Senior cat constipation and Miralax

[LillysMom]

My Lily is now a senior kitty, as she turned 12 this past June. She is spayed, UTD on all vaccines and gets Revolution every month even though she is strictly an indoor cat. She weighs 12.6 lbs which is a tad overweight for her size, and eats only Purina Pro Plan canned food. Her recent blood work was good, although slightly elevated liver enzymes seem to be her normal, according to the vet. Her past 3 blood tests have had the same slightly elevated liver enzyme numbers.

About two months ago I noticed she was having a hard time pooping. Sometimes she would go two days without pooping. And then she would poop half in the litter box, and half out. She also cried while pooping, and the poop was hard little balls. I figured she was constipated and tried sprinkling 1/4 tsp of Miralax on her food, once a day. This worked great and she began pooping in the box again, every day, without crying and the poop was normal shape and consistency. So I have been giving her 1/4 tsp Miralax every morning for about a month.

At her geriatric check-up last Friday, the vet said Miralax is dangerous because it dehydrates the cat. She said I should stop immediately and, instead, pour liquid Lactulose (given to me by the vet) on her food. Problem is, Lily HATES this stuff, even though supposedly it has no flavor, so she refuses to eat her food if the Lactulose is in it. The consistency is syrupy so maybe that's what bothers her?

My question to you is: Anyone have any experience with long-term Miralax, which seems to work so well? Maybe I could reduce the amount to 1/8th of a teaspoon instead of the 1/4 that I had been using? Or, give it to her every other day instead of daily? I already add a teaspoon of water to her food at each feeding, and she willingly drinks anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of water each day.

I'm not trying to second-guess the vet, whom I really like. I just want to hear from others who have experienced constipation issues in their senior kitties, and how they handled the issue.

Thank you, everyone!

 

[DeesCats]

A couple of my cats were on Miralax or the generic version for over 10 years and never had any issues with dehydration. I was feeding them canned food with water added since they didn't drink much water.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Actually, MIralax and lactulose work very similarly, so I don't think your vet's comment makes any sense to me. They are both an osmotic laxative, which means they draw water into the intestines to soften stools and ease constipation. That means, technically, lactulose could also attribute to dehydration. So, to me, Miralax 'wins' since it doesn't seem to pose the same problem as lactulose does taste-wise. Maybe you can ask your vet to explain her position more clearly to you.

Of course, less of any med/treatment is better if possible, so by all means try giving your cat less and see what happens. Personally, I'd try the 1/8 tsp daily first before going to every other day.

EDIT: You might even try using 1/8 tsp one day and 1/4 tsp the next for a while to see how that works for her.

 

[LillysMom]

A couple of my cats were on Miralax or the generic version for over 10 years and never had any issues with dehydration. I was feeding them canned food with water added since they didn't drink much water.

May I ask how much Miralax you gave your cats, and how often?

 

[LillysMom]

Actually, MIralax and lactulose work very similarly, so I don't think your vet's comment makes any sense to me. They are both an osmotic laxative, which means they draw water into the intestines to soften stools and ease constipation. That means, technically, lactulose could also attribute to dehydration. So, to me, Miralax 'wins' since it doesn't seem to pose the same problem as lactulose does taste-wise. Maybe you can ask your vet to explain her position more clearly to you.

Of course, less of any med/treatment is better if possible, so by all means try giving your cat less and see what happens. Personally, I'd try the 1/8 tsp daily first before going to every other day.

EDIT: You might even try using 1/8 tsp one day and 1/4 tsp the next for a while to see how that works for her.

Thank you for your feedback. I agree with you! Another drawback of the liquid Lactulose is that it needs to be given twice a day! I really don't see how this could work with Lily, who already refuses to eat her food with the syrupy stuff added to it.

The vet also said that Miralax unbalances the electrolytes in a cat? I've done some googling and the results seem to generally agree with the vet's position.

I went back to Miralax this morning but only gave her 1/8th of a teaspoon. Let's see how that works.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The vet also said that Miralax unbalances the electrolytes in a cat? I've done some googling and the results seem to generally agree with the vet's position.

