# Constipated cat with potential motility issues



## apple.blossom (Jan 2, 2016)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and here because my cat, Saber, is having bowel movement issues. I have a vet appointment in an hour but thought I would write this in the meantime.

Saber is a 3.5 year old male and was constipated once or twice in the first couple of years but the issue resolved itself each time and didn't require a vet visit. 

About 6 months ago, he became constipated and strained to go numerous times over the course of a day and eventually ended up going. I brought him to the vet, anyway, because I wanted to ask some general questions about constipation. The vet insisted that constipation wasn't really an urgent matter and that long-haired cats will "always get constipated" and to just give laxatone when it happened. He actually made me feel kind of stupid for asking, repeatedly saying "no one ever died from constipation". So, I left the vet thinking I didn't have to worry so much the next time Saber got constipated.

About 2 months later, he started licking his backend frequently. I wondered if he could be constipated, so started giving him a bit more laxatone. Regrettably, I let this go on for a week or two (he was definitely pooping during this time, but also licking) because I hadn't seen him strain in the litter box and actually thought it might be an anal gland issue because he seemed to be licking about an inch under the anus and to the side. I ended up bringing him to the vet and she found no issues with the anal glands but manually removed some hard poop. So, he had been constipated after all. He was put on lactulose for a few weeks and then I gradually weaned him off. 

He was consistently pooping every 2 days for about a month, though now that I look back, it was harder and drier than it should have been. Sure enough, the morning I had planned to go home for the Christmas holidays, Saber strained to poop and was unable to. He tried about 20 times over the course of the day (the earliest vet appt I could get was 4 pm). The vet scared me half to death by first saying she thought he had a urinary blockage (I feed only wet food and add tons of water to it, so that would have been a huge blow!). She did x-rays and was wrong in that regard, thank god, but the x-rays did show a lot of fecal matter in the lower part of the colon and rectum. He did not show any signs of megacolon and for that, I was elated!

She wanted to give him an enema so I left and was going to pick him up in an hour. I was so relieved that it wasn't a blockage or megacolon. When I picked him back up, however, she dropped a bit of a bomb shell on me. She said the poop that she was able to manually remove was not hard and he should have had no problem passing it. She also said that during the procedure, he didn't seem to have much muscle tone in his rectum, which could be why he was having problems going. I asked if this could have happened because I accidentally left his constipation go untreated and she said "maybe". I sort of lost it at that point and started to think worst-case scenario (I had read a lot about megacolon and motility loss) and didn't hear much of what she said after that.

He has been on lactulose since then (just under a month). He has been doing quite well on it, aside from a couple of set backs including tonight. He last went Saturday morning, good consistency and size. A few hours ago, he strained to go only got a few small pieces out - my heart sank. He went in to the litter box a couple times after that and tried but to no avail. Now he has been sleeping for a couple hours.

I don't even really know what to do at the vet. I have a feeling they will want to do an enema, but an enema just to remove soft feces from the end of the colon/rectum seems... excessive? I'm wondering whether to start him on cisapride or to perhaps try miralax first. The lactulose was working well but then a few days ago, the re-fill I got was a different brand, so I'm wondering if that could have something to do with it.

I haven't been able to find too much information about loss of muscle tone/motility at the very end of the colon and in the rectum (I'm actually not sure how long the rectum is in cats, so I don't know exactly where his problem area is). Any advice or insight would be very much appreciated.

Well, that was WAY longer than I intended! I think it was just therapeutic to get that out. Thank you to anyone who actually reads to the end!


----------



## apple.blossom (Jan 2, 2016)

My little guy sleeping.


----------



## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

My cat (17 years old, CRF, hyperT, IBD) has been on Miralax, 1/4 teaspoon per day, for three years. It helps her immensely. She is on a fully raw diet, so when she DOES poop, it's usually tiny and hard as rocks.

I just saw a new vet recently and he switched her to GoLytely - she hasn't been on it long enough for me to report its efficacy. 

However, I CAN vouch for Miralax - it works, and my cat was on it for three years with no adverse affects. 

Saber could have plenty of reasons for his constipation - because he is longhaired, he probably ingests more hair while grooming, but I've never heard that longhairs are more "prone" to constipation normally. Do you groom/brush him regularly?

You could put him on a more natural fiber supplement as well - many people vouch for Slippery Elm Bark or canned pumpkin added to a cat's food. 

Here are two sites that have helped me a lot:

Feline Constipation Home Page

Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Constipation

(aimed at kidney failure cats, but still very helpful and informative)

p.s., he is a gorgeous gentleman ;}


----------



## cpr34 (Jun 1, 2015)

I have been dealing with constipation with Snowy since October of last year as well. But the first thing I do want to say is I think you should change vet. How can he/she say that constipation is not an urgent matter? Last year, I didn't know that Snowy was having constipation issue (I thought it was something worse). He keeps getting "sick" and I brought him to the vet at least once a month. The poor thing was so weak that I was so worried he was gonna die. I keep bringing him back to my old vet who failed to notice the constipation issue too (all she did was made me buy a ton of expensive medication and a bag of Royal Canine GI Dry Food) -__-

It was only after I brought him to a 3rd vet (who was recommended by a friend) that his constipation issue was discovered. The vet performed an enema on Snowy, instructed me to add Lactulose to his wet food and told me to cut dry food off from his diet (my old vet on the other hand, told me to feed the Royal Canine GI Dry Food ONLY).

