Hi, I'm posting because I'm reaching the end of my patience and I need some help. My cat is between 10 and 15 -- he's from a shelter and I've gotten a few different estimates of his age -- and I've had him for about 8 years.
About a year after I adopted him, he started developing chronic constipation and eventually megacolon. The vet said it was quite young to get it. He has had x-rays, and they didn't reveal a cause (old fractures, etc.). He is currently taking cisapride, human stool softeners (ducosate sodium pills -- he stopped tolerating lactulose/enulose, so the vet advised that he take these), and miralax. His disease has progressed over the years so he requires a lot of medication at this point, as well as enemas about once a month when he starts to get backed up. The rest of the time he still has to work hard to poo, but it's soft and he gets it out. He frequently has drips and poopy-butt, though.
The behavioral/emotional problems are these: he is constantly hungry, he meows excessively, and he might be depressed.
1. The hunger issue began before any of his current medications. I feed him twice a day, and he gets hungry again about three hours after his last feeding. This means that he spends the next nine hours following me, sitting on me, staring at me, licking his lips, and begging. It's not affection. You're going to have to trust me on this. The body language is totally different. He also runs back and forth between me and the food bowl, meowing.
2. He meows constantly while begging for food. He will meow over and over again, like a broken record. My upstairs neighbors have complained twice, it's that loud and continuous. I don't like to use aversives, but I caved in and bought a squirt bottle. That only works for a few minutes though, and then he starts up again. His hearing is fine.
3. He is totally apathetic towards the finer things in cat life. He has zero interest in toys (I have many, including da bird and the cat catcher by the same company) and no prey drive. At an old apartment I actually sat and watched him watching a mouse steal food from his bowl once -- he couldn't have cared less. I bought window seats for the kitties, which the other two love, but he doesn't even like to look out the window. I also got a cat tower and tunnels, but he doesn't like them. He doesn't even like boxes.
So... I don't know what to do. I have wondered whether maybe he's in pain, which is making him meow more and ruining his enjoyment of life. I talked to my vet about pain management, but he said that while the megacolon is controlled -- meaning that he's not backed up -- he shouldn't be in pain. Other indicators of pain, like hiding under the bed or going to the bathroom in inappropriate places, aren't there.
I feel evil even writing this, but the other day I asked myself whether I still loved him. I'm afraid the answer might be no. He seems like such a hollow shell of a cat. I know that I'm not thinking clearly, and that my ability to feel affection or sympathy has been impaired by the poop everywhere and the irritating behavior, but knowing that doesn't change anything. I have thought about getting him a subtotal colectomy, which might help his megacolon, but I have concerns. Not only is it very expensive, but the vet who would perform the operation told me that it is often unsuccessful. Which can mean three things: death, permanent incontinence, or continued megacolon. And I don't know how much the megacolon is contributing to the behaviors. Maybe not at all! In which case, nothing would change.
The horrible, dark thought that drove me to this forum was that putting him down might be a relief.
Thanks to anyone who's read this whole thing, and I will greatly appreciate any advice or support that you have to offer.
-Ellen
About a year after I adopted him, he started developing chronic constipation and eventually megacolon. The vet said it was quite young to get it. He has had x-rays, and they didn't reveal a cause (old fractures, etc.). He is currently taking cisapride, human stool softeners (ducosate sodium pills -- he stopped tolerating lactulose/enulose, so the vet advised that he take these), and miralax. His disease has progressed over the years so he requires a lot of medication at this point, as well as enemas about once a month when he starts to get backed up. The rest of the time he still has to work hard to poo, but it's soft and he gets it out. He frequently has drips and poopy-butt, though.
The behavioral/emotional problems are these: he is constantly hungry, he meows excessively, and he might be depressed.
1. The hunger issue began before any of his current medications. I feed him twice a day, and he gets hungry again about three hours after his last feeding. This means that he spends the next nine hours following me, sitting on me, staring at me, licking his lips, and begging. It's not affection. You're going to have to trust me on this. The body language is totally different. He also runs back and forth between me and the food bowl, meowing.
2. He meows constantly while begging for food. He will meow over and over again, like a broken record. My upstairs neighbors have complained twice, it's that loud and continuous. I don't like to use aversives, but I caved in and bought a squirt bottle. That only works for a few minutes though, and then he starts up again. His hearing is fine.
3. He is totally apathetic towards the finer things in cat life. He has zero interest in toys (I have many, including da bird and the cat catcher by the same company) and no prey drive. At an old apartment I actually sat and watched him watching a mouse steal food from his bowl once -- he couldn't have cared less. I bought window seats for the kitties, which the other two love, but he doesn't even like to look out the window. I also got a cat tower and tunnels, but he doesn't like them. He doesn't even like boxes.
So... I don't know what to do. I have wondered whether maybe he's in pain, which is making him meow more and ruining his enjoyment of life. I talked to my vet about pain management, but he said that while the megacolon is controlled -- meaning that he's not backed up -- he shouldn't be in pain. Other indicators of pain, like hiding under the bed or going to the bathroom in inappropriate places, aren't there.
I feel evil even writing this, but the other day I asked myself whether I still loved him. I'm afraid the answer might be no. He seems like such a hollow shell of a cat. I know that I'm not thinking clearly, and that my ability to feel affection or sympathy has been impaired by the poop everywhere and the irritating behavior, but knowing that doesn't change anything. I have thought about getting him a subtotal colectomy, which might help his megacolon, but I have concerns. Not only is it very expensive, but the vet who would perform the operation told me that it is often unsuccessful. Which can mean three things: death, permanent incontinence, or continued megacolon. And I don't know how much the megacolon is contributing to the behaviors. Maybe not at all! In which case, nothing would change.
The horrible, dark thought that drove me to this forum was that putting him down might be a relief.
Thanks to anyone who's read this whole thing, and I will greatly appreciate any advice or support that you have to offer.
-Ellen
