HELP! My cat still constipated after enema??

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PooshieCat

PooshieCat

Member Since 2020
hi everyone, I have a 8 month old kitten who has megacolon and she recently became constipated even after being on Miralax so I had taken her to vet they performed enema but she still couldn't produce poop so they had to do a manual extraction. This was on Friday, it's now been almost 2 days and she still has not produced any poop! She is currently on Miralax I give her 1/4tsp mixed in with her wet food (only) with 1/4th cup water. When I palate her stomach it seems very full and soft but she's still struggling to use the bathroom! I head her cry in litterbox already and/or she'll come out of the box with nothing there or only pee and she even cries when I try to pick her up.. She is also not being herself at all! Very distant, doesn't seem interested in playing either not even with her favorite toys!!, she's been sleeping or hiding, Is this all normal after a manual extraction?? Should I be worried? Her vets closed until Tuesday so I can't take her until it's open again.
 
Poor kitty ... she must have been so uncomfortable. I’m sure she is not feeling back to her normal self yet. She is gorgeous btw!

I have not had much experience with constipated cats sorry but hopefully someone will come along soon. Everyone is a bit caught up with world events atm so may take a bit longer than normal to answer you.

You probably need something stronger, but have you used cooked pumpkin? I have found that very good but I have only dealt with simple constipation. You can buy plain cooked pumpkin in a can or you can make your own by cooking some pumpkin in water, drain, mash, don’t add anything else. Give a teaspoon with food three times a day. Freeze unused mash in ice cube tray for later.
I hope she poops soon for you
 
Awww poor Pooshie :( I have 0 experience with megacolon sigh but Bron has made a good suggestion with adding pumpkin. I also know if kitty wont eat it then...sigh
Hopefully this post will draw more responses.
Sending prayers for little Pooshie. :bighug:
 
Sharon14 said:
Poor kitty. I’ve never had one with mega colon, but I’ve had a few that needed enemas and they didn’t poop for a couple of days after. Maybe the crying is from being sore after the manual extraction. Is she eating? Here is a great site for constipation https://felineconstipation.org/ Maybe something in there will help.
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Hi! Thank you so much! Yes she's still eating and cuddles up with me few times a day before goes in hiding again. She's actually very hungry I feel bad for keeping food away from her! Her vet recommended to only feed her 2tsp of wet food every few hours later to avoid from getting built up again. But her stomach already seems very full! I'm worried I might have to take her to vet again unless she poops soon!
 
jt and trouble (GA) said:
Awww poor Pooshie :( I have 0 experience with megacolon sigh but Bron has made a good suggestion with adding pumpkin. I also know if kitty wont eat it then...sigh
Hopefully this post will draw more responses.
Sending prayers for little Pooshie. :bighug:
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Yes, pumpkin was the first thing I ever tried but it's not strong enough. She's on the strongest medications but even they seem to do very little help. ☹️
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Poor kitty ... she must have been so uncomfortable. I’m sure she is not feeling back to her normal self yet. She is gorgeous btw!

I have not had much experience with constipated cats sorry but hopefully someone will come along soon. Everyone is a bit caught up with world events atm so may take a bit longer than normal to answer you.

You probably need something stronger, but have you used cooked pumpkin? I have found that very good but I have only dealt with simple constipation. You can buy plain cooked pumpkin in a can or you can make your own by cooking some pumpkin in water, drain, mash, don’t add anything else. Give a teaspoon with food three times a day. Freeze unused mash in ice cube tray for later.
I hope she poops soon for you
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Yes, pumpkin was the first thing I ever tried but it's not strong enough. I even tried freezing them up into cubes, I tried various other high fiber options but nothing seems to work on her. She's on the strongest medications but even they seem to do very little help as well. ☹️
 
Are you mixing water with the wet food to make it soupy? Have you tried lactulose or colace? When my cat was constipated, he didn’t really want to eat. The colon is cleaned out with an enema and it can take a few days to build back up to make them poop.
 
Sharon14 said:
Are you mixing water with the wet food to make it soupy? Have you tried lactulose or colace? When my cat was constipated, he didn’t really want to eat. The colon is cleaned out with an enema and it can take a few days to build back up to make them poop.
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Yes I mix 2tsp of wet food with 5tsp of water, I make it into a very liquid soupy texture. She was on lactose for about 2 months but I read it can get adjusted to the body and stops working, or at least that's what happened with her, the lactulose completely stopped working I was even doubling dose and still nothing! So I switched to miralax and for past 3 months it was going great. But I made a terrible mistake on my part I wanted her to gain a lil weight as she's a very small and skinny cat. I bought high protein diets and toppers but I guess they were making her poop too much to point started causing a build up. I'm told it's better to feed less even if she loses weight.
 
