Anytime your cat bleeds, it’s concerning. Often, any bleeding that continues for more than a few minutes is a sign that your cat needs vet attention. Before we jump into why your cat may be leaving drops of blood everywhere, it’s important to realize that vet care may be necessary. You should call your vet immediately if your cat is lethargic or bleeding profusely.
There are many reasons why your cat may be leaving blood spots everywhere. Some of these reasons are pretty benign and can be treated at home. For instance, tiny blood spots in wet places are often a sign of a flea infestation. Female cats may also leave tiny blood spots when in heat. Of course, this doesn’t require any veterinary treatment.
However, drops of blood can also be a sign of crystals or a bladder infection. Any injury can cause bleeding but some injuries may easily stay hidden from view (such as those in the mouth). Therefore, visiting a vet is often necessary unless the blood is obviously from something benign.
Let’s look at why your cat may leave drops of blood everywhere.
The 6 Likely Reasons Your Cat Is Leaving Blood Drops
1. An Injury
Any cut or scrap can cause bleeding. Sometimes, these injuries are on sensitive parts of the cat’s body, which can lead to the wound regularly breaking open. Therefore, your cat may bleed for a bit, stop, and then bleed again. Often, vet attention isn’t required for these injuries. However, you should keep an eye out for infections.
With that said, if your cat was obviously injured, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. However, your cat may have a cut somewhere that’s harder to see. For instance, your cat may have a cut inside their ear, between their paw pads, or in their mouth. If your cat will let you, check these places thoroughly to see if you can identify the source of bleeding.
Again, small cuts and scrapes don’t always require vet attention. However, if anything seems off about the injury, give your vet a call.
2. Nose Bleeds
Cats can get nosebleeds like people. However, this is rare. Usually, nosebleeds are the result of an injury to the nose. The inside of the nose is very sensitive and any injury can bleed more than it would if it occurred elsewhere. All nosebleeds should stop within 10 minutes, however.
It could indicate an underlying condition if your cat gets multiple nosebleeds or doesn’t stop bleeding. For instance, tumors, dental issues, and bleeding disorders can cause bleeding from the nose, too.
Therefore, this is usually a “wait and see” situation. If your cat stops bleeding, it’s probably just due to irritation or injury. However, if the bleeding continues or occurs regularly, you should visit the vet.
3. Urinary Tract Problems
Sadly, UTIs and similar problems are common in cats. Felines were designed to consume much of their water from their prey. However, many cats are fed kibble with little water content in the modern world. This can potentially lead to urinary issues.
Minor urinary tract issues usually don’t cause bleeding. However, more serious ones do, so if your cat has blood in their urine, it’s time to see a vet. More serious infections can cause bleeding but it can also be a sign of kidney and liver damage.
4. Estrus
Some cats bleed whenever they are in heat, while others never do. Usually, this doesn’t require vet attention but you’ll want to contact your vet if the bleeding continues. Cats can get sick in heat, so the bleeding could be linked to UTI problems. Therefore, figuring out what the bleeding is caused by can be complicated in these situations.
We recommend getting your cat spayed if you aren’t a breeder. In this way, you remove the potential complexities associated with a cat being in heat.
5. Fleas
If your cat is very infested with fleas, they may leave bloody smears in wet places. However, this isn’t because they are bleeding. Fleas drink your cat’s blood and then defecate dried blood. When this dried blood is met with water, it can rehydrate and look like fresh blood.
Of course, this dried blood must build up on your cat’s skin. For this to happen, your feline must be heavily infected by fleas. Usually, fleas can be treated at home but this level of infestation may require veterinary attention. We recommend checking your cat carefully for fleas and making a judgment call.
You can try at-home treatments first, if the infestation isn’t bad and the cat is otherwise healthy. However, you shouldn’t put off the vet for long if your cat’s condition doesn’t get better.
6. Other Serious Conditions
Several other serious conditions can cause bleeding. However, these are rarer, and all of them require veterinary attention. If you still haven’t identified the source of your cat’s bleeding, it’s time to call the vet—even if they aren’t bleeding that much.
Cancers, coagulopathies, and toxicities can all lead to unexpected bleeding. Of course, all of these things require veterinary care.
When Should You Visit the Vet?
Bleeding can be troublesome and scary, especially if no obvious cause exists. Luckily, most instances of your cat’s bleeding are likely benign. We recommend checking your cat over carefully for injuries. Figuring out where your cat is bleeding from can be extremely helpful in determining why they are bleeding.
If you don’t notice any injuries, check for other symptoms. Cats are extremely good at hiding their illnesses. Therefore, you may only notice slight changes in temperament and behavior. However, even these slight changes should be taken seriously and noted.
After checking your cat for injuries and reading through our list of reasons, you may be able to figure out why your cat is bleeding. However, if you still have no idea, we recommend visiting your vet. Most benign causes are pretty easy to figure out, while more serious causes are usually more mysterious.
Conclusion
Bleeding can be pretty troublesome in most cats. If your cat is bleeding for no apparent reason, it can signify that something more serious is happening. However, it can also signify a minor injury or other benign cause.
Seeing tiny drops of blood doesn’t always mean that there is something wrong with your cat. However, we recommend checking your cat over to determine the potential cause of bleeding. Most benign causes can be determined pretty easily. The more serious causes are often more mysterious and harder to identify. When in doubt, it’s always best to check with your vet.
See also:
- Why Is My Cat’s Jaw Clicking? Vet-Approved Explanation!
- Can Stress Cause a Heart Murmur in My Cat? Here’s What You Should Know
Featured Image Credit: Smile19, Shutterstock
