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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2006Serious Constipation
Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about 2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and has been OK but the problem has slowly crept back (this current time being by far the worst) In fact the poor guys at the vets now, so wish him well! Overtime he's been fed moist food no dry at all), hand has been given a paraffin based laxative whenever his problem looks like reoccurring, but he's caught us out three times now and I feel terrible about it :( A point of interest is that when he does pass something his stool is rock hard (I really can't describe how hard it is), there is no mosture in it all, which I guess is why he has so much trouble passing it and is gettingn bunged up all the time. I'm pretty certain its diet related, but he never seems to drink which can't help either. I'm after some ideas really about how we can manage this. So far (from the vet) we have high fibre food, lots of water and a glucose bassed laxative to be administered daily. They said as a final solution he could have part of his colon removed (apparently its too wide and doesn't compact his waste enough), which I'm not keen on as it's a massive operation and the side effects could be rather nasty for him. We're getting frantic with worry about him so any suggestions would be wellcome. Many thanks Sean > We're getting frantic with worry about him so any suggestions would be > wellcome. Do you notice that he drinks a good bit of water, or not? (Hard to judge, I know. I would guess that he cannot be drinking that much with hard stools like that.) I was just thinking that it might help to place several bowls of water around the house (I have heard that this actually results in them drinking more.) Also, some cats really love to drink moving water, so something like a Drinkwell fountain might encourage your poor boy to drinnk more. Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good laxative. Good luck. > Do you notice that he drinks a good bit of water, or not? (Hard to > judge, I know. I would guess that he cannot be drinking that much > with hard stools like that.) I have to say I've never seen him drink. We've starting mixing water into his food to try and up his fluid intake. Thing is anymore than a dribble and he won't eat it :( > I was just thinking that it might help to place several bowls > of water around the house (I have heard that this actually > results in them drinking more.) Yeah we do this and change the water a lot as well to no avail. > Also, some cats really love to drink moving water, so > something like a Drinkwell fountain might encourage your > poor boy to drinnk more. I think this might be a course of action. He was a stray so I guess he could find very fresh water all the time outside (he doesn't go out now) > Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good > laxative. Interesting, I'll look into that! > Good luck. Thanks he needs it :) Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good > laxative. I second that. Also, you could bake some squash and mix it into the cat's regular food. What brand of food are you feeding? It's also very important that the litterbox be kept clean, and in a private out of the way location. If the cat holds it in, this will lead to a constipation problem. Lauren (and Mickey & Meesha) Raise Your Paw for Raw! see my cats: http://tinyurl.com/8glfv > Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good > laxative. When my cat had diarrhea, I was told to give him canned pumpkin. Does it work both ways? I gave it to him for two weeks, after he had diarrhea for much longer than that, and it cleared up. Plus, he loved getting extra food and would even eat the plain pumpkin if I let him. I now finally have litterboxes that are easy to clean. -- Liz > > Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good > > laxative. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > -- Gosh I don't know, Liz! I had only heard about it as a laxative! My vet recommends pumpkin for diarrhea too. Some additional comments/suggestions, my cat Meep also tends toward constipation - getting her to drink enough is a constant challenge: Suddenly, without warning, cybercat exclaimed (5/22/2006 11:20 AM): >> We're getting frantic with worry about him so any suggestions would be >> wellcome. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > of water around the house (I have heard that this actually > results in them drinking more.) This worked for Meep. Try putting water near where he sleeps the most. Make sure if you've got multiple stories, that you have water on each. IF he's a shy cat, try putting water bowls in more private locations, like inside a closet. Make sure the water is changed daily. You might try putting an ice cube in the water, some cats prefer it cooler. Meep comes running when she hears me refilling her upstairs water. > Also, some cats really love to drink moving water, so > something like a Drinkwell fountain might encourage your > poor boy to drinnk more. I got a Drinkwell for Meep. She does use it, but drinks more from the water bowl upstairs, in a more hidden location. > Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good > laxative. I hear lots of cats like this, but unfortunately Meep isn't interested. Good luck! jmc > IF