Kitty advice (poop related)

About a month ago we have saved a kitty from the pound and now we are knees deep in vet bills. To the point we can't afford it anymore (especially so close to xmas...). It seems while the kitty was out on the lamb he ate something he couldn't pass. Stretching his muscles and leaving a "pocket" just before his anus. So now poop gets stuck in this "pocket" because he lacks the muscle to push it out....

Right now he is on medicine (cisapride) to help him push, laxatives, wet food only, and hair ball treatment. The vet doesn't think he needs surgery (thank god) but now I am at a loss. He makes progress for about 2 days then has a relapse. At the moment we been taking him to the vet twice a week for a "d-pooping" which runs about $40 a visit...

My question is, how can i do this myself? The vet has mentioned this but never got into how to do it. I can't afford to bring him in anymore. I have sat him in the tub with warm water, lubed his butt...but still can't get the poop out. I been told i can pull it out myself. How do you do that? I am so scared to hurt him... but how do you pull it out when it is so "soft" from medicine?

Please any insight will be greatly appreciated, the poor guy stays locked up in the spare bedroom now since he makes messes through out the house (especially on my kids bed).

Thank you.

Ugg, I'm having the same problem except my cat gets big hard balls right at the back instead of soft. Call your vet and ask them how you can do it at home, or the next time you bring him in ask the vet to show you exactly what to do at home. good luck

I second the ask if you can do it at home and if they will show you how a couple times

Hi neyla,

Is it an enema that your vet gives to your cat each time you take him to the vet? If so, here is a group you can join where many members have had to give enema's to their kitties to help their kitties poop. I believe there are files on the group that help explain how to administer one....

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline_Megacolon/

Neyla, can I ask which pound you rescued him from? The reason I ask, is because many of them (Humane Society and SPCA, at least the ones in my area) give you a free month of pet insurance when you adopt a pet. Look through your paperwork and see if your kitten came with a month of pet insurance. You may be able to recover the cost of some of your vet bills.

Best of luck to you and your new kitten.

Thank you all for the response! We managed to get his little...problem solved with many of warm baths (thank god he sits well in the tub! not that he likes it...) We haven't had any poop issues since, though next time it does get bad I will ask the Vet to show me, that thought never occured to me granted when he goes for his visits I drop him of before work and pick him up after. Vet also recommended Laxtalous (i think i butchered the spelling) to add to his food which -really- softens him up and working like a charm with the hairball treatment (1/2 teaspoon of vaseline twice a day).

As for the pound, it isn't run by the humane society but the city. There is no insurance or benefits for saving his cute furry butt sadly, though I think the worst of it is over. They predict it will take around a year for him to recover.

Poor guy, I can't imagine how he must feel going through this.

But I wanted to thank you all again for the information