Constipated Cat

[Samkat923]

Have 2 indoor only cats, 5 years old. Noticed last week the male wasn't pooping as frequently as he had been. Urinating fine. He is eating and drinking normal. Had a BM Tuesday night, he wasn't quite himself, not as social as usual. Took him to the Vet Thursday morning, they kept him overnite, he wouldn't eat at all while he was there and no BM. They did abdominal x-rays and the report showed normal. Brought him home Friday, he pooped Saturday night and nothing since then. I have been giving him 1/4 tsp. of Benefiber a day since Friday. Nothing has changed about his environment or food. What in the world is going on?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It is hard to tell if there is anything specific going on. Maybe his drinking water is down a bit. Does he eat dry food, or canned, or both? If both, maybe give him a bit more canned and bit less dry. But, instead of Benefiber, I would try Miralax to see if that might do the trick. Benefiber is a soluble fiber, which doesn't always work. Miralax works by pulling extra moisture into the digestive tract to help soften the stool. I would start with 1/8 tsp and if necessary bump it up to 1/4 tsp if you don't see any results.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

You said the xray shows "normal". I take that to mean he wasn't full of poop, right? Did your Vet say he was constipated? When he did poop on Saturday, was it an abnormally large amount? I'm just curious because normally a Vet can tell if a cat is constipated by simply feeling their abdominal area (or thereabouts) and don't need an xray, unless the cat is very overweight, but that might be the case. Did they recommend the Benefiber? I'm guessing so, but I believe the usual dose is 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon TWICE a day. I, personally recommend Miralax also, I've had a couple of cat on it and it works well.

As to WHY he might be constipated, maybe he's dehydrated as FeebysOwner alluded to. Maybe he isn't getting enough exercise. I know my indoor cat who suffers from constipation is a "couch potato". Maybe he's overweight and it's catching up to him. Maybe he suddenly has ana aversion to his litter box. Could be so many things. Stress even. But if you get him to take in more water, that should help, along, along with whatever advise your Vet gives you. Even adding PLAIN canned pumpkin to his diet can help. It works for both constipation AND diarrhea, oddly enough..

 

[Samkat923]

Thank you so much. He eats wet and dry food. Have been trying to get him to drink more water. He is overweight, trying to work on that. Vet didn't feel any problems in his abdomen, did x-ray just to make sure. X-ray results showed "moderate amount of fecal matter in colon no excessive desiccation evident". Liver, bladder, spleen and colon were normal. Gave him 1/8 tsp Miralax last night. Was excited to scoop poop this am, but it was the other cat. (I actually set up my husbands trail camera on the liter box he prefers). Should I do the Miralax 2x day or just once?

 

[MissClouseau]

I have no experience with Miralax but just wanted to say, hairballs (swallowing more hair than usual) can also lead to harder stools/constipation. Malt paste daily might help with that. Occasional treat-size plain yogurt might also help with bowel movements and to give a bit more hydration.

And of course the reason might be the result of more than one thing.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Should I do the Miralax 2x day or just once?

I believe it would be OK to do it twice a day for a couple of days at the 1/8 tsp amount.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I give the Miralax twice a day. And I start with 1/8 teaspoon dissolved in a little bit of water, then mix it right into his food. It usually takes a couple of days to work though. If 1/8 teas. doesn't do the trick, then I up the amount a little bit.

 

[tlco]

Ok here is what my vet had be to do when I needed to hydrate my cat asap due to poison. She would not drink and I could not get the water down her fast enough to save her. Open a can of tuna in water or oil doesn't matter mix the tuna/ water/oil a spoon full at a time in a small bowel of water,,slightly more water then tuna basically tuna flavored water. They can't resist it, let them drink and eat what they want as much as they will. Tuna might cause a runny BM maybe not but he will get the water in him and you should see a BM. I saved my cats life with this trick...and was able to get her help. Also add pumpkin to his diet 2x a day its great for them and they usually like it, it's like a probiotic for them.

ps) i don't suggest you feed tuna all the time as most cats can not tolerate fish,,crazy but true. Here is an articale on the subject Fish Allergy in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost

 

[Samkat923]

Guys, thanks for all the help. Took him back to Vet Saturday morning. He kept going to the litter box, staying for a long time, and nothing. I noticed him squatting in the kitchen and when he moved there were a few drops of urine on the floor. I was afraid he might have a blockage. The Vet expressed his bladder and said there was a lot of urine expelled and there was no blood in his urine. He put him on Clavamox for a UTI just in case. Well Sunday morning there was about an ounce of urine on the kitchen floor and there was some blood in it. He is getting his meds twice a day. He is going to the litter box pooping and peeing (about a tablespoon each time). Any idea how long before he feels better? He is still eating and drinking but I can tell he doesn't feel good. This may have been the problem to begin with, when I thought he was constipated, he just didn't wan't to go the the litter box because it was painful.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Assuming the Clavamox doesn't make him feel bad, I would think he'll start to feel better in the next day or two. I had two cats that didn't do well on Clavamox, and they acted as if they were dying, so the Vet took them off it. Lethargy, total loss of appetite, that type of thing. If that happens, be sure to call your Vet. That's the problem with antibiotics, they usually come with side effects . But when it comes to infections, they also normally do their job. Hope your little guy feels better real soon!

