to put as much sugar as you can into the water boil. let boil for 5 minutes. then let solution cool in a jar, put in the fridge for about 45 minutes, and the sugar solution should look somewhat like honey but a little smoother.
apply solution 3-4 times daily.
do you mean to apply it directly to the skin of the anus?
Yes
I have a kitten that developed a prolapse today, I am applying sugar solution. I am curious after reading your replies how big would mild be and you said they usually resolve on their own?
Get second opinion from another vet particularly one who specializes in cats
What if it has maggots coming out of it I found a kitten with this . I don’t know whatbto do
Same here… my friend just rescued a kitten from some homeless people in that exact condition. I don’t know what to do but we are planing to take it to the vet in a few hours when they open
Omg I had a stray kitten an I see something red hang out I an I see it was coming from her behind an it went back in then it was a whole before it happened again an again it went back in like nothing happen then sat it did it an this time it was worse I took to vet they told me to hav r her put down I cannt she is so sweet she still eating drinking sn using bathroom but it’s getting all over her can some one help me please
Omg I had a stray kitten an I see something red hang out I an I see it was coming from her behind an it went back in then it was a whole before it happened again an again it went back in like nothing happen then sat it did it an this time it was worse I took to vet they told me to hav r her put down I cannt she is so sweet she still eating drinking sn using bathroom but it’s getting all over her can some one help me please she’s 16-18 month she’s got awesome attitude 💖 she’s amazing
Whatever happened in this situation I have a cat with this too
Hope your kitten survives
We had one that our veterinarian performed the surgery we are grateful, as our veterinarian is competent, kind and wonderful !!
Dr. Burnett, we call him, “Doc Win”
After the surgery the surgery the kitten later took out its stitches so an Elizabethan collar was placed on him following another surgery
He did well after that
We are also thankful our veterinarian allowed us to make payments
Now we have a grown cat with the same condition and we are waiting for the veterinary Hospital to open to bring her in to him
Atlanta West Veterinary Hospital,
102 Thomas Dorsey Dr., Villa, Ricca, GA 30180
770-459-2253
If prolapse is mild, you can actually sprinkle plain white crystal sugar onto the protruding parts and it’ll gradually shrink. Do this 2 or 3 times a day for a few days to a week. It’ll fix it or make it it more comfortable for your cat/kitten. Additionally, while its healing, feed more wet food than dry food.
Always deworm them 2 times per year (more if needed), use flea prevention, and make sure they get plenty of water.
I have a kitten that was rescued , found in bushes. She was brought to the vet, dewormed. No problems. They said she was about 4 weeks. Now, two weeks later she is straining to defecate. Everything I have seen online says she needs to be seen immediately. It doesn’t look as bad after a little while, but it is sticking out more and more each time she goes. She is still using litter box to go but it isn’t always fall out completely. I am going to try the sugar solution someone suggested. Any advice? I am going to take her to the vet in a couple days anyway, as I have an older cat I have kept her separate from because she did have some fleas. They appear to be gone , and also don’t want poop all over. She isn’t lethargic or anything.
Any luck with this? We just adopted a kitty and he’s unfortunately going through the same. Already took him to the vet today for his eye. (His 3rd eyelid started to protrude) gave him his drops and shortly after his anus started protrude. Can’t afford another vet visit til at least next week. Looking to keep him comfortable in the mean time
My knees found a kitten and it has the same kind of issues everyone else Paz I don’t know what to do considering trying to sugar method any input on that.
Dextrose Solution. Apply to rectum is what my vet told me to do to see if it can help a prolapse in an orphaned kitten. That and trying to push it back on myself but if it comes back she will need to be seen and have surgery. So sad and so much for a young 4 week old kitten to go through. We also recently dewormed and treated for parasites. Not sure if the meds made her dehydrated and constipated or what happened!
I feed 9 feral cats everyday who live outside of the apartment complex I stay at, and 2 of the new kittens have this rectal prolapse. It’s completely heartbreaking to say the least because as much as I have cared for them ( feeding, getting fixed ECT) I simply don’t have the means to provide anything to the magnitude of surgery for them.
The food costs are already very expensive (I feed them well) I have kept 2 of them as pets, gave several kittens away to good homes and am trying to get the rest of the females fixed along with the males in the springtime.
All in all it’s a very wonderful and beautiful experience, but unfortunately things like this terrible topic is (for me) a very hard pill to swallow…