he's a shy cat, try putting water bowls in more private locations, > like inside a closet. And be SURE to take a glass of water to bed with you so you can wake up to him drinking out of it! ;) > And be SURE to take a glass of water to bed with you so you can > wake up to him drinking out of it! LOL! Its the other one that does that ! > Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about > 2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and Our cat has had this problem for the last nine years. Water does help but he will only drink whatever amount he wants (he is a cat after all). We give ours a cocktail of 2-3ml lactalose (a syrupy liquid laxative) and 5mg cisapride (plus other meds for another condition) with each meal. We also mix 1/2 teaspoon of Benefiber into his meal. He got a tablespoon of pumpkin in his meal before we switched to Benefiber. He hated the pumpkin. Benefiber is tasteless. When he looks like he is getting plugged up I give an extra dose of lactalose and maybe squirt a few cc of water into him. He tends to stop drinking water when he's constipated - just opposite of what he needs. Even after all this he still makes 3 or 4 trips to the vet a year to get unplugged. Be aware that large, hard stools can stretch the colon and rectum which worsens the problem. Gary > > Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about > > 2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and > > Our cat has had this problem for the last nine years. Water does help but > he will only drink whatever amount he wants (he is a cat after all). Yeah, they know their own mind! I'll give a cat fountain a try, the other cat will love it nothing else. > We give ours a cocktail of 2-3ml lactalose (a syrupy liquid laxative) and > 5mg cisapride (plus other meds for another condition) with each meal. > We also mix 1/2 teaspoon of Benefiber into his meal. He got a tablespoon > of pumpkin in his meal before we switched to Benefiber. He hated the > pumpkin. Benefiber is tasteless. What's Benefiber ? > When he looks like he is getting plugged up I give an extra dose of > lactalose [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > that large, hard stools can stretch the colon and rectum which worsens the > problem. God, that's not what I wanted to hear at all :( Thanks for the sugestions though S It may also be plugged with hairballs. Why not try giving him Temptation treats for hairballs, daily and see if that doesn't loosen him up. If he only eats wet food, you probably won't see him drink much. Adding some more water to the food is a good idea, if you can get away with it. Try the Temptations. >> > Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about >> > 2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >What's Benefiber ? A powdered fiber supplement that many people take to stay "regular". It's better than Metamucil because it has no taste whatsover and dissolves completely in water. > >What's Benefiber ? > > A powdered fiber supplement that many people take to stay "regular". > It's better than Metamucil because it has no taste whatsover and > dissolves completely in water. Just a word of caution with these powdered fiber supplements - if the cat doesn't get enough water with it, it can actually cause constipation. Lauren (and Mickey & Meesha) Raise Your Paw for Raw! see my cats: http://tinyurl.com/8glfv >> >What's Benefiber ? >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >cat doesn't get enough water with it, it can actually cause >constipation. Absolutely. That's why I only feed wet food with added water. Thanks for the clarification. > Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about > 2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and > has been OK but the problem has slowly crept back (this current time > being by far the worst) In fact the poor guys at the vets now, so wish > him well! The same exact thing has happened to one of my cats at work, Harriet. She had the problem in 2004, went to the vet to get cleaned out, and all seemed well. Then last year (August 2005) it happened again. Went to the vet, they gave her an enema. She still wouldn't/couldn't go. Bring her back, same thing. Finally they gave me a bottle of Lactulose stool softener, which was nearly impossible to get into her. Apparently it tastes awful. I went to the same stupid vet a total of 4 times before getting fed up, and I took her to a cats only vet. They told me that the medication the first vet prescribed wasn't a large enough dose and wasn't being given often enough. They upped the dosage on both meds (Lactulose, and cisapride/Propulsid). The Lactulose softens her stool and the Propulsid helps her to push it out. > Overtime he's been fed moist food no dry at all), hand has been given a > paraffin based laxative whenever his problem looks like reoccurring, > but he's caught us out three times now and I feel terrible about it :( Harriet was eating a mix of wet & dry. She definitely preferred the dry food but she did also drink a lot of water. She has always loved water, especially drinking it from her Drinkwell fountain. She does now get a low residue dry food (to reduce the volume of her stools) and canned food with no grain. The vet said all of the grain fillers, even in many canned foods, just ends up as stool so less filler = less stool = easier for the cat to poop. > A point of interest is that when he does