My cat has Constipation

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

Hello, it's my first time posting here.
My cat Bee started vomiting yesterday, I also noticed when she went to the litter box she was straining and nothing came out (she had pooped in the morning but it was small ). I took her to the vet and after some x-rays was told she's severely constipated and has to be kept with them for them to administer laxatives and an enema if needed.
Today, I called them and they told me she has not eaten and not pooped even after being on laxatives, the vet said that they'll wait before giving her an enema. At around noon I passed by to check on her and was told she pooped a small amount after giving her an enema. She hasn't pooped since then (it's night time now). Last I called I was told to expect her to be kept a couple of days and they'll administer her another enema in the morning after giving her laxatives at night and see how it goes.
The thing is she was extremely stressed when I saw her which is expected I guess but that's why she's not eating.
Wanted to ask if anyone had any experience in such a thing and were enemas administered every day once only? I'm not sure why they are giving her laxatives 3 to 4 times if it's not working as expected and whether it's dangerous. Should I take her to another vet for a second opinion? Is it normal to stay for days for such a case?
Sorry for the long post and hope someone helps I'm really worried for her.

 

[fionasmom]

Everything You Need To Know About Constipation In Cats – TheCatSite Articles
TCS article about constipation in general
Search Results for Query: constipation
Search Results for Query: enemas
Search on TCS for threads related to constipation or enemas
Constipation in Cats
Veterinary information

Welcome to The Cat Site! I am sorry that Bee is having these problems. You have been very proactive to get her to the vet. This really puts your concerns in the area of what else the vet could do to help. There can be numerous variable with constipation and if you read through some of the material it might give you some ideas about what to ask the vet as a next step. He has already done x rays. Did he say what he thinks is the underlying cause of the constipation? There is such a thing as extraction of a fecal blockage which usually requires sedation. If you feel that you should get a second opinion, that is certainly a good next step if you are dissatisfied with this vet. If you do so, go to a different practice, not to another vet in the same practice. If you have access to a referral specialty clinic with an internist, that might also be another avenue to investigate.

If she were my cat and multiple enemas had been administered with no real result I would probably go elsewhere for a second opinion. If there is an impaction, there is such a thing as the enema piercing the very hard fecal mass and allowing some more liquid material to come out, but not the mass itself.

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

Everything You Need To Know About Constipation In Cats – TheCatSite Articles
TCS article about constipation in general
Search Results for Query: constipation
Search Results for Query: enemas
Search on TCS for threads related to constipation or enemas
Constipation in Cats
Veterinary information

Welcome to The Cat Site! I am sorry that Bee is having these problems. You have been very proactive to get her to the vet. This really puts your concerns in the area of what else the vet could do to help. There can be numerous variable with constipation and if you read through some of the material it might give you some ideas about what to ask the vet as a next step. He has already done x rays. Did he say what he thinks is the underlying cause of the constipation? There is such a thing as extraction of a fecal blockage which usually requires sedation. If you feel that you should get a second opinion, that is certainly a good next step if you are dissatisfied with this vet. If you do so, go to a different practice, not to another vet in the same practice. If you have access to a referral specialty clinic with an internist, that might also be another avenue to investigate.

If she were my cat and multiple enemas had been administered with no real result I would probably go elsewhere for a second opinion. If there is an impaction, there is such a thing as the enema piercing the very hard fecal mass and allowing some more liquid material to come out, but not the mass itself.

Thanks for all the info. Appreciate it.
She had an X Ray done and there was no sign of any blockage. I was told she's not sure why this happens and it may happen sometimes to Cats.
My guess would be the diet change, end of June I changed her diet to a weight loss one (vet recommended). She used to be 5.3 kg and is 4.8 kg now.
So far only 1 enema only has been administered and it was done the next day, after giving her 3 to 4 laxatives. I'm worried why did they wait so long and when checking the links above seems its usually done under sedation which wasn't the case with me. I was told only a little bit of fluid was given via enema so we can see what happens since she's so clogged up. I'd rather her being sedated and having a proper enema or manual extraction so the pain gets better and she can come home.
Again sorry for the long post and thanks

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I think, as fionasmom pointed out, the amount and reason for the constipation can result in different treatments. Yes, I have heard of cats getting multiple enemas and being put on laxatives to try to clean them out. That is certainly less invasive than having to have an impaction manually removed. I'm guessing that are trying all alternative before that.

