Constipation - HELP

Hello all,

I have a 12 year old cat.

1.5 years he got constipated - they did enema, manual extraction, Luctulose, the whole 9 yards and he got better. They then switched us to a special low residue diet.

He got constipated again. I took him for enemas (3) - didnt do anything. They then did manual extraction of 2/3 of fecal mass. We are on luctulose 3x a day. He has not pooped in 8 days now. He does not seem to eat much, but he drinks and he is active. He doe snot look uncomfortable. Called the vet and the vet told me to bring him in if he feels uncomfortable.

What should I do? What are other things I can try. Feeding him pumpkin or anything of that nature does not work - he simply does not get excited about food. Not even when he is not sick...

He is overweight though...

Any ides?

I have a cat that is prone to constipation.  Is he on a wet food, that will help.  There are different thoughts on treating it by vets and I am just going to tell you what my vet has recommended.  My cat also has probable IBD which may or may not be the case with your cat.  Before going into a condition called Megacolon a small amount of fiber will help.  A quality wet food will contain a small amount of fiber.  With Megacolon you want to removed most of the fiber from his food.

I don't know anything about laxative that he is on other than it is prescribed a lot.  My vet recommends Miralax.  Start with 1/8 teaspoon per day as a preventative.  The dose will need adjusting, you want enough to prevent constipation but not enough to cause the opposite problem.  Miralax works by drawing water into the colon.

It sounds like your cat is well into the process that leads to Megacolon.  I would try a grain free wet and one that isn't loaded with a lot of different veggis and fruits on the label to cut fiber to a minimum.  If he is a kibble addict get the kibble that fits, transition him to that and then use that kibble to transition to a canned food.

Hi and welcome to TCS. Sorry your cat is having trouble. I'm going to take a guess that based on the constipation and being overweight that he being free fed dry food. Dry foods often cause both problems. Constipation can be a result of not enough moisture. Add in excessive stool volume from the species-inappropriate filler ingredients likes grains and starches and an older cat's possible slower digestive system and voila, constipation. There are things you can do, like feed a wet only meaty diet which is naturally low residue since it's not full of fillers. Cats have a low thirst drive as they are geared towards getting their moisture from food. You can also try Miralax which is more effective for some cats with constipation than Lactulose, which is tricky to dose properly.

In addition, the wet meaty diet will naturally help your cat lose weight as the excess calories from unnecessary carbohydrates are eliminated or reduced drastically. A good site to learn more about feline nutrition is www.catinfo.org. This site which is written by a vet also has a very handy chart that compares protein, fat and carbs of most commercially available canned foods in the US.

The accepted treatment is low fibre and high moisture so a grain free wet food is a great way to treat this. Cats are obligate carnivores who need to get moisture from their food.

Here is a great video by a vet on feline constipation:



Here is another great article on constipation by another vet: (http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/constipated-cats/) .

Good luck and keep us posted. 

I would also recommend adding some canned food, if you're not already feeding him that, as well as slippery elm bark.  You can mix 1/8 teaspoon of slippery elm bark with a bit of warm water in some canned food.  Wait a few minutes for the slippery elm bark to set, then serve.  This will help with tummy issues and constipation.  Many owners of kitties with renal problems use it.
 

I add a little pumpkin to the moist food as well as 1/8 tsp Miralax in the am/pm. When Kinko is really backed up I have found oral painkillers (prescribed by vet) help him release.