Many things going on, currently constipation

[lisahe]

I don't think I've gotten enough food in her what with being afraid of over filling her, and her disliking to continue more. Hopefully, with this poop, I can get more into her, I'll do food more often.

Well, at least, I'm not the only one. I try not to offer her food constantly, but she is usually such a brat, so I don't know how much is her being stubborn, just because she can. That must've been hard to go through with your cat. I can see how situations like that would make testing difficult. Thank you, that is exactly how it feels. You have a way with words.

Sounds good! I'll keep the miralax up. I might up the amount of times I feed her as well, just as she's not into multiple syringes at once.

I certainly can! The last ones were more...firm than this, and definitely more dry. The uh...skin in this one looked more wet earlier.

Yes, more food more often can be a good approach... that helps a lot with Ireland. Sometimes when she seems a little unhappy I realize I haven't been giving her snacks or encouraging her to eat as often as I might. It's hard to find a good balance.

Those are lovely poop pictures! Most of all, I'm just glad to see she's pooping. I'll leave the real analysis to someone like white shadow but will say that our cats' poops started looking different (how to put it?) -- a little shinier and smoother -- after I started giving them daily supplements with psyllium and slippery elm bark.

Here's hoping Squeak has a good day today!

 

[noise]

She was trouble last night, going around scratching at the walls, climbing on things. Quite lively, despite the wobbles. Two more poops in the night, looks looser.


Breathing is down to 20 a min, doesn't seem as strained when at rest, but I can't remember what it was like before all this.

Yes, more food more often can be a good approach... that helps a lot with Ireland. Sometimes when she seems a little unhappy I realize I haven't been giving her snacks or encouraging her to eat as often as I might. It's hard to find a good balance.

Those are lovely poop pictures! Most of all, I'm just glad to see she's pooping. I'll leave the real analysis to someone like white shadow but will say that our cats' poops started looking different (how to put it?) -- a little shinier and smoother -- after I started giving them daily supplements with psyllium and slippery elm bark.

Here's hoping Squeak has a good day today!

Yeah, balance is hard. With her and the syringe feeding, she doesn't like to go beyond one syringe. So, for now, while I try to get her to eat, I'll up the times and offer her some. Thankfully, there is another cat upstairs, so he can have whatever she doesn't eat haha

Haha, thanks, I think I have a calling in poop pictures. Oh right, I was looking at those two. Slippery elm bark is good for stomach upset, right? I was kind of amused, as I think I can use some myself.

 

[noise]

Quick update before bed. Another poop at some point today, super soft. Less wobbles, but still awkward on her feet. She was sleeping quite well today, which I think she was struggling with before.

 

[lisahe]

Quick update before bed. Another poop at some point today, super soft. Less wobbles, but still awkward on her feet. She was sleeping quite well today, which I think she was struggling with before.

Well how about that one!? Now that things are, ah, moving, I wonder if she still needs so much of what you're giving her... I've never used that stuff, though, so am just wondering, not suggesting.

As for slippery elm, yes, it's good for stomach upset. And general (how to put it?) healing since it's goopy and coats sore places. I used it once myself when I had a stomach ache and it was very nice! I can't say I like the taste but it settled my stomach. It's been very helpful for Edwina, with her IBD gut, and I've also been syringing small amounts to Ireland since I think she has a mildly irritated throat. (Dry winter air!)

Most of all, I'm glad to hear that Squeak isn't wobbling so much. I hope she's doing even better today!

 

[noise]

white shadow Just figured out how to tag or I would have done it for the previous pictures.

No poops last night, I was kind of worried about their wetness, so I did go to 1/8tsp on the miralax. I don't know if that would have been what changed?

I, again, convinced my husband to bring her in for an enema, just in case. I'll ask the vet and everything this morning, if it's the best course with her pooping some, I'm worried I'm over worrying haha

Well how about that one!? Now that things are, ah, moving, I wonder if she still needs so much of what you're giving her... I've never used that stuff, though, so am just wondering, not suggesting.

As for slippery elm, yes, it's good for stomach upset. And general (how to put it?) healing since it's goopy and coats sore places. I used it once myself when I had a stomach ache and it was very nice! I can't say I like the taste but it settled my stomach. It's been very helpful for Edwina, with her IBD gut, and I've also been syringing small amounts to Ireland since I think she has a mildly irritated throat. (Dry winter air!)

Most of all, I'm glad to hear that Squeak isn't wobbling so much. I hope she's doing even better today!

Yes, I think I'll continue, as I said I'll talk to the vet today, just in case.

