If your cat is constipated, then a course of action is, to re-hydrate him, change his diet, cease his medication that may also be causing constipation and/or give him an enema. A cat is constipated, when it has difficulty passing faeces, and what little is passed is small and hard or watery. First, it must be stressed that if any animal is showing signs of distress or discomfort, you must take it to the vet. Whilst, animals can get human illnesses, the causes and actual ailments might be different from humans, and a different course of action may be needed. You must, not try to medicate your pets in the same way that you would medicate a human, as our bodies are quite different. Taking your pet to the vet is the only way to guarantee the right course of treatment. If your cat does turn out to be constipated, it will usually be down due to lack of water. Ensure, that your cat is well provided with water and is drinking regularly. Another possible cause is medication. If your cat is on medication, it may be dehydrating your cat internally. If it is safe to do so, stop the medication process, but only after consulting your vet. A third possible cause is diet, dry cat food may be having a dehydrating effect on your cat. After talking to your vet, a change of diet may help. If all else fails, a soapy water enema should solve your cat's problem. Under anaesthetic, soapy water can be pumped into your cat's colon and massaged. This has the effect of rehydrating faeces and making it much easier to pass. In order for all faeces to be removed, this may need to be done over several days and always by a qualified professional.
Hi my cat is just 3 and a main coon (long hair) licks a lot and I never have seen a hair ball. However, last week he looked sick and I took him to the vet and she said he could be constipated, or have a hair ball and gave me some stool softener. Did not work. I had him in yesterday for an enema. 1 at 10 a.m. And the second at 3 p.m. Brought him home and still no movement. He is drinking and eating and peeing, but still no movement. This is the 6th day. They want to Extra and do blood work. Any suggestions......
My family had a cat for about 15 years and he would constantly get constipated as a younger cat. The vet gave us all these things to cure it, but in the end, we put 1 tablespoon of Metamucil (orange flavor) on top of dry food (about 1/2 a cup) and we would spray it with a water bottle so it would stick to the food, but not too much because the food will get mushy. It worked great and our cat never had a problem again! It is a cheap and easy cure! Hope this helps.
Firstly, make sure the cat's not eating human food from somewhere. This is the most common cause of constipation in animals.
Second, see if you can give the animal access to a garden. Cats and dogs will eat grass, which is fiber, and helps their bowel movements.
Finally, you can add psyllium husk (1/4 teaspoon) to every meal (the meal has to be a moist meal or the flakes won't be eaten by the cat), every day. This is pure fiber, and will ease your cats constipation.
You can also give mineral oil (1 teaspoon, a day). But I would not recommend this unless the psyllium husk does not work, as you can't give this longer than one week.
See if you can buy a cat food that has more fiber, read the labels.
Canned pumpkin works really well - make sure it's plain pumpkin though and not the pumpkin pie mix with the spices. The spices are bad for critters, but the plain pumpkin is a great source of fiber.
A great suggestion is to give your cat about 2 teaspoons of mineral oil or dip his paws in some petroleum jelly. That kind of helps to lube things up. If you want to buy something OTC go to your local pet store and buy some Nutrimalt or CatLax. They are petroleum/mineral oil based so it may save money just to use what you've got at the house.
My cat is 8 years old, for some reason he has stoped eating, he eats a bit and when I mix some treats in with his food he will eat them, I have been giving him dry cat food since he was a kitten, I use Meow Mix it has hair ball control, he is drinking lots of water and peeing but he is not poohing...I am on a disability pension can not afford to take him to a vet, can you suggest something I can give him. Thanks you
I suggest going to a vet because it could be sue to a bigger medical issue, better to be safe then sorry. And they should be able to give you the right advice on what to give your cat
I suggest that you see a vet. My dog was constipated and the vet gave her an enema (dog enema) and had me feed her boiled chicken & rice or boiled hamburger & rice for a week. I am not sure about cats tho' A vet will have the answer. You might just try calling the vet to see if they can give an answer on the phone.
My cat is 16 years old and he won't use a litter tray, he never has done in his life, is there anything what we would eat to make him go to the loo, he is really straining and I'm not really sure what to do? He has dementia, well a load of sighs of the illness, but I just don't know what to do with him...
