Cat With Chronic Constipation. What Else Can I Try?

[serval]

Hi everyone,
My about 10 year old male cat, Charlie, had an emergency urinary blockage and I have a hard time getting enough fluid in him. The vet says his urine is still concentrated (but no sign of new crystals yet) but he is constantly somewhat to extremely constipated.

His diet as of the last year has been:

-Can of Fancy Feast in the morning with about 1/8 tsp of Miralax on top. (I tried all the canned foods and this is only one he would sort-of eat. He wouldn't touch raw food)

-A small amount of Royal Canin C/D in water with 1/8 tsp of Miralax dissolved in water. (He will drink the water to get to the dry food)

-An extra small amount of dry Royal Canin C/D in the evening to keep his weight up since he only reluctantly eats the canned food.

As mentioned I have tried many other canned foods, raw diet, canned pumpkin, and fish juice. He hates it all. Laxatone does seem to help but I'm not I should be giving him that everyday. My vet says more Miralax.

Any suggestions appreciated!!

 

[white shadow]

My suggestion is is to get a fuller understanding of what goes on "inside".......

Here's a free Feline Constipation 101 - I think it should be a pre-req for anyone in the 'cat business' !

Here you are: Feline Constipation Home Page

......and, the start page: Introduction - notice that you can take the 'full version' or a 'condensed' one of each 'chapter.

From my experience, cats' 'systems' are unique for many reasons, and, no single approach is universal. BUT, if you understand the 'inner workings', you'll be better able to manage. (although, a great first step is to ditch the kibble).
.

 

[laura mae]

Miralax can be super helpful because it puts moisture in the gut to help make it easier to move things along. My standard dose for my cat who has physical reasons he is prone to constipation gets 1/4 teasp dissolved in water mixed in with his canned food twice a day. Little Big Cat has a page on constipation that was helpful for interim advice as was discussions with my vet. Constipated Cats | Little Big Cat

If your kitty is experiencing a bout of constipation, about 2 hours after a meal and before the next you can give them Vaseline. It's the primary ingredient in Laxatone. I flavor Boo's with a tiny bit of butter and smoosh it all in. He licks it off of my finger. No cat I've ever had likes the flavoring in laxatone so that's what I do. Cats don't absorb the vaseline and so it helps push things along too.

In addition to his canned food, I do incorporate a small portion of Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Fiber Response because it's supposed to help balance the soluble and insoluble fiber which feeds the appropriate gut bacteria. I think the ingredients are terrible though and wouldn't want it to be his primary food. I had him on re-hydrated freeze dried raw for a number of years to get more water into him, but it exacerbated the constipation because of the bone. (He has a narrowed passage due to a pelvic fracture (former stray, probably hit by a car now doted on indoor). The Royal Canin is super caloric concentration and even my minor offerings caused him to gain weight which I've tried to correct. So if you can get him regular without resorting to it, that would be best.

Because he's a chronic risk he also gets a prescription for cisapride with is a motility drug. It can only be compounded into a liquid by a compounding pharmacy. If your town doesn't have such a pharmacy 1-800-Petmeds also will do it.

 

[cat princesses]

I had an elderly cat who was experiencing constipation and I found the miralax helped but you have to go slow with it. Also, I found that Tiki Cat makes a line called Aloha friends which has pumpkin already mixed in. I currently have 2 cats who won't touch pumpkin from a can but they love the tiki cat aloha friends - you might want to try that and see if sneaking in the pumpkin that way is helpful at all.

 

[margd]

I'm not sure I can add much to what white shadow has already said, or the information included in the links she posted. Her post came in just as I was writing mine: briefly, I was suggesting you look into olive oil. If your vet is okay with you adding it to Charlie's diet, he'll give you the best dose to try as well but just for your information, the usual dose is between 1/2 - 1 tablespoon, or 5 - 10 drops, added to meals twice a day. If it's too big a dose, it can cause diarrhea. Now laura mae has just posted another excellent post so I'll wind this up with just one topic.

Since Charlie isn't a big fan of drinking water, you might consider getting a fountain for him. Many cats will drink more as part of checking out, or playing in, the fountain.

 

[Neo_23]

My suggestion is is to get a fuller understanding of what goes on "inside".......

Here's a free Feline Constipation 101 - I think it should be a pre-req for anyone in the 'cat business' !

Here you are: Feline Constipation Home Page

......and, the start page: Introduction - notice that you can take the 'full version' or a 'condensed' one of each 'chapter.

From my experience, cats' 'systems' are unique for many reasons, and, no single approach is universal. BUT, if you understand the 'inner workings', you'll be better able to manage. (although, a great first step is to ditch the kibble).
.

That's a fantastic resource, thank you for sharing.

 

[Furballsmom]

Have you tried tempting toppers or mixed in?
Tuna or tuna juice
Broth with no salt, garlic or onion
Goat milk or no lactose cow milk
Kitten food
Kitten milk replacer
Sending lots of good wishes!!