Constipation and lysine?

tdonline · Mar 17, 2010

Can too much lysine cause constipation for some cats? I've got one cat who periodically gets stuffed up. Poor thing sometimes screams when her poo hurts her. I've also see her walk into the box and walk back out without results. I feed her wet food twice daily (when I travel, it's one serving and more kibbles) along with kibbles for snacking. I also add water to the wet food. I add in pumpkin or sweet potato for fiber. I'm doing all the things that are usually listed as helpful to help with constipation.

She hasn't pooped in 2 1/2 days. I've increased lysine intake the last 2 days because the other cat has been sneezing. And it makes me wonder if the increased lysine is causing mild constipation?

The other thing that may be an issue is high protein, low/no grain food. I think she has more problems with this type of food.

sharky · Mar 17, 2010

Most likely it is the foods... No grain does not work for all cats ...

Lysine is a amino acid and excreted in the urine .. Unless there were other ingrediants I would not think it could cause that

the_food_lady · Mar 17, 2010

Originally Posted by tdonline

Can too much lysine cause constipation for some cats? I've got one cat who periodically gets stuffed up. Poor thing sometimes screams when her poo hurts her. I've also see her walk into the box and walk back out without results. I feed her wet food twice daily (when I travel, it's one serving and more kibbles) along with kibbles for snacking. I also add water to the wet food. I add in pumpkin or sweet potato for fiber. I'm doing all the things that are usually listed as helpful to help with constipation.

She hasn't pooped in 2 1/2 days. I've increased lysine intake the last 2 days because the other cat has been sneezing. And it makes me wonder if the increased lysine is causing mild constipation?

The other thing that may be an issue is high protein, low/no grain food. I think she has more problems with this type of food.

What age is your kitty with constipation issues? Some health conditions can cause a cat to become dehydrated and therefore contributes to constipation (eg: kidney disease)

What type of kibbles do you feed?

What type of canned?

You might want to talk to your Vet about Lactulose. It's a human medication, you can get it over the counter here in Canada (from a pharmacy); used in humans but can also be used in cats (only under Vet's direction/dosing suggestion!) to help with constipation. It's not really a laxative so much as something that helps to draw fluid into the intestines so that they're not so hard for the cat to pass. Have to be careful not to give too much, though.....can cause cramping and too much will cause diarrhea! Have to be sure when giving it to give the extra fluids in the canned so that there are enough fluids in the body to draw into the intestine.

I would seriously encourage you have kitty checked by the vet, sooner than later. If she's crying out when pooping due to discomfort, that's not good. If she became very impacted it could lead to partial or full bowel obstruction, which is a definite emergency situation requiring surgery. Some cats have a condition called "Megacolon" where constipation and impact occur. Do a Google search on "cats megacolon" and read up on it, talk to your Vet about this if constipation is an ongoing issue.

sharky · Mar 17, 2010

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

What age is your kitty with constipation issues? Some health conditions can cause a cat to become dehydrated and therefore contributes to constipation (eg: kidney disease)

What type of kibbles do you feed?

What type of canned?

You might want to talk to your Vet about Lactulose. It's a human medication, you can get it over the counter here in Canada (from a pharmacy); used in humans but can also be used in cats (only under Vet's direction/dosing suggestion!) to help with constipation. It's not really a laxative so much as something that helps to draw fluid into the intestines so that they're not so hard for the cat to pass. Have to be careful not to give too much, though.....can cause cramping and too much will cause diarrhea! Have to be sure when giving it to give the extra fluids in the canned so that there are enough fluids in the body to draw into the intestine.

I would seriously encourage you have kitty checked by the vet, sooner than later. If she's crying out when pooping due to discomfort, that's not good. If she became very impacted it could lead to partial or full bowel obstruction, which is a definite emergency situation requiring surgery. Some cats have a condition called "Megacolon" where constipation and impact occur. Do a Google search on "cats megacolon" and read up on it, talk to your Vet about this if constipation is an ongoing issue.

NOTE : Very few cats have the above .. BUT I fully 100% agree with a vet check...

tdonline · Mar 17, 2010

She went a few minutes after Sharky's first post. Ummm..it was a pretty big load.

She's about 18 months. Right now, they're eating California Natural Chicken wet and with kibbles, it's a combo of Evo high protein, Wellness Core no grain and California Natural Chicken. Sometimes I'll add in a bit of Authority wet. I've noticed that when I try to diversify and add in red meats like lamb, beef and venison, major constipation. So I stick with chicken since they do not like fish.

My cats are due their annual visit so I'll bring this up with the vet. Probably won't happen until late March/early April as I'm not able to go this week and I'm traveling all next week. Meanwhile, I'll decrease the high protein stuff and see if that helps. Would upping the pumpkin/sweet potato help? Or would this have little impact if I continue with the Evo/Wellness Core?

And yes, megacolon is a concern. And I'm trying to be careful to not contribute to condition.

Lactulose sounds like citrucel which I use when needed. Is Lactulose OTC in the USA? I see it for sale online.

brookesphynx · Mar 17, 2010

I agree with the other members - it sounds like a vet check is in order. Lysine, as far as I am aware, does not cause constipation. I have all 4 of my cats on it, 500mg per day and sometimes twice per day, and have never had any issues. (Also, a quick search through some vet med sites didn't yield any results)

Amino acids (like Lysine) are very hard to overdose, and any excess amount is excreted in urine.

From your post, it sounds like a diet issue to me, too. Does she drink plenty of water? You might try getting an automatic water fountain to entice her to drink more.

