Constipated Cat - HELP!

purrplegnome

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 23, 2013
Messages
6
Purraise
1
Location
Summerville, GA
  My furbaby, Fancy, is 7½ years old, since last Monday she's only had 3 bowel movements. She doesn't strain when she goes to the bathroom, she's not crying, doesn't seem to have any problems jumping up on or off her perch, doesn't flinch or cry when I pet her belly. She's not drinking as much water as she used to, and as I said - not as much poop! The last movement she had was Saturday morning, several hard nuggets, as I call them. I've tried Hartz furball/laxative medicine, finally got her to eat some pumpkin, got something like Laxatone but a different name, from the vet when I took the kitten that adopted us. Nothing is working. Fancy's not nauseous anymore, she just WILL NOT POOP more than a little every 3 or 4 days. She is an extreme homebody, just the scent of other animals sends her into a frenzy, you risk being scratched or bitten if you bother her. She had a bladder infection about 4 years ago and that was the last time I took her to the vet. She bit and scratched somebody really bad, and it upset her so bad she was shaking and skittish for several hours. 

I don't know if I should risk giving her a heart attack by taking her to the vet, or just keep giving her the laxative and pumpkin when she'll take it. She's stopped drinking out of her Drinkwell fountain, that I've seen, I keep fresh water in a bowl in another room, I don't know how much she drinks from that. She'll drink water out of the bathroom faucet when I go in there, and she licks condensation off the windows. She won't eat canned food, tuna, or anything like that. Her appetite is the same as always, but what she eats just isn't coming out often. 

Am I worried for nothing, or should I call tomorrow and make an appointment for whenever they can see her?  Growing up we never had this problem with our cats. They got constipated, they'd go out and eat some grass and be good in a few hours. Money is an issue but I WILL take her to the vet rather than pay one bill or another, if needed. The main issue is her mental state and safety. 

Please, all advice welcomed! I read that I could give her Benefiber, going to try that as soon as I can get to the store to get some.

Thanks in advance for any help!  I am definitely a worried mama!

Kathy aka PurrpleGnome
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
She does need to see a vet to rule out a blockage or impaction.  Also, with her age, she needs to have a senior blood panel done to make sure her kidneys are functioning well. 

What does she normally eat?  If she's not eating a majority of her food as canned, then she's more likely to become constipated.  I would increase wet food intake, decrease dry food intake.  Add pumpkin (1 heaping teaspoon at least twice a day) and try adding Miralax (purple lid), just 1/4 t daily to start with and see if that helps.  If you can get her onto some grain-free food, that might help as well as the grains tend to cause more pooping problems.  Add water to her wet food to get water into her.  You can also add the pumpkin (or squash baby food) to the mixture as well as the Miralax.  Make her food the consistency of oatmeal, warm it up a touch and she should eat it with no problems.  For grain free food, look for Wellness or Wellness CORE at the pet store. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

purrplegnome

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 23, 2013
Messages
6
Purraise
1
Location
Summerville, GA
I figured she does need to go, she hasn't been in a few years. She eats dry food - she refused to eat her Purina Indoor Formula anymore, the only thing she'd eat is Special Kitty Indoor Formula. No canned or wet food at all. She won't eat it. It will get dry and crusty and fade away, she just will not touch it. Won't eat tuna, had only eaten a little pumpkin in the week I've been trying to get her to eat it. I will get Miralax when I can get to the store. The closest pet store is 35 miles away, it would be a few days before I could check there. I'll check WalMart to see if they have anything. Thanks for your input.
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
Try Fancy Feast, the pate varieties.  Also, you can add a bit of tuna juice to entice her to eat, or some plain meat baby food, turkey or chicken with no garlic or onions.  You can also try sprinkling some plain parmesan cheese (from shaker bottle) to the top or topping with bonito flakes.  You can usually find bonito flakes in the ethnic food section of Wal-Mart with the Asian food.
 