pass something his stool is > rock hard (I really can't describe how hard it is), there is no mosture > in it all, which I guess is why he has so much trouble passing it and > is gettingn bunged up all the time. I'm pretty certain its diet > related, but he never seems to drink which can't help either. Yep, Harriet's were large and totally hard. > I'm after some ideas really about how we can manage this. So far (from > the vet) we have high fibre food, lots of water and a glucose bassed > laxative to be administered daily. They said as a final solution he > could have part of his colon removed (apparently its too wide and > doesn't compact his waste enough), which I'm not keen on as it's a > massive operation and the side effects could be rather nasty for him. My vet (even the first one) took a totally opposite approach. They told me to keep her on a LOW fiber diet, which would produce less stool. I guess the laxative you have is Lactulose? Oh, and I now get Harriet's Lactulose prescription filled at a pharmacy with the Flavor Rx system. She now gets it chicken or bacon flavored and it's so much easier to medicate her now. Both vets also mentioned the possibility of surgery if the medication didn't work. Harriet was at the vet last in September (that was the visit to the cats only vet) and with the change in her diet & medication, she hasn't had to go back since. Sometimes her stools seem a little too big/hard so I increase the lactulose for a couple of doses. Right now she gets 3ml twice a day, before meals, and Propulsid twice a day. I have to be careful not to increwase the Lactulose too much, because if I give her 4ml she'll often end up with diarrhea. Harriet also doesn't always poop in the box but I'd rather she crap on the floor than not go at all. Since her stools are generally firm (but not rock hard like they used to be), it's easy to clean up. She's got 4 boxes to choose from but I think if she's stressed she'll just use the floor. -- Liz >Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about >2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > >Sean Sean, Try adding about 1/4 tsp of Benefibre to the wet food once or twice a day. Also add extra water to the wet food to ensure he gets enough. If worse comes to worse, the vet can give you a stool softener (but my Katie hates the stuff). Good luck! Rob One last thought - I would discuss with your vet regarding adding a digestive enzyme to his food. If you like, I can see what the kind I have at home is. It can really work great for helping with constipation. Lastly, sometimes a bit of milk can help with constipation in cats. Good luck. I do feel for you. I had a cat with a similar problem. Lauren (and Mickey & Meesha) Raise Your Paw for Raw! see my cats: http://tinyurl.com/8glfv My Siamese has the same problem,but I found something that worked for him. The Vet. sugested 1 teaspoon of Metamucil(unflavored)aday, which I break up to half teaspoon twice a day in a meat baby food. I mix it up in a small amount and feed it to him on a spoon. Make sure that the baby food doesn't have onion in it, and that it isn't to warm( I heat the baby food up a little before mixing it). If it is too warm, the Metamucil will thicken to a nasty paste which Kiowa wont eat. Chicken seems to be the best flavor but each cat is different. The Drinkwell Fountain is good too and a few small bowls of fresh water place around the house also works. Kiowa has been on this program for about 2 years and is doing good. I noticed that he drinks more water since he has been taking the Metamucil. Best of Luck and I hope that something works for your Fur Baby. Leslie > Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about > 2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and > has been OK but the problem has slowly crept back (this current time > being by far the worst) In fact the poor guys at the vets now, so wish > him well! > Sean Well he should be out of the vets today (been in since Sunday now), he's had an enema and is apparently *much* better. We'll dicuss with the vet tonight how best to manage his condition and take it from there. Thanks for all the sugestions and support ! S > Well he should be out of the vets today (been in since Sunday now), > he's had an enema and is apparently *much* better. Wonderful! Do let us know how he does. > Wonderful! > > Do let us know how he does. Well he's in for another night as he's had *another* enema, but he's now passing normal stools so should be out tomorrow :) > > Wonderful! > > > > Do let us know how he does. > > Well he's in for another night as he's had *another* enema, but he's > now passing normal stools so should be out tomorrow :) He will be sooo happy to be home! Maybe a celebration is in order. Catnip all the way around! > Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about > 2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and > has been OK but the problem has slowly crept back (this current time > being by far the worst) In fact the poor guys at the vets now, so wish > him well! Well he's back now, seems *much* better and is drinking lots of water ?! He's on liquid parafin as a laxative for now until we get some of the Lactouse (sp?) in. He's in solitary at the moment so we can monitor his movements, but all the signs are good. Again, many thanks for all the help! Sean |
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