Hi, I have and issue I was hoping someone might have some insight into. My cat has been experiencing some hard stools for the last few months. It started around the end of the summer (so far as I know), when he pooped outside the litter box a few times. I finally figured out he wasn't adverse to using the box or not getting there in time, it was a response to his uncomfortable straining (if I moved the box to another location, he'd be in it almost immediately, and he'd poop.) At the time, I chalked it up to coat changes and hair balls. I did alter his diet from all dry to wet in the morning (with some added water) and dry at night to get more moisture into his diet.
Since then, the problem has been intermittent. Sometimes he seems to have trouble going, even though he's going every day like clockwork.
Much of the time, it seems like the first piece of poop is on the harder and drier side (and when there's been particular difficulty, I definitely find hair in those bits), but then the rest of it looks normal and healthy and not too hard/soft. Sometimes the first few pieces are small and thin, but again, once he gets going they're followed by normal pieces.
He's 12.5yo, so on the older side, but otherwise he's peppy and energetic, eats fine, grooms, etc. My biggest fear stems from a couple of very small dermal mast cell tumors he had removed last year, but at the time the vet found no evidence of internal involvement (multiple ultrasounds and splenic tests), there's been no reoccurrence, and his yearly exam/blood work in May was fine. (This is just where my health fears always go with him now. The tumors seemed as "benign" as they come, as at least one he had for 4-ish years before we realized what it was.)
I've been giving him a little bit of hairball remedy to keep things moving, but I'm at a loss as to why just a little of the poop is hard or hard to express. Wondering currently if it could be an anal gland issue? Or a hair issue? Despite the hair in his stool, he's been coughing up fewer hairballs since I switched to part-wet food. And he has very fine fur (almost rabbit like) that seems to get caught in his works easily.
I might add some pumpkin to his food to see if that softens things up. Food changes are difficult because he has some allergies. But if anyone else has some insight I'd appreciate it!
Since then, the problem has been intermittent. Sometimes he seems to have trouble going, even though he's going every day like clockwork.
Much of the time, it seems like the first piece of poop is on the harder and drier side (and when there's been particular difficulty, I definitely find hair in those bits), but then the rest of it looks normal and healthy and not too hard/soft. Sometimes the first few pieces are small and thin, but again, once he gets going they're followed by normal pieces.
He's 12.5yo, so on the older side, but otherwise he's peppy and energetic, eats fine, grooms, etc. My biggest fear stems from a couple of very small dermal mast cell tumors he had removed last year, but at the time the vet found no evidence of internal involvement (multiple ultrasounds and splenic tests), there's been no reoccurrence, and his yearly exam/blood work in May was fine. (This is just where my health fears always go with him now. The tumors seemed as "benign" as they come, as at least one he had for 4-ish years before we realized what it was.)
I've been giving him a little bit of hairball remedy to keep things moving, but I'm at a loss as to why just a little of the poop is hard or hard to express. Wondering currently if it could be an anal gland issue? Or a hair issue? Despite the hair in his stool, he's been coughing up fewer hairballs since I switched to part-wet food. And he has very fine fur (almost rabbit like) that seems to get caught in his works easily.
I might add some pumpkin to his food to see if that softens things up. Food changes are difficult because he has some allergies. But if anyone else has some insight I'd appreciate it!
