Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi, my cat has been vomiting intermittently with dark red mucus plus has black poops. I am firstly worried she has been eating slugs, could this be the cause?

Hi there and welcome.

It sounds to me as if you need to get your cat to a vet as soon as possible, if only to rule out any worrying cause for this, and to get help if needed.

I've never known a cat to eat slugs (although some will try anything) but a digested or even half digested slug would be a bit like digested shellfish, which are also molluscs, not red or black.

Good luck and please let us know how you go on.

Thank you for the welcome!
That's what I needed to know, What a half digested slug would be like. I have already been to the vet concerning the vomiting and have been prescribed medication to see if hair balls is the problem this has made no difference. It is obvious this isn't the case so will go back for further investigation. The black stools has only just come to light since her now using a litter tray indoors in the bad weather.
I have slugs coming in the kitchen at night so wanted to rule out this possibility.

Ugh, slugs will get in anywhere; I get them sometimes. Technically they ought to be edible, like snails and mussels but somehow they're not fanciable ...

Yes, I think you're wise to get further advice from the vet as the black stools could indicate some inflammation/irritation in the stomach. All the very very best with her and please update

I have a problem with slugs in summer (not now) but happily the cats seem to ignore them. I'm not going to use slug pellets, which have a bad reputation for poisoning things other than slugs. But when the slugs are active, I regularly sprinkle salt on the flagstones outside my back doors, to keep the little crawlers away from the house. Sometimes I find a slug trail leave the grass and start across the flagstones, then turn around and go back to the grass, so it does seem to work.

Midnight has been on a diet for 2 years. In the summers he eats slugs. I was horrified the first time he sicked one up. I spoke to the vet as I was worried about worms. She said she was more worried about slug pellets in the slug getting into his gut. I can't say he's never kept one down but he does still eat them and sick them up. They are in the garden and I can't keep an eye on him all the time.