cprcheetah

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
1,887
Purraise
149
Location
Bountiful, UTah
Pumpkin can sometimes hinder constipation so I would avoid giving it.  I would recommend a vet visit, it sounds like something isn't working right in her intestines.  I have a kitty who was just diagnosed with Mega Colon.  I had to have an enema at the Vet and now she is on Miralax twice a day  She may be backing up again today so she may have to go get another enema.  With constipated kitties you want to avoid high fiber diets keeping the fiber content under 1.0-1.5%.  Pumpkin adds fiber and a lot of vets and people recommend it but fiber = more bulk which makes bigger poops and can cause more constipation.  Walmart should carry the Miralax, it's in the human section as it is a human medicine.
 

happybird

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
1,029
Purraise
167
Location
Northern Virginia
Just agreeing with everyone else about the Miralax. It has worked great for my chronically constipated cat. Adding water to the canned food is super important when using Miralax because it can be dehydrating, which we found out the hard way. Also, I buy the Walmart knock off called Clearlax. Same ingredients, much better price. I hope your kitty is pooping happily soon!
 

annekarina53

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
81
Purraise
69
Just recently got past a bit of trouble with that with a cat of about the same age.  I don't know the cat well.  She was handed too me after being found by the neighbors during a very rainy week last summer.  "Take her to the cat lady.  She'll know what to do."  Uh Huh.  Nevermind the mess she was in and while I keep a close watch on her my funds are limited.  I suspect there's some medicine she might need but she seems to be doing ok so we will continue as we are for now.  She got cleaned up and tested at the ER clinic since she was handed to me on a Sunday and my vet was closed.  After a week I took her to my vet for a checkup  and continued on his advice.  He gave me Hills A-D food but she didn't want it then.  I soon realized everything I was feeding her was making her sick so I switched to baby food.  That worked.  She kept it down and loved it.  But a few weeks ago she got constipated and I wasn't sure that she was getting enough to eat.  I pulled one of the cans of a-d off of the shelf and fed it to her to see what would happen.  She ate it and kept it down and the constipation problem was solved very quickly.  And no more problems since.   Of course it's not cheap but if you can buy a case you actually save a lot.  And baby food twice a day for a cat isn't cheap either.  So if your vet recommends that you feed her a food in that line or similar it might do the trick.  That food is loaded with lots of goodies for them.  It's just difficult to get them to eat it sometimes. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

purrplegnome

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 23, 2013
Messages
6
Purraise
1
Location
Summerville, GA
I tried pumpkin, she only ate about a tablespoon of it, then wouldn't eat any more. She won't eat any kind of canned food, with or without tuna juice - she hates both things. I'm going to the nearest pet store this evening to get her some Hill's food. I bought some Miralax the other day, tried it on some canned food, she tried to cover it up and wouldn't go near it. She's nauseous again but keeps spitting out the  pill I got from the vet for that.  She's not drinking from her fountain any more, she'll only drink from a bowl or the bathroom faucet if I go in there.  I'm going to get some baby food and try her on that.  I already talked to the vet today, have an appointment for Monday if it's needed. If I try her on Miralax with just water, how should I mix it? I'll have to give it to her with a syringe, she'll never drink it on her own. I don't have the money, I'll be getting it from my mom and paying it back when our income tax comes in next year. I will do whatever it takes to get my baby healthy, though. I love the new kitten that adopted us, but Fancy is my world, and if anything happens to her it'll kill me. Thanks for all the advice!!  
 
 

annekarina53

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
81
Purraise
69
Have you tried wrapping the pill in a fair amount of butter and pushing it as far toward the back of her throat as you can get it?  Then you might want to gently hold her mouth closed for a bit and gently stroke her throat to get her to swallow it.  Sometimes you need to get the a-d food from the vet since I think it may be by prescription.  But I do see it on Amazon.  Check with the vet but perhaps you could water the wet food down and syringe it into the kitty's mouth little by little to get her to eat?  I think I had to do that with TommyGirl when she first came in.  Poor thing was so lost.  Also for dehydration the vet can do the the IV fluid thing.  That gets them going again if the vet thinks it might help.  I know how scarey it is.  Our animals are part of our family and we want to do what's best for them.  She could simply have a hair ball blockage and it could be something as simple as needing to get that out.  I once had a cat who was fine after the vet gave her an enema.  She was in pretty frightening condition before.
 

white shadow

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
3,102
Purraise
2,985
Location
CA
 
If I try her on Miralax with just water, how should I mix it?

