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Any food recommendations on food for the constipated kitty? Trying to find a higher quality food he'll eat.
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Constipation Issues
- Thread starter mommyofthree708
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My cat used to have soft stools all the time, punctuated by the occasional bout of constipation. Although his breeder fed him Royal Canin kibble, I switched him out to good quality, grain-free, low-carb wet food and the occasional raw meal (his tummy was always fine on raw but due to long work days, I couldn't always feed him raw).
I wasted time and money taking him to the vet and trying to sort out what his issues were, whether food sensitivities were to blame or if he'd worms, etc. After thoroughly de-worming him, and having him poked and prodded, I did the following, which sorted out all his bowel problems for once and for all:
1) Hill's z/d allergy and skin diet (wet food) - I essentially had no choice and fed my baby this for 1.5 months. Although I know that this food is crap (on a separate note, the food in one tin had spoiled and I found tiny flakes of metal in a couple of other tins), I also knew that it'd calm my kitty's digestive system down, if his bowel problems stemmed from allergies/food intolerance. His fur got rough and dull but his bowel movements stabilised and his stools achieved a good consistency. He lost weight too - bonus. Note: I mixed his food with around 30-40ml of water, at every meal.
2) I then started reintroducing top quality, grain-free, low-to-no-carb single-source animal protein wet food from brands like Lily's Kitchen and Thrive (one protein source per week). There were no vegetables and such in his food, and his stools remained fine. I tried to feed novel protein like rabbit, venison and quail, because these seem to agree with my baby, most. I was careful not to overdo chicken, in case my kitty became allergic to it in the long run and I also noted that my kitty tended to have looser stools on high-fat foods like lamb. Note: I mixed his food with around 30-40ml of water, at every meal.
My kitty's fur started to regain its pre-Hill's-diet softness and shine.
Note: He didn't react poorly to any particular animal protein. Just a touch of softness in his stools, when on high-fat meats.
3) Raw food from Purrform, Nature's Menu and Natural Instinct - I slowly reintroduced pure raw food (every type of animal) to my kitty. No more loose stools, period. I continued to mix his food with around 30-40ml of water (he's used to it now - when he was little, I only mixed a lot of water with foods about which I knew he was crazy, and that was how I got him used to eating watery food), because he doesn't really bother with drinking water.
4) Water and cat grass - I ensure that my kitty gets nearly his full RDA of water (260ml) by mixing water into all his meals. (Caution: if we're talking about a type of food that your kitty isn't terribly enthusiastic about, don't mix water in with it. Mine wouldn't touch the bowl after I did this with a food he felt so-so about.) I mix tap water with some leftover tuna water from tinned tuna in spring water (important: I specifically check that the tuna has no added salt and isn't tuna in brine but is ONLY tuna in spring water).
I cut some fresh cat grass and mix it into my cat's food, from time to time, for maintenance of a clear digestive tract. I also keep some cat grass treats handy.
4) On the very rare occasion that he gets constipated, I give him a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil (I give 2 teaspoons, if he's pretty backed up; ie. more than a day without pooping) and he'll go to potty in a couple of hours. It's an all-natural method that works really well for my cat (plus, it's cheaper than getting meds from the vet
and kitty's liver won't need to work over-time to process any meds/chemicals). I mean, I'll give my cat whatever gives him the best quality of life for the longest time, for as long as I can afford it and if this comes in the form of medicine, so be it (I DID put the love of my life on Hill's diet food, after all). However, whenever I can go natural, I'll go natural.
Brands:
I don't know where you're based but I live in England, so some of the brands above are English. I'm not very familiar with U.S. brands but I know that Orijen (Canadian, I think) makes great 100% animal protein snacks and there're other good European brands like Almo Nature, Terra Faelis, Om Nom Nom and Mac's.
I know this post is long but I hope it helps you!
I wasted time and money taking him to the vet and trying to sort out what his issues were, whether food sensitivities were to blame or if he'd worms, etc. After thoroughly de-worming him, and having him poked and prodded, I did the following, which sorted out all his bowel problems for once and for all:
1) Hill's z/d allergy and skin diet (wet food) - I essentially had no choice and fed my baby this for 1.5 months. Although I know that this food is crap (on a separate note, the food in one tin had spoiled and I found tiny flakes of metal in a couple of other tins), I also knew that it'd calm my kitty's digestive system down, if his bowel problems stemmed from allergies/food intolerance. His fur got rough and dull but his bowel movements stabilised and his stools achieved a good consistency. He lost weight too - bonus. Note: I mixed his food with around 30-40ml of water, at every meal.
