Cat Hasn’t Pooped

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Emma47, Aug 8, 2019.

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  1. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Aug 7, 2019
    Harry has not pooped, I have not even seen him attempt to defecate, he’s just peeing a lot. I’m starting to think that the constipation could be causing the lethargy and him laying down every 5 steps. We are going to try Canned pumpkin but is MetaMucil ok as well? He drinks a lot and all his wet food has added water in it so I don’t know what would be causing the constipation.
     
  2. Sarah&Soph

    Sarah&Soph Member

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    I tried Metamucil for my girl and it didn’t help, but Miralax does the trick. I give her 1/8 tsp once a day, but I think the usual recommendation is to start with 1/8 tsp twice a day. Pumpkin can help too, my picky girl just won’t eat it :rolleyes:
     
  3. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    It’s been almost three full days of being on 1/8 tsp of Miralax twice a day, nothing. He does feel a little bloated, I watch him constantly and I have not once even seen him try to go to the bathroom (poop) like he doesn’t even get in his pooping position or strain. He constantly pees and doesn’t have any problem with that but he keeps eating normal but not pooing. I feel like everyday it’s a new thing, that I can’t afford:( I’m gonna take him in to the vet after today if he doesn’t have any bowel movements but if it’s something that requires a lot of $$$ I have no clue what I’m going to do.
     
  4. Teresa & Buddy

    Teresa & Buddy Well-Known Member

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    You can up his dose to 1/3 tsp of Miralax to twice a day. I had a vet tell me this within the last month. Also you could slip 1/2 of a tsp Mineral Oil in his food.
     
  5. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    I’m thinking hair could also be causing the constipation. Kinda gross but I looked at his last BM from Tuesday and it’s all hair. He has been losing a bunch because of the heat and probably partly the diabetes. I will try upping the Miralax.
     
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  6. AliceMeowliss (GA)

    AliceMeowliss (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Can you start brushing him? All my babies are shedding like crazy for about the past 4 months now!
    Is there any chance he may have eaten a foreign object?
     
  7. Sarah&Soph

    Sarah&Soph Member

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    It’s possible that’s it’s due to the hair! I think cats usually pass hair in their stool, but if he’s shedding a lot that might be causing a problem. I would try upping the Miralax, maybe try 1/4 twice a day. It’s kind of a balancing act between helping the constipation and not causing diarrhea.
     
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  8. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Yeah, I’ve been brushing him a lot and his coat is kinda dull and dandruffy. Hopefully, getting him on his insulin and good diet will make his coat nice and shiny again! Might try the mineral oil so that it’s slicker for the hair to move?? The Miralax might not be working the best if there’s a bunch of hair in his intestines. I’m just like “give me one good poop Harry and then mommy can stop freaking out!”
     
  9. CandyH & Catcat

    CandyH & Catcat Well-Known Member

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    Apr 23, 2019
    extra virgin olive oil may help as well, if nothing else, more Omegas ... also good for coat and skin -- add to food (many cats like the taste) and ok to rub on skin, no problem if licked off
     
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  10. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

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    It may be too late to solve the problem from the front end, an enema may be required.
     
  11. Teresa & Buddy

    Teresa & Buddy Well-Known Member

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    Last year 1 of my cats was having problems with constipation and a vet told to use Mineral oil, this year Kit Kat was constipated because of shedding then grooming and the vet gave him an enema. When I left with Kit Kat 1 of the vets said I could use Miralax and to start at 1/3 tsp twice a day, if that does not work give him up to 1/4 tsp twice a day. If you use a small amount of Mineral Oil it will not cause diarrhea (1 tsp). I have done both, with no problems.
     
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  12. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Harry did go poop today! However, it was small and not that much and I think he’s pretty constipated so it looks like I’ll be paying for an enema to get him all cleared and then continue the Miralax to prevent that from happening again.
     
  13. Cindy&Taco

    Cindy&Taco Member

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    If you're going to give the miralax, make sure Harry gets PLENTY of water with it.

    I have 2 that are on miralax, both 1/4 teaspoon in their big meals ,twice a day, then a pinch in snacks.

    Taco has been on it since a few months after starting insulin(18 months) and his littermate since 13 years.

    They both get 3 ounces of water in 3 ounces of food, so more like soup.

    Also all my cat bowls are raised to about 4 inches, or else they inhale too much air and we get the projectile vomit :(

    Tacos littermate George is not diabetic ,but does groom a lot and he gets hairballs, so he gets hairball remedy.

    Taco has never had a hairball, but, he doesn't loose hair like his brother.

    The most important thing with Miralax is that he gets plenty of water with it.That is the only way it works. It draws water from the cat to soften the stool, so you have to make sure you replenish that water taken from the body. If he won't drink enough water with the miralax, try boiling some chicken and give it to him mixed in the broth. No salt, plain broth.

