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Published: Apr 30, 2012

Cats tend to be private about their bathroom habits, but it is important that owners pay some attention to their feline's feces, because it can say a lot about the cat's overall health. For instance, intestinal parasites such as worms in cats can cause digestive issues that may be evident in the cat's feces.

Coccidiosis in cats is an intestinal tract infection caused by a tiny organism called coccidia, according to VCA Animal Hospitals. It may be obvious that your feline has this parasite, because the main clinical sign is watery diarrhea in cats with mucus. If the infection progresses, the cat may experience bloody diarrhea, weakness and a fever. It could  also lose weight and vomit.

The most common way cats get these infections is through contact with the feces of other infected animals. That means if one of your cats becomes infected, it may pass it to other felines that share its litter box. reports the illness can also be spread through intermediate host like rats, mice and birds - all critters your predatory feline might come into contact with.

Your veterinarian will recommend performing a fecal examination and will then prescribe an appropriate medication to treat whatever parasite your cat is infected with.  Most of the time, a follow-up fecal test is recommended to ensure the parasite has been eliminated.