Cat constipation, nothing helps!

zvarri

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Hi there all.

I have a 5yo ginger tabby with a blockage problem.

2 years ago she got extremely constipated to the point we had to take her to the hospital for them to manually empty her out and we have been giving her .5tsp orange juice + .5tsp mineral oil every day for maintenance and until now she has been fine.

Two weeks ago we noticed she hadn't pooped in a day or two, and she suddenly started vomiting through the night.  We took her to the vet, who put her on two pills and told us to continue the OJ/mineral oil.  It did stop her from vomiting, but she still hadn't passed anything.  We decided to take her to a different vet (for a variety of reasons), and they did x-rays to confirm she was totally backed up.  They gave her two enemas as the first one did nothing, telling us to take her off the pills and OJ and give her a prescription food.

Two days later, she still hadn't gone.  We took her back and they gave her an enema and took her in for bloodwork.  The enema didn't do anything until they went to take her back, and she had an explosion that took three people to clean up.  They did the bloodwork which showed everything is fine.  Assuming her explosion was verification she was better, we took her home and gave her the prescription food with Miralax as instructed by the vet.

She had some extremely loose stool as soon as she got home, but today (two days after the explosion), she once again hasn't gone and is getting lethargic, laying in her bed all day.

The vet told us she may have megacolon and be a candidate for the surgery, but she didn't think it was urgent.

Any ideas?
 

sugarcatmom

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What was your kitty eating before (wet/dry/brand/flavour)? And what is the "prescription" food she eats now? Never heard of using orange juice to prevent constipation, and mineral oil shouldn't be fed daily as it not only interfers with nutrient absorption, but can create result in an inflammed bowel.

Some info for you on constipation in cats (ignore the diabetes references, the info can be applied to any cat): http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Constipation
 
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zvarri

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She normally ate Friskies wet food in a seafood flavor with 1tbsp of pumpkin, which was another part of the maintenance that I forgot to mention.  She also had dry food that she wouldn't really eat, but we recently bought her Meow Mix Tender Centers and she loved it, and wouldn't really eat her wet food while that was out, and that was about two days before she started getting sick.

The vet just put her on Hill's Prescription A/D which is easy to digest.  The vet also gave us Purina Dietary Management, which she refuses to touch.  She gets 1.25tsp of Miralax in each can, and she eats about one per day.  She also hasn't been drinking that much water.

I think the OJ was so it would be more palatable for her, but I've heard that it can cause complications from the acid in it.  The vet who prescribed it to her was very 'old-school' and didn't believe in using medicine though, which is probably why he said to use that.

I should also say that she's a big cat, about 21lbs.

Based on that link that you posted, it seems like she might end up needing the megacolon surgery unless something changes.
 

carolina

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She normally ate Friskies wet food in a seafood flavor with 1tbsp of pumpkin, which was another part of the maintenance that I forgot to mention.  She also had dry food that she wouldn't really eat, but we recently bought her Meow Mix Tender Centers and she loved it, and wouldn't really eat her wet food while that was out, and that was about two days before she started getting sick.
The vet just put her on Hill's Prescription A/D which is easy to digest.  The vet also gave us Purina Dietary Management, which she refuses to touch.  She gets 1.25tsp of Miralax in each can, and she eats about one per day.  She also hasn't been drinking that much water.
I think the OJ was so it would be more palatable for her, but I've heard that it can cause complications from the acid in it.  The vet who prescribed it to her was very 'old-school' and didn't believe in using medicine though, which is probably why he said to use that.
I should also say that she's a big cat, about 21lbs.
Based on that link that you posted, it seems like she might end up needing the megacolon surgery unless something changes.
Jesus, no wonder she has lose stools! 1.25 tsp of miralax a day? :dash:
Bugsy is also 20lbs, and 1/2 tsp a day does its trick for him - 1/4 in the am, and 1/4 in the pm - If I give that dosage he has a melt down!!! No pun intended, but gee..... no way :thud:

IMHO that kitty should be completely off kibbles..... no kibbles whatsoever in her diet.....
Just wet wet wet and more wet, continue the pumpkin, and the miralax......
Lethargic, laying down..... not good. I would give the vet a call..... Your kitty might be dehydrated though..... Try giving her some pedyalite with a syringe, or mixed in the wet food..... see if she perks up a bit.
Make sire she eats plenty - enough for her weight......
and toss those kibbles out..... :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 

