Seeking Advice From People Whose Cats Have Had Megacolon Or Comstipation Issues

[misterwhiskers]

K So anyway out of nowhere, seemingly, my cat went from
Mr Pooptastic to not even TRYING to poop. Yes, he’s seen a vet. Diagnosis is “close to megacolon but let’s try to avoid it”. He’d been given 3 doses of Miralax since Saturday, all of which produced results but clearly did not remove everything in his colon, as I’d first noticed no poop several days before (had to wait to see the vet).

So at the vets he got an enema but no x Ray as I couldn’t afford that today and vet thought that too soon .Vet felt several
Inches of what felt like stool. He’d pooped the night before and some of it was incredibly hard.

The enema has as of yet not done anything. He’s sleeping and had eaten ok. No visit to pee despite sub Qs, either! Breathing quicker.

Vet says she hopes he poops before morning but it’s like he doesn’t even want to poop at all and im wondering if anyone has been through this. This is very abnormal for him. Blood results showed no liver or kidney issues, just dehydration with monocytes at 5.8%. Nothing terrible. Can he be saved from
megacolon?

 

[kpc1024]

I just went through this with my cat, but it isn't a success story, sadly. I see more and more posts about constipation issues with cats. What is going on?? Pull out all the stops, prescription foods, over the counter meds, prescription meds. Maybe IV fluids at home if he is dehydrated. There are definitely options, especially if he has no other health issues, you may be able to take care of this. Best of luck.

 

[misterwhiskers]

I just went through this with my cat, but it isn't a success story, sadly. I see more and more posts about constipation issues with cats. What is going on?? Pull out all the stops, prescription foods, over the counter meds, prescription meds. Maybe IV fluids at home if he is dehydrated. There are definitely options, especially if he has no other health issues, you may be able to take care of this. Best of luck.

I’m sorry your story ended badly. I’m hoping Robin has more luck. Right now he’s just super exhausted. The enema did result in more stool, and now he’s just sleeping, exhausted. His ears are warm again. I don’t understand why his ears are warm or why he’s running a mild fever with this, esp after the Enema seemingly got rid of the back up.

 

[Lotsapurrs]

I just had a cat that needed 3 separate enemas within 2 weeks to get cleaned out and, to stay that way, I tried Colace, which helped some and then lactulose along with fluids. He recently looked constipated again and I’m trying slippery elm bark which seems to have helped as he had a nice BM last night! Here’s some info on things to try
Feline Constipation Home Page

 

[artiemom]

Sorry you are going through this. I had to deal with IBD and MegaColon/Motility issues for several years....

The Miralax and enema is a start.
How much miralax are you giving?
You do know it has to be mixed with a bit of water, before dosing. You can add it to his wet food; or try syringing it in your baby.

Giving Miralax twice a day, seems to work better.

Charting results and doses is really necessary. You need to see how long his transit time is ~~~ time to see results, with all the drugs...how long it takes for poop and the texture of it.

There is also Lactulose, which is a sticky, sweet, Karo-like prescription that also aids in constipation.

If your cat has motility issues, leading up to Megacolon, you need to keep the stools at a good texture, in order for the muscles to push it out.

There is also a prescription drug, Cisapride which stimulates bowel contractions.

Also, you can do daily sub-q treatments... meaning giving IV fluids just beneath the skin. It helps keep the stool hydrated and soft.

And: There is a Dry food: Royal Canin Fiber Response. It is really a wonder food for many cats with constipation issues.

And as a last resort, there are the enemas.
Some cats do not mind them as much; for other cats, it takes a lot out of them-- taking a few days to recover.

If you do not feel your Vet can help you out.. I would suggest an Internal Medicine Specialist. They are really the best to advise prescribing and dosing information.

You kitty's ears are hot, because he does not feel well.. he is dealing with the aftermath of the enema and feeling so horrible.. I would leave him alone, let him hide if he wishes, but make sure he eats... and gets the miralax... you can try increasing the dose, but remember, it takes water out of the colon, to make the stool softer... and it takes a few days to work.

The dose is 'to effect', meaning, dose until you see effect.. then keep that dose consistent... usually the initial dose is 1/8 tsp twice a day... I ended up using about 3/4 to 1 tsp, split into 2-3 doses per day.

I just mixed it up with water, in a clean pudding cup, using it through out the day, as I free fed wet food.

Good Luck...

hopefully, this helps....

***** OH, I just remembered.... This is what I found to be extremely important when dealing with enemas. Make sure your vet HYDRATES your cat, with each enema (meaning giving your cat sub-q fluids each time she has an enema)--- regardless of whether she is eating or not... It is very important. You do not want your cat to get dehydrated by the enema..

I had one vet who did not do this, once... That was it for my.. My guy ended up shutting down causing an emergency visit on Christmas day... I switched vets..
Their excuse for not giving an enema is because he was eating... I was furious..

 

[misterwhiskers]

That’s all really helpful. I just came home from work and he literally just peed for the first time in 24 hours. Worse, no poop since the poop that came out as a result of the enema. I have to admit to both surprising me, as he greeted me with so much energy.

