I'm at my wits end with this constipation!

I know I sound like a broken record, but Mitties is plugged up yet again. I just don't get it. I've done EVERYTHING, tried EVERYTHING, followed all the directions to a T. I switched her to a high-quality, all wet diet. Added extra fiber to her food, give her stool softeners prescribed by the vet, bought her a water fountain, and put extra water bowls throughout the house, and give her hairball medicine daily. Yet she continues to get plugged up! Seems to happen every 4-5 weeks. She'll be doing so good, with perfect stools, then..... NOTHING. For 3-4 days. I hold off on giving her enemas until it's absolutely needed. She has been making several trips to the litter box which is the indicator. And no, this is not a UTI. It's DEFINITELY constipation. I am practically a pro at spotting the symptoms of it now, it's happened so much.

I did finally give her an enema yesterday but it did absolutely nothing (which is unusual. Usually it comes right out within an hour.) I also gave her another one just barely; so far, nothing.

I hate seeing her like this. The X-rays and bloodwork came back fine; no megacolon. I just don't know what to do anymore. It's not like she's not trying. She's still eating and drinking fine, and acting normal, except for her constant trips to the litter box. I know she's uncomfortable but sometimes she refuses to show it. Poor thing. I just don't know what to do.....

UMm how is the wt control going

I use 1/8 tsp of psyllium husk powder in 2 wet meals to keep Raven and Stimpy "going". Nothing else seems to work. Neither have megacolon.

I buy psyllium husk powder at the local health food store. It's unflavored. I just mix it in with some yummy wet food.

Well the weight control is slow, very slow. I definitely do not overfeed her, and try to exercise and play with her as much as possible. I know the inactivity and weight plays a major role in her constipation. Should I cut her food back even more? Currently she gets 1/2 a 5.5 oz. can in the morning, and the rest of the can at night. I wish she would just run on my treadmill!

Originally Posted by TickyTat

Well the weight control is slow, very slow. I definitely do not overfeed her, and try to exercise and play with her as much as possible. I know the inactivity and weight plays a major role in her constipation. Should I cut her food back even more? Currently she gets 1/2 a 5.5 oz. can in the morning, and the rest of the can at night. I wish she would just run on my treadmill!

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Sorry to hear about this! I feel your pain. My vet suggests one tablet of Dulcolax in case of emergency blockages, which typically works for Buster. However, I don't want to give you medical advice because I am not qualified. I think you may want to consider Cisapride, which is that prescription drug I told you about. My vet prescribed it but I have been avoiding it since the Wellness and Kristalose started working. However, Bus is starting to get backed up again and I think I'll have to buckle and buy the Cisapride this week. It's expensive and must be administered three times per day.

I can't offer any advice to you, but sending powerful vibes that you can get to the root of the problem and give your poor baby some relief!!

I know with dogs they suggest putting in some canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling but real pumpkin). Maybe that could work with cats. It sort of works both ways though it'll harden up a dog with loose stools and loosen up a dog with no stools.

I just wanted to add my two cents about fiber. When my cat was first struggling with constipation, one vet instructed me to sprinkle his food with Metamucil. I was also told to feed him bran cereal and pumpkin. Naturally, it didn't work. The other vet, who is older and more experienced, at the practice told me that bulking Bus with fiber wasn't such a good thing. Since he has a history of obstruction, fiber just tends to bulk up and clog his colon. It works for most cats but not for cats with chronic constipation that can't pass stool. The new way of approaching this problem is to feed as little fiber as possible in order to produce less stool, which is easier to pass through.

I learned the hard way! Bus accidentally ate hairball control dry food, which contains 10% fiber. Within one week, he was so backed up with hard stool. The vet told me that he pooped 10 inches of stool when he had the enema! Now he eats low residue foods, with 1% or less fiber, and it seems to be making a difference.

I use slippery elm powder from the health food store

Originally Posted by sharky

I use slippery elm powder from the health food store

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I'll have to pick some up this week. I'm almost out of Psyllium Husk powder.

I have to say with Joyeux when she had her constipation problem, it all worked itself out when she ate cat grass, but...having said that, she hasn't had it in awhile and she's doing just fine.

Psyllium did nothing for her, and pumpkin didn't do anything for her... when she was completely on a raw diet, and finally got regulated with the cat grass, she evened out and now I have no problems with her. She hasn't had access to cat grass for a few weeks though, and I'm thinking this has a lot to do with diet, and she's not getting any "extras". It's just meat and vitamins, basically. She is currently getting a combo of raw and meat packets (wet food, non-raw).

In my case (with Joyeux), Blast-Off, I think is right.

I had also looked into some medical reasons that she may have had chronic constipation.. one of them was due to a shorter digestive tract... I'm not familiar with the term megacolon, though, so I don't know if that's the same thing or not.

I've heard that giving you cat mineral oil will cure constiptation. Good luck.

I used mineral oil until I learned it wasn't good for them at all. It can easily be inhaled into their lungs and the body never gets rid of it, and it can lead to all kinds of problems. As with any of those lubricant laxatives, they all seem to "travel" around the poop wad instead of helping to push it out, resulting in a poo-ey mess on her bum. Yum.

She is at the vet's right now and they are shooting x-rays. I will let you all know. Good vibes please for me and my precious baby!

My mom has an 11 year old male with chronic constipation. She's had him to the vet numerous times, and I hate to think of how many times I've had to give him an enema .

She's found a diet plan that works for the most part, but he'll still get plugged up sometimes. She splits a can between her cats, and pours all of the gravy onto Marmy's food. Only one brand as well, the others don't seem to work for him.

Poor cats, they always look so miserable when they can't poop.

Well, I'm on my way to the compound pharmacist to pick up Cisapride for Bussy. The change of diet helped a bit but he still has problems with constipation. I know the monthly cost of $65.00 is expensive but there's nothing I can do about it at this point. It's cheaper than the $100+ enemas that he has to experience nearly every month.

If I get a raise next month, as my boss promises, then I think I'll splurge and take Bussy to the homeopathic vet. The initial visit costs a whopping $250.00 and may include accupuncture. I want to try alternative treatments. However, I can't afford something like that now.

Update on Mitties:

The vet just called. The x-rays confirmed a big MEGACOLON full of poop. They are knocking her out and will manually extract the poop. My poor baby! But I am relieved that I at least have a diagnosis now and that it's a manageable disease. I don't even want to know what the vet bill will be but it is what it is, and my baby's worth every penny, even if I have to pay for the next 10 years.

I asked what causes Megacolon, and she said some cats just get it. Other times its because they're overweight, etc. Does anyone else here have cats with megacolon and what is used to treat it?