CKD cat now pooping outside the litter box

[angela638x]

Sorry if this is under the wrong forum!

For background, my 11yo Lola has CKD... just got her lab work done, her creatinine is 2.5. She eats low phos wet food (Weruva) and RX dry food. Has a water fountain. She used to be obsessed with Hydracare but now she only drinks it occasionally. She can be kind of a diva and gets bored with stuff easily, much like her mother

A couple days ago I woke up to a hard poop outside of Lola's litterbox which was out of character for her. She had a vet appointment that same day and the vet checked her for constipation and didn't feel anything. She's otherwise doing very well - she's very high energy, eats super well, hydrated, etc. Her favorite activities are laying in the sun on the patio or playing with the nosiest toy available to her. The vet recommended I give 1/4 tsp miralax for dry stools, so I gave that that evening and all was well. I did the same thing the next evening. This morning? I wake up to three poops scattered around my house!

She is still peeing in the litter box. I am wondering - is it the miralax? She did poop outside the box before I gave it, but afterwards there was much more. When she was drinking the hydracare regularly she had the best poops she's ever had... I also can't believe my life has come to talking about cat poop so enthusiastically. Any advice would be appreciated; you all are always so helpful.

 

[Furballsmom]

Lol, it's an amazing thing, those of us who have sick kitties

But yes, this (her poops and behavior) sounds almost exactly like my Poppycat.

Because you are on top of things and watching, you've helped her avoid the worst where she's literally constipated.

Try adjusting the dosage down, or skipping a day with the miralax, she (her system, that is) might or might or be able to tolerate it and still be able to poop.

Hang in there !

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Usually this type of behavior IS a result of constipation. My 2nd to last kidney cat left us "presents" all around the house often. Once he was on Miralax given twice daily religiously, that stopped. But it required some time to get his system regulated. CKD cats get constipated easily, and that results in cats trying to poop wherever the urge takes over, usually resulting in little hard marbles around the house. But too much Miralax and you might get little SOFT surprises in places like their beds . Our Vet had us start at 1/8 teas. twice daily and if that didn't work, go anywhere from 1/8 to 1/4 twice daily. We needed to vary that amount depending on the day.

 

[stephanietx]

CKD kitties can have really hard, dry poops. When they feel the urge to go and their gastro system isn't lubricated like a normal cat's, then it's harder for them to pass stool. It can indicate constipation, but adding water to wet food to make it like thick oatmeal and possibly adding a little bit of plain canned pumpkin puree might help.

 

[FriendofFerals]

Constipation. I just brought one into the vet last week for being unable to poop and then throwing up from straining to poop. They gave him an enema and now I've increased the laxatone/vaseline to once a day from 3 times a week as I was told. CKD causes constipation and slow motility. Mine also has Type II diabetes in remission with diet and a giant gallstone that doesn't seem to be causing any issues (yet) but could be the cause of some of the appetite loss, constipation, lethargy etc. He can't keep weight on with wet food because he won't eat enough of it, so I have him on Young Again Zero Mature dry food (1% carbs, and 0.5% phosphorous) along with copious water and whatever wet food he will eat. So far with the daily laxatone/vaseline it's been better. Hard, but passable stools. If he goes outside the litter box that means he's getting stopped up and it hurts to go.

 

[Furballsmom]

I've increased the laxatone/vaseline

Hello, miralax/PEG 3350 is being suggested more nowadays rather than laxatone because it doesn't draw moisture from the rest of the body. You may want to talk that over with your vet.

This discusses it;

Feline Megacolon and Deobstipation