Chronic constipation

hspot

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My 17yo senior Tabby Calico was very constipated and didn't poop for 4 days. I heard about, and gave her miralax by recommended dosage and it seemed to work the next day, as she pooped 3 or 4 times in the span of 20 minutes. It stunk to high heaven, but was a much welcome smell at the time. Since then, however, she hasn't pooped regularly. She will go a day or two without pooping, so I have to give her miralax again so she will poop soon. Now it is getting so that I put miralax into her wet food every morning. My question is-Will senior cats poop much less, or be constipated more in their older years? She has never experienced this before, and she has been an indoor cat her whole life. There is no added stress in her life, as I am the only one that lives with her. She went to the vet about a month ago for a general checkup(before the constipation started occurring), and they indicated that she was in good shape. I could not and cannot afford to get blood work and/or urinalyses done for kidney disease(because of working much less due to this whole Covid thing), but she shows no other signs for that...no lethargy, no added/extra drinking or peeing. But...before the constipation occured, she was straining to pee with very little coming out. However when I dosed her with miralax the first time, and she pooped for the first time in days, her pees returned back to normal. Should I be concerned with her current constipation signs, or should I expect her to only poop every other day?
 

verna davies

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One of mine only goes every 36/48 hours. Try adding fibre to her food such as psyllium, sprinkle a pinch on top of her food or mix it in twice a day then reduce to once if you see an improvement, it should help
 
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hspot

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So she just went now, been about the same time frame as you mentioned above. And this is a much bigger poo than she normally does on her regular ones, about 2 days worth I would think. Don't know what psyllium is or where to get it, but will google it and see if it's something I can afford right now. I hope she's just not pooping due to the miralax, and not some deeper problem at her age....:ohwell:
 
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hspot

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I did a search on Walmart for psyllium, and a bunch of results came up....obviously for human consumption like Miralax. There was only one on there that had the word psyllium in it, the rest were products that just had 'fiber powder' in it. And the psyllium results were only capsule I think too.
 
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hspot

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I also forgot to mention that I have been giving her NATURAL CARE URINARY CARE soft chews for cats the past week to hopefully help with whatever problem she had when she was straining to pee. And like I said, she has been peeing normally now, whether it be due to her constipation issues or some UTI(?).
 
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hspot

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After doing a search for that specific brand, I did not find any near me. But I also read(on google) that you can give your cat Metamucil. Does anyone here have any experience with giving your cat Metamucil?
 

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Will senior cats poop much less, or be constipated more in their older years?
Most of my senior kitties over the years have had some constipation issues as they've aged. It's not that unusual, but it can indicate a more serious underlying condition. The straining to pee is worrisome to me. You should always check out any issues like that with your vet.

One of my 17-year-olds poops every three or four days and has for years; the other poops every two days, also normal for her. But if I don't add Miralax to their food every day, they will become constipated. I feed them wet food only, but besides the Miralax, I also add more water to the food to get more moisture into them. And I add probiotics to help with healthy gut bacteria. (I say Miralax, but I use the generic version of it.)

It also helps to get their system moving to give them some exercise. Lily and Iris and I have regular sessions with their wand toy.

Always good to keep a close eye on their litter box habits as they age. Glad you're noticing theses things!
 
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hspot

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Well I went to Walmart and got her some Metamucil, and only got the smallest one I could find just to try it. Stupid me, I didn't even realize that it was orange flavor...:confused:. She smelt it, and of course said no! :rolleyes:
 

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Have you tried plain pumpkin, no additives. Many members on the site find it works and cats seem to like the taste.
 

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She may benefit from a low dose of Miralax everyday. My 16yo cat has been on it daily for years because of chronic constipation with no known cause and it helped immensely. I just mix in it her wet food every night (and just recently added every morning as well). I buy the generic and a bottle lasts a long time since I only use 1/4-1/2 tsp per day.
 
