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ok all this is great, thanks. as if now she isn't even turkey or baby food, i will try again in a few hours with the miralax. and will follow the rest of your instructionsProbiotics, probiotics, probiotics!!!
I had a 6 month stretch after I first adopted my cat where we were trying to figure out her constipation, and I have tried almost everything. In the end, probiotics were, and still are, the only thing that worked consistently and without side effects.
Her colon is clear right now, so you're at a good place to incorporate good preventative measures. Miralax worked very well for us if given before hard stool started building up in her colon. Start with 1/8 teaspoon daily and increase by 1/8 teaspoon increments as necessary.
Calories are really important. I recommend turkey, chicken, or ham baby food (gerber or beechnut, stage 2) because it is really appetizing to most cats. Or, try tuna or deli meat (low sodium if possible). Feed that until you get her appetite back up to normal again.
So, she has had a rough few weeks, and the stress of illness and vet visits has probably really messed up her healthy microflora, and then she had antibiotics which would have wiped out a lot, so her microbiome is qll over the place, and that had an effect. For those reasons along I think probiotics would be really helpful for her right now.
But also, consistently giving my cat probiotics with every meal changed her digestive health completely. Miralax worked well for a while, but I had to keep inching up the dose because it was losing effectiveness over time as her body got used to it. Plus, even though it's pretty safe, it's still not ideal to keep a cat constantly on a medication that's meant to be used as needed. I finally tried probiotics and was able to stop miralax entirely. Even now I notice that if I skip the probiotics, she starts having straining and discomfort.
I started with a pet formulation, but I switched to a human one and did not notice a difference. Main strain is acidophilus, CFU count is in the billions, and I keep it refrigerated (I use PB8 Nutrition Now specifically).
Fiber is a double edged sword with constipation. It can draw in some moisture or help push things through, but it also adds bulk, potentially making stool more difficult to pass and stretching out the colon. Those prescription foods really pack in the fiber so I would be very careful using them.
At one point woth my cat I think her colon muscles were just exhausted and 2 weeks of cisapride, a muscle stimulant, was very helpful.
Slippery elm bark is also a remedy that some like for constipation. It made my cat incredibly uncomfortable, so I can't recommend it personally, but other people have tried it and gotten great results.
I would focus on getting her to eat something, mixing in the miralax and probiotics. Then transition her back to a good canned food, continuing with probiotics, and miralax as needed, and see how it goes.
