Feline Constipation - Everything you need to know
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- This may sound like an odd topic if you do not work in a veterinary clinic, but if you do, then you'll know how common constipated cats are! Knowing the signs, causes and symptoms of feline constipation will help you take better care of your favorite trash goblin. All hail our feline overlords, to the litter trays!
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We have two cats with constipation. We set up mini cameras with motion sensors at each litterbox to record their use. It really became a game-changer because not only can we see which cat did what poop they also record any other signs like straining and crying. We note the date and time of each poop video in a spreadsheet along with other things like weight and appetite changes. Yes, it sounds excessive but my vet loves how we can give her a detailed report on the kitties' bowel movements.
That's awesome. Like a spy movie but with litter boxes 🤣
Next level!!!
You are fantastic cat parents!! I also have cat cams over each litter box and throughout the house to keep a watchful eye when I'm not home. I have mine set on continuous record along with the motion detector so I can rewind and watch anytime.
You can set your old phones or computers to do this too!
Ahww such good pawrents! I hope they get well soon!
A month after I got my kitty, I didn't find poop in her litter box anymore so I thought she is constipated. I fed her some pumpkin and added olive oil on her food hoping it would help. A few days later I found out that she's been pooping in a big flower pot on the balcony instead of her litter box 😂 she wasn't constipated at all😅
Pooping outside the litter box could mean something else is wrong though.
Or maybe she just likes dirt better than kitty litter?
@@TheJunnutin It was just a phase. She liked the dirt better than her litter, that was all. Once we blocked her access to the flower pot, she started pooping in her litter box. Thanks for your concern 🌷
@@minebosman2809 Glad to hear that =)
My feral colony loooves our built in flower beds too lol more like built in litter boxes at this point lmao
I think your cat is part gardener although she may have been over fertilizing that plant just a bit. I am glad she is back to the box.
Clawdia seems completely nonplussed about being in front of the camera... a true veteran of stage and screen! 😅
@@theinvisibleman2070 I don't think your thought on the matter matters... but I still am glad she seemed so nonplussed
"Megacolon must be stopped... No matter the cost." -Optimus Purrrrime
😅😅😅😂😂😂
I think one of my cats had this. I took her to the vet so many times. Even switched vets for a second opinion and they did an echo and X-ray. Even a specialist clinic. They couldn’t save her. I had to let her go…they keep looking at the kidneys. But couldn’t find anything there. I feel I’ve failed her and even thought she left in January of 2019. I still miss her and cry.
I know that feeling all too well. Please know that you didn't fail your cat. You tried the best you could. Only someone who doesn't care fails their cat. You certainly cared or you wouldn't write a post like this. I found the Ted Talk "The emotional costs of euthanasia" by Sarah Hoggan DVM helpful. Don't be hard on yourself. Your cat wouldn't want that.
Please do not be so hard on yourself. You did absolutely everything you could to save your cat. The fact that you tried to do so much to save your cat proves what an amazing, caring and loving person you are. Try to focus on the good memories and the time you had with your baby. Eventually it will get a little easier to handle that they could not save her. I've been through this many times over the years but you know in your heart you did everything you could. She had to have known how much she was loved!
@@steffietv9238 thank you for your kind words. I’m gonna look up that ted talk. After she was gone, I read a lot of books about pets and the afterlife. That helped with the grief. But sometimes when I’m not in a good state of mind, the guilt and sadness creep in.
@@PennySue thank you for the kind words. I’m sorry you’ve been through it too. I was so surprised that even that I knew she, Puar, was going to a better place, I didn’t want to let her go. I was so conflicted. That 12 years was normally a long time and now it wasn’t enough. 12 years had flown by! I still have her sister, Tora, and I eventually adopted 2 street cats too. Tora was a bit depressed and lonely, now she is doing better and next May she’ll turn 16. Puar was the 1st cat I had to say goodbye to. Before I only had hamsters and they live very short lives.
You cared very much and tried very hard. You did not fail her. These things happen with pets and humans. Sometimes we don’t get answers.
I had a cat who would dehydrate himself just because he hated drinking water. Wouldn't even touch it from a fountain. We ended up putting him on a wet food with the consistency of chunky chicken soup. He was happy to drink his fluids as long as it was flavored, I guess
Cats do naturally get most of their fluids from food, and a lot of cats that are on dry food are constantly mildly dehydrated even if they drink water. And I've heard that cats sometimes dislike tap water because it smells of chlorine. So while drinking no water at all is a bit extreme, he doesn't sound too unusual :)
Same hat, I have to have a little bit of fruit flavor in my water or else it tastes wrong.
My cat wouldn't drink during the heatwave. It made her very Dehydrated. It's a fact that severely-Dehydrated creatures will stop drinking. But, Dr Uri gave me a tip in his video on how to get your cat to take liquid medicine. He said to add a very small amount of glycerine syrup (which you can get off Amazon), as it makes the water taste delicious to cats.
Glycerine in the water worked for my cat. She suddenly loved her water.
