Can chicken constipate my cat

[huxleysmom]

I think Sophie gets really bad constipation from eating chicken. It has now happened every time she has eaten food or too many treats that have chicken in it. Is it possible? Is it considered a food intolerance? I mean, the solution is simple: remove chicken from her diet. The problem is she LOVES chicken and is very picky. She also has pretty bad acid reflux so I need to find food that is low in fat as it helps reduce/almost stop it. Ugh.... it seems like I am destined to have cats with digestive issues. Oh and she is also starting to have regular hair balls. She’s still very young (around 2). She had one before Xmas and is getting ready for another one (lots of weird coughing happening at the moment, sign it’s going to happen soon). I feel IBD is in my future again.

 

[Azazel]

Do you feed primarily kibble or wet food?

 

[verna davies]

It is quite common for cats to have an allergy to chicken so try to avoid it if possible. As for the hairball, put a blob of vasaline on her nose, about the size of a very small pea. I do this with my long furred cat and it works a treat, not something to do on a regular basis, just occasionally.

 

[Azazel]

Allergic reactions don't usually take the form of constipation or acid reflux. They usually involve itchy skin.

Constipation occurs when the stool is not retaining enough moisture. If you're feeding primarily kibble then that is your issue right there. Kibble is also high in carbs and the combination of the lack of moisture and inappropriate ingredients will contribute to hairball formation.

 

[kittyluv387]

Is she eating dry food? If she is that's probably your answer.

 

[huxleysmom]

She eats dry and wet. Only the wet food I was giving her until a couple of days ago had chicken it it. She drinks a lot of water too. Right now she isn’t eating much. I think the combination of not pooping regularly for a while and the hair ball getting ready are making her uncomfortable as she usually eats her dry food. I cannot seem to find a wet food without chicken that she likes. The fact that I have to keep it low fat doesn’t help.

 

[She's a witch]

I know that bones in raw cat food can cause constipation. And I know that canned (and dry) food can contain ground bones as well, I’m just wondering if the bones in canned can have the same effect? Does it happen with every brand of chicken? If you feed one brand mainly, I’d try another one if you need to feed chicken.
As for low fat food, maybe the chart on dr Pierson’s site will help? Although yeah, without chicken and fish it might be tricky.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

 

[huxleysmom]

Thank you for the chart. I’ll look into it. And yes. It has happened with all of the chickens wet foods I have tried. Whether it has chicken, chicken liver or chicken broth, she’ll eventually get constipated. This time it took longer, but she totally stopped going.

I know that bones in raw cat food can cause constipation. And I know that canned (and dry) food can contain ground bones as well, I’m just wondering if the bones in canned can have the same effect? Does it happen with every brand of chicken? If you feed one brand mainly, I’d try another one if you need to feed chicken.
As for low fat food, maybe the chart on dr Pierson’s site will help? Although yeah, without chicken and fish it might be tricky.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

 

[Azazel]

She eats dry and wet. Only the wet food I was giving her until a couple of days ago had chicken it it. She drinks a lot of water too. Right now she isn’t eating much. I think the combination of not pooping regularly for a while and the hair ball getting ready are making her uncomfortable as she usually eats her dry food. I cannot seem to find a wet food without chicken that she likes. The fact that I have to keep it low fat doesn’t help.

It's most likely the dry food causing it. Cats shouldn't be going to a water hole to drink. It's actually an indication of dehydration. Well-hydrated cats on all canned diets rarely, if ever, drink water.

 

[Azazel]

My other thought is... are you sure it’s constipation? Cats will have smaller and fewer poops when they eat wet food instead of dry because dry food unnecessarily bulks poop.

 

[huxleysmom]

My other thought is... are you sure it’s constipation? Cats will have smaller and fewer poops when they eat wet food instead of dry because dry food unnecessarily bulks poop.

No. Literally nothing comes out. She tries too.

 

[Azazel]

No. Literally nothing comes out. She tries too.

Okay, well, try non-chicken wet food if you think it's the chicken, but moisture is key for dealing with constipation, so the more wet food you can give and the less kibble the better.

 

[huxleysmom]

She’s always eaten dry and wet. That’s never changed. The chicken is the only common denominator. But as of now, she isn’t eating much of either. She’s not touching her dry food and doesn’t seem to want to eat any new wet food I am offering her. She’s drinking though.

 

[Azazel]

She’s always eaten dry and wet. That’s never changed. The chicken is the only common denominator. But as of now, she isn’t eating much of either. She’s not touching her dry food and doesn’t seem to want to eat any new wet food I am offering her. She’s drinking though.

I think it’s time for a vet visit unfortunately.

 

[daftcat75]

I think it’s the dry food or the low fat that’s constipating her. It could be ingredients in the wet too I suppose. But it’s probably not chicken itself that’s the issue. Usually a food intolerance will go the other way—either vomiting or loose stools/diarrhea. Which foods are you feeding? Brands and flavors. We might be able to find the culprit that you’re not suspecting.

I agree with the above post. A cat that’s not eating and not pooping should see a vet.

 

[huxleysmom]

Update:
Turns out Sophie is allergic to chicken. She became more lethargic, have more regurgitation issues (no vomit, but it kept wanting to come back up), she was eating less and less, probably because she was nauseous, but what really gave it away was that she started to lick and scratch a lot more, especially in the middle of playing. Her ears also became black inside. A good old sign for allergies.
i switched her to duck. She is eating dry only now. She refuses to eat much wet food, and she tends to regurgitate more when she does (the vet thinks she has GERD). She’s been on duck for 4 weeks maybe, I am losing track of time with the lockdown.Her appetite and energy are back and the licking/scratching is not as often. The biggest sign is that the inside of her ears becoming much clearer. Her poop is back to normal too.
On another positive note, she had her yearly heart ultrasound before everything shut down here in NYC and there is so far no progression of her cardiomyopathy.
So all good news.
Take care and stay healthy everyone!

 

[Azazel]

Be careful with duck - it tends to be very high in fat. I would try to introduce a leaner protein such as turkey, rabbit, or venison to balance out the amount of fat in the duck.

 

[huxleysmom]

Be careful with duck - it tends to be very high in fat. I would try to introduce a leaner protein such as turkey, rabbit, or venison to balance out the amount of fat in the duck.

Thanks, I didn’t think of that. So far she is doing good with the GERD (I know she needs lower fat content because of that). I’m going to keep her on that for at least another 4 weeks to make sure the chicken is out of her system and monitor her progress with itching and her ears, then I’ll switch her to one of the proteins you recommended to see if it helps with the little GERD she has left. She is not a big fan of rabbit so I think that’s out. It is much better now though.