Senior kitty acts hungry but also acts constipated

lomofirefly

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Hi everyone. Normally I am on the nutrition part of the forum but I thought this queston fit health more. My cat is 17 years old and had PU surgery about 3 years ago. Ever since he's had no blockage problems but about a year ago he developed constipation issues. He's on mainly wet food but.....he doesn't actually eat much of it. He will lick up most of the juice and some of the food and it takes him a while to do so (he will eat and then maybe 30-45 min later go back and nibble some more at it) I had him on no dry food whatsoever because of his constipation aside from a few treats but.....he has lost weight (down from 12 to 10 pounds) and kept acting hungry until finally I recently gave in and started giving him a little bit of dry to supplement his wet.

He's on 3ml of lactulose twice every day but he doesn't pass much stool at all and when he does its small and he throws up afterwards from what I am thinking is straining but I also am wondering if he simply doesn't have enough food in his stomach to make much stool? I've called the vet and am waiting for a response I'm sure she will want me to bring him in but I wanted to see if anyone else had a similar experience? Ever since he started supplementing with dry and wet he seems to have perked up a bit even though the lactulose makes him tired.
 

fionasmom

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Constipation Remedies?

There are some suggestions in this thread which might help. However, I think that the vet visit is a good idea given the vomiting which accompanies the stool and the general difficulty he is having. His decreased appetite is probably playing a part in this, as you say, but the reason for the lack of appetite should be investigated. Numerous members of TCS use Miralax with their cats, but don't combine it with the lactulose and since you have a vet appointment in order, it will probably be best to check with him about its use.
 
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lomofirefly

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Thank you very much and thank you for the link. I purchased some miralax and am debating switching him over to see if it helps. He seems to enjoy his kibble "treats" way more than wet food (but that's not surprising he was raised on dry food before I took him in/rescued him) I'll let ya'll know what the vet says my guess is to increase the lactulose or at least I'm hoping to hear that its a constipation only issue.
 

CindyH66

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aw, my poor Bella suffered with this for a few years as well. Miralax was a big help ! There is another medication they can get..but its by RX only . she ended up on it. helps the GI tract motility. Hopefully, you wont need need it. Wet food, miralax is great combo. Fluid helps! I found this stuff called PURRFECT creamy by Temptations .. cats LOVE it. its a supplemental treat , and adds moisture to diet. Gotta watch the extra calories, but it will get more fluids in ! Good luck !!
 
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lomofirefly

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We have an appointment for the end of the week but I did start giving him 1/8 tsp of Miralax this morning mixed with 1/4tsp of water and into his food. He seemed tired today but has eaten his food and then tonight I added another dosage of Miralax not about 10 minutes went by after he ate the food/medicine that he went to the restroom! He did strain a bit (there were two little baby stools followed by a ahem...larger one) and now he's laying down. Mind you this is the first time he's used the bathroom well in two days so I'm sure he's tired.

I wonder if the lactulose just wasn't high enough strength? He was getting 3.5ml twice a day but he was still constipated and would strain. One day on Miralax and he's pooped with little straining and no puking (huzzah for that) maybe he needed something different?

I purchased a second auto water feeder and am looking into the PURRFECT creamy by temptations. I'm still looking for a good grain free wet food that he will eat (he's a fancy feast and Friskies addict) he liked Purina pro plan true nature wet only the chicken and wouldn't you know its always out of stock and i'm thinking about getting a larger and lower litter box since he has some arthritis.
 

CindyH66

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We have an appointment for the end of the week but I did start giving him 1/8 tsp of Miralax this morning mixed with 1/4tsp of water and into his food. He seemed tired today but has eaten his food and then tonight I added another dosage of Miralax not about 10 minutes went by after he ate the food/medicine that he went to the restroom! He did strain a bit (there were two little baby stools followed by a ahem...larger one) and now he's laying down. Mind you this is the first time he's used the bathroom well in two days so I'm sure he's tired.

I wonder if the lactulose just wasn't high enough strength? He was getting 3.5ml twice a day but he was still constipated and would strain. One day on Miralax and he's pooped with little straining and no puking (huzzah for that) maybe he needed something different?

