My 12.5 year old, Lucky, seems to always be constipated. Not going for a few days and when she does it's kind of hard and dry. What can I put in her food to help lubricate things?? I've tried drops of olive oil but that doesn't do much and have to be careful as she gets upset tummy easy. thank you anyone.........
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POOP
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Constipation happens when the stool doesn’t retain enough moisture. So the first thing you can do if you already haven’t is to reduce any kibble you are feeding and feed mostly or all wet canned food.
You can also add half a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin to the wet food each day until she gets better. If the constipation is really bad you may also need to see the vet. But, either way, you really want to be feeding mostly or all wet food.
You can also add half a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin to the wet food each day until she gets better. If the constipation is really bad you may also need to see the vet. But, either way, you really want to be feeding mostly or all wet food.
Hi. Just to get things 'going' again, you can try 1/8 tsp of Miralax, at least once. If no change, try the next day with 1/4 tsp.
Do you feed her dry food only? If you feed her canned food, you can add some water to it to help with moisture. Has she always had problems, or could this related to a food change you have made recently? The other thing to consider is if the constipation could be caused by her unwillingness to use the litter box due to arthritis. Most cats hold a different position depending on whether they are peeing or pooping, so it might be painful and she avoids going for as long as she can.
If she hasn't had a senior check up recently, it probably would be a good idea given her age.
Do you feed her dry food only? If you feed her canned food, you can add some water to it to help with moisture. Has she always had problems, or could this related to a food change you have made recently? The other thing to consider is if the constipation could be caused by her unwillingness to use the litter box due to arthritis. Most cats hold a different position depending on whether they are peeing or pooping, so it might be painful and she avoids going for as long as she can.
If she hasn't had a senior check up recently, it probably would be a good idea given her age.
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Thank you both for your kind replies, Azazel and FeebysOwner. It has been nearly a year since her last thorough check with labs and all. A few months after I rescued her from being abandoned in an elder apt for over a month, I nearly lost Lucky. She completely stopped eating, p-ing, and pooping for a whole week and just lay in a corner giving up. I took her home after a nausea shot, fluids and critical canned cat food. Had to do fluids under skin. We were ready to put her down but after much effort and love, she came around. Her labs actually came back okay at that time. Had to make changes in litter as other kitty, Skye, had allergy. Got Dr Elsey's litter. Like it. This helped the allergies on the other kitty. At the same time changed to a smaller box but they hate it so have to get a larger box again. But Lucky was having problems with this before everything else. She does eat a good bit of dry Purina One and a container a day of Sheba pate. They both come running in the morning and several other times when I go in the bathroom and I slow turn on the sink and tub which they love and I know they get plenty of water with a large clean bowl on the floor also. I live in a little 2 room senior apt so it's hard to keep their foods separate. I have several cans of urgent care food left and am tempted to give that to her instead of the Sheba and see what happens. I saw on line, psyllium is an option? Thanks so much. Just don't want to give any mistakes to her...
If you do any kind of food change make sure to mix it with the old food especially if she is sensitive to food changes.
Watch her food intake too. Often my 11 year old has a reduced appetite and throws up when he has an episode of constipation. Just my experience with it.
Watch her food intake too. Often my 11 year old has a reduced appetite and throws up when he has an episode of constipation. Just my experience with it.
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Thanks Indy Jones....exactly. After two or three days then she drinks too much water after eating she will throw up. Very delicate old lady she is. It's awful when your day consists of watching for cat poop! Blessings......
I get confused about psyllium (pretty much the same as using canned, no additive, pumpkin) as it can treat both constipation and diarrhea. Psyllium is what is used in Metamucil, btw. But, I know other members on this site have used it, so it might be a viable option to try.
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In humans at least, I believe it’s because it can draw in and retain moisture in the stool. So for constipation this helps soften things up a bit, and for diarrhea it can potentially absorb some of the excess water
If you feed pate canned food, you can add a little bit of plain canned pumpkin or plain squash baby food to the wet food to help.
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Oh, thanks for that! I thought I saw somewhere Miralax is okay. You should have seen me jump for joy when she did a perfect BM yesterday! An exciting life I lead...LOL!! But yes, that was after four or five days. I can tell when it's hers. Skye is a perfect lady and covers everything. But old gal Lucky just goes and leaves it on top the litter...!! Thanks so much....
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I will just reiterate again to cut back on the dry and up the Sheba pate, add water to it also. Naturally cats get their moisture from their food, it is unnatural for them to want to drink from a dish. If they are drinking from a dish, they are typically a bit dehydrated. By the state of your cats dry poop, definitely dehydrated. When we feed kibble they don't get any of the moisture they need. So bottom line, increase the wet food. Helps keep their kidneys working properly also!
My old gal Feeby is just like your Lucky - almost never a poop covered!!! LOL!