Huh, maybe I'll see about grabbing the two of us some. Thanks for the info!

She's walking pretty good again, stumbles a little only. She's off doing her own things again, and yes, generally just seems better.

Edit: aha, found the edit button!
Ok, I called the vet, and they said most of this is fairly normal, and to try alternate days of miralax, to help with the wetness. For the stomach, it could be the process of the poop going through. So, if it continues or gets worse to bring her in, then. I forgot to write stuff down again, so I apologize for the inexact wording here.

 

[noise]

She tried some food! Just a little gravy of a similar product lisahe told me about. Whiskas perfect portions. Then a nibble of tuna. So, vet thinks maybe some more appetite stimulants, which we'll try even though she was a pain about those little pieces last time. Literally, holding them in her mouth, pretending to swallow them, and then spitting them out.

 

[lisahe]

Glad to hear she's at least trying the food! Our Ireland (our picky eater who gets constipated) is pretty dependable about eating Perfect Portions foods. Pates work best for her: she'll also lick the gravy off the "cuts." Another option might be to mash the cuts. Or put them through a mini food processor. (I've used that trick many times.)

 

[noise]

white shadow
Still pretty watery poop, I think more structure than yesterday's, but only because it didn't sink down, immediately. I wish she had pooped, before I gave her a miralax dose today...
Yesterday's:

Today's:

First dose of mirtazapine, this morning. The vet lent me a pill popper, and boy, is it that much easier. Will have to remember that.

Glad to hear she's at least trying the food! Our Ireland (our picky eater who gets constipated) is pretty dependable about eating Perfect Portions foods. Pates work best for her: she'll also lick the gravy off the "cuts." Another option might be to mash the cuts. Or put them through a mini food processor. (I've used that trick many times.)

Yes, it's pretty good, it hasn't moved over for today, but good that she isn't turned off completely.

Haha the other cat in the house does it, too. Seems pretty common. Oh, right, I'll run the next cuts one through our magic bullet, I probably should have remembered that. I just had the tins nearby.

 

[white shadow]

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Sorry for having been AWOL!

N noise - could you give a short summary of what's happened today? Poops, eating, behaviour
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[noise]

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Sorry for having been AWOL!

N noise - could you give a short summary of what's happened today? Poops, eating, behaviour
.

That's ok, it happens.

Today she pooped a watery poop, close to the 2nd to last one, forgot to take a pic, cause she jumped up to the couch immediately with her dirty butt, which made me forget later, sorry. No food without me, as far as I can tell. Can't seem to get comfy, wants to just sit in my lap, but quite full of energy to fight me on stuff like syringe food and cleaning up the poop. I gave her 1\4tsp of miralax before she pooped, and she also got a 3mg mirtazapine.

 

[white shadow]

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So, did she poop twice today? (In post 48 there's a pic marked "Today's".)

I think you should stop the Miralax for now.

She'll likely have one or more watery movements coming up, so prepare for that.

Knowing what, if anything she eats is really important, so you'll need to find or figure a guaranteed way to know - and, keep track - of exactly what she eats. You need to keep a record, too - like a diary.

Is her stomach still "hard"......like the way you described it before?

Is she acting as if she's hungry?
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[noise]

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So, did she poop twice today? (In post 48 there's a pic marked "Today's".)

I think you should stop the Miralax for now.

She'll likely have one or more watery movements coming up, so prepare for that.

Knowing what, if anything she eats is really important, so you'll need to find or figure a guaranteed way to know - and, keep track - of exactly what she eats. You need to keep a record, too - like a diary.

Is her stomach still "hard"......like the way you described it before?

Is she acting as if she's hungry?
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Oh...I must be tired. No, just the once. I didn't even remember posting.

Yeah, I think that's probably for the best. I wouldn't have even given her this morning's amount, if I'd seen the poop. I'd already skipped yesterday.

Ok, I was thinking of starting to weigh the amount I give her, and I'll start writing it down.

Most isn't as hard, it seems to give way now, rather than feeling like...a bouncy ball, it's more like, a partially filled long balloon. There's a spot up in the center of the ribs that'd I'd say is still pretty close to bouncy ball hard.

 

[white shadow]

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OK.

You've now mentioned getting a pill popper and you've said you've given her a miratazapine tablet..........did the Vet see her or, did you just go by yourself? If examined, what did the Vet say? Could you post about all this?

You just mentioned 'weighing the amount you give her'.......I thought you were just syringing wet food. Can you explain, and give a full picture of what she's eating and if she's free-fed. Can you tell us exactly what she's eaten today so far?

