I am boarding a neighbor's cat in my home while they are on vacation. Have cared for him off and on for about a year. He suffers from chronic constipation--he'll produce little dots of stool for a week or so, then come out with one big one. Not enough!
Last time his owners were away I took him to the vet because he was very uncomfortable. Yuck alert...vet collected almost a cup of poop manually, and Jonesy had a couple more good movements after a kitty enema. Then the owners came home...
Long story short. Owner has agreed that diet may be part of the problem. When I first met Jonesy they were giving him one can of Fancy Feast a day. He was half starved. They give him no dry food because "he swallows it whole and then brings it back up." They have since moved him to two cans of Nine Lives a day. He has plumped up and is quite sleek, almost up to where he should be, but almost always hungry. He doesn't appear to be uncomfortable, which he clearly was the time I took him to the vet.
Jonesy gets 5 mg of methamizole once a day which maintains his thyroid levels well. I am giving him 2.5 cc of Lactulose solution, 10g/15ml twice daily, and putting about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil into each of his four feedings (I've broken it up at the owner's suggestion).
Owner thinks maybe dried food mashed up? What brand that is available in the grocery store? I've read here that plain canned pumpkin might help.
My concerns are a) the owners won't maintain the four feedings, even though they suggested it (new house, marriage next month), b) the owner won't continue the Lactulose (it appears from med levels that they didn't give it to him after they returned home the last time), and c) it might have become a behavior problem.
Thanks for feedback.
Last time his owners were away I took him to the vet because he was very uncomfortable. Yuck alert...vet collected almost a cup of poop manually, and Jonesy had a couple more good movements after a kitty enema. Then the owners came home...
Long story short. Owner has agreed that diet may be part of the problem. When I first met Jonesy they were giving him one can of Fancy Feast a day. He was half starved. They give him no dry food because "he swallows it whole and then brings it back up." They have since moved him to two cans of Nine Lives a day. He has plumped up and is quite sleek, almost up to where he should be, but almost always hungry. He doesn't appear to be uncomfortable, which he clearly was the time I took him to the vet.
Jonesy gets 5 mg of methamizole once a day which maintains his thyroid levels well. I am giving him 2.5 cc of Lactulose solution, 10g/15ml twice daily, and putting about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil into each of his four feedings (I've broken it up at the owner's suggestion).
Owner thinks maybe dried food mashed up? What brand that is available in the grocery store? I've read here that plain canned pumpkin might help.
My concerns are a) the owners won't maintain the four feedings, even though they suggested it (new house, marriage next month), b) the owner won't continue the Lactulose (it appears from med levels that they didn't give it to him after they returned home the last time), and c) it might have become a behavior problem.
Thanks for feedback.