Also, true of lactulose. Look it up and you will find the same issue. Although I haven't seen many, if any, people say either has posed an electrolyte imbalance with their cats.

 

[DeesCats]

May I ask how much Miralax you gave your cats, and how often?

I have a sleeping cat on my lap at the moment but I either used the 1/8 teaspoon or the smallest spoon of the pinch, dash & smidgen set you can buy online. I gave the dose daily but as FeebysOwner suggested and you may have to tweak the dosage based on what & how much you feed your cat and the resulting texture of the poop.

 

[Cat.mama]

My Lily is now a senior kitty, as she turned 12 this past June. She is spayed, UTD on all vaccines and gets Revolution every month even though she is strictly an indoor cat. She weighs 12.6 lbs which is a tad overweight for her size, and eats only Purina Pro Plan canned food. Her recent blood work was good, although slightly elevated liver enzymes seem to be her normal, according to the vet. Her past 3 blood tests have had the same slightly elevated liver enzyme numbers.

About two months ago I noticed she was having a hard time pooping. Sometimes she would go two days without pooping. And then she would poop half in the litter box, and half out. She also cried while pooping, and the poop was hard little balls. I figured she was constipated and tried sprinkling 1/4 tsp of Miralax on her food, once a day. This worked great and she began pooping in the box again, every day, without crying and the poop was normal shape and consistency. So I have been giving her 1/4 tsp Miralax every morning for about a month.

At her geriatric check-up last Friday, the vet said Miralax is dangerous because it dehydrates the cat. She said I should stop immediately and, instead, pour liquid Lactulose (given to me by the vet) on her food. Problem is, Lily HATES this stuff, even though supposedly it has no flavor, so she refuses to eat her food if the Lactulose is in it. The consistency is syrupy so maybe that's what bothers her?

My question to you is: Anyone have any experience with long-term Miralax, which seems to work so well? Maybe I could reduce the amount to 1/8th of a teaspoon instead of the 1/4 that I had been using? Or, give it to her every other day instead of daily? I already add a teaspoon of water to her food at each feeding, and she willingly drinks anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of water each day.

I'm not trying to second-guess the vet, whom I really like. I just want to hear from others who have experienced constipation issues in their senior kitties, and how they handled the issue.

Thank you, everyone!

For what it’s worth, my vet recommended using miralax for my kitties.

 

[Cat.mama]

Have you tried laxatone? It helps with the hairballs coming out

 

[LillysMom]

I have a sleeping cat on my lap at the moment but I either used the 1/8 teaspoon or the smallest spoon of the pinch, dash & smidgen set you can buy online. I gave the dose daily but as FeebysOwner suggested and you may have to tweak the dosage based on what & how much you feed your cat and the resulting texture of the poop.

Thank you so much!

 

[LillysMom]

Have you tried laxatone? It helps with the hairballs coming out

She doesn't have hairballs. I give her Greenies Smartbites Healthy Indoors treats every night and they seem to prevent hairballs.

 

[LillysMom]

For what it’s worth, my vet recommended using miralax for my kitties.

Thank you. For continuous use, or for just the "recommended" 3 days?

 

[Cat.mama]

She doesn't have hairballs. I give her Greenies Smartbites Healthy Indoors treats every night and they seem to prevent hairballs.

Ah okay I thought maybe this could be a reason for her dry or hard poo. I see it with my girls sometimes . At times When It’s been really bad I’ve taken a closer look and noticed it’s hair.

 

[IndyJones]

Instead of putting it on the food, either put it on her paw or squirt it into her cheek. If she doesnt like the flavour you could create a food adversion.

 

[LillysMom]

Instead of putting it on the food, either put it on her paw or squirt it into her cheek. If she doesnt like the flavour you could create a food adversion.

Good point, thank you. She doesn't mind the Miralax powder mixed with her food and eats everything up. But if I need to switch to the syrup I'll keep that in mind.

 

[white shadow]

Hi LillysMom

I've had two cats, 17 and 19, on regular, ongoing Miralax dosing (~1/8 tsp) for the best part of ten years, with perfect results and absolutely no negative effect.