Once she gets "cleaned out", then come back here and let's talk about what caused it in the first place. We'll need to know things like her age, what she eats, whether or not she is overweight, if she is a couch potato, that type of things. Constipation in older cats is actually pretty common, believe it or not, but we have some tricks up our sleeves to try to prevent it in future.

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

Just an update... I took her the day before yesterday from the vet as I was told she pooped enough there, they said she's still a bit clogged so was given some laxatives to give her and some food with high fiber. She pooped once but hasn't gone today, will take her for a follow up in a couple of days.. just hope she gets better.
She doesn't seem to like her new food, I'm looking for some stuff similar online but can't seem to find stuff that are sold in my country. Does anyone have suggestions ?

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

Just an update... I took her the day before yesterday from the vet as I was told she pooped enough there, they said she's still a bit clogged so was given some laxatives to give her and some food with high fiber. She pooped once but hasn't gone today, will take her for a follow up in a couple of days.. just hope she gets better.
She doesn't seem to like her new food, I'm looking for some stuff similar online but can't seem to find stuff that are sold in my country. Does anyone have suggestions ?

Oh the food she was given was applaws chicken with pumpkin as well as royal canine fiber response... she's an adult 2.5 year old cat so I guess that rules out kitten food.
I found digestive sensitive wet cat food from Royal canine but not sure if its suitable for constipated cats.

 

[CindyH66]

oh, my .. welcome ! your poor baby ! and poor you with all the worry !! I went thru this with my kitty Bella ; she got bound up following some surgery , when she spent a long time under sedation and it slowed her bowel activity down. she ended up back in for enemas and di- ostipation ( kitty version of dis- impaaction) . it can be miserable for kitty and Mom too ! I learned alot about this just from living it. I know each case is different , and I can only tell you MY experience, but maybe it will help some. They gave Bella the high fiber royal Canine food for the high fiber. Meh.. it was very costly and hard to get. Here in US, they will only send it if they get enough requests for it, so I would actually find times I was low and even the vet couldn't get it ! I found Iams Indoor formula for weight control . worked great and you can get in online or in stores .. for a fraction of the cost ! Its made with Salmon and the fiber content is about the same; its in a teal bag. Bella loved it ! I had no trouble getting it !! ..most food had about 3 % fiber, and this food has 8 % ! Getting good fiber in dry food helps; as for wet food .. anything they will eat helps, as they are getting moisture from it, and the hydration is a big help. They are not big on drinking water ,and they need the fluid. Canned Pumpkin is great to help, but be sure its only the organic stuff ..no spices. just plain ! 2 and a half years is pretty young.. not a senior by any means !! Constipation can be an issue with house kitties from lack if activity. and being overweight ( as many are) . Is your kitty a long hair ? is it possible she is ingesting hair from grooming ? maybe extra combing might help and those " hairball " treats are pretty good. they have some oils in them. .. You mentioned vomiting. .. as for how long they go without pooping... my Bella settled into a routine of about every other day. that became her " normal." she never was an every day pooper. she was on meds to make her go, and even that was only every other day !! The last time she became bound up.. I took her in .. the vet gave her enema..she pooped her little brains out there..like 5 times ( Im told ) then came home. Did not go again... I am not kidding here... for a WEEK !! I called the vet panicked by Thursday .. he told me to give it to Monday, and if she didn't go by then , call him. I was like 'what ?! it has been 4 or 5 days already !! he wasn't alarmed. said she was cleaned out good there, and her system is ' rebooting' ..he has seen it before. Is she eating ? yes.. seem in distress ? no .. then just give her time if all things are normal otherwise..so I did and sure enough Sunday she pooped !! it had been a full 7 days by then and I was so happy to see it ! she then started up her every other day thing again.... I know with a little trial and error you will find what works for you , as you have been so attentive already. If you have any misgivings about your vet... never a bad thing to seek a second opinion. I know the docs try the least invasive stuff , then move on to the bigger guns if they have to. once they start doing that stuff , it can end up being more trouble than help. ( Bella ended up on life long medicine ) .. they need to find out what caused it in the first place !! Best of luck to you and please keep us posted !

