Is White Stool in Cats Normal?

1 Why Stools Turn White

Normal cat stool is brown or tan; other colors are uncommon. White stool can come from a bile duct obstruction or cholestasis. An obstruction blocks the passage from gallbladder and liver to the intestine so bile cannot pass, lightening or whitening the stool. Cholestasis brings drowsiness, vomiting, poor appetite, and pale stools, and in severe cases jaundice with visibly yellow eyes and gums.

Intestinal parasites can also produce white stool; a tapeworm infection, for example, often shows rice-grain-sized white segments stuck near the tail. Parasites also commonly cause blood in the stool plus weight loss, low spirits, and poor appetite, so have the cat checked and dewormed if these appear.

A high-calcium diet can do it too: after eating bone-heavy raw food, the stool may look whitish, which is normal. In that case the white stool is occasional and stops once the food is removed, with no other signs. If the cat eats no raw bones, is regularly dewormed, but suddenly passes white stool along with lethargy, reduced appetite, or vomiting, a bile-duct blockage or something more urgent is likely, and a vet visit is needed; diagnosis may involve bloodwork, urinalysis, and abdominal X-ray or ultrasound.

2 What Healthy Stool Looks Like

A healthy cat’s stool is brown, formed in logs or pellets, and not foul-smelling. Adult cats pass stool one to two times a day. Pasty or loose stool, a fishy or foul odor, or blood streaks can mean a health problem; keep observing, and if abnormality persists, take the cat to the clinic.