Sometimes it helps to thin down a pate if the cat likes to lick the food. I do this for our cats anyway, to get a little more water into them, maybe a tablespoon or two for a small can. (I don't measure it so I'm not sure exactly how much.) Water can also help with constipation.
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Cat Constipated. Help!
- Thread starter Bbydoll
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- #22
Is that prescription?
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No I just bought it from an online pet store. Just called Royal Canin Fibre. I'm not into vet diets normally, I think that's why I'm so gobsmacked. And she was getting so fed up of all the medication liquids I was shoving in her mouth. Huge relief the fibre increase helped.
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- #24
She likes gravy too. I already add water to her food but i just blended the rest of the fancy feast in the nutri bullet. She ate a bit of it. Ughhh im waiting for the forti flora and nutrical to get here! Anyone here use nexabiotic? Should i give her the last 1/2 capsule if i will be using fortiflora? Im only going to use a little bit of fortiflora to stimulate appetite. We are still working on the 3 oz of fancy feast. Im trying to get atleast 200 cals in. I dont want her to get fatty liver disease.
Have you tried finger feeding, or spoon feeding? Sometimes that will get a cat started eating again.
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- #26
Ill try it. Ok so i checked amazon and they are 1 stop away, should i add both nutri cal (for calories) and forti flora sprinkled on top of her food together?
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I would try them one at a time because you want the least effective bribe, and you don’t want to show all your cards too soon. The trouble with bribes is that they eventually lose their power the more you use them. So if you can rotate your bribes too, keep one (or several) in reserve for when one stops working. Stack your bribes only as needed. Then lead off with the last successful bribe next time, if needed, and put the rest back in reserve.
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- #28
Shes not having it
she licks a few times and thats it. I tried both nutri cal and fortiflora. And opened a new can just fortiflora and just licks it a few times
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Take her to the vet.Shes not having it
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- #30
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I wouldn’t give her anything like that in the firat place.
If gizmo was constipated the vet would be the first place to go.
If gizmo was constipated the vet would be the first place to go.
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- #32
I gave her miralax per suggestion in this forum. If it doesnt work i will go to the vet.
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I wouldn’t give my cat that unless the vet has seen him.
Hello and welcome to TCS!! I am sorry that your girl is having digestive issues. I am curious as to how you are administering the slippery elm & whether you have considered adding red raspberry leaf and marshmallow root to a decoction. The red raspberry leaf is especially soothing for nausea & cramping, especially if the Miralax is kicking in. Marshmallow root is also soothing to the gut (as is SE).Since you are already using Nexabiotic, does your vet still recommend adding Fortiflora?
Personally, I had better luck with myself and my daughter's aged cat when I used lactulose instead of Miralax (which is a petroleum product).
Did your vet say that her kidney function is fine?
As for her diet, it might be useful to go bland to settle her guts - offer her simple foods like boiled chicken or ground beef and Gerber Stage 2 baby food in chicken or beef. I would add the broth or water or unflavored Pedialyte to ALL her food to make sure that her hydration is good.
And I would make sure that her litter is fragrance free/unscented. Cats will hold their bodily wastes to the point of internal disaster if something is wrong with the litter or if the box situation is not good (think ambush at the litterbox by other cats; lack of privacy/too noisy at the box location).
Lastly, I would encourage lots of grooming with a plastic or rubber comb (like the 1960s guys carried in their back pockets) plus lots of play because that all stimulates peristalsis. You can try acupressure all around her ankles by using light, slow circles (front paws are usually more tolerated) and then/or light downward strokes of the legs.
I would also do the grooming & play to the healthy cats to ensure harmony because there are so many causes of constipation. I find it helps calm MY concerns (and you know how cats pick up on OUR vibes) if I think of these health challenges as a Sherlock Holmes mystery that requires much analytical detective work.
Thankfully, you have a whole WORLD of cat guardians from every spectrum who are willing and able to see you through this
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35
Her bloodwork 3 weeks ago came back normal. I only gave her 1/2 capsule of nexabiotic today as i feel like id be using the whole packet of fortiflora to get her to eat today. I skipped slippery elm bark today because i gave her 1/4 miralax and a tiny sprinkle of egg yolk lecithin. Should i still give her slippery elm bark today? I usually mix it with water to make a paste.
Since you are already using Nexabiotic, does your vet still recommend adding Fortiflora?
Personally, I had better luck with myself and my daughter's aged cat when I used lactulose instead of Miralax (which is a petroleum product).
Did your vet say that her kidney function is fine?
As for her diet, it might be useful to go bland to settle her guts - offer her simple foods like boiled chicken or ground beef and Gerber Stage 2 baby food in chicken or beef. I would add the broth or water or unflavored Pedialyte to ALL her food to make sure that her hydration is good.