Sharon14 said:
Do you have a timed feeder? If so she could get her mini meals throughout the night.
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No, because of her weight I was free feeding her wet food only to help her gain weight, provide high energy and keep her satisfied.. She also has a condition called Pica, she goes on a hunt to find whatever non-edible objects she can find to eat despite me doing a deep cleaning house every other day she would still manage to find something to eat. But ever since I started free feeding her I noticed she had stopped looking for food throughout the house. But now I just feed her few spoons mixed with water every 2-3 hours.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Is Pooshie on Cisapride? Or another medication to help with the gut motility?
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Not yet but she did get prescribed with it on Friday, the pharmacy doesn't open until tomorrow so I have to wait for it to open to order the medicine, which could take a few days.. I was wondering how do I administrate Cisapride? The vet told me it can also have a negative side effect which I need to watch out for??
 
It comes in either a liquid (suspension) or in a pill form. Those forms are given by mouth.
It also is available in a transdermal gel, which you would apply to the inside of Pooshie's ear or a bare shaved patch of her skin.

Most common side effects are vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
A rare side effect is changes in the heart rhythm. Ask your vet what to watch out for with that side effect.
 
Deb & Wink said:
It comes in either a liquid (suspension) or in a pill form. Those forms are given by mouth.
It also is available in a transdermal gel, which you would apply to the inside of Pooshie's ear or a bare shaved patch of her skin.

Most common side effects are vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
A rare side effect is changes in the heart rhythm. Ask your vet what to watch out for with that side effect.
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My vet prescribed the liquid form and she did mention to be aware of vomiting and diarrhea. Can it be mixed with her food like with Miralax?
 
If you are sure she will eat the entire serving of food. And there are no other cats or other pets around to eat her food. Then it's fine to mix it in food.

You might want to only mix the prescribed dose of cisapride into a small bit of food, like 1 teaspoon of wet food. I don't know if the cisapride is bitter or not. Will you get it compounded into a tasty flavored liquid? Like tuna or poultry flavored liquid?
 
Deb & Wink said:
If you are sure she will eat the entire serving of food. And there are no other cats or other pets around to eat her food. Then it's fine to mix it in food.

You might want to only mix the prescribed dose of cisapride into a small bit of food, like 1 teaspoon of wet food. I don't know if the cisapride is bitter or not. Will you get it compounded into a tasty flavored liquid? Like tuna or poultry flavored liquid?
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The vet did mention to ask the vet for a compound liquid form but she also said to administrate it 30 mins before meal time through syringe mouth feed but that has always been a very difficult thing to do.. I read some mix in with food so I was curious if I'm able to do the same thing
 
Cisapride can be given with food. In fact, if your cat vomits up the cisapride when it's given without food, feeding a bit of food along with the cisapride can help control the vomiting on an empty stomach reaction.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cisapride

Cisapride is no longer available commercially and MUST be compounded. It was taken off the market for human use in 2000, because of the risk of heart irregularities and interactions with other drugs.
 
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Deb & Wink said:
Cisipride can be given with food. In fact, if your cat vomits up the cisipride when it's given without food, feeding a bit of food along with the cisipride can help control the vomiting on an empty stomach reaction.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cisapride
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Thank you so much! That article is very helpful! Do you know when is the best time to mix this like once every morning? Also does it mix with Miralax well?
 
PooshieCat said:
hi everyone, I have a 8 month old kitten who has megacolon and she recently became constipated even after being on Miralax so I had taken her to vet they performed enema but she still couldn't produce poop so they had to do a manual extraction. This was on Friday, it's now been almost 2 days and she still has not produced any poop! She is currently on Miralax I give her 1/4tsp mixed in with her wet food (only) with 1/4th cup water. When I palate her stomach it seems very full and soft but she's still struggling to use the bathroom! I head her cry in litterbox already and/or she'll come out of the box with nothing there or only pee and she even cries when I try to pick her up.. She is also not being herself at all! Very distant, doesn't seem interested in playing either not even with her favorite toys!!, she's been sleeping or hiding, Is this all normal after a manual extraction?? Should I be worried? Her vets closed until Tuesday so I can't take her until it's open again.
Click to expand...
Fred my polydactyl cat has narrowing of the intestines and other more serious problems. After several visits to the vet that didn’t amount to any progress I cut a sliver of Vaseline suppository, this is fort the short term, but Fred has also the habit to eating plastic and the Rx given to him had too many side effects so I give him psyllium daily on each meal adding water to the mix. Less than a 1/8 of tea spoon. I have a set of very small measuring spoons so the amount is consistent. This does not work immediately, it’s not a laxative. It works with the digestive system. I also use a small Syringe to give him water because he refuses to drink water. Just be careful not to lift the head up because if the water goes to the lungs it can cause infection. On other occasion, with a different cat I used 5 drops drops of mineral oil as he had eaten a large piece of plastic. He avoid surgery because he had passed the large piece of plastic stuck in his intestines. What ever you do make sure your kitty is hydrated.
 