As for OTC laxatives, I would consult with a vet first, but if you're going to use something, you might try Laxatone - made specifically for cats - instead of risking using a med made for human use. Pumpkin/sweet potato can be used for constipation, but it's better to find the cause. Interestingly, pumpkin is also helpful for firming up diarrhea, so too much of it may have an opposite effect than you're looking for.

Good luck!

otto · Mar 17, 2010

Lactulose is a laxative, not a fiber like citrucel.

18 months is a young age to be starting a cat on laxatives, perhaps a diet change may be preferable. Cats with constipation problems do better, in general, on a wet, low fiber, grain free type diet.

fiber supplements like citrucil and metamucil are counter-productive in cats. They draw water to the colon, which makes the stools become very large, which only makes the problem worse. I speak from experience.

Laxatone, a hair ball remedy, may help with occasional constipation caused by a hair ball.

What you are describing is not "mild constipation". A cat who screams because he cannot poop is having serious problems.

I would not put this off until April. Such a large poop after 2 1/2 days as you describe, is a megacolon in the making. A megacolon is created when the stool sits too long in the colon getting larger, and stretching the colon out of shape.

The only cure for megacolon is surgery. Otherwise it's a life time of every increasing amounts of laxatives, and cisapride (a motility agent).

Miralax is now being used for cats suffering constipation, but not sure if that is something that you want to start a young cat on, for life, either.

In my opinion, sooner rather than later to the vet would be best.

tdonline · Mar 18, 2010

I'm confused? The advice I've read is that high protein/no grain is both good and bad as far constipation goes? Unfortunately, I'm getting ready to travel so for now, I'll tinker with the food and make an appointment with the vet for the week of the 29th.

tdonline · Mar 18, 2010

Also wanted to add that for about the last 3 weeks I have not been able to find canned pumpkin in my local markets. Was there a bad pumpkin season last year? So I've had to use baby food sweet potato instead. I didn't include this in my first post because it would seem the baby food would be a pretty fair substitute. And in any case, Dory seems to periodically have the hard poop issue with or without pumpkin. Frustrating as her sister has the same exact diet and doesn't have the issue. On the other, she's sneezing now. So it's one thing or another

the_food_lady · Mar 18, 2010

I wouldn't think that sweet potato baby food would have the same fiber content as canned pumpkin. ?? I'm here in Canada so it might be different but I've never had a problem finding canned pumpkin (I use it in recipes for myself); find it in the aisle that has canned pie filling/baking ingredients. Just ensure it's the pure canned pumpkin, not the pie filling that contains spices and sugar. Maybe it's also sometimes stocked in the canned fruit aisle? I'd actually ask at your local large grocery store; maybe they stock it in some weird place. I know Safeway here always has it so if you have one there, you'd think they would, too.

otto · Mar 18, 2010

Baby food has been known to cause constipation in cats, if given too often. Don't know which baby foods, but I agree that baby food sweet potato would not have the same benefits as canned pumpkin.

tdonline · Mar 18, 2010

I buy canned pumpkin regularly for the kitties so I'm familiar with shelf locations. But yeah, I haven't been able to buy a can in last few weeks in my neighborhood. I'll check with the markets near my office tomorrow.

I'm also going to slowly decrease the high protein dry food and see if that helps. Then I'll slowly increase the protein in the wet food to compensate. Maybe this switch in protein intake will help.

sharky · Mar 18, 2010

Originally Posted by otto

Baby food has been known to cause constipation in cats, if given too often. Don't know which baby foods, but I agree that baby food sweet potato would not have the same benefits as canned pumpkin.

I know this is a shocker but sweet potatoes and yams are = to pumpkin... Both do a very good job ... My caution is to ensure it is just sweet potato in the baby food or the potato and meat ( NO onions or garlic)... someone makes a lovely stage 3 with out the junk and it has a texture the cats like... I learned this with the one with IBD who happened to be allergic to pumpkin

otto · Mar 18, 2010

Great info, thanks! My thought was that the processing of the baby food might affect the fiber content, you think?

I've never had any luck with feeding cats any kind of baby food or pumpkin, ever.

It was here (probably from you Sharky) that I learned to feed Jennie only grain free canned food to help battle her constipation problems. I wish I'd known about it years ago, but I am happy to spread the word, now that I know.

(My other two cats are not on grain free diets)

sharky · Mar 18, 2010

a bit that is why I tried the older stage formulas .. stage one would have no insouble fiber but still has the souble fiber

tdonline · Mar 18, 2010

Dory did her business! So that's 24 hours after the last one. Hopefully this will mean she's back on a roll.

How crazy are we feline lovers? Ummm, I actually picked up her poop to see if they were hard and dry

Her tootsie rolls looked dry but were pretty soft and squished when I applied a bit of pressure.

tdonline · Mar 18, 2010

I'm using stage 3 baby food made up of just sweet potato and water.

otto · Mar 18, 2010

Originally Posted by tdonline

Dory did her business! So that's 24 hours after the last one. Hopefully this will mean she's back on a roll.

How crazy are we feline lovers? Ummm, I actually picked up her poop to see if they were hard and dry

Her tootsie rolls looked dry but were pretty soft and squished when I applied a bit of pressure.

You are not alone. I have done lots of poop inspecting over the years!

Sounds like a good normal poop. 3-4 small sections, tootise roll shaped, firm but moist. Well done Dory!

Constipation and lysine?

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