My cat's bowel movements are not normal

[abbyntim]

Sending

for a poop real soon.

 

[thehistorian]

She has only pooped three times since her enema on July 5th. I am at a loss. I am so used to this by now that I don't even feel upset - just resigned. The vet is going to ask me to come in again and I have no money for the vet at present.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Quote:

She has only pooped three times since her enema on July 5th. I am at a loss. I am so used to this by now that I don't even feel upset - just resigned. The vet is going to ask me to come in again and I have no money for the vet at present.

Hi there .. Below are a few questions for you, which may help to make a determination about what might be going on to prevent Enya from getting back to normal in the BM department.

1. What are you feeding Enya at this time? Please be specific as to which wet food, dry food as in brand, type of food and how much she is getting each day?

2. When Enya has a bowel movement, is she straining at all, crying?

3. How are Enya's bowel movements? Are they normal as in tootsie roll sized, or small-sized and dry, big and soft?

4. Have you discussed Enya's situation with your vet to get some feedback/guidance?

What and how much you are currently feeding Enya, may be having an impact on her elimination. If Enya is used to consuming dry food but is getting considerably less or none at all, then the wet food may not be creating enough bulk or may be taking longer to create sufficient bulk with which to produce a BM. It could also be that it may take a bit longer for her system to adjust to the change in food. Adding a small bit of fiber may be needed to add a bit of bulk, as I mentioned earlier, to see if this can improve motility and increase her BMs.

 

[thehistorian]

 
Quote:

Hi there .. Below are a few questions for you, which may help to make a determination about what might be going on to prevent Enya from getting back to normal in the BM department.

1. What are you feeding Enya at this time? Please be specific as to which wet food, dry food as in brand, type of food and how much she is getting each day?

2. When Enya has a bowel movement, is she straining at all, crying?

3. How are Enya's bowel movements? Are they normal as in tootsie roll sized, or small-sized and dry, big and soft?

4. Have you discussed Enya's situation with your vet to get some feedback/guidance?

What and how much you are currently feeding Enya, may be having an impact on her elimination. If Enya is used to consuming dry food but is getting considerably less or none at all, then the wet food may not be creating enough bulk or may be taking longer to create sufficient bulk with which to produce a BM. It could also be that it may take a bit longer for her system to adjust to the change in food. Adding a small bit of fiber may be needed to add a bit of bulk, as I mentioned earlier, to see if this can improve motility and increase her BMs.

1. Right now, I am feeding her Weruva Cats in the Kitchen Chicken and Turkey, Plain Chicken, and Chicken and Beef varieties. I alternate them with Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Chunky Loaf, Turkey Chunky/Soft loaf, and Duck Soft Loaf. Those are the wet foods. She gets one can of wet food in the morning. I put down a bowl with 1/4th a tablespoon of dry food in it during the afternoon. In the evening, I offer her second can of wet food. The dry food is Canidae Pure Elements.

2. When she does have a bowel movement, she appears to strain, but she does not cry out.

3. Enya's poop comes out looking like a log the length of the first half of my index finger - sometimes they appear way to dry and cracked to me. Sometimes some of them are curled oddly or look like they have fur mixed up in them.

4. I have most certainly spoken to the vet. Heck, she had to have an enema a little bit over a week ago. She has been on laxatone for over a week now but it has only helped a little bit. Now we are upping the doses of Miralax. 

I am totally at a loss. 

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
1. Right now, I am feeding her Weruva Cats in the Kitchen Chicken and Turkey, Plain Chicken, and Chicken and Beef varieties. I alternate them with Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Chunky Loaf, Turkey Chunky/Soft loaf, and Duck Soft Loaf. Those are the wet foods. She gets one can of wet food in the morning. I put down a bowl with 1/4th a tablespoon of dry food in it during the afternoon. In the evening, I offer her second can of wet food. The dry food is Canidae Pure Elements.

2. When she does have a bowel movement, she appears to strain, but she does not cry out.

3. Enya's poop comes out looking like a log the length of the first half of my index finger - sometimes they appear way to dry and cracked to me. Sometimes some of them are curled oddly or look like they have fur mixed up in them.

4. I have most certainly spoken to the vet. Heck, she had to have an enema a little bit over a week ago. She has been on laxatone for over a week now but it has only helped a little bit. Now we are upping the doses of Miralax. 

I am totally at a loss. 

Thanks for providing additional information. The food you are feeding appears to be a good mix, but I wonder if it would be best to feed just the nutro natural food for a bit, without the Weruva, to see if this can make a difference. There are three different 'gums' as binders in the weruva, and gums in general can cause constipation and digestive problems for some cats. As you say that Enya's poops look cracked at times, I would also add some water to the wet food, to increase her moisture intake.