Good-luck,
Rick
Oh wow really? My cats are obsessed with water. Like every time I refresh their water they come running like it’s food. Kinda silly. Especially my cat kasa. He’s a lynx point Siamese. He’s the one in my photo. Hell sit there for at least five minuets.
@Rick Bear in which video did he mention the glycerine?
After watching this video I have realized that my poor senior cat probably suffered for much longer than I realized. After trips to the vet for enemas, trying different foods (which he hated and wouldn't eat), he developed a inoperable bowel obstruction and had to be euthanized. It has been less than a year ago and I still miss him very much.
Sorry for your loss💔
Having lost my lovely 15 year old cat last August (she went to sleep in my arms) I entirely share your loss. But, as everyone points out, she chose to come live with me after abandoning her home and living as a Street Cat for several years, and we both loved and cared for each-other. Your cat also loved you, and knew you as a dear friend. I hope you can review your pictures of your cat and think back on the many happy times you gave each-other.
I wasn't going to even think about adopting another cat, until friends pointed out that I would be just depriving another cat of a loving home, and the joy we could give each-other.
Please consider being adopted by another deserving pussycat real soon. Otherwise, like me, you won't be disloyal to your old friend, but depriving another wonderful cat of love and friendship. 😻
I'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet fur baby. ((Hugs))
I have a 15 y/o tortie with IBD AND recently diagnosed KD. I got her a fountain (literally life changing), Rx KD food and sprinkle that with *psyllium husk (ONLY ingredient - the main ingredient in metamucil) per my vet along with daily metronidozole and have seen great results for a few months now after years of BS expensive IBD foods. Psyllium is amazing and I am now questioning everything/food my previous vet ever told and sold me which cost me thousands of dollars over time and I NEVER saw any improvement. My cat was in absolute agony for YEARS with alternating constipation or dehydrating diarrhea. For the past 3-4 months, her poops are perfect consistency and no more straining. I appreciate these vids but wanted to share my story. If you have an IBD cat - ask your vet about plain psyllium before spending insane amounts on Rx foods or to use as an addition to KD foods.
Hi, would it be safe to give my cat psyllium capsules that I take myself? Thanks.
@@kittybell4604 my vet recommended sprinkling psyllium husk powder in her food, about 1/2 tsp spread across two meals or so for the whole day. She's a big girl (15lb), idk if it makes a difference though. I don't think you should give them capsules intended for humans
@@kittybell4604 Check with your Vet. The human sized dose could be fatal.
I'm so glad to know about the psyllium husks!!! I also put liquid "euromaxx" which helps the urinary tracts and bladder. Now I can keep the kidneys all good in my babies. Thank you so much for sharing with us! 🌷🙏✌️
I love you, Clawdia and Mr. Pirate! I hope Mr. Pirate is doing ok 🙏 Thank you for this important video!!
My 13yo male cat has had constipation issues for many years. He's the first cat I've ever had so when he was younger I didn't realize he was suffering from constipation; the only noticable symptom was eliminating outside the litter box, which we attributed to him being a neurotic (but very cute and loveable) rescue. Eventually I realized he was having trouble and he's been to the vet a few times for this. They never did an enema or fluids though. He was not apparently dehydrated or impacted. The vet felt his abdomen and she could feel that there was a decent amount of feces but it wasn't hardened. He drinks plenty and his diet is wet food (with some dry for the sake of his dental health). He didn't often strain to relieve himself. It's just that every 4-7 days he'd suddenly have a "poop attack" (best phrase for it I can think of) and he'd suddenly have to *go*. These attacks usually came in little bursts and were very stressful for him. (He gets very cuddly with me when he doesn't feel well and so whenever he had a tummy ache he'd scrunch up next to me until it passed.) On his most recent round of blood work they found that his potassium was a little low and the vet suggested that this might have something to do with his problem. He gets a supplement every day with breakfast and dinner and I think things are getting better. Instead of going only once a week he's going every or every other day and most of the time it's in the litter box, so he's not overly stressed anymore. Keeping an eye on how much food and water goes into this cat, as well as what does and doesn't come out has been very helpful in tracking his health. I use the security cameras to make sure he's eating, drinking, or taking care of business. I realize that this is probably more than anyone wanted to know about someone's cat's toilet habits. 😅 Kitty constipation is no joke, though. I'm lucky that his issue doesn't stem from kidney problems or something else very serious and that it's currently very manageable. I hope that any pet parents out there whose cat is having this issue gets them checked out and are better soon ❤️
PS Mr. Pirate is my hero. I regularly show him to my friends and family because more people need to see him and this channel.
I wish you made this video a year ago. I’ve been complaining about constipation to my vet for a year and she was just like “give him some anti hairball malt paste, he’s fine”. Now the poor cat has skyrocketing creatinine, but at least he’s receiving proper ckd treatment with a new vet.
I hope this video will help other cats by teaching owners and vets what to look for.
