Advice Needed--sick Cat Avoiding Litterbox For Bowel Movements

munch64

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My cat 13 year old cat Farley has either IBD or Lymphoma. After a pretty scary health crash a few weeks ago, he is pretty stable now. He's eating, grooming, not going into the closet so much, and he's cuddling with us. While he tends to just stay in one bedroom for most of the day instead of visiting his old spots in our home, I'd say his quality of life is pretty good considering his situation. But he has persistent diarrhea and I'm not optimistic that it will ever stop. 15mg of pred per day, 4 doses of chlorambucil (now discontinued), a couple rounds of metronidazole, food changes, probiotics, Petwellbeing BM Toneup... Nothing touches it. I think he will have diarrhea until he passes away. We give him sub q fluids to keep him hydrated.

He has it probably about 5 times in a 24 hour period. He does not want to use any of his current litterboxes for the diarrhea, he goes on the floor. I put down puppy training pads on the floor where he drops it, but that is still hit or miss. Pun intended. Sometimes he walks onto the pads to stand and then goes on the floor next to it.

I have been spot cleaning really well all along. I did a massive cleanup yesterday where I mopped the area multiple times, then I sprayed the Rocco enzymatic spray all over the area for ten minutes. Then I wiped that up, and mopped a couple more times with plain water (the floor is wood and the enzyme cleaner can hurt it from what I've read). I really scrubbed out his main litterbox and refilled it, and put down a new smaller one that I already had on hand for something else. I crossed my fingers and waited. Nope. 3 diarrheas: one directly on the floor, one half over the side of the new small box onto the puppy pad, and one directly on the puppy pad.

He always urinates in his litterboxes, so that's good. But the diarrhea is different. He must associate the boxes with pain from diarrhea?

Any advice?
 

Timmer

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Aw, I'm so sorry for you and poor sweet Farley. It sounds like he's having some good days, but I get where you are coming from. My Timmer passed from IBD a year ago. He had liquid and blood dripping from his back end daily, all over the house. I felt so sorry for him. I just cleaned it up and didn't worry. I'm sorry for what you are going through and I completely relate and understand. I caught his IBD too late and he only had two months to live; his colon swelled up shut and I had to say good bye because he never responded to any of the usual meds, nor did he respond to chemo. I hated what he went through.
Just do what you can. Maybe someone else has some better advice. I hope so! God bless you.
 

white shadow

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I would suspect it's the pain/discomfort.

Have you tried pumpkin?
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munch64

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Timmer Timmer I remember reading about your sweet Timmer. I'm sorry to hear the chemo didn't help him. Same with Farley. Everytime I see a reference somewhere that days "cats respond really well to chemo for small cell lymphoma," I almost feel a little mad. But mostly sad. We lost our other cat ten months ago.
 

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Hi. I suppose you've already tried psyllium or pumpkin? I am not sure if those are an issue with IBD, but if not, given the frequency of his poops - and, I assume, the amount is not a whole lot each time, one of these fiber supplements might help.

Going as much as he does, his behind could be a bit sore - which could be why he associates the litter box with pain. Is there any way to use hypoallergenic wipes to help clean his behind daily - or ask the vet for something you could use to help reduce the irritation he likely has from having repeated diarrhea?

I doubt that you can do much to get him to use the litter boxes correctly unless you can reduce the diarrhea and the discomfort.
 
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munch64

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I would suspect it's the pain/discomfort.

Have you tried pumpkin?
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Yeah. It makes the most sense. I'd like to trick him into thinking the floor is more painful.

He won't eat pumpkin, unfortunately. I have tried slippery elm to see if that will soothe his digestive tract, but unfortunately he usually vomits it. Which is strange because our other cat who was super sensitive could tolerate it fine and it helped her.
 

white shadow

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But, were you giving it "straight up" or mixed into a wet food?
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munch64

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But, were you giving it "straight up" or mixed into a wet food?
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It was mixed. Would it be better to try it straight up?

FeebysOwner FeebysOwner we had the vet trim his fur back there and it was the best decision ever. He doesn't get diarrhea on himself anymore. Sometimes he gets it on his front paws because he tries to cover up the diarrhea on the floor. His anus is not red or inflamed looking. But he could have inflammation inside, like how people can have internal hemorrhoids that cause pain.
 
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munch64

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By the way, this is him right now. He has been laying next to me in front of the space heater and he just rolled onto his side and stretched out his leg over my arm. He still enjoys a gentle belly rub. My sweetie. :)
 

white shadow

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No, I meant pumpkin mixed into some food. I can't imagine it being acceptable on its own.

He vomited up the SEB.....I wonder if he would vomit the SEB if you were to make the syrup, and mix that into some 'stinky' wet foods.....(I use FF Liver & Chicken pate)

Here's the how-tos
Tip #1: When giving slippery elm bark, take a tablespoon of hot water and mix it with about 1/2 capsule of SEB powder. As it starts to cool, it will thicken. Sometimes you can add more powder and sometimes more water to get it to a thin enough consistency that you can fill a syringe. The easiest syringe to use is a 3ml, and fill completely. Then insert the syringe in the back corner of your cat’s mouth and let them drink it down. Just be sure to make it as thick as possible as it helps coat the lining of the GI tract, similar to Pepto Bismol. (NEVER use Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate). You can also use mix about 1/4 teaspoon of slippery elm bark powder with hot water for every 10 pounds of body weight. Mix well and let cool. They call it a “liquid band aid”. Slippery elm should be given at least two hours away from any other medications or supplements. 30 minutes isn’t long enough for the mucilagenous coating in the digestive tract to dilute enough to let absorption take place, mostly in the intestines. Many holistic vets believe that when given with a meal, it can inhibit the absorption of nutrients from the food. Here is the SEB that I use: Celebration Herbals Slippery Elm Bark Powder Bulk Tea Caffeine Free...
Tips & Tricks – IBDKitties