How many hours is normal between eating and having a bowel movement? I just gave him a dose of Miralax (heaping 1/8 tsp), by syringe, after giving him water by syringe.

I’d sub Q him but not sure I can as the vet said it took 2 techs to hold him down for the sub Q he got after his enema. He was already a little dehydrated, according to his bloodwork. Now he’s licking his butt obsessively. I really hoped the one enema would do the trick. I love my cat but can not afford these kinds of expenses. I only have a spare $400 a month after bills get paid, tops. This last vet visit was $300. My next pay goes to rent, so I can’t bring him for another 2 1/2 weeks. I can’t stand the idea of putting my best friend down, but at the same time I may not have a choice. This is terrible. All of this. Watching him hurt and I can’t afford a specislst (not that I have a way to get to Pittsburgh anyway) is a little like torture.

 

[misterwhiskers]

I just had a cat that needed 3 separate enemas within 2 weeks to get cleaned out and, to stay that way, I tried Colace, which helped some and then lactulose along with fluids. He recently looked constipated again and I’m trying slippery elm bark which seems to have helped as he had a nice BM last night! Here’s some info on things to try
Feline Constipation Home Page

For now, the vet said none of this was necessary. I hope this is transitory but my sneaking suspicion is he’s headed towards full blown megacolon, bc there have been a few times his bowel movements looked abnormally large...I hadn’t a clue why. I thought he ate too much.

K So anyway out of nowhere, seemingly, my cat went from
Mr Pooptastic to not even TRYING to poop. Yes, he’s seen a vet. Diagnosis is “close to megacolon but let’s try to avoid it”. He’d been given 3 doses of Miralax since Saturday, all of which produced results but clearly did not remove everything in his colon, as I’d first noticed no poop several days before (had to wait to see the vet).

So at the vets he got an enema but no x Ray as I couldn’t afford that today and vet thought that too soon .Vet felt several
Inches of what felt like stool. He’d pooped the night before and some of it was incredibly hard.

The enema has as of yet not done anything. He’s sleeping and had eaten ok. No visit to pee despite sub Qs, either! Breathing quicker.

Vet says she hopes he poops before morning but it’s like he doesn’t even want to poop at all and im wondering if anyone has been through this. This is very abnormal for him. Blood results showed no liver or kidney issues, just dehydration with monocytes at 5.8%. Nothing terrible. Can he be saved from
megacolon?

K So anyway out of nowhere, seemingly, my cat went from
Mr Pooptastic to not even TRYING to poop. Yes, he’s seen a vet. Diagnosis is “close to megacolon but let’s try to avoid it”. He’d been given 3 doses of Miralax since Saturday, all of which produced results but clearly did not remove everything in his colon, as I’d first noticed no poop several days before (had to wait to see the vet).

So at the vets he got an enema but no x Ray as I couldn’t afford that today and vet thought that too soon .Vet felt several
Inches of what felt like stool. He’d pooped the night before and some of it was incredibly hard.

The enema has as of yet not done anything. He’s sleeping and had eaten ok. No visit to pee despite sub Qs, either! Breathing quicker.

Vet says she hopes he poops before morning but it’s like he doesn’t even want to poop at all and im wondering if anyone has been through this. This is very abnormal for him. Blood results showed no liver or kidney issues, just dehydration with monocytes at 5.8%. Nothing terrible. Can he be saved from
megacolon?

 

[misterwhiskers]

K So anyway out of nowhere, seemingly, my cat went from
Mr Pooptastic to not even TRYING to poop. Yes, he’s seen a vet. Diagnosis is “close to megacolon but let’s try to avoid it”. He’d been given 3 doses of Miralax since Saturday, all of which produced results but clearly did not remove everything in his colon, as I’d first noticed no poop several days before (had to wait to see the vet).

So at the vets he got an enema but no x Ray as I couldn’t afford that today and vet thought that too soon .Vet felt several
Inches of what felt like stool. He’d pooped the night before and some of it was incredibly hard.

The enema has as of yet not done anything. He’s sleeping and had eaten ok. No visit to pee despite sub Qs, either! Breathing quicker.

Vet says she hopes he poops before morning but it’s like he doesn’t even want to poop at all and im wondering if anyone has been through this. This is very abnormal for him. Blood results showed no liver or kidney issues, just dehydration with monocytes at 5.8%. Nothing terrible. Can he be saved from
megacolon?

My other question is, were you guys able to feel the stool through your cats abdomen? I swear I can feel an area that feels like intestine, and it’s full. I don’t press on it. Robin seems to dislike lying on that side (and always has), and the distended area feels like it’s the width of the base of my thumb, maybe wider...over an inch wide. Is that the colon?

 

[artiemom]

It very well could be the colon you are feeling. I could never feel it with my guy.

Try giving 1/4 tsp miralax, twice a day..

My gut feeling, from my own experience, is that there is a hard piece of stool blocking the way out. The only way to get rid of that is with manual disimpaction and enemas..

You Vet did not prescribe Lactulose? That is strange. It is only about $10 for a large bottle, although, you need syringes for dosing.