My cat suffers from constipation since she was a kitten! My father rescued her from what we think was a long fall at best and a run over at worst. Her hip structure is a bit weird, so she's a bit too tight says our vet. She need special medication and food, poor girl :( But no renal issues so far though! Let's hope it stays that way!
That is a special case. Good on you for loving her all the same!
Hi, could I ask what medication and food is your cat receiving? My brother's cat is a similar case and they still haven't find a solution apart from giving him royal canin gastrointestinal food and a bit of lactulose everyday to avoid him getting totally occluded... he vomits pretty frequently from what I could see when he stayed with me and I'm worried thinking about what it'll be like when he will be older...
@@elisavannetti5929 Mr. Pirate is receiving Calcitriol an subcutaneous fluids every 2-3 days. I use miralax rather than lactulose when I worry about his stools being dry as it is much less offensive to cats (tasteless when mixed into food). I feed him Rayne Clinica Nutrition Adult RSS food because a) it has relatively low P which is important for his kidneys and b) he is not allergic to pork, the protein source in it.
The food was identified through some pretty stressful food exclusion trials and with help from the Rayne nutritionists.
Good to hear from you Dr. Uri. I hope your friends and family left in Ukraine are safe.
They have. Before 1990. Thank goodness!
I have been giving my cat Miralax 1/4 teaspoon mixed with a little water. She is doing real well. Before I had to take her to the vet for an enema. Not now, she is doing better.
Yes! This. My cat has been constipated her whole life (she is about 12 or so, rescue no real age) and this one is a game-changer. I still only get poop every 3 days or so but it's softer, not tiny dry bits that looked like kibble. Have tried many different diets, she gets both wet and dry food. Oh and my other cat eats the same diet and has runny stools...also this constipated cat drinks quite a bit so she's not dehydrated...
Really appreciate you videos and wealth of information. Very glad you are back and wishing you and your kitties well! Squishes from Ontario from myself, and my little sweeties, Maisie Rita and Arwen Gandalf 🐈 🐈
Thank you, Yuri! I am a blessed guardian of 5 catties, aged 10-12 so your videos are all very precious to us ❤️ 😊
Hello Doctor Yuri. Definitely subscribing. You are very informative and professional. Love your channel. Thank you for all of your time and knowledge.
It's funny to see this video just now because my old cat was constipated, and I just wept actual tears to see him poop a few hours ago. I couldn't believe it, I was so happy. He's old and diabetic, so it just happens here and there.
Diabetics can easily get dehydrated. Maybe measure his blood sugar levels when it happens, or give some SCF (assuming the heart is ok).
@@HelpfulVancouverVet He actually had fluids yesterday, and we're going back in for his bloodwork in a couple days. He's going off insulin currently, and that IME is tricky and causes some issues. Why is the heart related to giving fluids? He does have HCM and it wasn't brought up in relation to that.
Im so glad you are back again .Love your vidios and I have 4 cats so you help at times.
Shawna from near toronto
I'm glad Mr.pirate is well xo
Kidney disease which is relate to constipation is a very common issue in almost all cats. They need fresh water every day in order to easy to work of the kidneys. I used to leave water outside for outdoor cats in a place that does not rain in the summer. Hopefully others will do the same.
The first time I fostered a cat with constipation, the rescue center gave me Miralax for the cat. I was quite surprised 😅 This is an excellent video! Thank you 🙏🏼 ❤️🐱
Thank you for all of your videos lately on senior cat health and best wishes to Mr. Pirate with his treatments!!! My 18yo cat passed away in mid-2020 and watching them have reassured me we did all we (esp. our amazing vet team) could to keep her comfortable as she declined. Towards the end constipation was a big problem for her, from other causes, but now I understand a bit more about what was going on under the skin.
Hello Dr ! I'm so glad found your videos. Thanks so much.
We have an old lady kitty with early stage chronic kidney and GI issues, so constipation is an ever-present threat. We worked out with our vet that 1/8 t of Miralax, in addition to her chicken-flavored GI medication, helps with her issues. We crush up the pill and mix it and the miralax in a pea-sized amount of melted butter. We call it her butterlax. Even if she's feeling nauseated, the butterlax is always enthusiastically taken!
My cats love butter 🧈, do you know if thats common?
If you know of a cat that *doesn't* like butter, I'd consider that extremely unusual!
When my old-lady cat had serious constipation (yay antibiotics), a miralax-butter paste was just right!
My cat also has miralax everyday for non kidney related constipation, I mix it into a bit lactose free milk which works well. I'll remember the butter trick though in case I need it!
Miralax works great, and is tasteless so cats don’t mind it! Different brand name in Canada, here it is called Restoralax. Same thing!
Love your channel, have learned a great deal about the health of our feline companions🐈💕
I am so sorry about Mr. Pirate having kidney disease. My 19 year old rescue has had it for a little over a year or so now. I noticed that she was constipated (you notice that, honest) and had her blood tested. She has always had lots of water available and I always add some to her food (wet or dry.) Funny thing is, in order to help her out, I cut down on her fibery food and started giving her the kidney failure diets. Well, they kept things stable but then she was having more painful constipation so I went half fiber half kidney and a whole frickton of water. Best lab results in a year! I do not know if that might help Mr. Pirate. I am so glad it has helped my Sovinka.
