Beet pulp and constipation

Hello all,

I just heard that beet pulp may cause constipation in some cat.. does anybody know if that is true?

I have been dealing with my cat's constipation problem for weeks... She doesn't like pumpkin, so I am mixing her dry food (she doesn't like wet or canned food either) with chopped lettuce and wheat bran, and giving it a good splash of water.... Although she is having one bowel movement a day now (instead of one every other day), her stool is still hard, and she is still complaining and tries several time before being able to do her business.

Then I realized that her dry food (1st Choice) has dry beet pulp in it..... It seems that some cat food manufacturers adds dry beet pulp to the food to make the stool harder, so it would be easier for one to scoop the stool out....

Sorry - no idea - have you discussed your kitties problem with your VET? has she had a check-up. If not, this is something you really should do.

Sounds like checking with the Vet will be a good thing to do. But here is one thing I can share from my experience.

I too thought my kitten had constipation when he crys when going to the litter box. Then the vet asked me to observe if he crys before passing or duing. And if he covers the fecal afterwards. According to the vet, when a cat is in pain due to constipation, he tends not to cover the fecal afterwards, and crys when trying. And my kitten was crying right before he actual poop and always carefully covers up afterwards. My vet thinks that this is behavioral habit to let other cats know that he is about to use the litter box.

But it soundsl like your kitty is having the real thing...

It depends on if it is fermentable beet pulp or not. If it is fermentable then yes, it is a good source of fiber and will not cause constipation. If it is unfermentable the opposite would hold true.

Have you tried nuking the pumpkin a few seconds in the microwave?

Thanks for your help... My cat cries before pooping.. she doesn't cry while pooping... there is no blood on the stool either.... So I guess you are right, it seems that she wants to let me know that she want to do her business... She usually wants to poop early in the morning, and would try to wake me up.. and she would wait until I am up before doing her business.

I feel sorry for her... we are going into some changes lately, and I guess she fell stressed.... I just wonder if there would be something I could do to help her... ... I have some pot with cat grass, and it seems that it is easier for her to do her business after eating some grass... but for some reason, the grass is not growing fast enough for me to feed her every day

I just got a new can of pumpkin... I din't know about the microwave trick, and I will give it a try (although I don't think she would like it.. she doesn't like hot stuff)..... Maybe I will try adding a little of pumpkin to the water I use to wet her food.. hope she will eat it.

Do you think it would also be a good idea to try some other brand of cat food... I heard that Nutro Max sometime cause diarrea in cats.... I guess that may help in my case

If it's just fiber you need, you can give her a little bit of metamucil in her food and that will work out just fine. It doesn't have much of an odor. They even had the kind that dissolves right away in water and you can just add that to her waterbowl.

Oh, I have been looking for that.. but all I have found is orange flavored one... and I don't think she would like it

Is there anything else I can give her to soften her stool????

Try Benefiber it desolves completely - no grit- and has no taste. You can purchase anywhere!!

She reminds me of my Loki - he always announces that he is going to the litter box by making a lot of noise. :0)))

Thanks, I'll see if we can find that there

By the way, do you know if any fiber supplement would be suitable for cats? How about Citrucel, for example??? I know they have a unflavored one that is called clear mix....... And would it harm my cat if she takes the supplements for long term???

Hey:

No problem giving them fiber over the long term.

Here is something else that might be of interest to you.
It's called: Booda-Mix 10 Plus Feline Hi-Fiber Supplement

.and here is the website:

http://www.petfooddirect.com:80/stor...p?dept%5Fid=19

Good luck..