 

[cataholic07]

Did they test the urine? Did you do bloodwork? Overweight cats are prone to getting UTIs as well as diabetes (diabetes frequently causes UTIs as well and constipated). If it doesn't clear up in a few days I'd take him back to get his blood checked. I would also stop feeding the dry and feed only wet food.That will help him lose weight to in the mean time. Lots of cats who are overweight who become diabetic once at a healthy weight and on insulin for awhile go into remission as long as the pounds stay off

 

[Samkat923]

Did they test the urine? Did you do bloodwork? Overweight cats are prone to getting UTIs as well as diabetes (diabetes frequently causes UTIs as well and constipated). If it doesn't clear up in a few days I'd take him back to get his blood checked. I would also stop feeding the dry and feed only wet food.That will help him lose weight to in the mean time. Lots of cats who are overweight who become diabetic once at a healthy weight and on insulin for awhile go into remission as long as the pounds stay off

Thank you. I took him back to the Vet yesterday, he scared me yesterday morning, kept going to the litter box, wouldn't eat or drink and he was very, very lethargic. Vet did blood work and called me to tell me there was nothing wrong with my cat!? I don't know if he has even checked his urine other than looking at it. He gave him a shot of Cerenia for nausea hopefully so he could keep his meds down. He acted better last night and this morning. Maybe he has finally made the turn for the better. I was actually so frustrated with my Vet yesterday that I made him an appointment with another Vet in town to bring him in today. He was so much better this morning that I cancelled the appointment with the understanding that I may have to reschedule. He has been on the Clavamox since Saturday so I am hoping that finally it is doing it's job. He is not eating a lot but he is drinking water. Can hardly wait to get home this afternoon to a much, much better baby.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Since he acted like he felt better after the injection, I'm betting it's the Clavamox that's the problem. But that injection won't keep him feeling good for very long. Less than 24 hours probably. Did he give you any of the Cerenia in pill form to give him, because I'm guessing he needs to be on the antibiotic for about 10 days,right?

 

[Samkat923]

Since he acted like he felt better after the injection, I'm betting it's the Clavamox that's the problem. But that injection won't keep him feeling good for very long. Less than 24 hours probably. Did he give you any of the Cerenia in pill form to give him, because I'm guessing he needs to be on the antibiotic for about 10 days,right?

Yes, you are exactly right!!! He gave me 4 16mg pills to be given 1 every 24 hours. He is due for another this afternoon. He is on the antibiotic for 10 days. If he continues to do well, I may have to get more of the Cerenia. Still going to litter box frequently, but at least he leaves about a tablespoon full now compared to nothing a few days ago.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If it is the Clavamox that is making him a bit nauseous, it is best to give it to him with food to help mitigate stomach upset. You can try mixing it with some baby food meats (no garlic/onions) and see if he will take it that way. Or, even some canned tuna/chicken in water.
If it is in pill form, just crush it up and mix it in a small amount of food at first to make sure he takes it all, and then give him more food afterward.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Cerenia can only be given for 5 days in a row and then you have to pause it's use (for how many days I'm not sure). So I'm guessing you won't need any more since he should finish up the dreaded Clavamox next Monday, and you've got enough Cerenia to last through Saturday, if I'm calculating correctly.

 

[Samkat923]

Well, after about a day of feeling better, we are back to going to the litter box every few minutes and doing nothing. Not eating or drinking. Took him to a new Vet this morning. Within 45 minutes they had checked his urine and called me and said there was blood in his urine. They got his records from the previous Vet for the x-rays and blood work. They want him to stay on the Clavamox and Cerenia but are adding an anti inflammatory for the irritation and pain. Hopefully this is the ticket. I am so tired of him suffering and there is nothing I can do about it. Needless to say, if this works, he has a new Vet.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Did they say if they thought he has FLUTD or cystitis, or simply state he has blood in his urine. I think you already mentioned you noticed a little blood in his urine earlier, and wonder if you mentioned that to your "old" Vet? Anyway, hopefully the anti-inflammatory will do the trick, although if he is in pain, I'm surprised no pain pill.

 

[Samkat923]

Did they say if they thought he has FLUTD or cystitis, or simply state he has blood in his urine. I think you already mentioned you noticed a little blood in his urine earlier, and wonder if you mentioned that to your "old" Vet? Anyway, hopefully the anti-inflammatory will do the trick, although if he is in pain, I'm surprised no pain pill.

They never really said anything other than UTI. The old vet was told of the blood in his urine, and he informed me that there was no blood in his urine. Really? As far as I know he never did an urinalysis. (At least he didn't bill me for it). The first thing the new vet did was run an urinalysis. Was told to keep him on the Clavamox and Cerenia, he also added Metacam every 24 hours. He said that was an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. He was much better last night and this morning. He was eating and drinking and not going to the litter box every 2 minutes. He seems to be more comfortable. Hoping that is the same or even better when I get home today.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

SO glad he's doing better (again). Fingers crossed this does the trick. He's adorable . Love the white markings on his nose