What's her mood like? Is she active and playful or withdrawn...or what do you see?
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[noise]

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OK.

You've now mentioned getting a pill popper and you've said you've given her a miratazapine tablet..........did the Vet see her or, did you just go by yourself? If examined, what did the Vet say? Could you post about all this?

You just mentioned 'weighing the amount you give her'.......I thought you were just syringing wet food. Can you explain, and give a full picture of what she's eating and if she's free-fed. Can you tell us exactly what she's eaten today so far?

What's her mood like? Is she active and playful or withdrawn...or what do you see?
.

He hasn't seen her yet, it's what he recommended, hearing that she ate the tuna and tried the gravy, yesterday. So far it's been over the phone, keeping them updated. I did tell my concerns about the hard stomach and wet poops, and was told to keep an eye on it and call them back, if it persists.

Oh sorry, I'm also putting out extra food to see if she'll eat, I am also syringing, still. I know it's not much for today, it was 30mls so far, hoping to hit 50ml by the time I get to bed. Usually, I do more, but my schedule has been thrown off, and also, she's really gotten the energy to run away, and fight me, or plead with me on feedings. I'd say it was a good thing, if she would eat the stuff I put out for her. As far as, I can tell, she hasn't touched anything, but possibly sneaked some from the other cat, when she went upstairs. I can't say for certain, though, as she just walked up to me licking her chops. I had assumed she'd just go for the water like she usually does, but she doesn't really display that behaviour with just water.

I'd say somewhere in between on mood. She still likes to get up and do some things, especially, if I go upstairs to the kitchen, she'll join me, but she spends a lot of time on my lap, or laying down, otherwise. She has been climbing her tower lately, I think it's a 6', which started when she was wobbly, so we restricted that to the lowest level. Still scratches at her scratcher, quite vigorously now, and started meowing demands again. I was starting to think she had lost her voice or something, as she was very raspy up until a day or two ago. Other than that, it's just sometimes she has a hard time getting comfortable, which seems to be a theme before she poops, kind of odd, it's happening after a poop this time.

Edit: Wording, but also, she just woke up 2 times, and both times gave a sad, little meow. I hope it's just a poop, she did it that first poop, too, or a bad dream, she does that, too. She, also, just got up, did the same meow, then led me to her water fountain, so I really don't know what it means. I washed it out anyway, fresh water, all that. She headed on up the stairs after drinking. I don't think I'll be able to sleep well tonight...

Anyway, I'm not sure if I've asked anyone properly if she is obstructed, should I worry about all this food I'm putting into her? Is watering it down enough to help with letting it go through?

 

[noise]

Oh, forgot to post this, sorry!

She did poop in the night, and was all purrs this morning. I don't know if the pics are helpful, since she covered them. I'll leave them as attachments, today.

Got through about 3\4 of a Churu. Tried offering her some heated food, but she was uninterested. Isn't being as bad about syringe feedings.

She's sleeping better again.

I did call the vet as those meows last night scared me, just going to monitor til this afternoon. I do admit I'm paranoid, and might ask for a check, just in case.

 

[lisahe]

Oh, forgot to post this, sorry!

She did poop in the night, and was all purrs this morning. I don't know if the pics are helpful, since she covered them. I'll leave them as attachments, today.

Got through about 3\4 of a Churu. Tried offering her some heated food, but she was uninterested. Isn't being as bad about syringe feedings.

She's sleeping better again.

I did call the vet as those meows last night scared me, just going to monitor til this afternoon. I do admit I'm paranoid, and might ask for a check, just in case.

Pooping (and even covering), sleeping better, and eating some Churu all sounds like decent progress. So is acceptance of syringe feeding!

I'm just curious: What did the vet say about the meowing? Just to monitor?

 

[noise]

Gosh, did I have a scare. I was trying to clean Squeak up today, as she hasn't been cleaning anywhere, but, especially, her butt. She wasn't too happy with it, so I ended up trying to wrap her up in a towel, usually works with nail trimmings, with minimal struggle. Instead, she freaks out a ton, fights her way out, then started breathing heavily. I calmed her down, thankfully, but I still feel bad. I hope she didn't hurt herself in trying to get out.

Anyway, the reason I mention this, is she did go to poop after, and it was literal liquid. I'd assume it was just the stress, but I did say, I'd keep track of the poops, so I figured I'd mention it.

I'll also throw in a pic of her doing things backwards today, as I think it's cute. She was being a pain about my glass of water, today, so I gave her a container, with a tray underneath as she loves dragging the container around and dunking her paw in. When I went to change out the water, I got this instead.