Sharon14 said:
How’s Pooshie?
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She was doing really well on Monday, I woke up to giant pieces of poop everywhere. Entire day I was cleaning poop trails that she would leave behind but I was more than happy to see her go so much. She had high energy too, was in a playful mood all day! However all day yesterday she hasn't pooped again, not one bit, so it has got me worried again. She still gets Miralax 1/4th 1-2 times a day and still nothing! Usually 1/4 gets her going smooth right away.. But I'm not sure why it's not working now. She seems a little bloated too. I figured this morning I'll wake up to her poops but nope!! No poop! I did just start her on Cisapride this morning, gave her 0.5ml liquid form as directed so I'm praying this will help her go.
 
Gia A Gianella said:
Fred my polydactyl cat has narrowing of the intestines and other more serious problems. After several visits to the vet that didn’t amount to any progress I cut a sliver of Vaseline suppository, this is fort the short term, but Fred has also the habit to eating plastic and the Rx given to him had too many side effects so I give him psyllium daily on each meal adding water to the mix. Less than a 1/8 of tea spoon. I have a set of very small measuring spoons so the amount is consistent. This does not work immediately, it’s not a laxative. It works with the digestive system. I also use a small Syringe to give him water because he refuses to drink water. Just be careful not to lift the head up because if the water goes to the lungs it can cause infection. On other occasion, with a different cat I used 5 drops drops of mineral oil as he had eaten a large piece of plastic. He avoid surgery because he had passed the large piece of plastic stuck in his intestines. What ever you do make sure your kitty is hydrated.
Click to expand...


Thank you so much. Pooshie has a condition called Pica, she must have picked it up from being a stray because it's an issue I had with her since I brought her home. She will eat whatever she finds off floor including plastic, paper, cardboard, random junk!! I guess it gives me a reason to keep the house clean daily! I have tried psyllium before but I haven't really noticed a difference in her diet and her condition was getting worse so I had stopped everything I was giving her. Now I just stick to Miralax. I always make sure to add few teaspoons of water to her wet food every meal, but I wonder if adding too much water can also cause her stomach to get bulked up causing her to not poop?
 
I’m glad she was feeling better Monday. How’s she feeling today?

PooshieCat said:
I wonder if adding too much water can also cause her stomach to get bulked up causing her to not poop?
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Miralax works by pulling water into the gut, so you need a lot of water in the diet to make it work. Is she peeing normally? Does she drink on her own?
 
Sharon14 said:
I’m glad she was feeling better Monday. How’s she feeling today?


Miralax works by pulling water into the gut, so you need a lot of water in the diet to make it work. Is she peeing normally? Does she drink on her own?
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She barely drinks water on her own unless she's really dehydrated but that's because she's strictly on a wet food diet and I add almost 1/8th cup of water per meal. The vet didn't seem to think she was dehydrated. She pees regularly about 5-6 or so times a day.
 
Sharon14 said:
I’m glad she was feeling better Monday. How’s she feeling today?
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Okay so an update:

The cisapride really help Pooshie poop all day yesterday! I'm talking like 20 times and all were fairly big size about 2 fingers and her stomach seemed emptied out by the end of the day. However, today all day she has barely produced much of any poop. I only noticed 3 poops throughout the day but they were very small pebble size but quite soft so didn't think she was constipated but I'm not sure if I should be concerned again? She starting to look bloated again. I gave her cisapride as prescribed at 6am through mouth 20ish mins before her meal with 1/4 miralax and lots of water.. Repeated the same dose for both medication again at 6pm and still nothing! Is it normal for megacolon kitties to not go to bathroom daily? Instead every other day perhaps? (keeping fingers crossed) She still pees regularly.

I'm also monitoring her behavior health and she hasn't shown any negative changes, very playful and full of energy, no sign of pain or straining in litterbox either.
 
I agree with Deb. I’ve never had a megacolon kitty. The fact that she’s full of energy and playful is a good sign though.
 
I’ll tag @Wendy&Neko she may know more about megacolon kitties.
I’m thinking that since she’s feeling good, she’s probably fine. All that poop the first day on cisapride cleaned her out good, like the enema did. They often don’t poop the day or two after an enema. As long as she is playful and not straining I would just keep an eye on her. It would be a good idea though to try and find an open vet in case you need one. Stay safe
 
I don't know about mega colon. I do give cisipride to Ollie though. I get it from Wedgewood Pharmacy in the form called Gourmed Chewable. You give it 15-30 minutes before a meal. They are flavored and Ollie eats it right out of my hand or off the floor. I also give psyllium husk every other night. Ollie doesn't go every day, mostly every other.
 
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