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

B Bee_the_kitty's_mom , the very best thing you can do for a cat that is prone to constipation is to feed wet food. You can even add extra water to the wet food. I add at least a tablespoon of filtered water to each of my cats meals to make sure they are really well hydrated. What have you fed in the past, wet or dry? If dry, then it might be a process to get Bee to start eating wet food. Some cat's don't understand that wet cat food is actually good. If you have already been feeding wet food, then you can try slowly adding in the chicken with pumpkin (or the canned pumpkin as mentioned above) into her food until she gets used to it.

You can also try adding other forms of fiber into her diet, things like psyllium husk if she really doesn't like pumpkin. Or you can try other forms of natural fiber like plain cooked squash. You don't need much, maybe a teaspoon with each meal Egg yolks are also good to add to their diet once a week or so, good for their digestive tract as well as helping with hairballs.

All of the things CindyH66 said are valid points. If Bee is overweight, she needs to shed some pounds. You haven't mentioned whether or not she is, but just saying. Also, exercise really help things "move along", so if you can get her playing, jumping, etc. that would help.

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

oh, my .. welcome ! your poor baby ! and poor you with all the worry !! I went thru this with my kitty Bella ; she got bound up following some surgery , when she spent a long time under sedation and it slowed her bowel activity down. she ended up back in for enemas and di- ostipation ( kitty version of dis- impaaction) . it can be miserable for kitty and Mom too ! I learned alot about this just from living it. I know each case is different , and I can only tell you MY experience, but maybe it will help some. They gave Bella the high fiber royal Canine food for the high fiber. Meh.. it was very costly and hard to get. Here in US, they will only send it if they get enough requests for it, so I would actually find times I was low and even the vet couldn't get it ! I found Iams View attachment 397185 Indoor formula for weight control . worked great and you can get in online or in stores .. for a fraction of the cost ! Its made with Salmon and the fiber content is about the same; its in a teal bag. Bella loved it ! I had no trouble getting it !! ..most food had about 3 % fiber, and this food has 8 % ! Getting good fiber in dry food helps; as for wet food .. anything they will eat helps, as they are getting moisture from it, and the hydration is a big help. They are not big on drinking water ,and they need the fluid. Canned Pumpkin is great to help, but be sure its only the organic stuff ..no spices. just plain ! 2 and a half years is pretty young.. not a senior by any means !! Constipation can be an issue with house kitties from lack if activity. and being overweight ( as many are) . Is your kitty a long hair ? is it possible she is ingesting hair from grooming ? maybe extra combing might help and those " hairball " treats are pretty good. they have some oils in them. .. You mentioned vomiting. .. as for how long they go without pooping... my Bella settled into a routine of about every other day. that became her " normal." she never was an every day pooper. she was on meds to make her go, and even that was only every other day !! The last time she became bound up.. I took her in .. the vet gave her enema..she pooped her little brains out there..like 5 times ( Im told ) then came home. Did not go again... I am not kidding here... for a WEEK !! I called the vet panicked by Thursday .. he told me to give it to Monday, and if she didn't go by then , call him. I was like 'what ?! it has been 4 or 5 days already !! he wasn't alarmed. said she was cleaned out good there, and her system is ' rebooting' ..he has seen it before. Is she eating ? yes.. seem in distress ? no .. then just give her time if all things are normal otherwise..so I did and sure enough Sunday she pooped !! it had been a full 7 days by then and I was so happy to see it ! she then started up her every other day thing again.... I know with a little trial and error you will find what works for you , as you have been so attentive already. If you have any misgivings about your vet... never a bad thing to seek a second opinion. I know the docs try the least invasive stuff , then move on to the bigger guns if they have to. once they start doing that stuff , it can end up being more trouble than help. ( Bella ended up on life long medicine ) .. they need to find out what caused it in the first place !! Best of luck to you and please keep us posted !

