Panic attack while pooping... Please help!

For some background... We found our cat Dutch at about 7 days old on the side of the road with his sister. She did not make it through the night but my husband and I were able to save Dutch through all means necessary recommended by our vet.

Dutch was a feisty kitten, but very affectionate towards us and our dog Keg (who helped raise him) All was well and perfect until he was about 1 yr old.

We noticed Dutch was hiding in a corner. When we attempted to approach him he growled (a first for him.) After a few hour stand-off we noticed he was attempting to urinate but could not. We rushed him to the emergency vet center and were informed he had built up a crystallization blockage from his dry food. He spent 3 days at the hospital and we were told to continue with an all wet food diet.

Shoot another 6 months ahead and we return home one day from work to find poop in the living room (another first.) We assumed he was upset about something and went on with our day. This happened every couple of days for about three weeks. We never saw him poop, just came home to it. Finally, a few weeks later, we saw it. Dutch was having what I can only describe as a panic attack while pooping. He was scratching at his anus and his back was twitching while poop was involuntarily coming out and he continued to run away terrified each time another nugget dropped out.

It has now been a year of vet visits. He was unsuccessfully diagnosed with constipation, depression, epilepsy, mega colon, etc. We have done ultrasounds, xrays, MRI, enimas, etc. We have tried water fountains, stool softners, litter attraction sprays and plug ins, multiple litters, new litters, new foods, countless medications for the above diagnoses. Nothing has worked. About 6 months ago, urination outside the litter box just before his attacks started.

We are so desperate for help. Our vet, along with two speciality vets, have given up. We can't handle putting him to sleep when he is so young and 95% of the time he is a perfectly healthy and happy cat. He snuggles, he plays, he eats well. Literally nothing is wrong with him except for the poop and pee panic attacks.

This is literally our last option. Please help. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Anytime a kitty has digestive issues with nothing showing up on a myriad of tests I always think of IBD.  IBD doesn't always show up with the classic symptoms and it can show up in a young kitty.  My IBD kitty is prone to constipation and had his first flare when he was only 18 months old.  Has he ever been put on a steroid?  Have you tried Miralax as a permanent daily dose?

Thank you for responding! I'll ask my vet about IBD. We are currently putting 1/4 ts and 2mL of lactralose into every meal. (Twice a day). We tried a steroid about 2-3 months back with no luck. It seriously increased his pre-attack urination. What is your daily IBD treatment for you your kitty?

*1/4 ts of miralax

My kitty gets 2 1/2 mgs of prednisolone daily.  He started on 10 mg because he was very sick and was tapered down.  I only have to give the Miralax during shedding season.  You can up the dose of Miralax.  The only thing that will happen if he gets too much is diarrhea.  Not pleasant but it will resolve by stopping the Miralax.

You could also try probiotics.  Here is a thread about them http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262587/probiotics-search-human-grade-and-cfus    You usually here about them in relation to diarrhea but they can help with any chronic digestive issues.

I have a cat with severe allergy issues and urinary problems. I too have debated euthanasia, as he is as much work as 3 cats combined!

I would try the miralax daily. See if the cat is less reactive with runny poop rather than solid. The cat should have soft formed stools not stool pebbles. If he has stool pebbles he is constipated.

Try prednisolone in case this is inflammatory bowel disease.  Steroids will treat IBD, but will make urinary issues worse! As you noticed.

Has he been checked for urinary crystals recently? I would like to see the results of your last urinalysis if you don't mind posting them?

Is he still on a prescription diet?

If none of those work, it sounds like feline hyperesthesia syndrome.  The twitching sounds very similar.

Has he been dewormed recently? I would want to go ahead and give him fenbendazole, as that will treat most worms, just in case he has something not showing up on a fecal exam.

Urinary issues can cause pooping issues. A cat straining to urinate may accidentally poop at the same time. Considering he is doing both, maybe it is the urinary issues causing the change in behavior?

My cat with all his issues is on amitryptyline. It is the only drug that has made it easier for him to urinate without straining. The vet said it was only for behavioral issues, but I firmly believe it helps relieve urinary pain as well. 

I would think another urinalysis would be a good next step for this cat.  As urinary issues are notoriously difficult to resolve.  The cat foods on the market are not balanced for urinary health, and many of the high protein, healthier foods, actually are worse at causing urinary issues. A while back I emailed different cat food companies, and 80% of the companies do not balance the food for urinary issues. I think the only ones that do are Purina, Evo, and Hills, possibly royal canin. I did not email blue buffalo, but By nature, Earthborne holistics, Natural balance, Natures variety and several others were too low in methionine and are not good for cats with urinary issues.

This was after I spent $600 for my cat who blocked. Now I feed Purina urinary and give cooked chicken to increase their protein intake. It just isn't worth having to deal with urinary problems! 

The first thing I would try would be switching to a raw diet. Then again, that's my solution for everything (and it normally works!)