ETA: As a cat carer with a male cat who has experienced constipation on and off in the past two years, I know how frustrating it can be when you find that your efforts are not having the results you had hoped for. A few of us here have gone through this same journey, but it is important not to give up and to realize that each situation is unique and for this reason, some trial and error is required to determine why your particular cat constipates. Is it diet, allergies, motility issue? The most important element is diet and identifying which foods will work best for Enya. Once you get a handle on her particular situation, you will see the results that you are looking for. It only took me two years with Max 

, as we made a few wrong turns, but he is back to being a regular pooping machine. I don't think it should take you as long, but you have to be ready to put in some time. Hang in there. You will get there.

 

[thehistorian]

Oh wow, I did not realize too many different binding agents to bind the food could also bind my cat quite literally, but that makes sense, too now that I think of it. My only concern with feeding just the Nutro Natural Choice is that there is liver in all of them. I know that liver is good for cats and that they need it on a regular basis, but I know that cats under certain circumstances can eat too much liver and thereby ingest too much vitamin A. Vitamin A overdose causes a whole other host of problems. Does anyone know if canned cat food with liver as one of the ingredients (but not the first) is safe to feed on a daily basis.

In other news, I talked to my vet yesterday and she had me put Enya on 1 teaspoon of Miralax a day. It worked this morning, although it was almost too soft. I know why it was too soft, though. I had been giving Enya 1/4th a teaspoon daily but it was not doing enough. By the time my vet got back to me yesterday, I had already given her one 1/4th teaspoon, but she wanted me to go ahead and start the teaspoon right away. Well, boy did it work but in mostly a good way.

Oneandahalfcats, thank you do much for the info on the binding agents. I don't know which if the foods was contributing to the problem, but I knew it was one of them and I was thus eliminating them slowly according to Enya's reaction. Thanks again guys. I will update continually.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Oh wow, I did not realize too many different binding agents to bind the food could also bind my cat quite literally, but that makes sense, too now that I think of it. My only concern with feeding just the Nutro Natural Choice is that there is liver in all of them. I know that liver is good for cats and that they need it on a regular basis, but I know that cats under certain circumstances can eat too much liver and thereby ingest too much vitamin A. Vitamin A overdose causes a whole other host of problems. Does anyone know if canned cat food with liver as one of the ingredients (but not the first) is safe to feed on a daily basis.

In other news, I talked to my vet yesterday and she had me put Enya on 1 teaspoon of Miralax a day. It worked this morning, although it was almost too soft. I know why it was too soft, though. I had been giving Enya 1/4th a teaspoon daily but it was not doing enough. By the time my vet got back to me yesterday, I had already given her one 1/4th teaspoon, but she wanted me to go ahead and start the teaspoon right away. Well, boy did it work but in mostly a good way.

Oneandahalfcats, thank you do much for the info on the binding agents. I don't know which if the foods was contributing to the problem, but I knew it was one of them and I was thus eliminating them slowly according to Enya's reaction. Thanks again guys. I will update continually.

You're welcome .. What you could do in the interim, is just cut back on the Weruva in lieu of feeding mostly Nutro with a bit of Weruva, and see how this goes. Or, there is one canned food brand called GO by Petcurean you might want to try, which features a chicken, turkey and duck pate in a 5.5 ounce can. This is what you are looking for : http://www.petcurean.com/for-cats/go/fit-and-free-grain-free-chicken-turkey-duck-pate.

A lot of commercial canned foods contain a bit of liver as this helps to keep the cost of food, down. If you are wondering how much liver is in a particular food, you could always contact the company.

Definitely glad to hear that Enya finally had a BM. Re. the Miralax, there is a point at which Miralax and other laxatives will make stools too soft, so this too will require some trial and error. There is a threshold dosage, but I don't recall what this is for Miralax. I used to use Lactulose occasionally with Max, but never went above 1 tsp per day. While the laxatives will help to keep things soft, in my opinion, they are not designed to improve motility per se, so you will want to work on her diet in finding a combination of foods that she will digest well.

 

[thehistorian]

All right, so I have stopped feeding the Weruva for a while to see what happens. In the mean time, since putting her on one teaspoon daily, things have gotten interesting. At first she was producing normal stools, but then they got progressively mushy and then became flat out runs. I had to skip Miralax today because she had flat out explosive diarrhea last night. I am hoping I will finally see a return to normal stools here soon. I am still feeding her Nutro Natural Choice and I am going to try the Beef and Venison Evo with her over the next two days. Hopefully these foods will improve things within a week or two. Keep your fingers crossed for me, but more importantly for Enya. 

 

[jcat]

It's incredibly frustrating when it takes so long to get digestive problems straightened out. Lots of that you find the right combination for Enya soon!

 

[chromium blues]

Adding milk, which is laxative to cats, to her diet may help. Have you tried using mineral oil on a short-term basis? Old-fashioned, yes, but tried and true.

 

[thehistorian]

 
You're welcome .. What you could do in the interim, is just cut back on the Weruva in lieu of feeding mostly Nutro with a bit of Weruva, and see how this goes. Or, there is one canned food brand called GO by Petcurean you might want to try, which features a chicken, turkey and duck pate in a 5.5 ounce can. This is what you are looking for : http://www.petcurean.com/for-cats/go/fit-and-free-grain-free-chicken-turkey-duck-pate.

