My poor cat is constipated - YAY we have poo!

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meand4

Member Since 2011
One of my cats is really constipated. She is 18 years old. She has a large tumor about the size of a grapefruit in her abdomen and a bad leg. We are basically doing palliative care with her at this time. I want to try what I can at home first before taking her to the vet as it is very hard to move her and very stressful for her.

DO you know if I can give her an infant glycerin suppository? She wont eat olive oil. I read that i could use pumpkin but I am afraid the hard stool needs to come out first which is why I am thinking glycerine suppository.

THoughts?
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated

Hi, a lot of do give/have given MiraLax, I would begin with about a 1/4 teaspoon mixed in her wet food along with some water in it too.
Good Luck!
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated

Hi... I have given my cat an infant suppository before and it worked like a charm... he was 13 at the time, however. I'm not sure if age factors in.

I used to give petromalt daily to manage his constipation, but since being diagnosed with diabetes, I've put him on miralax (restoralax).

Best of luck and tonnes of cuddles for your little one!
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated

My Gabby just passed away last Friday from stomach cancer (she also had a large abdominal tumor). I used lactolose with her, mixed in her food twice a day. It worked great. Even though she got super picky with her food towards the end, it seemed that she couldn't smell or taste the lactolose in her food, especially in her favorites (Cowboy Cookout and BFF).

It's not very expensive at the vet's office. I would stay away from pumpkin because I tried that with her and it increased the volume of her stool and she started hiding and pooping outside the litterbox. When I stopped giving it to her, so did the pooping outside the litterbox.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated

Well, weve gone ahead with about 2/3 of an infant suppository. Not a fun filled experience for any of us. Hoping we have success!
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

aw, I'm so sorry you guys... lactulose also works, but it's high with the sugar... In the past, I've used dulcolax in conjunction with lactulose.

Since Simba was constipated just before being diagnosed with diabetes, (I'd been lax with the petromalt lately), he was on lactulose.. (and dulcolax) vet told me to stop giving him lactulose as soon as she diagnosed diabetes.

For me, supository was a last resort. I hate to say it, but maybe it's time to take him to the vet?

I'm not sure how long supositories are supposed to take - for Simba it took less than 15 minutes.

Maybe after a vet-administered eneama clears kitty's system you can 'start from scratch' with something like mirilax(restoralax)?
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

I am concerned that the tumor is pressing on the colon and has the effect of a blockage.

No amount of laxatives, suppositories and other efforts is safe in such a case.

You could cause a rupture of the colon.

I strongly suggest you consult your vet.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

We are going to try the lactolose tonight and if nothing happens by tomorrow morning then she is going to have to go into the vets. Thanks for the support.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

I haven't had a cat with a tumor like you do, but I once mistook constipation for a urinary tract block. Sam was young and straining in the box but with as many cats as I have it was hard to tell who peed and who didn't. Since he was young and never had any problems I thought it was constipation. I gave him miralax, the same day I noticed some leakage, took him to the vet immediately and he had a urinary block.

He's been fine ever since, that was probably about 5 years ago. My point is be careful with home remedies because sometimes it's not what we think it is.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

If the feces are rock hard, it will be painful to excrete them, suppository or not. I'd be concerned about tearing of tissues if that is the case.

It is possible to do an enema to add fluid to the feces if that is what is going on.

Sometimes, though, the constipation is related to the muscles no longer working well to push stuff through. That happened to my civvie Max, whose liver went into failure, (possibly due to lymphoma, though they were never sure). I couldn't get an enema to work and since he was straining futily, I took him to a vet. He passed away that night.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

Im feeling so stressed about this. I just gave her 1/2 a ml of lactolose with a small amount of food.

I really hope it works.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

I would go ahead & take to the vet, better safe than sorry & not worth the stress you are placing on yourself or kitty.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

I cant go until the morning now. The vet is closed and I cant afford to go to the emergency clinic.

Okay spoke to the Vet luckily they answered after hours. I got an appt for tomorrow afternoon if she doesnt poop before then.

Thanks for everything you guys!
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

Just hug him and pet him tonight, have a glass of wine or a bowl of ice cream and curl up with him with a good movie or book. Like you said, you can't go to the vet now so there's no point in stressing about it. Relax a little together and enjoy some mutual pettings. The vet will help with teh poopz tomorrow.
*sending huggles to you!*
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

I had to give Gabby small doses of lactulose daily the last year and a half of her life. As the tumor got bigger, I had to increase the dose. She was on 1/2 ml twice a day until the tumor, and at the end she was at 1 1/4 twice a day. If your kitty is diabetic (Gabby wasn't) then miralax might be a better choice. I had good results with the lactulose so I never tried it.

Good luck! I hope she gets all cleaned out at the vet tomorrow and she feels much better.
 