2) I then started reintroducing top quality, grain-free, low-to-no-carb single-source animal protein wet food from brands like Lily's Kitchen and Thrive (one protein source per week). There were no vegetables and such in his food, and his stools remained fine. I tried to feed novel protein like rabbit, venison and quail, because these seem to agree with my baby, most. I was careful not to overdo chicken, in case my kitty became allergic to it in the long run and I also noted that my kitty tended to have looser stools on high-fat foods like lamb. Note: I mixed his food with around 30-40ml of water, at every meal.
My kitty's fur started to regain its pre-Hill's-diet softness and shine.
Note: He didn't react poorly to any particular animal protein. Just a touch of softness in his stools, when on high-fat meats.
3) Raw food from Purrform, Nature's Menu and Natural Instinct - I slowly reintroduced pure raw food (every type of animal) to my kitty. No more loose stools, period. I continued to mix his food with around 30-40ml of water (he's used to it now - when he was little, I only mixed a lot of water with foods about which I knew he was crazy, and that was how I got him used to eating watery food), because he doesn't really bother with drinking water.
4) Water and cat grass - I ensure that my kitty gets nearly his full RDA of water (260ml) by mixing water into all his meals. (Caution: if we're talking about a type of food that your kitty isn't terribly enthusiastic about, don't mix water in with it. Mine wouldn't touch the bowl after I did this with a food he felt so-so about.) I mix tap water with some leftover tuna water from tinned tuna in spring water (important: I specifically check that the tuna has no added salt and isn't tuna in brine but is ONLY tuna in spring water).
I cut some fresh cat grass and mix it into my cat's food, from time to time, for maintenance of a clear digestive tract. I also keep some cat grass treats handy.
4) On the very rare occasion that he gets constipated, I give him a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil (I give 2 teaspoons, if he's pretty backed up; ie. more than a day without pooping) and he'll go to potty in a couple of hours. It's an all-natural method that works really well for my cat (plus, it's cheaper than getting meds from the vet
Brands:
I don't know where you're based but I live in England, so some of the brands above are English. I'm not very familiar with U.S. brands but I know that Orijen (Canadian, I think) makes great 100% animal protein snacks and there're other good European brands like Almo Nature, Terra Faelis, Om Nom Nom and Mac's.
I know this post is long but I hope it helps you!
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Welcome to the community!
I think one of your first issues must be to upgrade your baby's food. Most brand-name (Fancy Feast, Friskies, etc) cat foods are simply crap. I learned this the hard way with my Lucy kitty. I used to feed my Lucy a variety of Friskies throughout her long life. I finally learned that they simply were not good for her digestion. Not sure how old your baby is, but I feed mine Blue Buffalo chicken for Mature cats, based on a vet recommendation. I was told that something with peas as an ingredient is good for digestion. It has worked out. She gets only that anymore (along with a bit of BB canned duck as a nightly treat) and it has helped a great deal with her digestion.
My Lucy-kitty is about to turn 19 in July. She has been in renal failure for nearly three years, and is dehydrated and has developed chronic constipation, which we have been combating with everything we can. I have been giving her sub-q treatments for many months. Never, EVER thought I could do this at home, but I am glad I did. It has paid off and I am happy to say that she has not had to visit her vet or the ER in months. I also supplement this with a once-daily dose of Cat-Lax in the morning and Miralax in her food in the evening. I also mix plenty of water in her food and got her a drinking fountain. I am on a pretty limited income, but all of these things together do not add to much per month. And it is definitely cheaper than constant vet-ER visits for treatments that can all be done at home. (She's had one enema, which was quite enough...(At her age, too many vet visits only stress her out, and she's just enough of a fighter that her own vet won't do any kind of thorough procedures on her unless they can gas her and knock her out just long enough to do what they need to do...and THAT AIN'T HAPPENING). Once in a while, she will have an issue passing a stool, but so far she has managed to do so on her own. I agree with the other poster who recommended that you monitor your cat's visits to the litter box. Whenever I hear that particular "scratching" in her box, I know it's poop time, and I am there to encourage her and to watch and document what comes out, how much, what consistency it has and the time of day.
It's difficult to see our babies go through any discomfort and I wish you the best of luck.
I think one of your first issues must be to upgrade your baby's food. Most brand-name (Fancy Feast, Friskies, etc) cat foods are simply crap. I learned this the hard way with my Lucy kitty. I used to feed my Lucy a variety of Friskies throughout her long life. I finally learned that they simply were not good for her digestion. Not sure how old your baby is, but I feed mine Blue Buffalo chicken for Mature cats, based on a vet recommendation. I was told that something with peas as an ingredient is good for digestion. It has worked out. She gets only that anymore (along with a bit of BB canned duck as a nightly treat) and it has helped a great deal with her digestion.
