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Strange problem with older cat

post #1 of 8
11/27/11 at 5:20pm
Thread Starter 

Hello, looking for some advice regarding my 14-year-old male cat.  A few months ago he started occasionally going #2 in the living room, which is upstairs from where his litter box is.  Oddly enough, this was always accompanied by some vomit in the same area, maybe a few feet away.  Well, recently this has begun occurring more frequently, like 1-2 times a week.  Always happens in the middle of the night and is always both pinball-sized crap "pellets" and vomit together.  Naturally this is upsetting to me, as cleaning up big messes is one of the last things I want to do at 6am.  Wondering if anyone has encountered anything like this and if there's any advice that'd help me curtail the problem.  It's very strange that he has these episodes and that it's always the same M.O. and at the same time of day, leading me to believe it's something other than age or location of the litter box.  Any suggestions?  For what it's worth, he's diabetic and gets two injections per day, but I doubt it's related.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

siege72

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post #2 of 8
11/27/11 at 8:24pm
It could be arthritis....if he's in another part of the house away from a box and is hurting, he may not attempt to make it to the box. The vomit could be from pain as well. Does he have a box avaiable downstairs? You might try putting one there and see what happens.

Or, it could be something similar to heartburn. We have a kitty that gets an antacid every night because that is the longest he will go between feedings and if his stomach gets empty he vomits from the acid. The strain of vomiting could cause him to deficate.

You should call your vet just to cover off on everything and make sure it isn't possibly due to his diabetes.
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post #3 of 8
11/28/11 at 5:01am
Thread Starter 

Hmm - what other signs of arthritis might there be?  I think he gets around pretty well for his age, never having a problem with steps or jumping onto furniture.  His food and water are also downstairs and he doesn't have a problem getting to them.  He's never urinated outside the litter box, although he does miss frequently while going #2.  Unfortunately I don't really have anywhere else to keep the box without it being in the way.  Also rarely any "empty" vomit, always food and/or hairballs (although I give him Petromalt at least once a week).  I mentioned this problem to the vet a few months ago during his checkup, but she didn't have any concrete advice at the time.  My dad keeps insisting it's age-related, but this kind of started all of a sudden and wasn't all that gradual.

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post #4 of 8
11/28/11 at 5:20am


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by siege72 View Post

 Always happens in the middle of the night and is always both pinball-sized crap "pellets" and vomit together.

 

 

 For what it's worth, he's diabetic and gets two injections per day, but I doubt it's related.

 


It sounds to me like he might be constipated. Poop should be like a Tootsie Roll, not like "pellets", and cats often vomit when constipated. That leads me to think it could be related to his diabetes. How well controlled is it? What does he eat, and how much insulin (and what type) does he get? Do you test his blood sugar levels at home?

 

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post #5 of 8
11/28/11 at 6:15am
Thread Starter 

It's been under control with twice-daily low-dose injections (Lantus/Glargine) for 3-4 years.  Haven't had his blood sugar checked in a while, but it was always well in range in the past.  His food is Purina DM, dry food for diabetic cats.  Maybe I should call the vet and see if she thinks it might be constipation like you suggested.  Thanks.

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post #6 of 8
11/28/11 at 9:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by siege72 View Post

It's been under control with twice-daily low-dose injections (Lantus/Glargine) for 3-4 years.  Haven't had his blood sugar checked in a while, but it was always well in range in the past.  His food is Purina DM, dry food for diabetic cats.  Maybe I should call the vet and see if she thinks it might be constipation like you suggested.  Thanks.


 

Diabetic cats can have their insulin needs can change over time, so I highly recommend having his bg checked, or better yet, learning how to do it yourself. It's really not hard once you get the hang of it, and you can save soooo much money by not having to run to the vet for every little bg test. Do you monitor his water intake at all? Any change in that department?

 

The DM kibble could very well be contributing to constipation. Cats evolved eating moisture-rich (60-80% water) prey, not dried starchy nuggets. They have a naturally low thirst drive that can't make up for the dehydrating effect of kibble. With diabetes, it's even more important that they get that extra water since they tend to need more than the normal cat for processing and excreting excess blood glucose.

 

But there's another reason to switch from the DM dry to a meat-based canned or raw diet: the DM isn't actually all that low in carbohydrates at 14% of calories (cats should eat less than 10%). You may be able to get your cat off of insulin altogether by feeding a higher protein, lower carb wet food. If you do try that though, it becomes even more important to home-test his bg levels, as you'll need to know if/when they drop so you don't overdose him with too much insulin. If you need more info, check out this link: http://catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes

 

Good luck!

 

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post #7 of 8
11/28/11 at 9:53am


Darn you double post! *shakes fist*

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post #8 of 8
11/28/11 at 10:31am
Thread Starter 

Excellent advice, thanks.  His water intake actually has decreased quite a bit, now that you mention it.  I think this is something I need to discuss with the vet, especially since it was recommended upon adopting him at age 5 that he never get wet food due to high risk of urinary tract infection.  In fact, a brief switch to wet food shortly after I got him (because he wasn't eating dry food due to apparent anxiety over the move) resulted in an almost immediate UTI.  But as you said, it's possible his insulin needs have changed.  Will have to think about testing for BG at home, although I'd certainly like to avoid the expense - pricking the ear gives me some pause.  Thanks again!

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