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I shouldn't laugh but the "explosion" part of your story cracks me up because I can see it happening.  Constipated cat has been a running theme in my life for the past couple of years. The situation eventually evolved into a rather gross trip to the emergency vet last year. We tried the brown goop that comes in a tube but nothing came of that accept clawed hands and a really ticked off cat. After the emergency trip my regular vet gave me a prescription cat laxative that got things moving again. I've tried more natural solutions to the problem but she isn't having any of it. I have a cat laxative that comes in a crush able pill form that I crush up into her wet food whenever she starts to show signs of having a problem. In eight years I have only seen my cat cough up a hair ball twice, and she seemed rather mortified that she had done it. The vet seems to think that might be some of the problem, so it shall always be a problem for the rest of her life.
 

apiot8

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I've been trying to find solutions to help my cat go. She hasn't had regular bowel movements since she was spayed 5 days ago. I'm thinking I'll start with the pumpkin so she doesn't get the runs :/ I feel so bad.
 

pisimisi

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In my opinion laxative could work for a time but then the body gets used to it and the problem becomes worse. I also think that this has to do with some kind of a stress. If the cat is easely constipated but not alwasy i beleave you should think of what psycological reason could have aggrivated the cats condition.

Also did you try the old baby trick where you put in the anus a thermometer covered with soap and this makes babies and cats poop. I have tried it sucsessfully on my cat which gets constipated when we get to a new place.

You know this malt creams that we are used to give to the cats so they dont vomit the hair that they have licked off themselfs. It replaces the cat grass that cats eat and the fibers push the poos out and makes better digestion.

Another thing is ofcourse the more water the easy poop. Since we got the cat drinking fontain the cat is more atrackted to the water and drinks 3 times more water then she used to drink before and her poop went softer and more often.

I hope that was helpfull. Get well soon.
 

whollycat

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I've been trying to find solutions to help my cat go. She hasn't had regular bowel movements since she was spayed 5 days ago. I'm thinking I'll start with the pumpkin so she doesn't get the runs :/ I feel so bad.
It could be the effects of anesthesia, pain meds, or a combination of both making her system temporarily out of whack. Pumpkin is good, but make sure you are giving pure canned pumpkin and not canned pumpkin pie filling. I would add 1/8-1/4 teaspoon per meal.

Adding extra water to her food will help too.

Other things that can help with constipation:
  • 1/8 teaspoon psyllium husk powder, such as Now Foods brand (http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Psyllium-Husk-Powder-12-oz-340-g/8934 ) mixed with 2 tablespoons of warm water and added to her food (can divide and add to each meal for the day). Don't use Metamucil as that can contain other ingredients besides just plain psylllium.
  • Slippery Elm Bark powder (SEB) mixed 1/4 tsp of the bulk powder to 2 tablespoons of boiled water (if you use SEB from capsule, use 1/2 teaspoon); let it sit to thicken as it cools, then can add to a small bit of food or syringe. You can give SEB 3-5mL 3-5 x a day (I would do the upper range of 5mL, 3-5 x day). If she is on any medications, give SEB 30-60 minutes before or after those.
  • 1/8 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil - with food or without
  • 1/8 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter - with food or without
Is she on any antibiotics?
 
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jennyr

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In my opinion laxative could work for a time but then the body gets used to it and the problem becomes worse. I also think that this has to do with some kind of a stress. If the cat is easely constipated but not alwasy i beleave you should think of what psycological reason could have aggrivated the cats condition.
Also did you try the old baby trick where you put in the anus a thermometer covered with soap and this makes babies and cats poop. I have tried it sucsessfully on my cat which gets constipated when we get to a new place.
You know this malt creams that we are used to give to the cats so they dont vomit the hair that they have licked off themselfs. It replaces the cat grass that cats eat and the fibers push the poos out and makes better digestion.
Another thing is ofcourse the more water the easy poop. Since we got the cat drinking fontain the cat is more atrackted to the water and drinks 3 times more water then she used to drink before and her poop went softer and more often.
I hope that was helpfull. Get well soon.
I think you need to be very careful before inserting a thermometer into a cat's anus. It is a job for a vet or a very experienced owner. Both you and the cat could siuffer severe damage. Giving hte cat unsweetened canned pumpkin in her food, and making sure she drinks plenty of water are good things to try
 

rafm

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I've had a cat require an enema twice this year. Couple of things stand out, did your cat get fluids at the time of the enemas? This is very important. Also, did he receive a B-12 shot? If he did not get those things, call the vet and see about getting them, they will help your cat recover.

Also ask your vet for a probiotic/digestive enzyme that you can add to the food, this will help in the digestion of his food and make it easier to pass.

We still have to watch our guy closely but we've made some changes to his diet, mainly going to a higher end food and am now finding that he will eat raw so he's transitioning to that. He refuses canned food 98% of the time so he still eats dry but I watch him much closer too.

Good luck!
 
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