My Lucy-kitty is about to turn 19 in July. She has been in renal failure for nearly three years, and is dehydrated and has developed chronic constipation, which we have been combating with everything we can. I have been giving her sub-q treatments for many months. Never, EVER thought I could do this at home, but I am glad I did. It has paid off and I am happy to say that she has not had to visit her vet or the ER in months. I also supplement this with a once-daily dose of Cat-Lax in the morning and Miralax in her food in the evening. I also mix plenty of water in her food and got her a drinking fountain. I am on a pretty limited income, but all of these things together do not add to much per month. And it is definitely cheaper than constant vet-ER visits for treatments that can all be done at home. (She's had one enema, which was quite enough...(At her age, too many vet visits only stress her out, and she's just enough of a fighter that her own vet won't do any kind of thorough procedures on her unless they can gas her and knock her out just long enough to do what they need to do...and THAT AIN'T HAPPENING). Once in a while, she will have an issue passing a stool, but so far she has managed to do so on her own. I agree with the other poster who recommended that you monitor your cat's visits to the litter box. Whenever I hear that particular "scratching" in her box, I know it's poop time, and I am there to encourage her and to watch and document what comes out, how much, what consistency it has and the time of day.
It's difficult to see our babies go through any discomfort and I wish you the best of luck.
--Suggest keeping plenty of natural water and some natural foods containing some oils. Milk my tuxedo loves, but only small amounts. . .not more than twice a week.
This was his X-ray.
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I'm giving half a teaspoon per day when they have issues or otherwise once every two weeks to make sure they clean out and don't start to build up debris. Just now I gave it to one of my cats for 3 days and she had a very soft and stinky poop from it but it came out. I usually give it only when I have the feeling I need to.
When they are fine, I give them a bit of petromalt every day. One eats it when I put it on her foot, the other needs the violent treatment where I inject it into her mouth with a syringe.
To give Miralax, I had good success with pulverizing their favorite hard food in a mortar, mixing it with miralax and water until it's like a soup. They love to lick this up. I dont give hardfood too often so they are all crazy about the taste. Maybe if you find a type of hardfood they love a lot, don't give it to them and keep it for this purpose so they gobble it down. Fancy Feast hardfood is usually a favor. Like another poster said, it's low quality with lots of fat but that makes it attractive tastewise. If you give it occasionally it won't be bad.
Another thing that is helpful is benefiber. I give that sometimes because it does not really swell up and has no taste. I wouldnt give stuff like this orange tasting powder (who's name I forgot, but it's this famous brand everybody but me knows). First they dont like the orange taste and second it swells and gets thick. I dont do it often though, so I dont know the dose, but wouldnt do more than 1/2 teaspoon a day
When they are fine, I give them a bit of petromalt every day. One eats it when I put it on her foot, the other needs the violent treatment where I inject it into her mouth with a syringe.
To give Miralax, I had good success with pulverizing their favorite hard food in a mortar, mixing it with miralax and water until it's like a soup. They love to lick this up. I dont give hardfood too often so they are all crazy about the taste. Maybe if you find a type of hardfood they love a lot, don't give it to them and keep it for this purpose so they gobble it down. Fancy Feast hardfood is usually a favor. Like another poster said, it's low quality with lots of fat but that makes it attractive tastewise. If you give it occasionally it won't be bad.
Another thing that is helpful is benefiber. I give that sometimes because it does not really swell up and has no taste. I wouldnt give stuff like this orange tasting powder (who's name I forgot, but it's this famous brand everybody but me knows). First they dont like the orange taste and second it swells and gets thick. I dont do it often though, so I dont know the dose, but wouldnt do more than 1/2 teaspoon a day
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Thank you for this. It was helpful. How long does it generally take for them to get stopped up? Like where the Miralax wouldn't flush them out because it's hardened? I always wonder.
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Anybody have luck with probiotics and helping with their constipated cat?
I have! Probiotics were the only thing that helped my cat go comfortably. Everything else (Miralax, fibers, slippery elm) would help her poop, but I could tell she was still uncomfortable because she wasn't doing it in the litter box and sometimes she'd start crying and running around. But ever since I've given probiotics, she always goes in the litter box, and unlike everything else, the probiotics are still working just as well as on day one. I mostly don't even have to add Miralax or fiber to her food anymore.