Thank you for addressing the backlog! Scritches to Mr. Pirate and Clawdia!
Good information. This type of video is so helpful because our little friends can't talk to us. This helps us to know what to look for; to not over react or under react. Thanks again for all your videos. BTW, aside from being an excellent veterinarian, you also seem like a very fine person.
Thank you, Dr!
Very helpful, informative video 👍👍❤️
This makes so much sense now. My senior cat, at one point, was severely constipated and vomitting even though he was fed wet food with some tablespoons of warm water added. He's better now, thankfully. I give him restoralax with his food. He is on a renal support diet and diabetic as well, but I manage his blood sugars carefully and adjust his insulin dose accordingly.
You are such a good cat carer!!
Maybe you could try a fully carnivore diet to heal his diabetes? It works in humans :)
@@happystoat99 To keep him healthier the longest, the best way to go about it is feed him the prescription kidney food and treat the diabetes with insulin. That's what the vet said. High protein low carb diet would cause a rapid decline of his kidney function 😿. I want my kitty to stick around for as long as possible. ❤
@@toccabrigitte2684 I heard vets say that, but "treating" diabetes with insulin is like treating a cough with cigarettes : maybe you get a temporary relief but you are not doing good long term.
I saw a conference by an Australian doctor once (I forgot her name, hopefully you can find it on TH-cam). She healed three cats with kidney disease with a fully carnivore diet, and then proceeded to switch her boyfriend, who had kidney disease too, and he got better too. You should try to look it up, it was very interesting, and maybe you could find some stuff relevant to your situation :)
(if your prescription food contains plants and carbs, which is very likely if it's RC or a similar brand, that definitely affects his kidneys and diabetes negatively)
Great information!
I love your Videos and good work! Clawdia looks like the little Tuxi I had in Thailand :)
This comes at exactly the right time! Last night was miserable for my cat!
THANK YOU !!! 1My 17 year old cat has just been diagnosed with Chronic Renal disease. I will be setting up a poop chart immediately. ( haven't even watched all of this vid yet ) He uses one tray to poop in and the other to pee in. Has anyone seen this behaviour before ? And I clean the pee one almost every time he pees. At least 3 times a day.
edit: thank you! just found your vids on renal disease .
Hey doc, great video, hope Pirate is doing alright :D
4:54
Dr. Uri: Feel their abdomen
Clawdia: oh massage time.
Thank you🐾🐾
bravo doctor very useful information
Me: Doesn't have a cat and can't get one because I have birds.
Also me: "I must know about feline constipation!"
Education for education's sake :-)
@@HelpfulVancouverVet Or maybe for the future. Maybe your next pet will be a cat.
I’m a nurse in a skilled nursing facility and I feel like I’m always dealing with this issue with several of my residents. Can’t tell you how many suppositories and enemas I’ve given lol. I can’t imagine giving one to a cat.
It can be quite an adventure. I tried rolling my cat in a towel for the enema. With Houdini like ease his face appeared where his butt should have been. Not a good idea.
Oh yes goodness, my grandma had ESRD and she needed several colace and sooo much miralax to poop it freaked me out. She has passed and is no longer in any pain but that last year was very difficult, she never went to a Snif.
Dr. Uri? Woah u look like a amazing person and very responsible, cheers from mexico, new sub❤
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video. It's the first video on cat constipation I've seen that mentioned kidney problems and vomiting. I knew my 19-year-old had developed kidney disease, but I had no idea that could cause his subsequent bouts of constipation and the small, hard stools. And on two occasions, he vomited after straining and failing to pass anything. Having this information really helps. Thank you.
Thanks for doing this video. I have 4 cats, 2 males & 2 females who are siblings. My cat Sparky (orange & white) had one issue with constipation but luckily it was only once. I appreciate the information.
I had a cat that never seemed to drink water, he adored cat milk so every other day we would give him a very diluted cat milk so we didn't have to worry.
Also - She is so squishy!
Both my cats have a tendency to dehydration. My female is on prescription food for stone formation. Her stool tends to be dry most of the time. My male cat presents with very occasional vomiting, or small, dry stools. Both of them get wet food only to which I add about a tablespoon (15 mL) of water. In the winter they both sleep more and are generally less active (both are over 13), so then I add a drop of olive oil to their breakfast dish, and sometimes half a psyllium capsule. If I can get them to play more, they're less likely to have symptoms, but I monitor their litter box daily. I can tell who does what and when because I clean the box daily. I have figured out which one is eliminating where in the box, so I know who might need attention. Hope these descriptions are helpful to other cat lovers.
My cat got this when we had to switch her to a new food and we tried the freeze dried stuff. She hated it when it was soaked in water so she’d fish it out and only eat the driest pieces. She also swings towards diarrhea if she eats the wrong food. For both cases my vet suggested fiber mixed into her food (unflavored natural psy. husks). I monitor her waste every day.