From memory, it seems to me that its use in Veterinary medicine began in the early 2000's and was well known to younger Veterinarians by 2007. I was really taken aback by your Vet's comments, because they're simply incorrect (re: electrolytes) and illogical (re: dehydration) (it causes retention of water in the colon.....water which otherwise would be excreted in urine).

I'll give you a paper that appeared in 2011 in the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery that recommended PEG 3350 for constipation in cats - that's the chemical name for Miralax - and that study is here. I'm sure that will get you over the impasse with her.

If you'd like a reliable, plain-language coverage of Miralax use (and lactulose), this one is excellent. [You spoke about reducing the dosage....no need for that. A quarter teaspoonful is just fine, as is more or less as required to achieve the desired effect.]

Hairballs have been mentioned and from my experience, the sure-fire preventative for those is egg yolk lecithin - more here.

Hoping that helps!

 

[LillysMom]

Hi LillysMom

I've had two cats, 17 and 19, on regular, ongoing Miralax dosing (~1/8 tsp) for the best part of ten years, with perfect results and absolutely no negative effect.

From memory, it seems to me that its use in Veterinary medicine began in the early 2000's and was well known to younger Veterinarians by 2007. I was really taken aback by your Vet's comments, because they're simply incorrect (re: electrolytes) and illogical (re: dehydration) (it causes retention of water in the colon.....water which otherwise would be excreted in urine).

I'll give you a paper that appeared in 2011 in the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery that recommended PEG 3350 for constipation in cats - that's the chemical name for Miralax - and that study is here. I'm sure that will get you over the impasse with her.

If you'd like a reliable, plain-language coverage of Miralax use (and lactulose), this one is excellent. [You spoke about reducing the dosage....no need for that. A quarter teaspoonful is just fine, as is more or less as required to achieve the desired effect.]

Hairballs have been mentioned and from my experience, the sure-fire preventative for those is egg yolk lecithin - more here.

Hoping that helps!

Thank you so much! I appreciate your thorough response and the linked articles. I feel much better now about continuing the Miralax but as of yesterday I reduced the dosage to 1/8th tsp (from 1/4) and will see how that goes.

 

[Jinxii]

Thank you so much! I appreciate your thorough response and the linked articles. I feel much better now about continuing the Miralax but as of yesterday I reduced the dosage to 1/8th tsp (from 1/4) and will see how that goes.

Also used Miralax with no issues for years. When I asked the vet about it she turned her nose up and said lactulose was the way forward, but that's no surprise given that the vet sells lactulose (at about 20x the cost of the stuff at the pharmacy! I got a friend who works for the Blue Cross to confirm that vet lactulose is the same as human lactulose and apparently it's identical). I actually have a few tubs going spare as the cat I got it for is no longer with us.

 

[di and bob]

I would be more concerned about applying Revolution every month to a strictly indoors kitty. At her age that is not needed at all, unless you have actually seen fleas on her or there are some in the house. I would definitely stop that. I have had several cats develop severe side effects from that systemic medication, one had all his hair fall out. very traumatizing. Since I gave it to a lot of cats, that is not very many, but i don't do it at all anymore unless I actually see fleas. If other animals go out and come back in, tehy could carry some in, but I have never had that happen in 50 years!

 

[LillysMom]

would be more concerned about applying Revolution every month to a strictly indoors kitty. At her age that is not needed at all, unless you have actually seen fleas on her or there are some in the house. I would definitely stop that. I have had several cats develop severe side effects from that systemic medication, one had all his hair fall out. very traumatizing. Since I gave it to a lot of cats, that is not very many, but i don't do it at all anymore unless I actually see fleas. If other animals go out and come back in, tehy could carry some in, but I have never had that happen in 50 years!

I live in a condominium complex where dogs are common. My Lily never goes outside, but unfortunately I, myself, have brought home a stray flea or two that hitched a ride on my pants or shoes. Before I knew it, I had a flea infestation and Lily was miserable! Revolution on Lily and a pet-safe flea spray for the house, plus lots of vacuuming, eradicated the infestation but it took a while. I am now giving Lily Revolution every other month.

I appreciate your comment and totally understand your concern.