constipation with raw food

[riley1]

Hi All!

Been feeding my cat commercial raw food for about 4 1/2 years. I think she has been constipated for all this time. Her stool is very small and dry. She goes everyday she has a hard time getting it out. My vet suggested Metamucil which worked for a time but then upset her stomach. I then tried slippery elm but it does not seem to change anything. She didn't care for pumpkin in her food either! Yesterday I bought some salmon oil thinking this may help but she acted like I was trying to poison her with it! I know there is a lot of bone in these foods but she ate RadCat for years and had the same problem. RadCat was using egg shell instead of bone. She is about 6 years old. So, if anyone has any other ideas please let me know! Thanks!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Can you try a pouch food like Merrick Backcountry, or Natural balance?

 

[molly92]

Not feeding raw right now, but probiotics worked for my cat after all else had failed. (PB8 acidophilus is what I use).

Miralax is also useful in the short term (1/8 a teaspoon mixed with some baby food before meals), but they do build up resistance to it over time so it's not a permanent solution.

I would run this by your vet, but my vet had approved this premix for constipation for my cat at one point when I was trying raw: TCFeline Premix | A Quick, Easy & Affordable Solution to Making Homemade Raw Cat Food You mix it with normal muscle meat (don't need to portion out organs or deal with bones).

 

[goingpostal]

Most commercial raw seems to contain too much bone content for cats. What about giving some straight boneless meat for one meal a day?

 

[lisahe]

Most commercial raw seems to contain too much bone content for cats. What about giving some straight boneless meat for one meal a day?

Although feeding more than small snacks of plain boneless meats could lead to not getting enough nutrients, adding a boneless supplement -- like EZ Complete or Alnutrin -- would make that a complete meal. Premixes are easy to use with either cooked or raw meat.

Another suggestion is to try egg yolk, which you can read about on this page (from the company that makes and sells EZ Complete) about hairballs. Our vet loves to tell us that cats' motility can decrease with age; it apparently happens a lot. Egg yolk contains choline, which apparently aids intestinal motility. Both the supplements that I mentioned contain some egg yolk but I still add some freshly cooked egg yolk to some of our cats' meals. The big catch is (as with pumpkin) that not all cats like it. We're lucky that ours do!

 

[riley1]

Thank you all for your replies! I bought some limited ingredient, canned Natural Balance to try! I do worry about the amount of bone in commercial raw. I wish we still had Rad Cat. I don't make her food so maybe I will ask the vet about putting the premix stuff in it anyway. I am intrigued by the idea of eggs. She has shown no interest in them but maybe I can get her to eat a few bites. Thank you again!

 

[kittyluv387]

Stick to commercial raw foods without bone. I don't recommend people using bone in raw anymore because of the high bone content.

 

[lisahe]

Stick to commercial raw foods without bone. I don't recommend people using bone in raw anymore because of the high bone content.

Yes, we limit the bone-in raw food that we feed: Primal pork is one that's relatively low in bone, with around 6%. Another is Purpose, which is 5%, I believe; I haven't fed it but L lisamarie12 has. My recollection is that most other Primal food is around 10%; Northwest Naturals are about the same.

I do worry about the amount of bone in commercial raw. I wish we still had Rad Cat. I don't make her food so maybe I will ask the vet about putting the premix stuff in it anyway. I am intrigued by the idea of eggs. She has shown no interest in them but maybe I can get her to eat a few bites.

I also wish we still had Rad Cat! Our cats like Stella & Chewy's Selects, which are boneless medallions; they like the chicken much better than the turkey, where I've had more problem with freezer burn. Premixes are relatively easy, especially EZ Complete, which really is complete. Other than, of course, the meat! Good luck!

 

[Furballsmom]

I bought some limited ingredient, canned Natural Balance to try!

 

[furmonster mom]

I was having some issues with our cats getting constipated on my own homemade diet, and we feed bone-in meals only every other day. So I came across some ground psyllium seed at the spice counter in the bulk area of my grocery store, and remembered somebody mentioning mixing it in their cat's meals. It's worked like a charm. I just sprinkle about 1/8 tsp on their meals, and mix it in.