Thank you. ❤❤❤ ("The most squished cat on the Internet." Love it!)
Gosh thank you so much for this video! I was about to take my Manx to the vet for this, he has troubled controlling his bowels so when I don't see a mess I know he is backed up.
I have cups of water and a cat fountain all over my house. My cats like to do what I call "the water tour." They like to drink water in different locations. Also, I dilute tuna juice, and they love that (one part tuna juice to one part water).
That is hilarious. Mr. Pirate has a favorite fountain he cruises in a very business like manner on a regular basis.
@@HelpfulVancouverVet And if I am at the kitchen sink, my big orange boy insists upon drinking from the sink, but the water trickle can't be splashing in pooled water. He has me so trained.
Thank you for this post doctor. I will definitely have my kitty's kidneys checked since his stool is getting dryer and smaller even though he's getting plenty of fluid from food and water.
Damn, guess I need to talk to my vet. My 15yo girl had a couple of constipation episodes a year or so ago and has been getting a little lactulose every day since then, but she certainly doesn't go every day and there's been vomiting lately. That'll be fun for both of us.
Try Miralax/Restoralax, I find it is much easier to use since cats don't taste it if its mixed in food.
@@HelpfulVancouverVet Thanks, I will give that a shot.
I'm glad to see Clawdia is alive and well. One of my favourite looking cats!
She is so smooth and squishy
Brilliant! Good, well-presented. Hardened stools are early sign of dehydration. Ensuring adequate hydration? #1 Monitoring stool frequency & quality? #2 🙂
My 5 years old ciberian cat Ella has tendency to eat all kind of stuff is not food. Like woolen socks, rugs, expensive shoes etc. She also swallow a lot of hair while cleaning itself and siberian cats have hair. A lot of hair and couple of times per year Ella looses more hair than other times. So Ella became very constipated and we didn't understand it for long time and it went very bad. She had to go poop to veterany hospital in our neighbour city (We live in Finland). That included enema under anestetic, some blood work and an exray, but now she is fine again. Just lost her georgeous fluffy woolen pants there. They had to shave her private parts. Ella is an example of a constipated young cat with healthy kidneys. There was just at least a lot of hair in her poop. Now we give some water and fibers to her regular meals. We are so happy we find clumps of pee and some good quality poop in her litter box. We are happy she agrees to eat this special food mix, since our other cat is much more demanding about his food.
Thank you so much for this video! My elderly, permanently constipated cat got a bit better after the vet administered metoclopramide. His kidneys don't work as well as they used to, so he also gets a bunch of dietary supplements and regular subcutaneous fluids. I hope thanks to that he's going to be around for at least a bit of time.
Thankyou for another informative video. My husband just ordered dry food for our 10 + cat. It has a soft centre but will suggest to him that we stick to wet food for her.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for the info! I have 4 litter boxes full of poop thankfully!!!
Thanks!
Hi, I was wondering if you could do a video on feline hyperesthesia and the different ways to treat it. I don't think there are many in depth videos on the condition but it seems like there are a lot of cat owners with cats who suffer from this (myself included).
I switched my cat to homemade raw (half raw) diet for almost a year now. I add extra water to his meal and he pees almost twice as much as he did with commercial wet cat food. The raw diet is mostly protein (with some added fiber to the mix and pumpkin). There is very little waste with a high protein diet, as the cat utilizes most of the food. As a result, he poops every other day, smaller amounts compared to commercial cat food, which is packed with cheap filler. My cat is healthier now than ever but does suffer from occasional bouts of constipation due to the high protein diet. A teaspoon of olive oil, gets him moving again.
After spending nearly $8k with vets (urinary) caused by commercial cat food, I will never feed my cat the garbage pet food manufacturers make.
My cat got constipated after I switched to homemade food too. Although I cook everything. And I was a little concerned about why he’s constipated. Do you have any tips that can help other than olive oil? (Will try this afternoon)
@@rosesarerosie5836 "Miralax" is what many vets recommend for occasional constipation. It increases fecal water content without adding bulk to the stool. Miralax is tasteless and can be mixed with the food. Start with 1/16 to 1/8 tsp once or twice a day. You can go as high as 1/4 tsp twice a day. If the stool is too loose, lower the dosage. Miralax is found in most drug stores. Make sure the cat is getting extra fluids because Miralax redirects water to the stool instead of the body and could cause slight dehydration. Use it only when you see signs of constipation. Also keep adding the unsweetened canned pumpkin (I use organic). Good luck.
Which brand to you feed him or her?
@@kathryneregaudie9264 It's homemade. I grind up organic chicken thighs with organic liver. I partially cook it to kill the salmonella which is on the outside of the chicken. It's half raw. I add all the vitamins, extra moisture, and turin to the mix. I portion it out in small jars and freeze them. I follow the recipe from a cat vet.