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hspot

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She may benefit from a low dose of Miralax everyday. My 16yo cat has been on it daily for years because of chronic constipation with no known cause and it helped immensely. I just mix in it her wet food every night (and just recently added every morning as well). I buy the generic and a bottle lasts a long time since I only use 1/4-1/2 tsp per day.
Yea, I think I will just do this. Although, she did seem to eat the food with the orange flavored metamucil. But I think she just ate around it.
 
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hspot

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I gave her about half a teaspoon to a full teaspoon when she didn't poop for 4 days. She did poop the very next day...about 4 days worth too of very stinky, but a very welcomed smell(given the circumstances). I then gave her only half a teaspoon the next day, then none the day after. But she didn't poop for over a day, almost two days when I stopped. So now I give her half a teaspoon every morning with her wet food. She is pooping like normal now, once a day.
 
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hspot

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Awhile ago, I started a post about my cat and her constipation for 4 days of not pooping. After being suggested MiraLAX as a potential option, it worked for her. The only thing is that now I have to give her about 1/4-1/2 a tsp with her wet food every morning, otherwise she won't poop the next day again. I think I remember someone on here telling me they give their cat MiraLAX all the time? So is that safe to do for senior cats? Mine is 17 now. Also since giving it to her daily, just the other day she pooped in two places outside her litter box. Once in her little bed in the living room, and another one in the hallway. It's not her litter box being dirty, cuz I clean that two or three times a day. So I would think she just can't hold it. All the people who have outdoor cats, they don't see this type of behavior because their cats go outside when they aren't around. And Tabitha has been indoor her whole life. Her whole world has been a 980 sq ft condo her whole life. I also looked for fiber supplements, like Metamucil, but that only came in Orange flavor, and she definitely didn't like that.
 

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I gave my Angel Artie, miralax every day, twice a day. The dose was adusted to his bowlel movements. His transit time was 2.5 days, so what he pooped that day, were the results of what was given 2 days prior. I started the dosage at 1/8 tsp once a day, and then raised it up to about half a tsp twice a day, or so... depending on results.

I also gave him some lactulose, which we both hated.

Remember to mix the mirlax in some water and add to the wet food Do not add it dry.

Instead of the orange flavored Metamucil; I think you can buy psylium husks.

I wish you luck...
 
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I gave my Angel Artie, miralax every day, twice a day. The dose was adusted to his bowlel movements. His transit time was 2.5 days, so what he pooped that day, were the results of what was given 2 days prior. I started the dosage at 1/8 tsp once a day, and then raised it up to about half a tsp twice a day, or so... depending on results.

I also gave him some lactulose, which we both hated.

Remember to mix the mirlax in some water and add to the wet food Do not add it dry.

Instead of the orange flavored Metamucil; I think you can buy psylium husks.

I wish you luck...
Thankyou for your response. I am glad you, and hopefully maybe others, use this method. Yea, if I don't give her MiraLAX every morning with her wet food, she won't poop. But when I do, she will most likely poop that day. So hearing you say your cat pooped every 2.5 days with the dosage, and mine goes every day with it, I feel better. I am currently seeing what happens the next couple of days without MiraLAX. How long did Angel Artie live?...or was it a mistype above when you said 'gave' instead of 'give'? Tabitha is now going to be 17 in about a month or so.
 

artiemom

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My Angel kitty, Artie lived to be 15 years old.
He had a lot of issues which began with IBD. Then he had a bowel motility issue. Not Megacolon, but it was treated as such. He just could not poop. The nerves somehow got damaged. And the stool dried out and became harder

He could not push it out. It was one enema after another, and tons of meds. It was too much for him. Fussy with food, also.

I began a poop and medicine log. That is how I discovered his transit time.

Good luck 🍀. Artie is in my avatar picture
 
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hspot

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Well she went poop today without any foreign substances to help her. Yay! Will get her some Psyllium husk powder at Walmart today so she has a fiber supplement with her food. Thanks for all the help.
 
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