    The flaky skin and dull hair you are seeing is most likely, high numbers, lack of water, which results with constipation. A vicious cycle.:banghead:
    Hope things work out, literally, for Harry.

    If it ends up being a hair clog and he gets an enema at the vet to clear him out,for future problems with what you KNOW is positively hair, you can order your own enemas and give it yourself, it's not fun or pretty but it has saved me probably thousands throughout the years.

    Taco my diabetic has never gotten an enema ,but, came close, until the miralax kicked in.

    Maybe your vet can show you how to administer the enema.

    If you want something gentler than the cat enema, you can always buy a regular people enema, EMPTY THE CONTENTS !!, and fill about 1/4 with lukewarm filtered water, you may have to repeat that a couple times. BUT ONLY IF YOU KNOW IT"S HAIR. and only insert 2 inches with plenty of vasoline. DO NOT FORCE.

    It would be best if your vet can show you.
     
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  14. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Another way to increase his water intake is to also mix some with his food. What are you feeding him?
     
  15. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Harry is already getting a lot of water:( He drinks multiple times a day and we add even more water to his wet food. Unfortunately, we woke up today and is straining to pee again and there’s blood. He finished his antibiotics last week and was on the Prosasin Muscle Relaxer. I don’t know what to do, each day it feels like a new thing and I’m just spent, both financially and emotionally.
     
  16. CandyH & Catcat

    CandyH & Catcat Well-Known Member

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    Apr 23, 2019
    is he getting plain pumpkin puree too? yes, this is worrisome, hope you find a solution :bighug::bighug:
     
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  17. Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA)

    Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA) Well-Known Member

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    I agree, if possible ($ wise) to go to the vet, see if they are comfortable just feeling the poop chute, without needing expensive x-rays, doing an enema as well as showing you how to do it for the future, and then keep up the miralax, pumpkin, oil, and extra water at home.

    I know it feels overwhelming, but hang in there, Emma. Although not diabetic, I went through Poop Watch with our newest addition, Miss Sugar, right after we adopted her last year, and it was very unnerving. But we went through almost exactly what I described, except that we did have x-rays to confirm what the vet actually felt -- in our case she had some really hard stool near the end of the chute and everything else was backed up behind it. But once the enema cleared her out, we've got her on miralax 1/8 tsp twice a day with extra water. We were using 1/4tsp at first, but she started dropping little "turdlets" in her bed, so we backed it off to 1/8 and now she's perfect. Be prepared to give a little butt bath after the enema because it'll smell really really bad.

    Did you say how old Harry is? You asked about why this could be happening. In Sugar's case it is secondary to her kidney disease (she is 18), for which she also gets fluids once a day so that helps with her constipation too. If he is 15+ or so, do you know if they've checked for that? Although this is on a page for kidney disease, even if Harry doesn't have it, it has really good info about constipation that many here have already told you parts of. It should be helpful: https://felinecrf.org/constipation.htm

    Hoping for the best for you both as you tackle this and the diabetes head on :bighug:
     
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  18. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Thank you so much for the kind words. We are going to go to the vet tomorrow to have the vet feel around. Harry is only 10 but ever since this whole ordeal started it just seems that as soon as we fix one problem another one starts. I’m about to leave the country for four months so I’m feeling even more stressed that I am leaving him when he’s not doing the best.
     
  19. Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA)

    Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA) Well-Known Member

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    Let's hope you can get everything straightened out before then. The vet visit should get you going the right direction.

    Best,
    Sandi.
     
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  20. Krystina & Nelli

    Krystina & Nelli Well-Known Member

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    If you’ll brush Harry every day he will not only LoVe it :cat: it’s a hands down hair ball preventer :bighug:
    This is from first hand experience with Nelli :kiss:
     
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  21. Krystina & Nelli

    Krystina & Nelli Well-Known Member

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    Hi @Cindy&Taco! I’ve been thinking about you lately ;)
    Emma, no more hijackin, promise :bighug:
     
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  22. (GA) Gypsy's Parent

    (GA) Gypsy's Parent Member

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  23. Dusty Bones

    Dusty Bones Member

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    Dusty was always constipated on Fancy Feast and needed Miralax with every meal. Once I swapped him over to Weruva his poops became normal without laxative. So thankful.
     
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  24. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Yeah, I’m thinking it could of been The diet change to fancy feast or the antibiotics. I’ll look into Weruva! Thank you :)
     
  25. Dusty Bones

    Dusty Bones Member

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    Oct 20, 2013
    Weruva has lots of moisture in it and that makes a huge difference. They have lots of flavors and can be overwhelming but the two flavors my cats settled on is Mideast Feast (grilled tilapia) and Paw Lickin Chicken (pure chicken). The food is on the expensive side but both cats are so much healthier now. Amazon and Petco have the best prices online.
     