Thanks for the reply and food recommendations will look for IAMs and see if I can find it, my cat hated the royal canine one.
Omg your poor kitty, not going for a week must've been painful.. glad she's back to normal, seems that's bees norm too going every other day nowadays.
Bee has short hair so don't think that would be the cause, she is a bit over weight and isn't very active. She used to be 5.3 kg but is down to 4.7 kg now, I switched her to weight loss food couple of months ago and wondering if that could've caused it.

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

B Bee_the_kitty's_mom , the very best thing you can do for a cat that is prone to constipation is to feed wet food. You can even add extra water to the wet food. I add at least a tablespoon of filtered water to each of my cats meals to make sure they are really well hydrated. What have you fed in the past, wet or dry? If dry, then it might be a process to get Bee to start eating wet food. Some cat's don't understand that wet cat food is actually good. If you have already been feeding wet food, then you can try slowly adding in the chicken with pumpkin (or the canned pumpkin as mentioned above) into her food until she gets used to it.

You can also try adding other forms of fiber into her diet, things like psyllium husk if she really doesn't like pumpkin. Or you can try other forms of natural fiber like plain cooked squash. You don't need much, maybe a teaspoon with each meal Egg yolks are also good to add to their diet once a week or so, good for their digestive tract as well as helping with hairballs.

All of the things CindyH66 said are valid points. If Bee is overweight, she needs to shed some pounds. You haven't mentioned whether or not she is, but just saying. Also, exercise really help things "move along", so if you can get her playing, jumping, etc. that would help.

Thank you luckily she loves wet food. I'll try adding other fibers in her diet to help her love that suggestion.
She is kinda overweight, from what I know an adult female cat should be around 4 kg and she used to be 5.3, she's now down to 4.7 kg.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Cats come in all different sizes, so you cannot go by what an adult female "should" weigh. As an example, I have two male cats and one weighs 9 pounds, the other weighs 15 pounds. They are both at a good weight. One is just bigger boned and has longer legs. Your Vet should be able to tell you what her ideal weight is. You should be able to feel her ribs slightly, without having to press down too hard on her sides. She should also have a little bit of a "waist", not look like a football (in the U.S.), and definitely not look like a soccer ball Here's a chart you can use to see where she is and whether or not she needs to lose some weight. But still, your Vet is your best guide as to how much.

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

Cats come in all different sizes, so you cannot go by what an adult female "should" weigh. As an example, I have two male cats and one weighs 9 pounds, the other weighs 15 pounds. They are both at a good weight. One is just bigger boned and has longer legs. Your Vet should be able to tell you what her ideal weight is. You should be able to feel her ribs slightly, without having to press down too hard on her sides. She should also have a little bit of a "waist", not look like a football (in the U.S.), and definitely not look like a soccer ball Here's a chart you can use to see where she is and whether or not she needs to lose some weight. But still, your Vet is your best guide as to how much.

View attachment 397910

Thanks for the chart.
The vet told me to give her weight loss food since she said she's on the chubby side (used to be around number 4 kinda), she recommended to get her down to 4.5 but with those constopation problems and since she already list weight I was told its best to stop the weight loss food and go for a high fibre diet.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Most of us here have found that the weight loss food doesn't really work anyway. The best way to get a cat to lose weight is to monitor the amount of calories they take in. Since she already loves wet food, try to feed her food that is high in protein and low in carbs so that it's more satisfying for her. And just check how many calories are in the food because they are vastly different depending on the food. sometimes smaller, more frequent meals help too. And, as always, exercise. Some people walk around the house carrying their bowl of food just to get the cats to follow them and get exercise. One of mine used to love having his treats tossed down the hall so he could play catch with them. He would jump up in the air to try to catch them mid-air. So cute. (but be sure to count calories in those treats as well because they can add up)

 

[CindyH66]

agreed ! my vet told me a cat only needs 200 calories a day . whoa ! when I started counting calories for Bella ..wet food , dry food , treats, ..not to mention the little " tastes" my hubby gave her of stuff.. NOT hard to see how she got overweight !! just a few tips... dont leave dry food lying around. put the portion down , pick it up when they are done. they dont need to pick all day. I put down 1/4 cup am/ pm for Peanut ; wet food .. only a like a tsp. on the side (my vet said they dont need both ,but I think the moisture helps, plus she loves it !) .. and she gets a Purrfect creamy treat at bedtime for a snack ( 8 cals) she is doing ok . I dont leave food lying around. Put it down am / pm and our bedtime snack. ... Bella always had food available.... they also make toys that you can put treats in and they play with them and the treats " fly" out at times. the treat is kind of a reward for the playing / exercise. I tried it with Bella. didn't work tho,. she would sit and look at the toy and whine until daddy would finally just give it to her ! LOL ...she had him so wrapped around her little paw !