I just found this and it sounds like my cat. Thx so much
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I have a tuxedo cat who has been vomiting on and off. We’ve noticed that once he’s able to pass a large stool, he seems to be fine. I’m definitely gonna take him (Moose) to have some bloodwork done. I wasn’t thinking of kidney disease. Thank you again 🙏🏻❤️😺
Might just need some laxatives, but it's important to check for underlying disease!
Our tuxedo got so bound up when we rescued him that it took 5 enemas to get him better. That was 13 years ago. Since then we give him 1/8 tsp Miralax in his soft foodevery day and he's been perfect ever since. Gotta love our tuxedos! 😻
Dr Uri, when I was worried that my cat might become constipated I thought to examine her litter box. The problem was that the cat litter will always dry out the stools very quickly. Is there anything we can do about this and have you any advice on what to watch for in terms of size and shape of the stools and frequency of visiting the litter box, please? In humans, small compacted stools are a warning sign, as are heavy stools that won't flush in the toilet. Anything similar is cats?
I'll also mention that your tip of adding a little Glycerine syrup to my cat's water (so it made it more appealing to my cat) was helpful in encouraging her to drink more water.
Thanks, again, Dr Uri for another highly informative video,
Rick in the UK 🇬🇧
Yeah, it's tough with dessicating litter. Try picking up the stool with some toilet tissue. If its rock hard, I'd call that abnormal.
Or just keep in mind that if it's been more than 24 hrs since last bowel movement, it is not normal.
One of my cats have this problem. A couple of pinches of Metamucil with a lot of water on their wet food (almost soup) solved the issue.
Hi Dr. Uri! Your Clawdia looks exactly like my Angelina Jolie except my Angie makes a mustache look fantastic unlike on us human females!🤣😂 But it's always wonderful to see your nice smile, soothing voice, Mr. Pirate and Clawdia and invaluable information. Bless you and stay safe and healthy!👏👍🙏😻🤗🤗🤗
Our cat has definitely been pooping less since being diagnosed with early kidney disease and we switched her to renal diet food. I assumed it was the change of food! I am monitoring her litter activity very closely (I write down in a diary when she poops - she sometimes can go nearly 48 hours without pooping but usually once a day) we give her some malt paste to help with furballs, and I assume bowel movement...
Each cats situation is different, I know. But I would highly recommend Miralax. Just $9.
My cat just had surgery to remove his teeth.
For 4 days afterwards he had diarrhea.
Took him back to the vet. They gave him $500 worth of tests, plus a stool hardener. That only made him constipated.
Har to force him to keep drink water throughout.
Saw a video of a vet promoting the use of Miralax.
6 hours later he finally pooped.
Has been “going” at his normal pace for 4 days now.
So far, so good.
I must say that I love you. ❤️
Thank you so much for these videos I have 2 older cats one with kidney dieses they both are on the Hills kd soft food was giving the kd dry once a day but stopped due to constipation now they get only wet 3x a day did not know about the dehydration and sub fluids contacted my vet after watching your video and we are getting set up for sub fluids at home. Cant thank you enough.
Hi Doc. Hello Mister Pirate. Kisses Claudia. My old puss Fang was diagnosed with early stage KD. He's a big pooper and drinks mega water. Ditto - my pretty princess - both like clockwork. Sleep, eat, play, poop. Great informative YT.
Good cats.
Hi, Clawdia!🤗
So much Clawdia 😻😻😻
Thank you dearly for the the explanations. What do you generally recommend for cats with idiopathic constipation? 🙏
Our baby has this (she's almost 15). She's got kidney food she loves and fresh cold water twice a day, plus we do blood tests regularly. She's been very well, but with her being a senior, I'm always worried.
Esse canal é muito bom kkk! 🇧🇷
I have a 16 yr Maine Coon cross boy who came down with a very very bad case of diabetes (bs was 40!). Unfortunately he has neuropathy in his hind end and it also involves the nerves to his colon. He became so constipated that a ball of feces cut off his urethra and he couldn't pee. When he was admitted to the hospital he was paralyzed and soon became almost comatose. After 11 days he was able to come home but he is now on restoralax once a day and cisapride twice a day along with insulin. He now has the start of KD. He is not dehydrated (skin tent test) and can drink 2 bowls of water a day. I just feel so bad for him. With B12 therapy he has gotten some motor function back but is very weak in the hind legs. I love my boy and will do anything I can for him.
im glad i found this video! My cat had been paralyzed bc she was attacked by a cat, and we worked so hard so now she can walk normally again. But after that incident, she became constipated and we have to give her a high fiber diet everyday or she wont po0p at all. Is it dangerous for her to consume that everyday? I already asked my vet and he said it was okay, but id like to hear other vets opinion too, because in our city is hard to find another vet clinic. I hope you can answer this, thank you for the video, its really helpful for me!
I do check my furball’s litter boxes for big moments during the daily rake. I hardly ever see him drinking water from his bowl on the floor, but when he comes to the table and sits in a chair, I give him a shallow bowl of some kibble and fill it with water. He likes kibble-flavored water a few times a day served there.
Does this make me a crazy cat lady?
