Cat Hasn't Pooped In 5 Days

[tristessa]

My 6 year old female cat usually poops every other day in the evening. She is regular and healthy. Once in a while she will get diarrhea after eating food she shouldn't. She's a bit of a dumpster diver. I have since gotten a better lid for the trash can and kept an eye on her.

Last Thursday, I came home to a hairball which she never gets. She started laying around and wasn't quite herself that night.
In the morning on Friday, I fed her breakfast of wet food and went to work. I came home in the evening and she had diarrhea a couple times in her box and refused to eat. In the ten minutes I was home she had it two more times, then vomited watery substance with some hair in it 2 times. I immediately took her to the vet. This was Friday night 7pm.
The vet did two xrays, results normal.
Gave a shot of Cerenia for nausea to stop the vomiting
Gave her 200mL of fluids which really perked her up
Took blood for pancreatitis, results normal
Gave 250mg tablets a day of metronidazole , 1/2 tablet, twice a day.

I started the metro on Friday night. I waited 24 hours until I fed her. She ate Saturday morning. After the fluids she started acting normal again. Watching the birds, running around, asking to eat, greeting me at the door. The vet had me giving her baby food Sat, Sun, and Mon. I transitioned her back to her wet food on Tues and still give her some baby food for fluids. She's peeing normally and acting normal.

The only issue is that she hasn't pooped. I tried to look every where for advice on ththis. I don't know if there is a problem because she is acting the way she always does. She doesn't strain in the box. She doesn't attempt to poop at all. Can this happen to a cat after a day of long watery puddly diarrhea? If she doesn't go by Friday I will take her to the vet. I just want to know if anyone else has ever experienced this.

 

[abyeb]

I’d advise you to call your vet again. This article: Everything You Need To Know About Constipation In Cats says that you should schedule an emergency appointment if “[y]our cat has stopped producing feces altogether for two days or more”.

When my cat had diarrhea last summer, he didn’t poop for a day. Five days is quite a long time.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

What is Metro? Is that an appetite stimulant? If she is not eating enough, she won't be pooping. I agree that is too long. But clearly she is not having any kind of obstruction, so that is good! I think (and I am no expert), that she is not eating enough to warrant poop. I suppose she may not be feeling quite herself from the bouts of diahhrea despite the Cerenia, etc.

I would call the vet and see if they can prescribe Remeron (mirtazapine). It stimulates appetite and kicks in pretty quickly (about 1/2 a day). It also acts as an anti-emetic to reduce nausea. It is usually prescribed in 15 mg pills and kitty only gets up to 1/4 pill every 48 - 72 hours. It is not to be given daily. Or it can be compounded into a transdermal gel and put in the tip of the ear for absorption (my favorite method).

I am sorry you are going through this stressful time.

 

[neely]

I completely agree with abyeb and would likewise recommend contacting your vet. FYI, there is an Article about IBD in cats that my be helpful for reference. Please note I am not suggesting your cat has IBD but thought the information might be of interest to you: Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Cats

Good luck and please keep us posted about your cat's progress.

 

[jinxybean]

My Jinxy spent years with diarrhea issues and she still pooped (rather: milkshaked) daily. I agree that 5 days is not a good thing and she needs to see the vet today, asap.

Sometimes cats can get constipation from hairballs stuck in the lower GI. This type of constipation can look like either stopped-up constipation to watery poo, with normal feces squished passed the stuck hairball. I've dealt with the latter many, many times with my girl. This is my first guess, as you mentioned hair in her vomit immediately preceding all the problems. I don't think IBD or other chronic diseases yet.

Normally I would liberally dose my cat with Laxatone to get the hairball through, but in your case she needs a vet's care, because 5 days of no pooping can be quite a blockage.

sweetblackpaws , metronidazole is a type of antibiotic that has positive effects on diarrhea. It wouldn't constipate the cat in this manner, though. And I would not suggest appetite stimulants on an animal that is constipated for this many days. Deal with the stoppage first, then reboot the intake.

 

[jinxybean]

Forgot to add: Check all the hidey places in your house for cat poop. Discomfort can cause litterbox issues causing cats to poop elsewhere in the house. My girl loved to crap behind the dining room table when her bouts of diarrhea were particularly uncomfortable. As predictable as the sun rising.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I suppose you are right. I just thought maybe she wasn't pooping because she wasn't eating.

 

[orange&white]

I would call the vet, but if she isn't straining then I don't think it's urgent to take her in, unless the vet says you should. The only time my cats have been constipated, they were clearly hanging around the box, straining, and were clearly uncomfortable.

