I just nearly traumatized my poor Bug. Chunk of poop, part sticking out, she was upset so I gently pulled it out, more upset. She has eaten raw food (with Alnutrin and liver powder per their instructions) for a year now, she is two. She loves it and eats it all. However she no longer touches her water bowl. I thought this was covered by the juices in the meat... but now I'm worried. Some writers say to put the meat in a bowl with some water. (She only gets solid chunks, she won't touch ground.) What suggestions do folks have?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Too dry poop - got stuck
- Thread starter dwdanby
- Start Date
I have found a way to get my cats to drink more water than I ever dreamed of by simply setting a couple of bowls in unsual places. I set one in a corner of my bedroom, and one in the basement on the way to the litterbox. I see them drinking all the time now! It is because it is unusual, they check out what is in the bowl and decide to drink. You can move them once in a while to make it interesting. I know fountains can entice them too, they love running water.
For the constipation, ask your vet about Miralax, Polyethylene Glycol,1/8 to 1/4 tsp. It works everytime for my cats, who are on lasix and get constipation at times. I mix it in a lickable treat, like Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors, in a beaten egg yolk, or any liquid treat your cat likes. I hope your little one feels better cleaned out soon!
For the constipation, ask your vet about Miralax, Polyethylene Glycol,1/8 to 1/4 tsp. It works everytime for my cats, who are on lasix and get constipation at times. I mix it in a lickable treat, like Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors, in a beaten egg yolk, or any liquid treat your cat likes. I hope your little one feels better cleaned out soon!
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2020
- Messages
- 4,426
- Purraise
- 12,407
I noticed my cats started drinking more when their bowls were switched to fountains. Making the running water made it seem more appealing or what.
Yes to this idea of unusual places. I've heard from lots of sources that a cat's water bowl shouldn't be right next to a food bowl. Our cat who eats a combination of wet and dry foods will eat form her dry food and then cross the room to have a good drink out of her water bowl. We have bowls in two other spots and she drinks from those, too.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2013
- Messages
- 683
- Purraise
- 255
I've had this problem sometimes too....
One cause is too much bone in the food. You didn't say if you're feeding raw meaty bones or using Alnutrin with calcium, but if the former, try feeding a little less of that. Or, try switching from powdered to fresh liver. I know it's not pleasant stuff to work with, but fresh liver really helps with constipation. Also, I wonder if what you're feeding them is too low in fat? Meat from the grocery is often from very lean cuts because that's what people like, but that's not optimal for cats. (Nor for people actually...but that's another topic!)
Is your cat long-haired or does he have very dense fur? I find I have to keep my cats' butts shaved, to keep poop from getting trapped. If there's enough of a fur layer back there, it can make it harder for them to push poop out. They're Siberians with their famous triple layered coats.
Always good to get them to drink more. For whatever reason, my cats have no interest in fountains, and one hardly ever drinks water from the bowl (yes I have it far away from their feeding stations). So I add water to their food, that's really the best way. Also, when I'm cooking defrosted meat or fish, I save the liquid that pours out when I open the package and give it to them in food bowls along with a small piece of the meat/fish. Looks gross to us, but they love this and lap it all up in seconds.
One cause is too much bone in the food. You didn't say if you're feeding raw meaty bones or using Alnutrin with calcium, but if the former, try feeding a little less of that. Or, try switching from powdered to fresh liver. I know it's not pleasant stuff to work with, but fresh liver really helps with constipation. Also, I wonder if what you're feeding them is too low in fat? Meat from the grocery is often from very lean cuts because that's what people like, but that's not optimal for cats. (Nor for people actually...but that's another topic!)
Is your cat long-haired or does he have very dense fur? I find I have to keep my cats' butts shaved, to keep poop from getting trapped. If there's enough of a fur layer back there, it can make it harder for them to push poop out. They're Siberians with their famous triple layered coats.
Always good to get them to drink more. For whatever reason, my cats have no interest in fountains, and one hardly ever drinks water from the bowl (yes I have it far away from their feeding stations). So I add water to their food, that's really the best way. Also, when I'm cooking defrosted meat or fish, I save the liquid that pours out when I open the package and give it to them in food bowls along with a small piece of the meat/fish. Looks gross to us, but they love this and lap it all up in seconds.
Seconding what
sophie1
says here about bone! I use the Alnutrin supplement with egg shell calcium to avoid bone. I do use freeze-dried liver; that doesn't seem to be a problem. That said, we've found that supplements with slippery elm bark seem (seem!) to have made Ireland more regular. 
(Of course every cat is different!)
sophie1
says here about bone! I use the Alnutrin supplement with egg shell calcium to avoid bone. I do use freeze-dried liver; that doesn't seem to be a problem. That said, we've found that supplements with slippery elm bark seem (seem!) to have made Ireland more regular. (Of course every cat is different!)