I’ve been having such a hard time with my cat for the past four months. She started going off her wet food, so I switched to a new food which she loved, but it didn’t agree with her system. And it was at the same time she started shedding her winter coat. I noticed she wasn’t entering the litter box as much and stated monitoring. She was pooping every three days and it was mostly dry with a little diarrhea at the end. She also seemed to be experiencing abdominal discomfort. But her general disposition was normal and no vomiting at all. Took her to the vet and they did a scan and she was chest to anus full of stool. They said take away any dry food and continue on the new wet (which was Tiki Cat mousse). No enema was given. A couple more weeks go by and no change. We go in again, her abdomen was still tender when palpated, and the second scan showed a lot of trapped gas, but less stool. Vet recommends prescription GI food and transition back to old wet food (Wellness brand). Cat refused prescription food but starts slowly going back to old food. After that, I found a rock hard little stool on the floor that was all hairball when pulled apart. Her stool frequency increased to every other day instead of every three once back on her old food. And hairballs in every stool. Vet said this isn’t normal and it could be IBD. Cat has no classic IBD symptoms though. Zero vomiting, no blood in stool, normal disposition. I took her to a second vet and the first doctor there thought it’s most likely slow digestion due to too much hair ingestion, but as long as the hairballs are passing in her stool it’s good. Other vet at the practice thinks maybe an ultrasound could be the way to go, and ran blood work to check hydration and organ function. Blood work came back normal. But cat is still being super finicky about wet food, I’m having to use appetite stimulant to get her to eat it. I reintroduced dry and she is willingly eating it. So now I don’t know if this is all a digestive issue that’s making her finicky about food, or a food aversion she has developed. Her movements are still every other day, and still hairballs in them. Her abdominal discomfort seems to have gone away, and was most likely caused by the trapped gas. But now I have an appointment at a third vet to see if they think she needs an ultrasound.
Another thing I’m thinking with the wet food is that perhaps it’s her teeth. She does have gingivitis. So maybe the wet food is bothering her gums (she seems to swallow most of the dry food whole). I’m really at a loss here. But thank god for pet insurance. Because all these vet visits and tests have been pricey.
I've been praying to Saint Jude for my cat to pass healthy bowel movements because shes had bouts of constipation for almost a year and the prayers haven't failed me each time!! Please pray to Saint Jude!!
Thanks Dr Berstein-my kitty seems to have developed some constipation siince the addition of a new ca to the house. Is stress ever a factor in this condition?
I used to have an outdoor cat, she told me she was constipated by coming into my room and trying to poop
Cats are great communicators.
@@HelpfulVancouverVet Great communicators! So true! I don't even know how she did it, but recently one of my girls told me that she wanted not food, but catnip on her scratch pad.
When my Queen Bitsy is constipated, she will walk around the living room, attempting to poop and staring into my eyes. She is 12 years old, and I've had her for 4 years. She's always had a problem with constipation, for which I give her miralax 3 times a week.. She gets wellness exams every 6 month, including blood work and UA. Kidney function is normal. Last week I took her to the vet for vomiting all night and had no bowel movements for 3 days. They did an X-ray showing a small amount of stool at the end of the large bowel the rest was empty. They gave me lactose, which doesn't work, and still no poop after 3 days. I'm taking her back tomorrow. Also, the X-ray showed bladder stones... I feed her a very good quality, high protein, low carb, grain free food with warm water added. She has her drinking fountain, which she loves. But now I have to put her on cd diet, which is full of carbs.😢
I wish I had known bout this earlier, with the stray kitty I adopted. She had suffered from constipation on and off, even throwing up, and she was treated just for dehydration each time we didn't get her ckd diagnosis until it a couple years later during wellness bloodwork. ☹️
My Salt doesnt vomit but does dry stool. He sometimes doesnt poop for 3-4 days. His nose is wet and skin retracts back immediately when pinched. He stopped eating drinking peeing and poopind all of the sudden. Same happened with my other cat Pepper at the same time. In Salt's blood work Urea was 64.09 and BUN was 30.12. In pepper's blood work Urea was 59.76 and BUN was 28.08. My vet said about infection. Antibiotics were given. Some renal health tonic was given. Ultrasound showed very floating tiny stone like stuff for which tonics for stone disolving were given for both the cats. A bowel stimulant was also prescribed. Now both are eating, peeing, drinking as well as pooping. But still salt doesnt poop that often. SOme times he poops normaly and sometimes after a day. Since childhood, Salt always pooped applying lot of pressure. Pepper almost poops regularly but has a very distinct way of pooping. He starts walking from a point with pooping posture and somewhere after walking 5 to 10 steps he poops. I dont know why both have trouble pooping. My salt and pepper are Persian male cats of 2.9 years age and they weigh 4.9 KG and 4.5 KG respectively.
i wish i had seen your video sooner. My cat passed away from CKD last year and prior to that he'd been constipated for over a year. I've taken him to different vets and no one ever suspected kidney disease until it was too late. I'm not sure if the result didn't show at the time or did they not bother to look...
omg im early, does he reply to comments?
