Stool softeners?

[ty3535]

Hi!
My cat has always had hard stools. He doesn’t strain when he goes, but when I clean his litter box they are clearly extremely hard. He gets miralax daily, but it doesn’t help with the hardness. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to loosen stool? He goes frequently so he’s not constipated. Most things I have found during a google search are for constipation, and I’m just looking for something to soften it. Thanks so much!

 

[daftcat75]

If he's not straining and he's not constipated, why are you trying to fix something that doesn't sound broken? Cat poop is going to be smaller and harder than human poop. People (and dogs) eat all kinds of junk that makes their stool larger (and smellier) than nature intended. Cats being both predator and prey animals have evolved to pass smaller, dryer poops so that they aren't announcing their presence to would-be predators.

Have you brought a stool sample to the vet to see if s/he thinks it's abnormal? When collecting a sample, I triple-baggie it and place it in a tupperware or old screw top gelato container and place it in the fridge until I can take it down to the vet.

What's going to soften the stools is the retention of moisture in them. That's not as easy as it sounds. Adding extra water to his food will simply be excreted by his kidneys.

Miralax is the recommendation for softening stools. You could add pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin, no spices, not pie filling!) to his food. That will add bulk though, while the pumpkin fiber retains moisture. But bulk may not be needed and could make it harder to pass the stool.

Anything else I can suggest could make the stools too loose.

 

[fionasmom]

Slippery elm

There is some discussion in this thread; however, most suggestions go back to laxative type products. I have to agree that you are walking a fine line between firm stool and suddenly loose stool.

 

[ty3535]

If he's not straining and he's not constipated, why are you trying to fix something that doesn't sound broken? Cat poop is going to be smaller and harder than human poop. People (and dogs) eat all kinds of junk that makes their stool larger (and smellier) than nature intended. Cats being both predator and prey animals have evolved to pass smaller, dryer poops so that they aren't announcing their presence to would-be predators.

Have you brought a stool sample to the vet to see if s/he thinks it's abnormal? When collecting a sample, I triple-baggie it and place it in a tupperware or old screw top gelato container and place it in the fridge until I can take it down to the vet.

What's going to soften the stools is the retention of moisture in them. That's not as easy as it sounds. Adding extra water to his food will simply be excreted by his kidneys.

Miralax is the recommendation for softening stools. You could add pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin, no spices, not pie filling!) to his food. That will add bulk though, while the pumpkin fiber retains moisture. But bulk may not be needed and could make it harder to pass the stool.

Anything else I can suggest could make the stools too loose.

My vet did say the poops were much harder than she anticipated, when I first told her there was as problem. He has IBD (confirmed with ultrasound and biopsy) which the vet said can explain poops. But not this hard. It is literally like he pooped out a tree branch, it’s that hard.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would imagine you could find a happy medium with some Miralax - as suggested above. It is really more of a stool softener than anything else. It also works naturally with the body by drawing moisture into the colon to soften the stool. You could try as little as 1/8 tsp. a day and see if that helps, you can always increase it to either that same dose twice a day or increase the once-a-day administration to 1/4 tsp. On the opposite side, you could only dose every other day as well. As I understand, you need to mix it with a bit of water before adding it to food or a treat. I also have seen numerous posts on this site for it being used with IBD cats. It just takes a bit of experimenting, as all cats are different, so no dosage is universal.

 

[daftcat75]

My vet did say the poops were much harder than she anticipated, when I first told her there was as problem. He has IBD (confirmed with ultrasound and biopsy) which the vet said can explain poops. But not this hard. It is literally like he pooped out a tree branch, it’s that hard.

But you say he is not constipated or straining. So is it really a problem? With IBD, it can be so easy to add the wrong thing and make matters worse. Miralax is fairly neutral as additives go.

You might want to try this supplement from Vitality Science too. Send their customer support an email. They have a Finicky Cat Trial pack which you can construct with five or ten different samples to see if, a) your cat will take them, and b) if they will make matters worse. You can't always know if they'll make matters better in one or even a few doses. But you will almost always know if they will make matters worse in a dose or two. Their customer service is excellent. They return emails within a day.

cats with firm stools | Easy Go New | for cats with Firm Stools

 

[stephanietx]

Wet food and plain canned pumpkin help.

 

[ty3535]

I would imagine you could find a happy medium with some Miralax - as suggested above. It is really more of a stool softener than anything else. It also works naturally with the body by drawing moisture into the colon to soften the stool. You could try as little as 1/8 tsp. a day and see if that helps, you can always increase it to either that same dose twice a day or increase the once-a-day administration to 1/4 tsp. On the opposite side, you could only dose every other day as well. As I understand, you need to mix it with a bit of water before adding it to food or a treat. I also have seen numerous posts on this site for it being used with IBD cats. It just takes a bit of experimenting, as all cats are different, so no dosage is universal.

Hi, he already gets 1/4 tsp of miralax each day.

 

[ty3535]

But you say he is not constipated or straining. So is it really a problem? With IBD, it can be so easy to add the wrong thing and make matters worse. Miralax is fairly neutral as additives go.

You might want to try this supplement from Vitality Science too. Send their customer support an email. They have a Finicky Cat Trial pack which you can construct with five or ten different samples to see if, a) your cat will take them, and b) if they will make matters worse. You can't always know if they'll make matters better in one or even a few doses. But you will almost always know if they will make matters worse in a dose or two. Their customer service is excellent. They return emails within a day.

cats with firm stools | Easy Go New | for cats with Firm Stools

I suppose since he’s not straining it’s not a problem per se, but I can’t imagine pooping out a rock hard poop is comfortable.

 

[Frankwilliams]

Hi!
My cat has always had hard stools. He doesn’t strain when he goes, but when I clean his litter box they are clearly extremely hard. He gets miralax daily, but it doesn’t help with the hardness. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to loosen stool? He goes frequently so he’s not constipated. Most things I have found during a google search are for constipation, and I’m just looking for something to soften it. Thanks so much!

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