A lot of commercial canned foods contain a bit of liver as this helps to keep the cost of food, down. If you are wondering how much liver is in a particular food, you could always contact the company.

Definitely glad to hear that Enya finally had a BM. Re. the Miralax, there is a point at which Miralax and other laxatives will make stools too soft, so this too will require some trial and error. There is a threshold dosage, but I don't recall what this is for Miralax. I used to use Lactulose occasionally with Max, but never went above 1 tsp per day. While the laxatives will help to keep things soft, in my opinion, they are not designed to improve motility per se, so you will want to work on her diet in finding a combination of foods that she will digest well.

Hello! I have waited a few days to give an update because I did not want to jink myself. Two days after the runny stools and after I completely stopped the Weruva Cats in the Kitchen, Miralax, and Laxatone, she had a normal stool. The next day after he first normal stool, she had another apparently normal stool. Then she went a day without a stool and then the following morning, produced a normal stool. So, it looks like the Weruva may have been contributing heavily to the constipation. While I am happy, I am keeping a close eye on her. I am keeping her strictly to two wet food brands that she seems to do well with (Nutro Natural Choice and Evo) and a bit of dry food (Canidae Pure Elements, two tea spoons). The Nutro provides liver and the Evo is liver free.

I also add a bit of water to her wet food. I suspect that I may be able to get her back to normal for a while on these foods, but I also know chronic constipation, mega colon, and other such traumatic conditions are common in quite a few cats starting in middle age to senior age. So, I am mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with the condition should it progress as Enya ages. Given that she only goes about once every other day (and sometimes once a day) now, I anticipate the possibility of her having more bouts of constipation in the future as she gets older and possibly developing megacolon. Basically, hope for the best and prepare for the worst as much as you can. 

I want to say a big heart felt thank you to all of you and especially to Oneandahalfcats for pointing out the excessive gum in Weruva Cats in the Kitchen. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I never would have thought of that at all.

 

[thehistorian]

P.S. Enya also says thanks.

 

[abbyntim]

Excellent news!

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
Hello! I have waited a few days to give an update because I did not want to jink myself. Two days after the runny stools and after I completely stopped the Weruva Cats in the Kitchen, Miralax, and Laxatone, she had a normal stool. The next day after he first normal stool, she had another apparently normal stool. Then she went a day without a stool and then the following morning, produced a normal stool. So, it looks like the Weruva may have been contributing heavily to the constipation. While I am happy, I am keeping a close eye on her. I am keeping her strictly to two wet food brands that she seems to do well with (Nutro Natural Choice and Evo) and a bit of dry food (Canidae Pure Elements, two tea spoons). The Nutro provides liver and the Evo is liver free.

I also add a bit of water to her wet food. I suspect that I may be able to get her back to normal for a while on these foods, but I also know chronic constipation, mega colon, and other such traumatic conditions are common in quite a few cats starting in middle age to senior age. So, I am mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with the condition should it progress as Enya ages. Given that she only goes about once every other day (and sometimes once a day) now, I anticipate the possibility of her having more bouts of constipation in the future as she gets older and possibly developing megacolon. Basically, hope for the best and prepare for the worst as much as you can. 

I want to say a big heart felt thank you to all of you and especially to Oneandahalfcats for pointing out the excessive gum in Weruva Cats in the Kitchen. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I never would have thought of that at all.

Very pleased to hear that Enya is getting back to normal. It is such a relief, I know .. That sounds like a good plan to keep things simple for a while in sticking to just the two foods. Learning what works for Enya, will be half the battle won.

Sometimes all that is needed is a bit of help in the digestion department. Supplements such as probiotics and slippery elm bark can help. The first to improve digestion of foods and replenish gut flora if there is an imbalance, and the second helps to smooth the gut lining and also improve motility, facilitating easier BMs. I use both on Max, and they have worked wonders.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Just wanted to add @Thehistorian, that you have done a great job in working with Enya to bring her back to a healthy state. Sometimes I focus so much on the kitties, that I forget about the human carer in their lives. Enya is in good hands.

 

[thehistorian]

 

Just wanted to add @Thehistorian, that you have done a great job in working with Enya to bring her back to a healthy state. Sometimes I focus so much on the kitties, that I forget about the human carer in their lives. Enya is in good hands.

Aww, thank you! Yes, and I have more good news and some worrisome news. Enya has been going once a day or once every other day! The only issue is that her neck lump is acting up. Again, thank you so much for pointing out all those gums. You are very observant and pointed out something no one else noticed. 

 

[bonepicker]

Vets best hairball relief tabs contain slippery elm and psyllium seed is a natural digestive aid which cats come running for the tabs taste so good. I find this more beneficial and healthy than laxatives. I give to my cat twice a day. Sold at amazon and on line, very inexpensive.