Elderly Cat With Ibd And Start Of Fecal Incontinence

emscam

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Our 16-year-old adopted cat always has struggled with her lower GI and our vet(s) have not been able to recommend a diet that will bring relief. She is currently eating Primal Freeze-Dried Nuggets and grain-free, limited ingredient soft food - either Hounds & Gatos or Weruva. She cannot tolerate any dry kibble. We also have tried a variety of prescription foods and a probiotic without any change/improvement. She has a hearty appetite and is very alert. She has never been an active cat and loves to lounge. She has not had a recent visit to the vet, as she has an accident each time she is in the car and is completely traumatized once she arrives. It just doesn't seem worth it when her tests/panels are inconclusive and we are recommended another food to try.
We have noticed recently that when she is standing after a nap or eating, she immediately crouches into a position like she needs to use her litter box and slowly makes her way to the box. She doesn't always "go" - sometimes she recovers without pooping, sometimes she will "dribble" a little, and sometimes she will have a complete blow-out. She doesn't seem to be in any pain, just simply needs to go to her box the moment she stands up.
Has anyone had a similar experience with their cat and can offer any words of wisdom, insight, suggestions, etc.? We will never let her suffer, especially if her quality of life diminishes. However, we cannot imagine this is pleasant for her - it certainly isn't for us.
Thanks in advance for words of encouragement.
 

duckpond

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If she has not had a recent vet visit i think it may be time for one. I understand its not easy on her, or you. But these are new symptoms and at her age i would want her checked out.

Those are as far as i know good foods, but i think i have read some have said primal had too much bone, calcium for their cats, might cause intermittent constipation, then the blow-out? If she likes the other wet foods you feed maybe hold back on primal for a week or two and see if it helps??

I would still suggest a vet visit, with new symptoms, and her age.

Do keep us updated, i will now worry about your girl.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi, I'm so sorry to hear this is happening! duckpond duckpond has good advice and comments, as always :)

Can you try a different vet?

Here are a couple websites that might help;
IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Nature and Treatment - Feline Nutrition Foundation

CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active

Also, to hopefully help with the stress of vet visits, try calming products. There are treats, collars, diffusers, wipes, and you can spray a chosen product on and in the carrier and on your clothing, in the car...

Some cats such as my Big Guy are completely unaffected by Feliway (Feliway Comfort Zone), but there are other products with different ingredients such as L-Tryptophan and casein.
In addition some people are using CBD oil.

There is Zylkene, Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.
Also Thunderease has diffusers for when you're back home.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, animaleo.

There are a couple of recent discussions about calming items, here's the link to one thread. Post #6 in this has a link to the second discussion.
Calming Treats?
 

Daisy6

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I don't know why a cat would feel she needs to poop every time she stands up, but there is no reason to change her diet again. She needs grain-free wet foods and I'm sure Primal mashed in water (as instructed on the bag) does not cause the problem she is having.

Does the vet test her poop samples from the carrier? You can't see everything that could be in a turd. When, if ever, was her last blood test?
 
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emscam

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Many thanks for the great feedback.
I have scheduled a vet visit, in our home, for tomorrow.
 

duckpond

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Great, glad you got the vet visit scheduled! Let us know what you find out! :goodluck:
 
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