A question about constipation /consistency of stool

My cat Bob has chronic constipation problems we are treating with a wet food diet and Miralax. I've gotten some great advice from others on the forum about supplements and plan more gradual changes to her diet. It's getting better, but we are not quite there yet. My concern is about the size and shape of her stool when she does get clogged up. Sorry if this is a bit graphic. It looks like many small poops all join together to make a big, mega-poop about the size of a walnut or larger. The clustering effect is very obvious. I found one in the box today [emoji]128543[/emoji]Obviously, this is not normal for a regular cat, but in the realm of constipation, is this seen often? Thank you.

Hmm, that's interesting.  So it's a biggish round stool rather than long.  Seems odd to me.  My chronically constipated cat who was also on a steady diet of Miralax would have stools that I swore looked like cigars, poor fellow.  I was amazed that something that huge could come out of a cat . 

Hoping someone else will chime in to tell you if they've seen this before.  But at least Bob is pooping.  Better something than nothing

Hmm, did you watch him poop or did you find it that way? Is it possible they all stuck together after they were pooped out? I have seen a couple smaller pieces stuck together but nothing close to the size of a walnut. That is perplexing. Hope some others can chime in.

They are coming out that way because they are very firmly packed together and I have broken them apart in the box. Plus, when it gets like this, she has problems passing it, as you can imagine. We can see where it gets stuck partially out. My poor baby. I thought it was very unusual. I will try to get a photo if it happens again.
It was happening about once a month, sometimes twice in a month. We are keeping a 'Poop Log' now to try to determine what is working best for her. But you are right, at least she is getting something out. I was surprised to see one of these poop balls yesterday because the wet food and Miralax seemed to be doing the trick- she's been passing normal looking, if a bit soft, stools everyday for almost two weeks. Gradually, they firm up as the days go by between doses. Since yesterday, I've upped the Miralax to every other day to avoid another of these painful bowel movements. I'm thinking she got into the dry food dish of my other cats and pigged out and this is what caused the ball to form. Unfortunately, she loves dry food and has not been happy about it being removed from her diet.

Deer pellets stuck together to make a log? I understand that to be mild constipation, so yes I understand your concern. In addition to Miralax and canned, what else have you tried?

In the past, we've tried pumpkin (she wouldn't touch it), prescription diet (no noticeable change) wild salmon oil (wouldn't eat the food with it mixed in) and tuna packed in oil (not bad, just not enough). We tried Metamucil once, it was a no go (literally). Through trial and error, the wet food seems to make the most difference for her, along with the Miralax we started two weeks ago. I think hairballs are adding to her problem and I'd like to try egg yolk lecithin. I do not have credit cards and am unable to order stuff online, so this may be a problem. Do raw egg yolks work in a similar fashion? Plus, I imagine it would be cheaper - money is a concern for us.

I was planning to add a grain free dry food for her, but the advice on the forum seems to indicate that this is not the best option and to stick with only wet food. I'd also like to try krill oil and see if she likes it. My last resort would be a raw diet. This may be a bit tricky for her, as she is very firm about what she will eat and will not eat. If the other routes do not work, I'm willing to try it, though.

And I also want to thank you all for the concern and the advice [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Metamucil can be constipating...do I know! And yes, egg yolks may help. I put extra yolks in my crew's food when the yacking starts.

What canned food is she on? Sometimes the generic version is cheaper and that helps in the $$ dept. Are you adding water to her food? Also, is it from the tap, Brita filter...? May make a difference.

We feed Friskies pate style and get a few cans of whatever premium brand happens to be on sale when we stock up. We also use filtered or bottled water for everything - the tap water here tastes awful. I haven't tried adding water to her food- I will give it a go! She drinks a good bit from the water bowl, but more is defintely better. We considered getting one of those cool cat fountains but decided to wait till our youngest kitty is a bit older and less crazed. I often add a teaspoon of veg oil to the wet food and make sure all the liquid/oil from the can goes into her dish. I'm glad to hear that raw egg yolks work- we'll be starting that tomorrow at breakfast and see how it goes.

Add water to both cats' food. Not gonna hurt a thing. You may want to start with a tiny bit of water, in case someone turns into a princess. Try the yolk, it may help. Sometimes I still have to break down and give Temptations hairball treats when the hairballs get out of control. At $1.52/bag, it helps. I use it as a last resort though.

Oh my gosh, we call Temptations 'Kitty Crack' around here. It is hands down all my cats favorite treat item. Once they hear the bag, I just about get mauled, lol! I've never gotten the hairball ones before, usually the dairy, beef, or turkey flavor.

I think the hairball treats are chicken flavor...can't remember. And you just about lose an arm hear too when they hear the bag!