Tip #2: For diarrhea or constipation, add a teaspoon of organic canned pumpkin to your cat’s meal. Any canned pumpkin will do but Farmer’s Market Organic is the best one and seems to be the most tasty. Make sure it’s the 100% pumpkin and not the pie filling. Canned pumpkin is good for 7 days in the refrigerator but usually only tastes good for about 4-5 days. Place the remainder in ice cube trays and freeze. Then place them in baggies or a container immediately for freshness and defrost as needed or freeze 3 days worth at a time.
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munch64

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The slippery elm was as a syrup. I tried it both mixed with his food and via syringe. He didn't mind the taste, but he did vomit later. This might be TMI, but I've used slippery elm for myself before to recover from travelers illnesses. I'm a big fan of it.

The pumpkin was mixed in food. And I had also tried a couple Soulistic food pouches that had pumpkin as a main ingredient. He refused those.

Do you think it would be worth trying to syringe feed him some pumpkin?

No, I have not tried metamucil. I thought that was to help with constipation?
 

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Timmer Timmer I remember reading about your sweet Timmer. I'm sorry to hear the chemo didn't help him. Same with Farley. Everytime I see a reference somewhere that days "cats respond really well to chemo for small cell lymphoma," I almost feel a little mad. But mostly sad. We lost our other cat ten months ago.
Thank you. I have to remind myself that even if it had worked, the specialist told me it would add 6 months to two years to his life. He was such a proud tiger. He never wanted to be sick like that. His last full day I had to go to work. When I came home he had gone all over the house. I knew he had to be in tremendous pain and I never wanted that for him. I loved him so much and still do. I can barely talk about this....

I'm so sorry about the loss of your other cat, too.

Metamucil is for constipation, yes. (I take it myself).

I would guess he just goes on the floor because it's painful and so he just...goes when he can. There's nothing wrong with the litter box at all.
 

white shadow

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Sorry, but, what's "TMI" ?

I don't think I'd be using psyllium...
Some fiber sources such as cellulose and psyllium starve the beneficial bacteria.
Prevention

Syringe feeding pumpkin? Sometimes, anything's worth trying. Just be extra-super-careful when syringing anything.....you do know about cats & aspiration, right?

I wonder if it was just a 'freak' that he vomited the food with pumpkin, perhaps something else caused the upset...? I'd be tempted to try again. The other thing when adding anything in is to start with only a tiny amount of the additive and, over time, increase the amount.
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No, I have not tried metamucil. I thought that was to help with constipation?
Metamucil is for constipation, yes. (I take it myself).
For bouts of frequent, but small amounts each time, of loose stools, Metamucil - aka psyllium - can work for diarrhea. Not to be confused with Miralax…

Same is true for pumpkin, can be used for constipation or diarrhea - it is more of a bowel/fiber regulator than the concept behind other products, such as Miralax.
 
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munch64

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I'm very careful with syringing. His meds are liquid, so I have lots of practice.

He vomited the slippery elm, and not right away. He didn't vomit the pumpkin that I had mixed in his food, he just refused to eat it.

TMI means "too much information" shared.
 

white shadow

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He didn't vomit the pumpkin that I had mixed in his food, he just refused to eat it
OK - now, I don't want to be 'tedious' here.....just seeking a solution.....

IF he likes FF Liver & Chicken (mine cannot get enough of it!), what if you tried offering just a teaspoonful of FF with a teensy-tiny bit of pumpkin.....then, after a while, another teaspoonful with a tiny bit more pumpkin.....(when it's warmed a little, the aroma drives my guys wild!)

If you can get him to see it as a treat and to crave it.....then, over a few days/week you might be able to get enough of it into him to see whether/not it will dry up the diarrhea.

Are you on FB? If so, explore what those folks are doing and put his 'case' to them. From all reports I've heard, they get good 'marks'.

I haven't ever dealt with IBD (nor Lymphoma) so I'm really just pulling from what I know about 'keeping things moving' satisfactorily.
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munch64

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A simple solution was that I brought his preferred litterbox even closer than it was before and he started to use it again. I don't think this is because he wasn't making it in time at the old location. I think it's because despite the enzymatic cleaner he could still smell his previous spots and he continued going there. With the litterbox closer, he no longer even went into that other area and I think that removed the urge.

Sad update: he crossed the rainbow bridge last night. He seemed to be recovering from a flare, and suddenly got very sick and uncoordinated. The vet thinks he suddenly developed blood clots. It was devastating, but I'm feeling a tiny miniscule bit of relief for him that he is no longer suffering. He had lost so much weight and diddnot want to eat. I just wish our home didn't feel so incredibly empty now without him here.
 
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munch64

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OK - now, I don't want to be 'tedious' here.....just seeking a solution.....

IF he likes FF Liver & Chicken (mine cannot get enough of it!), what if you tried offering just a teaspoonful of FF with a teensy-tiny bit of pumpkin.....then, after a while, another teaspoonful with a tiny bit more pumpkin.....(when it's warmed a little, the aroma drives my guys wild!)

If you can get him to see it as a treat and to crave it.....then, over a few days/week you might be able to get enough of it into him to see whether/not it will dry up the diarrhea.

Are you on FB? If so, explore what those folks are doing and put his 'case' to them. From all reports I've heard, they get good 'marks'.

I haven't ever dealt with IBD (nor Lymphoma) so I'm really just pulling from what I know about 'keeping things moving' satisfactorily.
.
I joined IBDkitties. Thanks for the suggestion. What a truly wonderful group of people!
 
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