[font=Arial,sans-serif]Hi there Sorry if this is so long-winded but I am a bit overwhelmed with all the info I have been reading on the internet the past few days...there are so many different opinions. Our 7 year old American short hair (orange tabby) cat just returned 2 days ago from an overnight stay at our vet. He had to be put under and had an obstipation removed. There was a hard ball of stool right at his tail end which she said she was "perplexed" about, and according to the x-rays the hard stool went up into the "U" shape part of the intestines. They found that beyond that was soft stool during the obstipation removal. So he is now all cleaned out. I asked the tech and pharmacist if they knew if the blockage contained a lot of hair since they had an up close and personal view of what was in there. No one seemed to know and said they would leave a note for the vet ( i haven't heard back) According the vet his blood work was perfect, no issue with kidneys or anything else. She said it did not look like he had Megacolon. Although, he was found to have a heart murmur and an enlargement of his heart during his exam. He is fixed and has no other history of health issues besides these. He seems to only like hard kibble or real cooked meat (chicken steak...a little plain piece of what we are eating). He will not eat soft cat food or even kitty treats. But I'm going to attempt to transition him to the soft anyway. They want him on Hills Science Diet WD formula-dry and the meds Lactulose and Cisapride. We were told he would probably have to take these for the rest of his life. I do not feel comfortable giving him this prescription food considering how bad I hear it is.... and why would he be put on all the meds for life if he does not have Megacolon or constant problem with passing stool. He has only had one issue with constipation in his life so far and he did go within a few days and when he did go, it seemed to be caused by excess hair from what I observed[/font]. Also, after reading that the cisipride was taken of the marked for causing heat problems...why would the vet prescribe it to our cat if he already has a heart issue? One final question, will he be moving his bowels right away or will it take a day or so..... Its hard to tell if he has moved his bowels due to him being an indoor-outdoor cat. Also, considering how he seems disgusted by wet food, do you think switching to a higher quality dry be fine as long as i increase his water some how. I was considering Blue Buffalo wilderness grain free which I've read is great for our little carnivores, but am worried about the constipation now. wheeew! Thank you so much.