Black stools and constipation in outwardly healthy cats

[comithy]

I have two cats, a 5-year-old male tabby and a 3-year-old female longhair.

Recently they've showed signs of constipation. So far they've been eating RC 2nd age dry kitten food exclusively for 3 years, as this is the catfood they have the most positive response to (they have sensitive digestion and can't really handle foods meant for mature cats). I started feeding them wet food around a week ago to help with their digestion but they still haven't been pooping as much as an average cat would and now I realized that some of their stools are coming out black while the others are dark brown. They have a tar-like sheen to them as well, which I've read is caused by bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. I've been considering bringing them to the vet if the color doesn't improve in the next few days, but I'm wondering if this is something that can be treated at home as they're still super active, eating and behaving normally. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[verna davies]

Fibre will help with the constipation so you could try a pinch of psyllium mixed into the wet food a couple of times a day but maybe you could phone your vet for advice on meds such as a mild laxative.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would see if your vet will accept you bringing in a stool sample - they can quickly test the sample for blood. All you have to do is gather some (litter and all) from the litterbox, bag it, and store it in the refrigerator if you can't take it to the vet right away. It will stay viable for a number of hours if kept refrigerated.

As far as the constipation, once the vet has checked the stool sample ask them if they have any issue with you giving them some Miralax. A starting point is generally about 1/8 tsp per cat per day, with positive results a day or two after starting the Miralax. Mix the Miralax with a bit of water first, and then serve it with a lickable treat - if your cats can/will eat any of them - or a spoon of baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) to get them to take it. The baby food meat should be gentle enough for their digestive tracts, and most cats seem to like it well enough to hide the Miralax in it.

I don't know what wet food you started feeding them, but it might be wise to discontinue its use given that it might causing dark stool issues in both cats - at least until you find out if there is blood in the stool. However, most of the time if a food change creates a stool issue involving blood, it tends to be redder in color, coming from the colon - dark blood, if that is what it is, tends to be from the upper part of the digestive tract. The other thing to consider is if this food is dark enough to be changing their stool color - food coloring does affect stool coloring.