Re: My poor cat is constipated - +1 hour suppository no succ

I think she had a BM last night. I cant be sure though as my BF didnt realise I seperated her and he put her sister in the room with her when we went out for dinner and I didnt know. When we got home there was a poo but now I dont know for certain which of the two girls it belonged to.

Now, I know this is probably TMI but the constipated cat was gassy when I got home...and well I smelled the poo and it had the same smell as the gas she was releasing. I have her seperated again today but no poos yet.
 
party_cat party_cat party_cat party_cat party_cat Poop is good!

Can you increase the water in her food to help with this next time? Or maybe give a small dose of Miralax or Lactulose on a regular basis?
 
I'm new but was fretting during the night worrying about my "baby" Maji (short hair tuxedo) she developed a BAD UTI and she got dehydrated (went to vet, meds etc new food - xrays) expensive. Anyway he said via the xray she was full of poop and that they wanted to give her 2 days and that the dehydration had likely caused some of this.

Basically she is on wet food FF brand and we give her fresh water changed twice a day but she does not like to plain drink water. Anyhoo so I tried the pumpkin and adding teaspoons of water to her new special Royal Canin wet food, she went to the litter box and tried and tried...(urination no problem). The next day I tried the previous PLUS some miralax as directed by the vet. She tried all day and no results...I cannot begin to tell you how fretful my watching of the cat box was...and all pees! So reading and searching (when I should be sleeping the following night) I come across this board and THIS POST. I read the glycerin suppositories post in here...and at 3am looked up WHEN does Target open? Anyway - the following morning 2 hard pieces but that was it. Sooooo send hubby up to get the pediatric glycerin suppositories. Not the easiest thing to do...but not TOO BAD. I did not get all the liquid in about half the little tiny tiny bulb. Thought perhaps we'd try again... BTW she was eating well all this time...not sure HOW?

Anyway FINALLY AFTER 1 HOUR results! One really big hard poop came out then next A BUTTLOAD - I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I (AND SHE) was! I can completely relate to "meand4" I was literally jumping up and down! Even though this thing stunk up the house and had to be taken outside.

She is now sleeping blissfully (AND does not have to go to the vet for an enema) ! This stuff works...even a little bit or in combination with other stuff (pumpkin and very small amount of miralax)>

FINALLY I can get some sleep...thank you for this thread!!!
 
Kjani said:
I'm new but was fretting during the night worrying about my "baby" Maji (short hair tuxedo) she developed a BAD UTI and she got dehydrated (went to vet, meds etc new food - xrays) expensive. Anyway he said via the xray she was full of poop and that they wanted to give her 2 days and that the dehydration had likely caused some of this.

Basically she is on wet food FF brand and we give her fresh water changed twice a day but she does not like to plain drink water. Anyhoo so I tried the pumpkin and adding teaspoons of water to her new special Royal Canin wet food, she went to the litter box and tried and tried...(urination no problem). The next day I tried the previous PLUS some miralax as directed by the vet. She tried all day and no results...I cannot begin to tell you how fretful my watching of the cat box was...and all pees! So reading and searching (when I should be sleeping the following night) I come across this board and THIS POST. I read the glycerin suppositories post in here...and at 3am looked up WHEN does Target open? Anyway - the following morning 2 hard pieces but that was it. Sooooo send hubby up to get the pediatric glycerin suppositories. Not the easiest thing to do...but not TOO BAD. I did not get all the liquid in about half the little tiny tiny bulb. Thought perhaps we'd try again... BTW she was eating well all this time...not sure HOW?

Anyway FINALLY AFTER 1 HOUR results! One really big hard poop came out then next A BUTTLOAD - I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I (AND SHE) was! I can completely relate to "meand4" I was literally jumping up and down! Even though this thing stunk up the house and had to be taken outside.

She is now sleeping blissfully (AND does not have to go to the vet for an enema) ! This stuff works...even a little bit or in combination with other stuff (pumpkin and very small amount of miralax)>

FINALLY I can get some sleep...thank you for this thread!!!
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Can totally relate...would ever imagined a cat pooping could bring us such relief and joy!!!! So glad for your poopy success!!! another thing we have on had is pediatric suppositories recommended by holistic vet. Must be very careful , slow inserting them band sometimes just the action of trying to insert one causes the bowels to move. We always work from the "top" with increased water and small dose miralax and from the "bottom" with enema or suppository. Google how to give the later as it has to be done very carefully/slowly as to not tear tissue...thats why we usually use pediatric glycerin suppositories.
 