I purchased a second auto water feeder and am looking into the PURRFECT creamy by temptations. I'm still looking for a good grain free wet food that he will eat (he's a fancy feast and Friskies addict) he liked Purina pro plan true nature wet only the chicken and wouldn't you know its always out of stock and i'm thinking about getting a larger and lower litter box since he has some arthritis.
My vet had ordered Bella a high fiber Rx food to help; problem was 2 things : it was expensive as heck AND hard to get ! the manufacturer wouldn't ship it to the vet unless they had enough orders for it .. SO I could request more, but still had to wait until enough people needed it ! I often ran out. GRR :angryfire:.. SO, I figured ,the main thing about it was the fiber content ( since she was getting plenty of WET food as I had to add miralax and make sure she was hydrated ) and this was supplemental .. so I headed to Target and found a food that was $ 10 a bag ( as opposed to the $ 50 bag the vet was giving me !) , I can get over the counter and it's readily available ! It had MORE fiber than the Rx stuff and she liked it just fine. It was made by Iames ..the big Teal color bag. Check the fiber content ... it helped and I stopped using the Rx stuff as it worked just as well. Most brands have 3 % fiber, but their indoor healthy weight brand is
8 % ! about the same as the Rx stuff !! I got Bella a better litter pan ,and took the lid off for time. It helps if they can stand UP to go, while they are constipated. she would stand straight up in the air then take off when she was done .. relieved , I guess to get it out ! once she was cleaned out by the vet ..she pooped like mad for 3 days ..then NOTHING for like 5 days ! her poor little system was so unsettled , but it straightened out and she started going normally , finally. poor kitties. Good luck , and hope your baby feels better. Bella dealt with this for 6 years ; it all started following dental surgery , when being under anesthesia so long caused her first impaction. It became a life long problem for us after that. .. you will , hopefully, just have a minor issue. It is pretty common in cats, I hear. she was an exceptional case . I learned alot more about kitty poo than I ever thought I would !
 

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I gave my elderly boy 1/4 tsp of Miralax whenever he strained too, I mixed it in egg yolk. Don't switch around his food too much or that can cause problems too, at his age just give him what he will eat. set several small bowls of water around for him to investigate and hopefully drink from, they are always curious about something new.
 
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lomofirefly

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I was hoping to give him miralax every other day but he strained again this afternoon. Gave home 1/8 tsp of miralax to see if that will help things get going again. He was happy with Friskies wet and solid gold indigo moon but he seems to already have turned up his nose to solid gold.....he loves his "junk food" his fav being Hills Feline C/D that he ate after our vet told us he needed it so he wouldn't have crystals anymore (we've come a long way since then)
 

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Has your cat’s bloodwork been taken recently? Nausea and constipation are both signs of kidney disease, which often happens to older cats. Blockages can also hurt kidneys if there was any urine backing up. Has his urine output increased? If you haven’t run some bloodwork on him recently it might be good to check. Miralax helps my cat, who recently was found to have early kidney disease and has had constipation issues for several years. He gets 1/8 tsp with food (baby food or in a syringe with water if necessary ), twice a day. But if cat hasn’t pooped in four days he likely needs an enema.
I definitely would buy some syringes and give him some extra water. Robin has gotten up to 20 ml a day but usually it’s 5-6. Of your cat needs an enema at the vet be sure he also gets some subQ.
 

misterwhiskers

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You might want to look into low phosphorus foods or foods made for older cats in the event his constipation is kidney related. My cat gets prescription food, but there are many lower phosphorus foods that aren’t prescription, like Weuva chicken Turkey topsy turvy.
 
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lomofirefly

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He hasn't had any bloodwork done too recent its been about 6 months. He does urinate quite a bit but he also drinks a whole lot. Its always puzzled me that he can drink so much but still remains constipated. I got worried about the miralax because he acted so sleepy after he would eat his food with it but the lactulose (day 2) doesn't seem to be working where as the miralax did help him go.

I actually emailed Weruva last night to see if they offered any kind of samples or what they would recommended for a picky cat who loves chicken but hates pate and am hoping to hear something soon until then there is a petco that I'll be around tonight and I can pick some up thank you so much its hard to find good low phosphorus food.
 
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lomofirefly

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I gave my elderly boy 1/4 tsp of Miralax whenever he strained too, I mixed it in egg yolk. Don't switch around his food too much or that can cause problems too, at his age just give him what he will eat. set several small bowls of water around for him to investigate and hopefully drink from, they are always curious about something new.
Just regular egg yolk or should I whip it some? I went out and purchased a second water fountain for him and put it in the kitchen so now he has two....hopefully that will increase his water intake. I may get another one and put it in the living room he loves running water.
 
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