I started giving her this in her food everyday:
When that ran out, I switched to this because it's cheaper and seems to work just as well: http://www.vitacost.com/nutrition-now-pb-8-pro-biotic-acidophilus-for-life-14-billion-120-capsules. She gets a total of one capsule a day. I just break open the capsule, mix in half with her food, put the capsule back together and set it aside for her evening meal.
I also give these enzymes: http://shop.mercola.com/product/healthy-pets-digestive-enzymes,271,535,0.htm
I started adding them after I started the probiotics and I'm not sure if they make a huge difference or not, but they definitely don't hurt.
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Well they are not really constipated, I had that only once and the cat got an enema, stayed at the vet half a day and then it was good again. I have two cats and I'm not always sure if they both are regular because they share one big toilet. So it's just guesswork for me, and then I give one or the other or both Miralax for 2 or 3 days and pay special attention to who goes to the toilet.
If the cat is regular, I just give a dose every 2 or 3 weeks to prevent any stool matter from getting stuck and "bypassed" by other matter. I don't even know if that's possible but then giving them Miralax for 2 or 3 days every few weeks wont harm. I just would not do it regularly out of fear they may get addicted and then cant do without it.
If it gets really hard and clogged up, only the vet can help with an enema. You will notice that because they scream, it's not pleasant especially when it happens at night and you have to wait, so better to keep them regular with fiber and petromalt.
I would try the benefiber thing every day, that's easier than pumpkin and such. My cats wont eat anything with natural fiber mixed into it, so for me benefiber is the only thing I can add, but if your's dont mind the taste of pumpkin you can use that as well
If the cat is regular, I just give a dose every 2 or 3 weeks to prevent any stool matter from getting stuck and "bypassed" by other matter. I don't even know if that's possible but then giving them Miralax for 2 or 3 days every few weeks wont harm. I just would not do it regularly out of fear they may get addicted and then cant do without it.
If it gets really hard and clogged up, only the vet can help with an enema. You will notice that because they scream, it's not pleasant especially when it happens at night and you have to wait, so better to keep them regular with fiber and petromalt.
I would try the benefiber thing every day, that's easier than pumpkin and such. My cats wont eat anything with natural fiber mixed into it, so for me benefiber is the only thing I can add, but if your's dont mind the taste of pumpkin you can use that as well
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My tuxedo kitty has also been having constipation issues. An abdominal ultrasound can be important as it will help determine if anything more serious is happening. Luckily, my Peanut's ultrasound came back normal but it was worth the cost as it put my mind at ease about more serious things, such as IBD.
Lactulose alone did not do enough for Peanut, but a combination of lactulose and cisapride has made a HUGE difference and he is doing MUCH better. He still has some regurgitation issues, but I would suggest asking your vet about cisapride.
Lactulose alone did not do enough for Peanut, but a combination of lactulose and cisapride has made a HUGE difference and he is doing MUCH better. He still has some regurgitation issues, but I would suggest asking your vet about cisapride.
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I think I might look into giving him probiotics to see if it helps his constipation.
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My boy is loosing interest in the food containing Miralax. Any suggestions? I'm afraid to give him to much food and he won't the whole dose of Miralax so I only give him a little at a time and I think he's catching on. Plus it's hard trying to keep the others away from his food and he knows somethings up. Urg!
I like to hide medicine in a spoonful of meat baby food (chicken, turkey, or ham, either Gerber or Beechnut works). Most cats think it tastes really good so they lick the plate clean and it's water-based so it dissolves powders really well.
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If all else fails, liquid is relatively easy to administer by force using a syringe. Mix the miralas in 2 or 3 ml of water, draw it up in a syringe, then wrap kitty in a towel and force the syringe in her mouth and make her drink it.
It's a bit messy and having her take it in food is preferable but it's a last resort. You can get a few syringes from your vet and order larger quantities on Amazon.
But try to find something that is mushy or liquid first.
Fancy feast has pouches with broth. It's about 1$ each, but usually cats love this stuff. It's liquid and you may be able to mix the miralax in. Or if they like raw meat, mix it with water in a blender to make a sauce
It's a bit messy and having her take it in food is preferable but it's a last resort. You can get a few syringes from your vet and order larger quantities on Amazon.
But try to find something that is mushy or liquid first.
Fancy feast has pouches with broth. It's about 1$ each, but usually cats love this stuff. It's liquid and you may be able to mix the miralax in. Or if they like raw meat, mix it with water in a blender to make a sauce
Hello,can you please tell me where you found the child sized glycerin suppositories?
