Constipation...maybe?

[ChanceThePersian]

Hello! I have a 5 year old male Persian who I adopted in August and he has me puzzled. He has been a bit constipated and I have been adding a lot of water to his canned food a few times a day and a bit of olive oil once a day. He isn't eating much of his dry food but is always begging for his wet food.

He seems to be fine except for not having normal bowel movements. He is having a small one every other day or so but isn't staining a lot and doesn't seem to be in pain. With it being a holiday weekend, his vet was closed so I have been a worried momma. Am I worrying too much?

Thank you!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
You're saying this is new, correct? Did he used to have daily poops?

Do you give him more of his wet food when he asks?

How much food are you feeding him - what is the brand?

The reason I'm asking is because some canned foods have a lower protein content, to the point that maybe he actually is hungry, and it is possible that his system is processing everything it can so his poops are smaller.

However, if it were me I'd still consider taking him to the vet just to be on the safe side regarding constipation - you're not wrong to be really aware of that.

Maybe these will help;

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

 

[1 bruce 1]

Hello! I have a 5 year old male Persian who I adopted in August and he has me puzzled. He has been a bit constipated and I have been adding a lot of water to his canned food a few times a day and a bit of olive oil once a day. He isn't eating much of his dry food but is always begging for his wet food.

He seems to be fine except for not having normal bowel movements. He is having a small one every other day or so but isn't staining a lot and doesn't seem to be in pain. With it being a holiday weekend, his vet was closed so I have been a worried momma. Am I worrying too much?

Thank you!

Is it hard, dry, runny, soft, etc? Weird color, shape (graphic, I apologize!)

 

[ChanceThePersian]

Hi there! It looks harder and small but litter is still sticking to it. I looks pretty normal just in smaller amounts and less frequently.

 

[ChanceThePersian]

Hi!
You're saying this is new, correct? Did he used to have daily poops?

Do you give him more of his wet food when he asks?

How much food are you feeding him - what is the brand?

The reason I'm asking is because some canned foods have a lower protein content, to the point that maybe he actually is hungry, and it is possible that his system is processing everything it can so his poops are smaller.

However, if it were me I'd still consider taking him to the vet just to be on the safe side regarding constipation - you're not wrong to be really aware of that.

Maybe these will help;

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

Hello! Thanks for replying!

Yes, this is new. I first noticed last Wednesday and started keeping track while adding the olive oil to his food.

He gets about 1-1.5 tbsp Koha Roo wet food (Cat Food - Roo Recipes - Kohapet) 2-3 times per day. He also normally eats about 1/3 cup of dry food everyday (Taste of the Wild).

I will be trying to get some time off from work either tomorrow or Tuesday to get him to the vet...if nothing else than to make me feel better!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Can you try something like Miralax? Just check with the vet about an appropriate product and dosage. If it helps, but then goes back to what you have now after stopping, probably need a vet visit - or at least a stool sample testing.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Hi. Can you try something like Miralax? Just check with the vet about an appropriate product and dosage. If it helps, but then goes back to what you have now after stopping, probably need a vet visit - or at least a stool sample testing.

I'd rule out a parasite first, too. Might just be a nasty worm thing causing the problems! If not, the vet should be able to help you out.
Could you bring a (somewhat, uh, "fresh") stool sample when you go in so they can run a fecal ASAP?
Always better to worry a little too much than not worry enough.

 

[Furballsmom]

I will be trying to get some time off from work either tomorrow or Tuesday to get him to the vet...if nothing else than to make me feel better!

Let us know what they say -

 

[abyeb]

I’m glad that you’ll be able to take him to the vet. There can be multiple potential causes for constipation, so it’s best that he gets checked over. This article has a lot of good information: Everything You Need To Know About Constipation In Cats

Please do keep us updated!

 

[Tweety loves Kitty]

Hi. Can you try something like Miralax? Just check with the vet about an appropriate product and dosage. If it helps, but then goes back to what you have now after stopping, probably need a vet visit - or at least a stool sample testing.

Hi! Miralax did work for my cat for about 6 months. But now I'm having problems again with my 13 year old male kitty. I took him to the vet last week because he didn't seem right. He was full of poopies and needed an enema. He was put on a Hills z/d diet which is primarily chicken liver (but he's allergic to chicken...). He has not pooped for 5 days now, but is really hungry, playful, loving, purring...but I'm still taking him back to the vet tomorrow....maybe he has an obstruction? He loves to lick, chew on, or even eat plastic! Anyways, you should try the Miralax. It did wonders.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Hi! Miralax did work for my cat for about 6 months. But now I'm having problems again with my 13 year old male kitty. I took him to the vet last week because he didn't seem right. He was full of poopies and needed an enema. He was put on a Hills z/d diet which is primarily chicken liver (but he's allergic to chicken...). He has not pooped for 5 days now, but is really hungry, playful, loving, purring...but I'm still taking him back to the vet tomorrow....maybe he has an obstruction? He loves to lick, chew on, or even eat plastic! Anyways, you should try the Miralax. It did wonders.

Five days is a long time! Good thing he's going in tomorrow, he might just be blocked at his rectal area (happened to our cat twice!) and they can manually "do the job" to get him going again.
I am not totally on board with some of the prescription or "special" diets out there, but I think z/d is one of those that the actual ingredients (the chicken liver) is broken down so many times before processing into the actual food, that the ingredients are practically unrecognizable by the body as the food they actually are/were. If you're concerned about the chicken allergy and the z/d, ask your vet because they'll sure be able to tell you better how this works than I can.