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  26. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    So Harry is once again severely constipated. We have tried everything and nothing works so I feel that it has to be nerve damage somewhere along the intestinal track because we have tried to change his diet and that has done nothing, we’ve given Miralax and that did nothing, slippery elm? Nothing. More water? Nothing. Pumpkin? Nothing. i think the biggest indication of nerve damage is that he doesn’t even try to go, I have never seen him strain to poop since we started this Diabetic journey, 4 weeks ago. I’m thinking of trying to get prescribed Cisapride so if anyone has an experience with that please let me know! In the meantime I’m looking at ordering him an enema off amazon that has some good reviews, he’s a pretty chill cat and has never attacked any of us so I am hoping that with some YouTube Demonstrations and a lot of Vaseline we will be able to administer it. If the Cisapride doesn’t help, I don’t know what will at this point and I don’t want my mother administering enemas once a week or whatever because that’s just too pricey & just asking too much of her while I am out of the country for 4 months. It’s been really dissapointing because he has been doing absolutely amazing on Lantus but the constipation is causing so many issues and we can’t continue this expense journey with it. Also, Harry experienced some neuropathy but it has been getting better since we started him on B12, it was never bad to the point where he was walking on his hind legs weird so that’s why it’s even more frustrating that his nerves got damaged from it in just several days of having a high blood glucose before we got him on insulin. He’s in the 100s right now but there’s been no improvement in his constipation:(
     
  27. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Aug 7, 2019
    He still has an appetite and is acting normal otherwise but has not pooped in four days. My mom and I are in talks about putting him down. It’s extremely frustrating that this is what is causing his demise, like everything else has been going so good but the constipation just hasn’t been improving. I wish I had the money to remove his colon cause I can’t keep messing around with all these expensive treatments that don’t do anything and just leave us back at square one. He’s 10, and we have no idea what triggered it but I’m thinking it had to be some type of nerve damage because right when Harry got diagnosed and he was super high that’s when his back legs just were not doing well and that’s when I first noticed no poop. I even suggested to the vet that maybe he has nerve damage and specifically focused in on the fact that he’s not straining AT ALL & the vet didn’t even seem to think that was weird. I’m leaving in 4 days and now am being faced with scheduling to put my cat down right before I go on this life changing study abroad program HA! Life is so funny sometimes.
     
  28. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

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    How much Miralax did you give (total per day)?
     
  29. Emma47

    Emma47 Member

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    Aug 7, 2019
    Hey guys! Sorry I’ve been MIA I left the country last week and get daily updates from my mom about Harry! He seems to be doing good, poops every couple of days but keeps eating. I have no clue if it was the diabetes, food change, or neuropathy that caused him to stop pooping everyday but he seems to be doing good so we have stopped worrying about it. He doesn’t sleep in my mom’s bed anymore which is a behavior change but seems to be making progress. We are thinking of moving up to 1.25 since 1 unit is just not enough to keep him maintained throughout the day! Hope everyone and their fur babies are doing well
     
  30. Las

    Las New Member

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    Sep 13, 2019
    Glad to hear that he's doing better! I am new to Diabetes, but I am seasoned at being a cat owner. It's not hard at all to give a kitty an enema. Just go to W/M & purchase an "INFANT" sized enema bulb. I use purified water & sometimes add a bit of aloe-vera juice. I add water to a clean baby food jar & zap it in the microwave for a FEW seconds ( to take any chill off of the water ) & then add AV juice. Be sure to test the temp with your finger before drawing it up into the bulb. Be sure to have everything you need near by before getting the kitty ( towel, paper towel, Vaseline to lube the end of the bulb ). You can sit on the floor or in a comfortable chair ( because you will have to continue holding the kitty for a few minutes after instilling the fluids into his colon ). Cover your lap with towel, lay kitty on his/her back ( butt pointed towards your knees & head towards your stomach ). After cat is comfortable insert the end of the bulb slowly into his rectum ( only about 1/2 way at 1st ). Gently/slowly start squeezing the bulb ( after the fluid starts going in you probably will need to slowly/carefully insert the tip a bit deeper ). You probably will only be able to get 1/2 of the fluid in, but don't remove the bulb as yet. You don't want to remove the tip because you want the fluids to start going down further into the colon ( & not shoot right back out ). When I feel like there is enough fluid I will remove the tip & immediately use paper town or tissue over your finger & hold on the rectum. The longer you can get the kitty to lay on their back ( you can even gently massage the left side of colon to help the fluids to move deeper ) the better ( I try for 5 minutes if at all possible ). If a cat is dehydrated they may retain all of the fluids & absorb them ( which is okay because that's why the kitty is having trouble pooping in the 1st place ). You can wait a few hours & do the process again. But normally with in a short time the kitty will head to their litter box & poop out the fluid & hard balls of poop. I learned this thru the book " Natural Health For Pets" by Dr. Richard H. Pitcarin, DVM,PHD
     
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