Hard And Runny Poop At The Same Time?

[kcole93]

Hello everyone. First disclaimer: I have a regular vet and other vets I’ve been taking my cat to. They can’t offer much insight about why he’s like this.

Second: There will be pictures of poop. You’ve been warned (lol)

Back a year or more ago, my cat had gallbladder surgery to move it to his intestines due to a blockage. Upon that happening, we also discovered he was hyperthyroid. He recovered from the surgery well (there was about a 50/50 chance he would) and like any cat with issues had bad days and good days.

His poop is very irregular. It has been for a while, in the last month, he’s had an ultrasound (everything was perfect), 2 stool tests (no parasites) and no conclusive results. Some days he goes hard, some days he goes hard and soft, some days he’s full soft. When he diarrheas, he also throws up (likely because he’s nauseous). Naturally he’s always closely monitored after any bouts of sickness for fever/dehydration.

Has anyone else had anything weird like this happen? I can think of a few reasons why it would happen, but most of those have been ruled out. I thought many minds might help me make sense of this.

(He’s also 12-13, a tabby, usually in good spirits, is eating Purina HA and fresh boiled chicken, rice, carrot mixture during the day at times in between his medications.)

Hope it doesn’t gross any of you out too much, lol.

Spoiler: poo

Spoiler: runny poo

 

[Jludwick78]

My cat had this for years. It was irritable bowel syndrome. I don’t know if that’s what yours has but just my experience. I gave her better food and it went away. But you’re already feeding well so I don’t know.
Good luck!

 

[weebeasties]

Could it be a sensitivity to certain food? Maybe try a novel protein diet for a while?

 

[artiemom]

My guy had that. It was a combination of IBD and Megacolon.
He was also allergic to chicken. Eating chicken caused vomiting, diarrhea and fur loss....

Eating any food, without chicken, even with medication would result in constipation. We had to get the medication at a certain level and adjust some of it daily.

Unfortunately all canned foods, except for novel protein-- the expensive ones, do contain chicken..

The combo between the soft and hard poop can also be that the correct dose of medicine has not been achieved.

My guy did not have any GB issues or hypothyroid issues either.

Is your baby on medications? That could be a contributing factor. Has his thyroid levels been checked, recently? and his medication dose?

I would also suggest you ask your Vet about Royal Canin Fiber Response food. It is a dry food and does wonders for a lot of Megacolon cats.

Some cats do well with RC GI food; both wet and dry....

Good Luck...

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

Is there any chance that the constipation is so bad as to be faecal impaction? This happens if the dried faeces is unable to be passed or fully passed. In this situation, newer faeces can pass as diarrhoea around the blockage, which is kind of what you're describing. Another possibility is that he's not quite fully impacted, but is constipated enough that the newer faeces is still getting backed up behind the drier faeces, just not quite as severely as in a full impaction. Faecal impaction can also cause nausea, and even vomiting, so it may all be a part of the same issue.

What medication is he on? My first thought is to check the possible side effects to ascertain whether the meds are causing or exacerbating the issue. Even if there isn't an alternative medication to try, pinpointing the trigger is useful. Digestive issues are easiest to treat when you know exactly why they're happening.

I wouldn't start changing his diet until you've identified the cause. I know you've been to two vets about this already, but you really do need veterinary guidance here. The megacolon and IBD combination artiemom mentioned is a possibility, but it would need to be confirmed by a vet before moving forward.

Try keeping a detailed diary of his exact symptoms and food intake for a while. There may be a connection that has so far been missed. The more information you have, the easier it will be to diagnose and treat.
Everything You Need To Know About Constipation In Cats

 

[silkenpaw]

I was also initially thinking impaction with leakage, like Columbine , but your further description and the photos do not support that. Is his hyperthyroidism well controlled? With what?

Columbine gave you good advice about looking at his medications as a cause of the abnormal bowel habits. Several people mentioned IBD, which needs to be at least considered, as it’s pretty common.

Good luck.