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Constipation in cats?

post #1 of 7
8/6/11 at 8:58pm
Thread Starter 
My 7 year old neutered, male cat is showing signs of constipation. A few days ago we were doing some construction in the house. We did clean up after ourselves constantly because we have 2 cats and 2 greyhounds. However, a day later, one of our cats threw up a ton of yuck. A few hours later I noticed that he was walking funny and cried when I went to touch his rear and stomach. He also stopped eating and slept under the bed which is unusual. We took him to the vet and all his blood work came back normal and the vet gave him a shot for nausea and to relax his stomach. That was 24 hours ago and he still has not eaten more than a tablespoon of canned food and a little water. He is also going to the litter box and squatting slightly and visibly "pushing", but only a little bit of runny, brown poop is coming out. Since the vet visit he has been a slightly more social, but I can't seem to get him to eat...tuna, milk, all flavors canned food, even the dog food that he usually loves to steal. Any ideas what could be wrong? Could he have a blockage of some sort? He has always been a picky eater and a skinny kitty, but this behavior came on suddenly. Any thoughts are appreciated! THANKS!
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post #2 of 7
8/6/11 at 11:02pm
Yep, this might be a blockage - I would take him to the ER provided he has not pooped yet, nor eaten in so long. I don't understand why the vet didn't do more than that either - an X-ray would been in order, a laxative, an enema, depending of what is blocking him... But just sending him home like this is completely out of order IMHO.
Please, please do not wait for Monday... In fact, since tomorrow is Sunday I would just take him now - I would not wait.
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post #3 of 7
8/7/11 at 6:03am
Thread Starter 
Thank you Carolina! I woke this morning intending to take him to the ER. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find him sleeping on the dog bed at the foot of our bed rather than under it. He got up and followed me out to the porch and layed in the sun like he usually does. I brought him a fresh bowl of water and he finally drink for about a full minute. Then I climbed under the bed where we have been feeding him his buffet of different foods and he ate about half the can of wet cat food and about a tablespoon of the canned dog food. (I know it is him because the other cat is too chunky to fit - he has tried - but can't make it!) He seems more alert, yet still sluggish. I am going to watch him until he goes to the litter box. If he still can't go, I will still take him to the ER today. I have to admit I shed a tear when I saw him drink finally. I hate when my babies are sick!

PS - I felt the same way about the vet's care. My husband took him since I had to work, so he didn't push and question the vet like I would. I definitely thought an Xray would have been the first thing to do. I may just switch the kitties to our greyhound vet...not happy!
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post #4 of 7
8/7/11 at 10:03am
See if he will eat some canned pumpkin. That will act as a gentle laxative and help move things along if there isn't a blockage. Our vet likes to start with the pumpkin, it's less shocking to the system than a prescription laxative. It has always worked for us. Some cats won't eat it so I have to shoot it down the back of their throat with a syringe. But, it's less expensive and easier to deal with, IME.
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post #5 of 7
8/8/11 at 7:59am
Thread Starter 
Hi all and thank you for the advice. We went back to the vet because we saw that our kitty was trying to push out something very large and was crying. The vet helped him out and now he is resting. The vet ran a full comprehensive blood work panel and discovered that all his levels are fine except his white cell count was elevated. Right now, we are not sure why he has an infection, but he is being treated with antibiotics and got lots of fluids. The vet noticed that he was unusually sore around the base of his tail even for what he went through. The vet shaved the area looking for a bite or other puncture that may have lead to the infection. The other thought is that maybe our kitty hurt that area and it became painful for him to poop which caused the backup leading to an infection. Who knows? I am just glad we have made some progress and the kitty is already acting like a new kitty. The vet asked for a full report this afternoon so hopefully I will have a good report to make!
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post #6 of 7
8/8/11 at 8:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fluidmocean View Post
Hi all and thank you for the advice. We went back to the vet because we saw that our kitty was trying to push out something very large and was crying. The vet helped him out and now he is resting. The vet ran a full comprehensive blood work panel and discovered that all his levels are fine except his white cell count was elevated. Right now, we are not sure why he has an infection, but he is being treated with antibiotics and got lots of fluids. The vet noticed that he was unusually sore around the base of his tail even for what he went through. The vet shaved the area looking for a bite or other puncture that may have lead to the infection. The other thought is that maybe our kitty hurt that area and it became painful for him to poop which caused the backup leading to an infection. Who knows? I am just glad we have made some progress and the kitty is already acting like a new kitty. The vet asked for a full report this afternoon so hopefully I will have a good report to make!
Did the vet give the kitty an enema?
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post #7 of 7
8/10/11 at 5:14am
Thread Starter 
The vet didn't give an enema because the object became visible during the exam and he just tackled it right away. Now that the drama of that ordeal is over and the kitty has gotten back into his routine, we have noticed that his anus is swollen like a head of cauliflower. The vet has extended his antibiotics and given him something to reduce the swelling. The next step most likely will be to put him under to get a more thorough idea of what is going on. It may possibly be glands that need to be drained. Our kitty is peeing normally but his pooing is still not regular. Fingers crossed! We are hopeful we have determined the issue.
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