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

Most of us here have found that the weight loss food doesn't really work anyway. The best way to get a cat to lose weight is to monitor the amount of calories they take in. Since she already loves wet food, try to feed her food that is high in protein and low in carbs so that it's more satisfying for her. And just check how many calories are in the food because they are vastly different depending on the food. sometimes smaller, more frequent meals help too. And, as always, exercise. Some people walk around the house carrying their bowl of food just to get the cats to follow them and get exercise. One of mine used to love having his treats tossed down the hall so he could play catch with them. He would jump up in the air to try to catch them mid-air. So cute. (but be sure to count calories in those treats as well because they can add up)

That's so cute...yeah I think monitoring calorie intake is a good idea, I'll try to get her to exercise but she usually is very lazy even with food related stuff lol. She does like walking around the house though so that's good.

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

agreed ! my vet told me a cat only needs 200 calories a day . whoa ! when I started counting calories for Bella ..wet food , dry food , treats, ..not to mention the little " tastes" my hubby gave her of stuff.. NOT hard to see how she got overweight !! just a few tips... dont leave dry food lying around. put the portion down , pick it up when they are done. they dont need to pick all day. I put down 1/4 cup am/ pm for Peanut ; wet food .. only a like a tsp. on the side (my vet said they dont need both ,but I think the moisture helps, plus she loves it !) .. and she gets a Purrfect creamy treat at bedtime for a snack ( 8 cals) she is doing ok . I dont leave food lying around. Put it down am / pm and our bedtime snack. ... Bella always had food available.... they also make toys that you can put treats in and they play with them and the treats " fly" out at times. the treat is kind of a reward for the playing / exercise. I tried it with Bella. didn't work tho,. she would sit and look at the toy and whine until daddy would finally just give it to her ! LOL ...she had him so wrapped around her little paw !

Wow only 200 calories a day, I'll have to check how much I'm giving her, it's usually around 1 can of fancy feast and 40 to 50 g of biscuits (which I keep the whole day) and the occasional treats/ nibbles she gets. The problem with Bee is that she never finishes her food in one go she likes to eat a little, then rest or go watch birds or do something then come back to eat a bit more. I divide her portions of wet food to 2 so that it doesn't spoil but I like keeping the dry food there just in case (I never put more than 50 g of biscuits though ) .
I tried the toys you put treats in but she kinda gave up on them, she stared at the toy then at me then threw herself on the floor, i dunno what's that supposed to mean lol. Kinda like Bella I suppose

 

[Bee_the_kitty's_mom]

Just an update, Bee is doing much better these days, she's going every other day instead of every day but she seems to be doing well overall.
Thanks all for the suggestions I'm definitely trying them out

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

agreed ! my vet told me a cat only needs 200 calories a day .

I just need to say that not ALL cats only need 200 calories a day. It really depends on their age , their ideal weight, and how active they are. I wonder if your Vet was trying to say that YOUR cat only needs 200 calories per day ? The only reason I am bringing it up here is in case someone else is reading this and thinks "OMG, I'm really overfeeding my cat?", when they aren't. For example, a cat who is very active and in perfect condition who weighs in at 15 pounds should probably eat a minimum of 375 calories per day, but if they aren't very active, they should eat more like 300. A cat who is in perfect condition who only weighs in at 10 pounds should probably eat around 250 calories per day, and if they are couch potatoes, then the 200 cals per day might fit.

 

[CindyH66]

I agree with what you are saying. Like people , a one size fits all doesn't seem right to me. We dont put the same amount of gas in a truck we do into a VW beetle , for sure !! always best to check with your vet... that said, she did say to me " cats only need ... " a generalized statement , not just my kitty. .. now, Bella weighed 17 lbs; Peanut is 9 lbs. .. they're eating habits are night and day !!