My kitten has a red and puckered anus, any ideas why?


So I recently adopted a 5 month old kitten who was previously living on the street. I've noticed that her anus is red and puckered and was wondering if anyone had any ideas why.

Here's what I've done/had tested:
-sent fecal sample to Vet, came back negative (i.e. no parasites or worms)
-changed kitty litter (in case of irritation) to news paper which Vets claim is soothing to cats and contains antibiotics for them, too
-Switched to a holistic diet (Natural balance wet food, Precise dry food)

Any thoughts? I wanted some ideas before I take her to a vet since getting her tested for anything and everything will easily rack up to a bill of $500-1k. I'm just a student, I can't afford that. I'll pay it, but I can't afford it, lol.

Asked by Member 1144181 on Dec 7th 2012 in Health & Wellness


  • Cast your vote for which answer you think is best!


Izadore (Izzie)

Has the vet checked her for impacted/infected anal glands? I've never heard of a litter containing antibiotics, because most antibiotics are given when an infection is already diagnosed and are specific to that particular infection. Impacted glands are something like hemmorhoids in humans. They can cause swelling and "puckering". Are her stools normal or unusually hard? Straining to pass feces can cause irritation. You don't need to have her tested for anything and everything, but if she hasn't been tested for things like feline leukemia, infectious peritonitis and the other nasty kitty diseases, these can be done fairly cheaply. You should also discuss having her spayed. At a spay/neuter clinic, this can be done for about $50 all inclusive. You should leave the vet's with a good sense of what's wrong, and if the condition persists, call them and tell them you need some resolution.


More Questions in This Category