Constipation and Hairballs Recs

[Xraystyle]

If he were my cat, I would start giving him more wet food (cats don't tend to drink enough even from available water bowls and glasses, so the more wet food he'll eat, the better) and I would add a pump of Omega 3 oil supplement for cats to his meals. Not 100% sure about any evidence behind it, but I'd do it. And I'd give him the miralax. Once he's pooped, I would keep up with the extra wet food (with added water) and Omega 3 oils and just monitor for recurrence.

Thanks for the detailed info! If I have to go back, I will definitely try to ask about the feeling around bit (language barrier is a little tough, but the vet is trying his best with English and I'm trying with Korean) I am definitely still on the worried side, but Puar doesn't seem the least bit concerned. I will take a look at the store to try and find miralax or something identical. They aren't quite as strict with ingredients here, which would be my concern.

As far as giving more wet food, I'd like to but he never finishes what I give him currently. I will probably have to try out different brands I suppose. Unfortunately, I'm at work for longish hours so I would feel uncomfortable leaving him without kibble to munch on (as far as going completely wet). This also means I can't give him an extra meal in the afternoon. I could probably give him a wet snack stick before bed though!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Here are a couple of articles that might help with transitioning him off free fed kibble on to scheduled meals AND then completely off of kibble. If you are concerned about being away for long hours at a stretch, you could possible use an automatic timed feeder, and put some frozen (with water added before freezing) wet food in it before leaving for the day.

Transitioning Free-fed Kibble Kitties To Timed Meals – Cat Articles

Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food – Cat Articles

And I use a generic of Miralax for one of my guys. Just look for the active ingredient of polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350). I use between 1/8 and 1/4 teaspoon dissolved in about 1 teaspoon of water twice a day., then mixed into his wet food. The amount I give him changes based on his output

 

[zoes]

Thanks for the detailed info! If I have to go back, I will definitely try to ask about the feeling around bit (language barrier is a little tough, but the vet is trying his best with English and I'm trying with Korean) I am definitely still on the worried side, but Puar doesn't seem the least bit concerned. I will take a look at the store to try and find miralax or something identical. They aren't quite as strict with ingredients here, which would be my concern.

As far as giving more wet food, I'd like to but he never finishes what I give him currently. I will probably have to try out different brands I suppose. Unfortunately, I'm at work for longish hours so I would feel uncomfortable leaving him without kibble to munch on (as far as going completely wet). This also means I can't give him an extra meal in the afternoon. I could probably give him a wet snack stick before bed though!

Any poops yet?

The palpating is actually really easy to do, you don't need special training. I've attached 2 pics - one is approx where and how you would feel. You just kind of put both hands on your cat's body, under the spine and in front of the knees (see the other pic for approx location of the colon) - one hand on each side, and gently press your fingertips together. Not hard enough to hurt of course, but if your cat is slim and constipated, you will be able to feel it quickly and there's no mistaking it. (If you feel a round balloon thing, that's a full bladder - handy to know in case of difficulty peeing / frequent peeing, you can know right away if their urinary tract is blocked.) I don't restrain my cats when I do this, they can walk away any time.

It sounds like you feed him three meals a day? You could skip the midday meal (feed him a smaller kibble meal) and only feed him breakfast and dinner of wet food - he'll probably finish it all since he'll be hungry from skipping his afternoon meal.

 

[Xraystyle]

So I can order

Any poops yet?

The palpating is actually really easy to do, you don't need special training. I've attached 2 pics - one is approx where and how you would feel. You just kind of put both hands on your cat's body, under the spine and in front of the knees (see the other pic for approx location of the colon) - one hand on each side, and gently press your fingertips together. Not hard enough to hurt of course, but if your cat is slim and constipated, you will be able to feel it quickly and there's no mistaking it. (If you feel a round balloon thing, that's a full bladder - handy to know in case of difficulty peeing / frequent peeing, you can know right away if their urinary tract is blocked.) I don't restrain my cats when I do this, they can walk away any time.

It sounds like you feed him three meals a day? You could skip the midday meal (feed him a smaller kibble meal) and only feed him breakfast and dinner of wet food - he'll probably finish it all since he'll be hungry from skipping his afternoon meal.

We got a little nugget yesterday, it was bad timing because I came home while he was doing it so I accidentally interrupted. -___-

Thanks for the pics and the explanation! I'll give it a try. He has let me rub his belly a few times but he does get overstimulated easily.

He gets two wet meals a day (6:30am and 8pm) and can free feed on kibble day/night. Despite being somewhat of a bowling ball, he has been a responsible eater since before the constipation bout. He loves the snack sachets and tolerates canned pate (i usually mix the snack into the pate and add some water + probiotic powder) He typically still eats the snack part first and laps up the water, then later will come back and eat the left over pate. With kibble, he eats a little at a time between meals. I don't want him to get too hungry because he is still young and has a wild streak. I don't think there's anything that he can particularly break, but he manages to find new things to mess with every day.