And I would make sure that her litter is fragrance free/unscented. Cats will hold their bodily wastes to the point of internal disaster if something is wrong with the litter or if the box situation is not good (think ambush at the litterbox by other cats; lack of privacy/too noisy at the box location).
Lastly, I would encourage lots of grooming with a plastic or rubber comb (like the 1960s guys carried in their back pockets) plus lots of play because that all stimulates peristalsis. You can try acupressure all around her ankles by using light, slow circles (front paws are usually more tolerated) and then/or light downward strokes of the legs.
I would also do the grooming & play to the healthy cats to ensure harmony because there are so many causes of constipation. I find it helps calm MY concerns (and you know how cats pick up on OUR vibes) if I think of these health challenges as a Sherlock Holmes mystery that requires much analytical detective work.
Thankfully, you have a whole WORLD of cat guardians from every spectrum who are willing and able to see you through this
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #36
Did the vet do an ultrasound to see where the stoppages are?
I would skip the slippery elm & marshmallow for now because they might interfere with the miralax. They coat the interior and help absorb toxins and irritants.
I prepare my slippery elm as a decoction only because it ensures adequate water for optimal performance (I start off with 1 tsp dried herb in a cup of cold water and slowly simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes and cool down, also covered; if using powdered SE, you will notice how it tends to float and also coat the sides of the pan.)
With Miralax, adequate hydration is key! I myself have IBD and hydration was stressed to me by every provider. Also, it takes a few days to see the optimum effects. For kitty, I would offer her broths and tuna water in addition to good water (filtered, bottled or good fresh well water). She might do better on warm water.
If she is still "off her feed", I would ask the vet about using red raspberry leaf, chamomile, and/or mint. You might seek a holistic veterinarian's advice, too. IMO, the RRL is best at dealing with any cramping from the fiber (in the pumpkin) or the Miralax. Because low water content contributes to the cramping, I use teas as opposed to powdered herbs sprinkled on food (1/2 - 1 teaspoon herb in a cup with boiling water poured on top then covered and allowed to steep 5-10 minutes). You can make a slurry with the baby food. If you are using canned cat food, please note that the thickeners such as carageenan, xanthan & guar gums, can also bind her guts, which is why I opt for baby food or boiled chicken or hamburger. I add a bit of pink/Himalayan salt which has potassium, magnesium, chromium, manganese, etc., as opposed to white table salt which is only sodium chloride.
As I said in my previous post, these digestive issues take a lot of detective work, even in humans! And I cannot withhold my praises for the grooming and the play. I use the interest in following a moving object, such as a teaser or string (but don't let the kitty eat the string - I say this not for you but for any "newbies" who are also reading this), as my indicator for how the patient is feeling.
I would skip the slippery elm & marshmallow for now because they might interfere with the miralax. They coat the interior and help absorb toxins and irritants.
I prepare my slippery elm as a decoction only because it ensures adequate water for optimal performance (I start off with 1 tsp dried herb in a cup of cold water and slowly simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes and cool down, also covered; if using powdered SE, you will notice how it tends to float and also coat the sides of the pan.)
With Miralax, adequate hydration is key! I myself have IBD and hydration was stressed to me by every provider. Also, it takes a few days to see the optimum effects. For kitty, I would offer her broths and tuna water in addition to good water (filtered, bottled or good fresh well water). She might do better on warm water.
If she is still "off her feed", I would ask the vet about using red raspberry leaf, chamomile, and/or mint. You might seek a holistic veterinarian's advice, too. IMO, the RRL is best at dealing with any cramping from the fiber (in the pumpkin) or the Miralax. Because low water content contributes to the cramping, I use teas as opposed to powdered herbs sprinkled on food (1/2 - 1 teaspoon herb in a cup with boiling water poured on top then covered and allowed to steep 5-10 minutes). You can make a slurry with the baby food. If you are using canned cat food, please note that the thickeners such as carageenan, xanthan & guar gums, can also bind her guts, which is why I opt for baby food or boiled chicken or hamburger. I add a bit of pink/Himalayan salt which has potassium, magnesium, chromium, manganese, etc., as opposed to white table salt which is only sodium chloride.
As I said in my previous post, these digestive issues take a lot of detective work, even in humans! And I cannot withhold my praises for the grooming and the play. I use the interest in following a moving object, such as a teaser or string (but don't let the kitty eat the string - I say this not for you but for any "newbies" who are also reading this), as my indicator for how the patient is feeling.
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- #38
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- #39
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Looks like a lot more poop than there was in your first post, so hopefully its improving. Is that light-coloured stuff hair/fur? I'm not a vet, but it looks like a lot of hair to me... Maybe that's what was doing it? How is she?
