Symptom Triage｜Drinking, Urination and Defecation | Evidence chain

FAQ

My male cat keeps going to the litter tray but nothing comes out. Can it wait until tomorrow?

It cannot wait. Urethral obstruction in male cats and male dogs is an emergency, and in male cats it can be fatal within hours; the high blood potassium caused by obstruction can also trigger fatal arrhythmia, which is the downstream risk to watch most closely. Before you leave, note the number and timing of trips in and out of the litter tray, whether the cat cries while straining, and whether the abdomen feels harder.

My rabbit has passed no faeces all day and is not eating. Is that serious?

Yes. A rabbit squatting for a long time without result and straining visibly but passing no faeces often points to gastrointestinal stasis, one of the most common fatal signs in rabbits; once it stops passing faeces and refuses food entirely, treat it as the start of an emergency. Record the time of the last normal defecation, whether the abdomen is distended and any obvious painful posture, then seek care immediately.

When is it acceptable to watch diarrhoea at home?

A single episode of soft stool with normal alertness and appetite is mostly mild and can be watched. If it lasts more than a day or two, or comes with other signs, a veterinary visit is needed. Large volumes of watery stool with dehydration, bloody stool or altered consciousness is an emergency. While watching, photograph and record stool consistency and frequency, note any mucus or streaks of blood, and think back to whether the diet was changed recently.