I'll have to give it to her with a syringe, she'll never drink it on her own.
Hi PurrpleGnome !

There's a danger here..........IF the stool in her is now so hard that she's "impacted", you should NOT use the Miralax - yet.

IF there's impactation, you'll need to get her an enema(s).

MiraLAX draws water into the colon and then into the stool........but, it will NOT take care of impacted stool:
If the cat has impacted stool, osmotic laxatives are not suitable until that situation is relieved. We do not want to create pressure behind a dam! In any event, osmotic laxatives do not 'catch up with' the stool already formed to act as stool softeners. They are better used to prevent trouble than to deal with a serious bout of constipation and are not suitable for impacted stool.

http://www.felineconstipation.org/acutetreatment.html  
That is an excellent, reliable website. The page I gave you also speaks to enemas - note that ONLY certain enema products are safe for cats. Please READ that page!

This is becoming very much do-it-yourself healthcare, and I'm very uncomfortable about it. Your first response now really should be to have a Vet assess her for impactation and need for anything other than a laxative like MiraLAX.

If she's NOT impacted and you're going to give Miralax, and she won't drink broth or tuna juice on her own, it seems like your only other option will be to "assist-feed" the MiraLAX with a syringe.....I hope you understand the danger of this: if she should aspirate (breathe in) the liquid, she could develop a type of pneumonia that's most often fatal....SO, with a small syringe, ONLY TINY DROPS...INTO THE SIDE POCKET of her mouth (NEVER to the back or down her throat)...a couple of drops, allow her to swallow, and repeat. A starting dose of MiraLAX is 1/4 of a teaspoon mixed into a small quantity of water/juice/broth/etc....any small amount will do. Most cats dosage can be reduced to about 1/8 tsp, but some will need 1/4 daily. You decide by the results: if the stool is just right, maintain that dose, too loose, reduce the dose.

In the long run, you're going to have to gradually change her diet to wet foods....kittens learn what food is from their mothers - they imitate their mother's feeding behaviour  to a "T".....changing that most basic of life lessons is very difficult, which is why some cats are called 'dry food addicts'. But, it CAN be done. Here's some reading for you: http://catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_
 

cprcheetah

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
1,887
Purraise
149
Location
Bountiful, UTah
I agree, Miralax will NOT take care of an impaction.  She may need an enema.  If she is prone to constipation to can use Miralax as a preventative measure daily.  As for the pilling, what I am doing with DeeJay who is NOTORIOUSLY difficult to pill is I put her on her back in my lap, I wrap her pills in dog Pill Pockets (chicken flavor) and I open her mouth and drop it down the back of her throat.  It has worked great.  Normally it takes about 3 people to give DeeJay a pill. 
 

rosieglow

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 16, 2013
Messages
20
Purraise
9
Location
UK
My cat Bracken (age 6) was constipated for 3 days following an operation and general anaesthetic.  An experienced friend suggested I mix water and tuna juice in with her food but she would;t eat it. After 4 days and no poop, I called the ver and they recommended mixing a little sunflower oil in with her food. I added 3 drops and Bracken did manage to do a small hard stool after that. If Fancy continues not to poop the very best thing would be to call or visit your vet. Hope all goes well xx
 

white shadow

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
3,102
Purraise
2,985
Location
CA
I just posted the following in another thread.................am re-posting here for the benefit of anyone participating exclusively in this thread and who otherwise might miss it:

From my own life experience, it seems that many people don't have a clue about how their own gut system works........let alone their cats'.

And, except for a couple of major differences between theirs and ours, those systems are almost identical.