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I also use Colostrum dietary supplement which is some sort of milkpowder to mix in the steroids my cat needs for her allergy, she is very crazy about it, but then this might not be an option since you need to get much more Miralax powder than what I mix in such a pill, but maybe catmilk is an option
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You can find child size suppositories in just about any drugstore right next to the regular ones. I see them frequently although I haven't had to use them since that time.
This thread has been very helpful to me, as our lil' guy, Grady, also suffers with constipation, even though he's on high-quality canned food and drinks water. So after reading here and, as they say, and my having a "dog in the fight,' I called our vet to see what she had to say about our cat's constipation,as well as what her opinion was on what I'd read here on the Cat Site.
She suggested that I give our 9 1/2 lbs cat (with no bowel conditions/diseases) an1/8th of a teaspoon of Miralax daily (broken into two doses sprinkled into his food) and that if the results were positive, I maintain its use for as long as necessary..If the cat gets diarrhea, I call her back; it it does not work after five days, I call her back. But she was pretty sure it would work just fine. And it actually has.
I told her I had read about Miralax use for constipation in cats on the Cat Site and that i (and others) wondered if the 1/8th tsp. dose was for very short-term use, or if it could it be used without worry. She then explained that Miralax, in its chemical makeup, helps the body better absorb the existing moisture directed to stool, and does not depend on older, over-the-counter constipation meds which are based on very different chemistry, and not meant for cats' tummies..She added that Miralax, on a daily basis or for as long as necessary - or even for life - will not hurt my cat's health, and is far better than any consequence that leaving long-time constipation untended would,
I agree.
So I suppose that is about as close to a general "vet okay," using my cat (who has herpes) as the example of the correct weight and priors, that an 1/8th teaspoon daily will work for nicely.
Thanks to each poster for your educated and helpful comments here on this thread.
She suggested that I give our 9 1/2 lbs cat (with no bowel conditions/diseases) an1/8th of a teaspoon of Miralax daily (broken into two doses sprinkled into his food) and that if the results were positive, I maintain its use for as long as necessary..If the cat gets diarrhea, I call her back; it it does not work after five days, I call her back. But she was pretty sure it would work just fine. And it actually has.
I told her I had read about Miralax use for constipation in cats on the Cat Site and that i (and others) wondered if the 1/8th tsp. dose was for very short-term use, or if it could it be used without worry. She then explained that Miralax, in its chemical makeup, helps the body better absorb the existing moisture directed to stool, and does not depend on older, over-the-counter constipation meds which are based on very different chemistry, and not meant for cats' tummies..She added that Miralax, on a daily basis or for as long as necessary - or even for life - will not hurt my cat's health, and is far better than any consequence that leaving long-time constipation untended would,
I agree.
So I suppose that is about as close to a general "vet okay," using my cat (who has herpes) as the example of the correct weight and priors, that an 1/8th teaspoon daily will work for nicely.
Thanks to each poster for your educated and helpful comments here on this thread.
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Hi there, I'm new to this site too. My cats have been prescribed the Miirlax also. They were maybe not as constipated as your cat, but my vet suggested a much smaller dose at just 1/4 tsp. She said give it to the cat mixed in food for a few days until it has a bowel movement. In my opinion if I were you I would now stop until I spoke to the vet again. For humans, I know laxatives can become additictive (such as you can't go unless you take them all the time) so I would be careful with the cat. It may take a couple days for the diarrhea to stop, but if it doesn't definitely call your vet back. Now that you've done the switch to wet food and adding more water that should help. Also, hairballs during shedding season can cause constipation so looking into something for that might be helpful. Finding some sort of fiber for the food now in a very small amount might be a good idea to keep him going regular without the use of laxatives. I now just keep an eye out and when I notice my cat's poops getting small and hard I give her 1/4 tsp. Of Mirilax for a couple days until she has a normal bowel movement then I stop. I don't give it to her on a regular basis.
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I had several cats who had hard stools and I found that providing a lot of the "Temptations" type of cat treats greatly helped to soften the cat's stool as well as make it easier to pass. I guess there is 2 calories or less per treat, so that leaves a sizable amount of roughage. It seems this extra roughage helps keep things moving...you can really tell when we run out of treats, although the litter boxes last a lot longer! This is just my observations with my four cats and this isn't to be considered as professional advice. My cats always have a bowl of dry food on hand and usually get a can of wet food or tuna daily, so they have plenty to keep things moving. At least with the Temptation treats, it's not hard to get the cats to cooperate!!
Jim
Jim
