My 5 year old American Shorthair Peeing but not Pooping

[Maozer]

I adopted my American Shorthair, Benjamin, about three years ago. We just moved from the east coast to Missouri by car, and I guess the stress was a lot for him. He's acting normal (running around, purring, wanting attention), but he's not pooping very much. He has always liked dry food, but now I'm trying to make the switch to wet food. He'll eat Tiki Cat, but that's about it. For dry food, I switched him to Racheal Ray Nourish, which doesn't get the greatest (nor worst) reviews, but at least contains fiber. He seems to be drinking a lot as he's peeing normally, but how can you gauge how much water a cat is drinking? He prefers the bathroom the sink, and I'm all too happy to let him drink there. I measured out two ounces of water for his water bowl, but he doesn't seem to like his water bowl much anymore, preferring the bathroom sink (I'm thinking of a fountain). I have two litter boxes, but one he doesn't mess with. Today I found a long, very well-formed stool in his box, but it was quite hard and buried at the very bottom so I don't know how 'fresh' it is. I got this particular litter box late Monday night, so the very oldest it can be is two days. Until now, he's always been regular. It's also odd, but when I try to present him with the canned food he hates (eg Fancy Feast), he sniffs it and then starts scratching the floor. What's up with that?
I want to try lactulose and/or miralax before going to the vet. I am disabled, out of work right now, and cannot pay hundreds of dollars to get him back on track. As long as he is active, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I'm of a mind to get through this with my buddy together. Can anyone give me suggestions? Thank you.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Food changes can impact a cat's digestive system, so if you did an abrupt change, it might take a while for his body to adjust to the new food. He might also be eating less than before too. I would check the litter box every day so you will know if/when he goes on a daily basis. You do know that he has gone at least once in the past two days, so at least he is passing some stool. If you try the Miralax, I would mix no more than 1/8 tsp in a bit of water, and then add it to his food. It should show some affect within the first 24 hours. See what happens before you try to give him another dose.

If you just completed the trip, that too might have slowed his system down a bit, but that should clear up pretty quickly.

It is hard to tell how much water a cat drinks even when using dishes unless you measure what you put in it and what is left each time you replenish the water, which should be at least daily. I would try other types of dishes, and maybe add one or two more around the home so he has access to water wherever he might venture. Sometimes, cats will stop to drink when they pass by a water dish. A water fountain is certainly an idea. Also, if he will tolerate it, you can add some water to his food too.

Scratching at the floor around food sometimes means a cat wants to bury the foodto save for later. But in your case, it sounds like he just wants to bury the food period, since he doesn't like it. I presume he is not doing this with any of the food he is willing to eat.

 

[Maozer]

Thanks for all of the insights! He definitely does not like Fancy Feasts or other canned food. But thankfully he will eat the Tiki Carnivore Digestive, which I think has been helping him (we're into week two of the move, and the constipation resolved once but came back again. I'm ashamed to admit that he's been eating Purina dry food all this time- but it's what he likes. I think the quality of the Racheal Bay Nurish is much better, and he likes it so I'm trying to switch over to that. But without enough water he's just going to get clogged up again so I'm trying to be sure he gets enough water and alternate the wet and dry. He won't tolerate soggy dry food, but he does seem to enjoy being given water with a clean syringe. He'll also drink out of the bathroom sink.

I bought some Miralax today but I'm really nervous about giving it to him, as I don't know if it's just hard stool from insufficient hydration (that seems to be the case) or something else that Miralax could make worse. I don't think I'll have to try it though as he had a good bowel movement today, soft and well formed. So maybe he's coming out of it and I can just keep the Miralax for myself should I need it someday.

 

[Maozer]

My cat Benjamin seems back to his normal self now, pooping and drinking normally. That was my first ordeal with his health. Thank you for your advice and facts.