Cat still not right after enema

arkansawyer

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Hello,

One of our two cats, Babs (f, 2.5 yrs), stayed with a friend while my wife and I were away from Dec. 23-Jan. 1. Our friend has 2 cats, and Babs had unfettered access to their dry food. She typically eats mostly wet food supplemented with just a little dry.

She was initially fine when we picked her up, but on Thursday she vomited up some clear, slightly mucusy liquid. After that, her appetite was very low and she was a bit lethargic. She also wasn't pooping!

We took her to the vet on Friday and they gave her an all-purpose antibiotic and a steroid shot, as she has stomatitis. She had not improved at all yesterday (and had not pooped) so we took her back to the vet. They did a radiograph which showed her being quite backed up. They gave her an enema and a lot of hard poo came out followed by a bit of soft stool. When she came home she did seem better (more energetic and a bit more appetite) but she still isn't quite herself. She had some small, runny movements yesterday, including one with a bit of blood, and she was scooting. She hasn't pooped at all today.

We are only giving her wet food with some tasteless laxative given to us by the vet. 

Is this reason to be concerned? Is the reason for her constipation plausibly the change in diet and added stress of being in a new environment? She has never been constipated before. 
 

cat-tech

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I would wager every bit that the friend's cat food was the culprit.  It can take time for her GI tract to recover from the constipation, and the runny stool would be expected after an episode of constipation and an enema.

She could be self-limiting her food intake until she's feeling better, therefore not producing a stool.  You can try adding just a few kibbles to her canned food for a couple days to see if her stool is going to become more formed and normal.  Continue the laxatone as prescribed.  Monitor her food and water intake and if she's not feeling better by morning, please call your vet for further direction, it could be she needs extra fluid support (sub-q), or that she's sensitive to the antibiotics, ask your vet about that.
 

artiemom

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I sincerely feel that an enema really physically wipes out all cats.. just think about it.. it is an invasive procedure done to an animal who does not understand the purpose of it...

I just think: how would I feel if this was done to me????

I have just gone through this with my guy...It sometimes take a few days, especially if they are older, to get back to normal..

If I were you, I would add some extra water to your kitties food and contact your Vet tomorrow, with an update.. Doing this will calm your fears, and perhaps help settle your baby...

I think a couple of days without a bowel movement would be considered normal, after an enema....

Yes, just contact your Vet tomorrow and see what they say...

In the meantime, I would not feed any dry food.. just keep to the wet....

I honestly think this was precipitated by the change in environment and especially by the change in food... 

Things will work out.... 

You are a great mom/dad to worry this much...

good luck;

((Hugs)) 

thank you for caring so much about your babies...
 
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cat-tech

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An enema isn't too invasive, and the benefits far outweigh the discomfort - instant relief from pain and muscle contractions.  Yes, it can certainly rob the intestine of vital mucousa, but it will recover.  An impaction however, could be invasive since these often require anesthesia and manual removal.
 
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arkansawyer

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Thanks friends. Would there be any harm in adding some tuna fish juice to her wet food to induce her to eat? 
 

cat-tech

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Arkansawyer, yes you can add tuna juice , even some small pieces of tuna if it will entice her to eat more.
 

stephanietx

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The other thing an enema does is clear out the colon and intestines, so she's probably not got a lot to eliminate yet. Also, if she's not eating a usual amount of food, then there's not enough for her system to eliminate.  I'm going to agree with a previous poster that the friend's food combined with the different and stressful environment has everything to do with her current situation. I think that once you get her back onto her regular food and regular schedule, things will calm down and her litter box habits will return to normal.

A few months back, one of my kitties had a bout of gastroenteritis and one of the things the vet recommended was to withhold dry food because that doesn't move through their systems as quickly and stick to strictly wet food. We usually feed canned supplemented with dry, so it wasn't difficult to do.  So, I also agree with only wet food for a day or so. If you feed dry, only about 5 or so crunchies at a time.
 
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arkansawyer

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Follow-up: Babs, as far as we know, has not pooped since the enema on Saturday. I say as far as we know because there was some poop in her litter box yesterday, but it may have been the other cat. 

Others mentioned that it's normal for a cat not to have a bowel movement for several days after an enema, but I would appreciate others chiming in with their experiences or knowledge. 
 
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arkansawyer

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Still no poop since the enema on Saturday. Babs is eating and drinking pretty typically, and she has some energy but is not herself. She is currently on wet food only with lactulose mixed in. 

Should she have pooped by now? Is it odd that she also isn't on a laxative?
 

cat-tech

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The lactulose acts as a laxative.  Call your vet, ask if the lactulose dose is sufficient, or if it could be increased.

She should have had at least a small stool by now, can you feel her abdomen and is it distended, does it feel hard?  If you put your ear to her tummy, can you hear gas/gurgling?   Is she vomiting?  If she looks really uncomfortable, can't get comfortable or is in a sternal (crouched)  position most of the time, best to call your vet.

Are you certain the stool in the litter box was not hers?  Either way, please call your vet.
 

artiemom

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She should have a poop of some kind by now.. 4 days... Sometimes the lactulose and/or miralax take a few days to work..

It depends on the dose of lactulose also. Your Vet may want you to increase it a bit.. but contact them for instructions..

I would definitely contact your Vet.. She could need a bit of hydration, (Sub-Q fluids) in order to get things started.. 

wishing you the best, please let us know what is going on..

((hugs))
 
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