Nightmare scenario: Megacolon cat started eating litter

We have a robust, lively siamese (age unknown, since he was a stray, but probably around seven or eight) who is afflicted with a couple of pretty serious issues: Megacolon and kidney disease. He gets sub-q fluids daily and is on cisapride and lactalose to help him do his business, since the megacolon makes it really difficult. He also tends to pee in specific non-litter box locations if he's in bathroom distress so we've been in the habit of putting him in the litter box at certain times (when he wakes up, after meals, etc...) to ensure that he goes there and no elsewhere. Yesterday he started eating the litter when we put him in the box, which is terrifying since (a) his guts are already terrible at doing their duty and filling them with clumping litter is the worst idea ever and (b) this only complicates his already complicated relationship with the litter box.

His diet is K/D and the other renal food (don't remember the brand but it's "morsels in gravy", maybe Royal Canin.)

Does anyone have any ideas? We have two other cats (with no litter box related issues) so switching litters is a bad idea. Help!

Has he had blood work done recently? Eating clay litter (I'm assuming you're using clay) can be a sign of anemia. http://www.felinecrf.org/just_diagnosed.htm#eating_litter

Thanks for the reply. Blood work was done at some point in the semi-recent past as part of his other conditions. He has a vet appt for tomorrow so I'll see if they want to do some more to compare. I'm sure they will...

My cat, Speedboat, started eating his litter.  Somebody on this website, I don't remember who suggested using yesterdays news, a cat litter made from newspaper.  It can be purchased from Wal Mart.  I started using that and he quit eating the litter.  Just a suggestion. I hope you find a solution.
 

I have a 16 year old kitty with deification issues and I tried the cisapride but its so expensive and can cause other issues so I started using PERFECT FOOD RAW and its raw green super food it comes in powder or capsule and I mix a 1/2 capsule into Libby's canned pumpkin along with 3 or 4 ml of lactulose twice a day it works like a charm! I pack it into a syring and give it slowly in the back of the mouth because the taste of the super green food makes my kitty salivate. The perfect food raw is made by garden of life and costs about $40 for 240 capsules
The web site is: wwwperfectfoodraw.com it is for both people and pets my vet introduced me to this a couple years ago its amazing stuff.

I'm so sorry. But as Sugarcatmom points out, eating litter is a pica usually associated with anemia. If the vet isn't familiar with this, then insist on running a CBC.

As others have said, eating litter is usually due to anemia. And anemia is common in renal kitties.

Did you physically see the results of the blood work? I'd run new blood work and get copies of both for comparison.

Well, I have a question. My cat, Eli, is over weight and eats urinary formula for prevention of future problems. Could a cat be anemic AND overweight?

lizz2034 said:

Well, I have a question. My cat, Eli, is over weight and eats urinary formula for prevention of future problems. Could a cat be anemic AND overweight?

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Of course it's possible, yes. They are not mutually exclusive.

Do you have reason to believe he's anemic?

It's possible for any cat to be anemic if there's something else going on besides being overweight. Being overweight doesn't cause anemia, but neither would it prevent it.

There was two times when my fiance saw him trying to eat his own poop out of the litter box, but it hasn't happened again, since.

I don't know when that happened, but if your kitty hasn't had blood work done in a year or so, it would be a good idea to go for an annual check-up.