I believe that the following website is a must-read, a prerequisite for anyone with guardianship of a cat, or intending to take it on....and yes, I did say read (an activity disappearing from the landscape these days)...read slowly, the better to digest the content
:
I created this site because I would have welcomed one like it when we were struggling with SEM's constipation. Not only have I learned more since then but there is more available to learn, available to us all.

My wish is to make information about gut health and constipation in cats accessible in a manner that leads to understanding. In my experience, understanding how things work helps us to help our cats better. I hope you will agree and that your sweet cats benefit.
[I (WS) have no connection to that site - the "I" in the above quote is that of the website's author and owner.]
 

jill-e

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2013
Messages
47
Purraise
8
Location
Colorado
Try Slippery Elm Bark Syrup. This is not something you buy, you make it yourself and it's easy to make. It works to normalize intestinal issues, kind of like a natural Pepto Bismol (which you can't give cats). It works for constipation, vomiting, diarrhea, anything having to do with mucous membranes. Below is the recipe I've used many times.

You will want to get the pure powdered slipper elm, preferably not in the capsules as those can contain other ingredients and it's difficult to measure it that way too as it's a light fluffy powder. I buy it in bulk at my local natural food store. Not sure what you'll find near you. You can order it online too.

Give a teaspoon of syrup (5 cc) for an average-size cat (about 10 pounds) 5 minutes before a meal to minimize upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea, or to soothe and heal mouth ulcers. I use an oral syringe to dose my cats when needed.

Slippery Elm Bark Syrup for Cats
From The New Natural Cat Book by Anitra Frazier

In a small saucepan, place 1/2 cup cold water (preferably natural spring water) and 1 teaspoon powdered slippery elm bark. Whip with a fork or small whisk to wet the powder. Stirring constantly, bring to a low boil over medium heat then reduce to a simmer for 1 or 2 minutes or until slightly thickened (happens fast!). Cool and refrigerate. Keeps 7 to 8 days. Make sure you label the day you made it so you don't keep it too long.

One of my cats gets this daily now as she is 13.5 years old and seems to have developed an acidic stomach so she vomits almost everyday. Also, when she's on antibiotics, I give it.

If you haven't got it, I highly recommend the the book this recipe came from.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

purrplegnome

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 23, 2013
Messages
6
Purraise
1
Location
Summerville, GA
Sorry I've been MIA - things have been busy here. I did take Fancy to the vet, no impaction, really no sign of diarrhea, but she did have a severe urninary tract infection. They had to sedate her to check her out, because she's so aggressive. The smell of any other animal sets her off. This stems from where we rescued her from, she had to hide under things only she could fit under, to protect herself from other animals. She's been on antibiotics for a week, she's almost done with them. She still has her little mouth-quivers, I call them, which means she's still nauseous off and on. I don't have the money to take her back to the vet, so I just pray that nothing more serious develops, as the vet suggested it might.  She's my baby girl and I love her dearly, but we don't have the money for all the utilities, having to juggle, I can't justify paying several hundred dollars again. My husband had a mini-stroke and was in the hospital. He's otherwise healthy, except for an elevated cholesterol level, which he's on medication for now. All that coupled with the current frigid temperatures (5º last night with a windchill of -7. And I live in SUMMERville, GA lol) .. .anyway, I'm sorry I didn't update you all, I thank you for asking about Fancy!
 

cprcheetah

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
1,887
Purraise
149
Location
Bountiful, UTah
Boy you have had a lot on your plate.  Sometimes bladder infections can take several weeks of treatment before they are cured, the vet I work for normally puts the cat on antibiotics for 2 weeks, then rechecks after the cat has been off of antibiotics and sometimes adds another 2 weeks of antibiotics if needed.
 

annekarina53

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
81
Purraise
69
That's very true.  And my recheck for my kitty when he had his UTI that nearly did him in was only $10 so check with your vet before you think it's not financially possible to go back.  You've paid the bucks.  Now is just the check up as long as everything stays well and that is the important thing.  Besides talk to the vet.  They may be more understanding than you think.
 
Top