As far as sub-q's: My guy was a bear with the Techs. With me, I waited until he was calm, and proceeded with confidence. He was so good at taking the sub-q's... as long as he was in a calm, quiet mood.

I fear your kitty may need at least another enema, and disimpaction..sigh..
Along with a ton of meds and the prescription RC Fiber Response food..

Yes, it is very expensive; and heartbreaking.

((hugs)) to you...

 

[misterwhiskers]

How is manual dusimpaction done? Is that surgery? He just had an enema Tuesday 3pm. A lot came out, 8-9 inches worth, but clearly there’s a harder piece stuck in there. Last nights Miralax resulted in a miserable inch or so of poop. I just gave him another dose. Very worried about his urine output right now. He also hid from me all night.

His ears are cooler, nose is wet and cold. His belly has a weird feel. Like gushy. I’m terrified he might have FIP early stages.

 

[misterwhiskers]

Before we got to the vet, I found an incredibly hard piece of stool on the floor, like it had stuck to his bottom. It didn’t look or feel
normal. It was crumbly and abnormal looking, even for poop that has been left out.

 

[misterwhiskers]

Should I try mineral oil in addition to the Miralax?

 

[artiemom]

Unfortunately, anything more at this point, is pretty much only going to cause more pain...

You cat is obstructed by the hard piece of poop. It needs to come out.

Your vet can try to break it up with his finger, and then try another enema, or the Vet can try putting your cat under anesthesia and manually break up and pull out the solidified poop-- called manual deosptification....

Your cat is probably dehydrated by not eating much, that is why she is not peeing. What moisture he has in her body is going towards her colon and her poop...

She needs to see the vet.. and asap....
poor thing..

I understand completely.. Megacolon is a horrible disease..

You kitty is hiding for a couple of reasons. One of them is; he is in pain. Cats hide when they are in pain.
The other reason, is that you are always going at him with medication. It happens.

It makes you feel terrible.. but this is what happens with severe constipation, poor motility and megacolon..

I am not being insensitive or uncaring. I just went through all of this with my guy, during the month of May.

((((Hugs)))) to you, and your baby...

You really do need to see the Vet, ASAP...

I am so sorry to see that you and your baby are going through all of this...

 

[misterwhiskers]

I was able to get a decent sized amount of stool out of him, finally, after giving him a full 1/4 tsp of Miralax then an hour later, some wet food with mineral oil. He really was straining to get it out initially but no meows. Thank god. And he peed a huge amount sometime before. He seems afraid to use the box if I’m not around, he must really be traumatized. And I’m showing a pic of what he passed. I know, gross, but I just would like an experienced eye to tell me if this looks like it’s enough to avoid a vet visit. If it takes this combo of Miralax and mineral oil, I’ll take it, and I hope he can normalize in time (but is that ever possible?)

 

[artiemom]

To my eye, that looks like a good size poop!!!

Keep it up...

The only thing about using mineral oil. It depletes the body of nutrients.

You could try buying some Colace capsules.
I had to special order the pediatric dose from Amazon.. but the human dose may work. But check with your Vet, first.

You really should be in close contact with your Vet about this. And probably get a prescription for lactulose...

I think your baby, senses your anxiety with the litter box, and wants you around for it...
My guy did the same. He would even meow and let me know when he had to poop, so I could witness and praise him.

 

[maggiedemi]

What is his diet like? I agree with Artiemom, maybe try a food with a little higher fiber like Fiber Response. I didn't use that one, I use an Indoor dry food which is higher in fiber and it really made a difference with my cats, they poop every day now without straining. Half of their diet is canned food, the other half is the Indoor dry food. So for me moisture from the wet food and fiber from the dry food worked.

 

[misterwhiskers]

Robins on One hairball formula, and has been for 5 1/2 years. It has cellulose in it. The vet wanted him off the dry. Now she insists he stay on it and I agree, because this bout started only after I warned him off the dry. He’d been getting 1/3 cup dry and two of the mini packets of Sheba every day, enough for him to lose weight. Then he had a bout of herpes abdcit hurt him to eat the dry, which is why he spiraled.

I will ask for the Laxulose and look into the Colace. Have you ever tasted Colace? Beyond bad. Abd thanks about the warning for mineral oil!

 

[artiemom]

Colace is enclosed in a gel cap--- flavorless.

It is the lactulose which is nasty as all heck.. thick sweet syrup... horrible...

Yes, I agree that the extra fiber food seems to be what Robin needs.
Add the miralax/water mixture to the Sheba.

Fingers Crossed... Good Luck..

 

[missy&spikesmom]

My cat, Little Bean does much worse on High Fiber dry food. No matter the brand. Because, she is not much of a water drinker at all!! Most of my cats have never much loved water either. So I don't think this is just Little Bean not loving to drink water! But, if they don't offset the increase in food fiber with more water, it can actually constipate them more! Just a little note on that, to let you know!!

 

[maggiedemi]

Indoor dry food worked better for my cats than Hairball dry food. I'm not sure why since they both are higher in fiber. The Indoor is a little lower in fat, I'm not sure if that helped.