Is it possible that she is pooping somewhere else, as Jinxybean suggested? Sometimes a cat may associate the cat box with the memory of the discomfort it had with the diarrhea. Have you scrubbed the box and refreshed the litter since she was having loose stools?

 

[Timmer]

Could be all that medication is just messing with her system but tomorrow is Friday and that is a week since she has gone. I would probably call the vet today and I know my vet would have me bring the cat in for fluids to help get things moving and probably give me some Lactulose. Granted eating baby food probably won't make her go and she may have been cleaned out from all the diarrhea, but if she is eating normally now she should be going by now. Do you know what psyllium husk is? It's a natural fiber. I add that to my cat's food and it helps a lot. You can get it in the drug store in the vitamin section and it comes in capsules. I break open a capsule and sprinkle it over the food and my cat goes within the day. It's relatively inexpensive and easy to use.

For whatever it's worth, my girl has been throwing up a lot of hair lately in spite of my grooming her nearly every evening. I feed her a hairball formula food, too.

 

[tristessa]

Thanks for all the great advice. I only started easing her back into her normal food on Tuesday and she only gets 2 of of regular wet food day plus baby food. She loves to eat and has her appetite back since Sat but I was advised to only give her baby food so maybe you are right and she probably doesn't have enough fiber to create a substantial poop. She also could have a lower GI partial blockage but the vet had done two X-ray's and said she was totally clear. He was leaning towards her eating something spoiled that upset her GI tract but did all the tests to be sure. I will check with my vet and see what they want to do, since it is a long time for her to go without any bowel movement. I've dealt with constipation before with another cat except I would actually see him strain in the box and he would be visibly upset. She hasn't done any straining and is acting happier than normal but I will check around the house and see if she's gone somewhere else. I did have an instance before where a cat went straight from diarrhea to constipation. This was all very good advice. Thanks so much. I will keep everyone updated on the outcome.

 

[tristessa]

We have poop!

So, I went home after this post and realized a diet of only baby food and very little regular wet food won't produce much fiber. I was going to go out and buy the pysllium husk but I already had a can of pumpkin at home in the cabinet which I know she likes. I had called the vet and the X-ray from last week had showed a clear GI tract with no blockages so if she was constipated. They asked me some questions and said I could bring her in for an exam at the end of the night unless she suddenly started to be in pain. They were booked for the day. I didn't take her to emergency because she was acting normal. I felt her belly and back end. She didn't cry or anything so I told them she could wait til then. She was purring and rubbing all over me at this point. She thought I was trying to groom her.

So morning and night I gave her the regular food she gets. I also gave her a teaspoon of pumpkin in the evening that I had on hand in the pantry. That night after dinner she went to the box and had a beautiful long poop. Never have I been so happy to see such a thing. Perfectly formed and perfect consistency. I guess all it took was a regular diet for one day. Thanks for all the good advice. If I'm ever down this road again I will know exactly what to look for.

 

[tristessa]

Sweetblackpaws it turns out you were right. She wasn't eating enough regular wet food. There wasn't any fiber in the baby food and I waste giving her pumpkin because I was trying to follow vet directions to the T.

I am so grateful for everyone's advice because it could have been anything and in most situations it would have been constipation. But reading and rereading everyone's advice made me think in directions I would normally.

What is Metro? Is that an appetite stimulant? If she is not eating enough, she won't be pooping. I agree that is too long. But clearly she is not having any kind of obstruction, so that is good! I think (and I am no expert), that she is not eating enough to warrant poop. I suppose she may not be feeling quite herself from the bouts of diahhrea despite the Cerenia, etc.

I would call the vet and see if they can prescribe Remeron (mirtazapine). It stimulates appetite and kicks in pretty quickly (about 1/2 a day). It also acts as an anti-emetic to reduce nausea. It is usually prescribed in 15 mg pills and kitty only gets up to 1/4 pill every 48 - 72 hours. It is not to be given daily. Or it can be compounded into a transdermal gel and put in the tip of the ear for absorption (my favorite method).

I am sorry you are going through this stressful time.

 

[maggiedemi]

I'm so glad that you figured it out! And great catch sweetblackpaws. My cat Maggie has poop problems if she doesn't get enough fiber too.

 

[orange&white]

 

[Furballsmom]

I love cats, your comment about her thinking you were grooming her when you were feeling her tummy was just darling
I'm SO glad your approach of pumpkin and regular food worked!

 

[neely]

I'm thrilled you were able to figure out the constipation problem. I'm also glad the TCS members were able to help and offer their support. Only a true cat lover would understand the joy over poop!

 

[Furballsmom]