At least, she didn't spill it this time.

Pooping (and even covering), sleeping better, and eating some Churu all sounds like decent progress. So is acceptance of syringe feeding!

I'm just curious: What did the vet say about the meowing? Just to monitor?

Slow, but steady, I suppose!

Yes, I was thinking it might have been the poop, and they thought so to. She did nothing of the sort today, so I called to update, but got more into the poop than anything haha They told me we're still monitoring as poop is still making it through, so it's not likely she's blocked.

 

[white shadow]

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That's hilarious about the water! I love her quirks. Things must always be done Ms Pipsqueak's way!

I want to mention one point about 'liquid poops". When poop is moving through the intestine, it's actually in liquid form (it only becomes solid after it empties into the rectum at the very end of the intestine...IF there is a blockage in the intestine, pressure will build up at that spot and will force liquid poop around the blockage.....and that can result in a liquidy bowel movement. So, a liquid poop may not mean there's nothing left to come out, it may mean there's a blockage. Only an Xray or skilled Vet's fingers can find/determine a blockage.

And, that blockage could be hair. In the intestines, hair can congeal into clumps/balls and these can block the passageway. Egg yolk lecithin prevents these clumps from forming so the hair just passes through. Here's a snip from an amazing website, FelineConstipation.org, that covers all this:

​

"Large hairballs which manage to go down the wrong way, the long way, can result in an inflamed or impacted small intestine. Even small hairballs can be difficult to inch along...shed hair ingested during grooming can ball up in the stomach like a load of shoelaces in a washing machine, accumulate and grow too large to pass through the pyloric sphincter. One reader administers a small amount of egg yolk lecithin to her cats daily to reduce the incidence of hairballs. Lecithin has lubricant properties so apparently this practice acts as a 'hair rinse' to prevent swallowed hairs from tangling into a ball in the stomach. Instead the hairs move out with the chyme and eventually land in the litter box in the stool."​

What Goes Wrong in Constipation? -link​

lisahe mentioned egg yolk last week and you gave her some from your breakfast. That's just as effective as the concentrated lecithin powder - so by sharing your breakfast with Miss Pipsqueak, you may be preventing hairball formation.
Will keep watching...........
.

 

[lisahe]

We have a paw dunker, too! We think of water dishes as finger bowls around here.

I'm glad Squeak seems to be feeling a little better!

 

[noise]

One poop! Not too watery, so hope that means the miralax is leaving her system. Still burying.

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That's hilarious about the water! I love her quirks. Things must always be done Ms Pipsqueak's way!

I want to mention one point about 'liquid poops". When poop is moving through the intestine, it's actually in liquid form (it only becomes solid after it empties into the rectum at the very end of the intestine...IF there is a blockage in the intestine, pressure will build up at that spot and will force liquid poop around the blockage.....and that can result in a liquidy bowel movement. So, a liquid poop may not mean there's nothing left to come out, it may mean there's a blockage. Only an Xray or skilled Vet's fingers can find/determine a blockage.

And, that blockage could be hair. In the intestines, hair can congeal into clumps/balls and these can block the passageway. Egg yolk lecithin prevents these clumps from forming so the hair just passes through. Here's a snip from an amazing website, FelineConstipation.org, that covers all this:

​

View attachment 468810​

"Large hairballs which manage to go down the wrong way, the long way, can result in an inflamed or impacted small intestine. Even small hairballs can be difficult to inch along...shed hair ingested during grooming can ball up in the stomach like a load of shoelaces in a washing machine, accumulate and grow too large to pass through the pyloric sphincter. One reader administers a small amount of egg yolk lecithin to her cats daily to reduce the incidence of hairballs. Lecithin has lubricant properties so apparently this practice acts as a 'hair rinse' to prevent swallowed hairs from tangling into a ball in the stomach. Instead the hairs move out with the chyme and eventually land in the litter box in the stool."​

What Goes Wrong in Constipation? -link​

lisahe mentioned egg yolk last week and you gave her some from your breakfast. That's just as effective as the concentrated lecithin powder - so by sharing your breakfast with Miss Pipsqueak, you may be preventing hairball formation.
Will keep watching...........
.

Haha, you got that right that things have to be her way.

That was my understanding as well on the poops, that's why I asked, even with the still liquid poop, they said that's likely just the miralax working.

Ok, I'll continue with sharing my egg yolk.

We have a paw dunker, too! We think of water dishes as finger bowls around here.

I'm glad Squeak seems to be feeling a little better!

Adorable! She used to do it, before we got the fountain, but she seems to like to do it with the fountain now, too.

Us too!