He said if you had a question to put it in the comments so I'm guessing he will reply but it might be a good idea to put it as a new comment and not under the comment you already did.
According to our vet, one of the cats in our house was getting stopped up cause of hairballs and his preference for dry foods. A finger full of laxatone once or twice a day reduces both his hairballs and hard poops.
That is probably not true. Hairballs do not cause constipation.
@Helpful Vancouver Vet Oof. :( He's doing better with the med and some squash cat food topper, though.
I've had my cat to the vet a few times in the past few weeks due to constipation and vomiting, he's had blood work and x-rays which didn't highlight any possible causes. This video has left me wondering if Megacolon is what has caused him these issues of late and at the very least it's given me something to talk to my vet about as an avenue to explore and get him happy and healthy again.
thank you for educating us ❤ one of my
kitties has a very firm, wide belly despite eating very little and vomiting often - up to 5x a week. The vet I took her to said she's a "healthy weight for a cat" despite an increase from 6lb to 9lb over the last year as an adult cat. Your video has encouraged me to get a second opinion - even if constipation isn't the culprit, I want answers for her! Thanks Dr. B!
Wish he had said how much it cost. The things he just recommended cost $1,600 to more than $1,800+... just that *ONE* visit !!! I went down that road... over a year's time (3-4yrs) I got taken to the bank... literally !!! Use your imagination to what happens when your best friend (MY CAT) develops kidney issues and you "Finly realize" what just happened after your Cat dies !!!
Tigger & I were just lucky never to have experienced kitty constipation.
To know these serious possible complications is scary to me now.
It is all about managing a balance between Aware Not Afraid. Perhaps keeping a chart of their pooping will help you feel in control.
Thank you for this video! My cat (Russian blue) poops daily but has very dry stool that are often in separate balls/pieces. He eats dry food, and was not constipated when we first got him (about 9 months ago). How would you recommend addressing this?
There's something about tuxedo cats that are so elegant. I had one and named her Patches
Hi Dr yuri,
I love your videos! I live in Ottawa and my cat is in India.
My cat has been having asthma type attacks since more than 1 year. We made a huge blunder by ignoring it as she used to have it only once every couple of weeks and we thought its a digestive issue. The attacks have started to become much more frequent (thrice a week) and violent. My vet did a xray and blood tests including heartworm and diagnosed her with asthma. Vet said there is significant lung scarring and trachael congestion. She didnt rule out Lungworm but said lungworm is rare in Western India due to aridness. Could lungworm be the cause or does this for sure sound like asthma? She hunches during the attack and has periodic wheezing. No nasal discharge. Sometimes when shes sleeping i notice rapid breathing.
I have got the Aerokat inhaler and starting treatment tomorrow. Should we give fluticasone twice daily 110mg and Albuterol when there is an attack?
My senior cat developed a megacolon due too her resticted diet bc of allergies. Almost all fibre sources (rice, wheat, even potatoes) resulted in severe allergies. I only cought it bc of the vomiting. When diagnosed the vet sadly also detected cancer. Lactulose to treat her constipation didn't work. It was a desaster. But what did do the trick was Macrogol. It found that in english speaking pet forums and it is used in humans regurlarly. But isn't common to use in pets in my country. With Macrogol and daily chicken soup to keep her highly hydrated we managed to have her have bowel movements daily without the pain she had before trying to poop giant rocks. Also the vomiting stopped. It was such a relieve and she had another good year. I wish I had known this sooner.
Queen Clawdia!
As constipation is often linked to Dehydration, Dr Uri, should we also be observing the colour of our cat's urine to diagnose Dehydration as part of our checking symptoms of Constipation?
For humans, a well hydrated person's urine will be clear or very pale yellow. Darker yellow urine is a warning of Dehydration. I assume it's the same in cats? So may be worth our watching the litter tray, Dr Uri?
Thanks,
Rick
What helps the most is diet! feeding cats dry kibble is cheap but not healthy, a raw food diet best, or at least grain free wet food that includes bones.
Clawdiaa😍 how did you make your cats live in peace together😅? Please tell.
I adopted a senior cat with both megacolon and early kidney disease a couple years ago. Her kidney disease has progressed to late stage 2/early stage 3 (2.9 creatinine) and she's on a renal diet and cisapride. I've been concerned that stool softeners, while necessary for her, may also be harmful in the context of kidney disease. Is either one "better" than the other, less dehydrating maybe, between Lactulose and Miralax?
A reasonable concern. I think miralax is superior due to palatability and ease of use. With regard to dehydration, just give a bit more SCF and it should be fine.
Could you do a video for how to deal with inappetence in kidney cats? I'm giving Mirataz but my cat is very stubborn/picky - even though she had her medication for nausea. Is it confusing for a cat to have multiple bowls down? Right now, I have wet food, dry food, Hydracare and water out. Thx for your videos and I hope you can do a video on feline inappetence in kidney cats. Ty!