Constipation

[Paige & Wesson]

I have a coworker that is thinking about putting his cat down because she is pooping outside of her litter box. She has constipation issues. They have been to the vet, had testing done and no issues found. She will not eat food with Miralax in in. He is currently using lactulose(which I thought was for hairballs - does it help constipation?). Kitty is on Royal Canin dry. I said he should try to transition her to wet with some water added. I know some of our diabetic kitties suffer with constipation. Anything I can pass along to him to try with his kitty?

Thanks!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Lactulose is used for feline constipation
https://www.vetinfo.com/feline-constipation-treatment-with-lactulose.html
Here are some cat foods recommended for constipation
https://pet.reviews/best-cat-food-constipation/

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

This is a favorite subject of mine.

I can't believe someone would put a cat down because it's pooping outside the box! The cat is sick with something easily correctable and needs help, not euthanasia.

Lactulose is very good for constipation. Transitioning to wet will help because the lactulose draws water into the colon, and if the kitty is dehydrated, it won't work well. A human probiotic with as many different strains of bacteria as possible would be good to add to wet food, as would a prebiotic fiber like psyllium that has a good combination of soluble and insoluble fibers. I have also used freeze dried powdered pumpkin, powdered egg yolk, and slippery elm powder to help with moving things along for Ruby. You have to try different things to see what works for each cat. Patience is required, as it is with diabetes.

This was just published on an IBD kitties site, written by one of the mods of the Raw Feeding for IBD Cats FB page. The suggestions here work well for all kitties, not only ones with IBD: https://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/my-cat-is-constipated-what-do-i-do.html

 

[Paige & Wesson]

This is a favorite subject of mine.

I can't believe someone would put a cat down because it's pooping outside the box! The cat is sick with something easily correctable and needs help, not euthanasia.

Lactulose is very good for constipation. Transitioning to wet will help because the lactulose draws water into the colon, and if the kitty is dehydrated, it won't work well. A human probiotic with as many different strains of bacteria as possible would be good to add to wet food, as would a prebiotic fiber like psyllium that has a good combination of soluble and insoluble fibers. I have also used freeze dried powdered pumpkin, powdered egg yolk, and slippery elm powder to help with moving things along for Ruby. You have to try different things to see what works for each cat. Patience is required, as it is with diabetes.

This was just published on an IBD kitties site, written by one of the mods of the Raw Feeding for IBD Cats FB page. The suggestions here work well for all kitties, not only ones with IBD: https://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/my-cat-is-constipated-what-do-i-do.html

I will pass this along to him. Thanks for the info!

 

[Bandit's Mom]

This is a favorite subject of mine.

Our poop expert!

 

[Lindsay & Calvin]

Hi! I can help with the constipation issues as one of my non-diabetic kitties is a chronic sufferer. Here are my recommendations for chronic constipation that work in our house:

1) the dry food needs to be discontinued immediately.
2) if kitty isn’t drinking enough water, a hydration supplement might help increase the moisture content. All it is is a thickened liver flavoured gel like liquid. The idea is that the thick liquid allows their tongues to pick up more at a time.
3) a small amount of Restorolax aka peg powder on all food (1/4 tsp) allows moisture to be drawn into their stool and allows it to pass easier
4) trip or beef ofal (organ meat) is the raw food way to help alleviate constipation if you can get it.
5) if the above doesn’t work, it’s possible that kitty can be suffering from a condition called mega colon and needs a medication called Cisapride to help their bowl movements. The vet can take an X-ray of the colon to see if that’s a possibility.

One thing to note is that some cats with chronic constipation do well with a high fibre diet and some do not. Vets will try to push you in the direction of a high fibre diet first. If that doesn’t work, switching to a low residue diet (a raw diet) might be helpful.