Critter Mom said:
@Kjani -

We know the Happy Poop Dance very well round here! :cat:

I don't know who's the more relieved when one finally arrives; us or the cats! :woot:

Here are some helpful links you might want to bookmark for future reference:

www.felineconstipation.org

Slippery elm bark


Mogs
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Click to expand...
HAHA, Mogs...of course you and I would end up on a poop discussion;)....we dealt with this for last few years of our 19 yr old only girl kitty, Chloe. There were days when it was a full time occupation:woot::cat::)
 
@Kjani -

Another tip:

If ever your kitty were to develop nausea issues in the future then you need to be wary of whether constipation is in play. Constipation itself can cause major nausea but the nausea does not respond to conventional meds like Cerenia or ondansetron. Instead, treatment for a day or two with metoclopramide can help restore better gut motility. (Note: metoclopramide has some nasty side effects if given for longer periods and is therefore not suitable as a long-term treatment for motility issues.)


Mogs
.
 
Thank you all....I definitely will study the links. Vet just called and said they had submitted the xray to a radiologist for further review (course once again this was not free) however I am glad we did it. As the vet thought she had 'stones'. He called today to say the radiologist said she DOES NOT have stones.

Basically it was just all POOP! Thank god. He did say that in the urinalysis that she has "crystals" and so the new food supposedly will help with this and they will test in 2 more weeks a new batch of urine.

Anyway there are a lot of good recommendations here and links and studying and I am going to educate myself here on this!

I think poor Maji has just been in a constant state of constipation on and off again... :(

BTW vet said Great job on the suppository (glycerine) and the other things including the pumpkin. He says we just need to work on getting her weight down a bit. She is chubby and I don't want her to get diabetes...which she is now turning 11 in a few months and the risk is greater now that she is older.

Thank you everyone!!! This thread is a life-saver!

Kjani
 
@Kjani -

I'm glad that the x-ray showed clear for the 'stones'. :)

Maji is beautiful! My Saoirse's brother looked very like her. There is something very special about Tuxedos. :)

There is an excellent site authored by highly respected vet, Dr Lisa Pierson, about the fundamentals of good feline nutrition. I'm posting the link to the page on urinary tract health below but I recommend also reading through the whole site; it is very educational (wish I'd found it years ago):

http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

Dr Pierson recommends mixing a little water into the wet food to help improve hydration. I've followed this recommendation with very good results.

Although the primary focus of the board is on feline diabetes, this main Feline Health forum is a great place to learn about and get help with all manner of cat health issues, treatments, care hints and tips, etc.

For weight management a reasonably-priced digital baby scales and a daily journal of food eaten are really helpful.


Mogs
.
 
Critter Mom said:
@Kjani -

We know the Happy Poop Dance very well round here! :cat:

I don't know who's the more relieved when one finally arrives; us or the cats! :woot:

Here are some helpful links you might want to bookmark for future reference:

www.felineconstipation.org

Slippery elm bark


Mogs
.
Click to expand...
WOW starting to read the felineconstipation.org -- this a wealth of information - I wish I would have found it two days ago - nonetheless better late than never... unbelievable AND all in one place!!!
 
Critter Mom said:
@Kjani -

I'm glad that the x-ray showed clear for the 'stones'. :)

Maji is beautiful! My Saoirse's brother looked very like her. There is something very special about Tuxedos. :)

There is an excellent site authored by highly respected vet, Dr Lisa Pierson, about the fundamentals of good feline nutrition. I'm posting the link to the page on urinary tract health below but I recommend also reading through the whole site; it is very educational (wish I'd found it years ago):

http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

Dr Pierson recommends mixing a little water into the wet food to help improve hydration. I've followed this recommendation with very good results.

Although the primary focus of the board is on feline diabetes, this main Feline Health forum is a great place to learn about and get help with all manner of cat health issues, treatments, care hints and tips, etc.

For weight management a reasonably-priced digital baby scales and a daily journal of food eaten are really helpful.


Mogs
.
Click to expand...
Thank you Mogs! Yea the Vet did not use the word Chubby ... he used Obese :( she is and it's my fault because she does so many tricks...AND she loves to eat. But they told me she stands a risk of diabetes especially at 11 yo and the weight she is at... so I appreciate greatly any info. We put down Timba last year. He was a black Maine coon and was 23! He was like my son... I had him for so long and maji grew up under his tutelage.
 
Wow! A fine age, Timba. I'm sorry for your loss, Kjani. :(

catinfo.org has pointers on obesity management, too. I hope you find the information there helpful for Maji. There's also a list of good low-carb commercial [ETA - WET!] food choices; it's the best type of food to help ward off feline diabetes. The Rx diets for obesity management aren't worth a light, IMO.


Mogs
.
 
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Critter Mom said:
Wow! A fine age, Timba. I'm sorry for your loss, Kjani. :(

catinfo.org has pointers on obesity management, too. I hope you find the information there helpful for Maji. There's also a list of good low-carb commercial food choices; it's the best type of food to help ward off feline diabetes. The Rx diets for obesity management aren't worth a light, IMO.


Mogs
.
Click to expand...
Thank you Mogs! :)
 
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