Things went great after that. Snowy started pooping once every 2 days. But he will still get constipated from time to time. After using Lactulose for about 3 months, I finally decided to switch him to Miralax. Miralax is not available in my country and I have to buy it online all the way from the US. But I have to say it is totally worth it. Snowy is pooping almost everyday now and the consistency of his poop is better (less hard and more elongated) ever since I use Miralax.

I read that is ok to add Miralax or Lactulose to your cat's food everyday, so I will continue to do that. So I think you should too 

Oh, and also, my 3rd vet also gave me this thing called "Microlax" to use at home if needed. It is essentially a small tube of liquid gel that is used to treat constipation. What you do is insert the tube into the anus of your cat if he/she is having trouble pooping. I used it a couple of times on Snowy and it helped a lot. Maybe you can try using it too?


----------



## apple.blossom (Jan 2, 2016)

LakotaWolf - thanks for the links. I will definitely check them out.

I do groom him quite regularly, but I could probably do so a bit more often. 

Why have you switched from Miralax to GoLytely?


----------



## apple.blossom (Jan 2, 2016)

cpr34, thank you for that information! I've never heard of Microlax but it sounds like a really good thing to have on hand.

The consensus seems to be to get him on Miralax and I was considering doing that anyway, so I will! 

I should point out that the vet clinic I go to has several vets working there, so the one I saw that first time who said constipation isn't a big deal, I have refused to see him since and actually put in a complaint about him. I do need to find a new vet clinic, though, because I've only really liked one vet there and really disliked 3 or 4 of them, INCLUDING the one last night. She was awful. She immediately started saying I'm doing everything wrong with his diet (I give high quality wet food and add tons of water) and that he should be on urinary s/o since he has had crystals before. For his constipation she said he needs to be on a high fiber diet or Iams low-residue. She was incredibly pushy and annoying. 

In terms of treatment, she wanted to do x-rays and an enema and if those didn't work, hospitalize him for a few days and have him on fluids. She refused to listen to me when I said I thought an enema might be overkill since it's likely just a bit of poop stuck at the end. 

I ended up saying I wanted her to just try a digital fecal extraction and subQ and I would see how he did over the next 12 hours. They got some slightly hard poop out and then when we got home, he went a good size almost right away, so I think I made the right choice. I also got subQ fluids to administer myself every couple of days so that will be interesting...

Forgot to mention before - I brought up possibly starting him on cisapride and she said we could, but that's something he could only be on for a few days. This is totally contradictory to what the last vet told me, which was that he could end up having to be on that for the rest of his life...


----------



## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

Hi Apple - 

I JUST recently switched to a new vet - saw him for the first time last week. I was beginning to feel like I was on an assembly line with my last vet and was tired of the impersonal - and sometimes rough - treatment of my cat at the old vet. So I picked a new feline specialist to try :}

After the exam he suggested GoLytely instead of Miralax - and they gave me a small bottle to take home. When I got home and did some research, I discovered both medications are the EXACT same thing - Polyethylene Glycol 3350! (facepalm) Today when I called the vet I asked the tech why I was given GoLytely if it's the same as Miralax. She gave me some kind of vague answer like "it's made for cats, while Miralax isn't" - but that's a bit of b.s. as I've read that GoLytely is usually given to humans scheduled for a colonoscopy. MY guess is that I have to buy the GoLytely from them - unlike the Miralax ;p But I'm willing to give the GoLytely a try in the chance that it's maybe formulated a bit different from the vet or something.

I WILL say the GoLytely is a much finer, "softer" powder than Miralax and seems to dissolve easier in water/wet food, but as I said before, it's not like my cat was having issues with the consistency of Miralax! IMO Miralax is just fine and no worse/better than GoLytely. 

I will say the new vet DID say my cat should be on Royal Canin dry, their high-fiber formula. While I didn't get burned at the stake for saying my cat is on a raw diet, the vet seemed very firm in his conviction that cats were fine on a dry diet, even kidney-failure cats like mine. Luckily he didn't push me too hard and I was able to politely decline the dry food. I DO plan on trying some canned pumpkin or slippery elm bark with my cat soon, I'll report in if that seems to help.

Also - this seems kind of silly BUT I recently read someone's "make your own cat-grass patch at home" guide and it mentioned that having cat grass (oat seed or rye seed I think, usually) can help with constipation. A cat will nom on grass as it feels it needs, and this of course is completely undigestible fiber that will help roto-rooter its way through the system and help poop pass! So you can try picking up a cat-grass patch or kit from the pet store/grocery store next time you're there; it might help Saber at least a bit.


----------



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Saber's gorgeous, and I'm sorry to hear about his constipation issues. I've been dealing with this for well over 4 years now. Celia had never been very regular, and as she's gotten older (she's 15.5 now), she seems to have more difficulty. 

Another vote for Miralax. She's been on it for 3+ years now, I think, and it had been very effective until fairly recently (but I think the current issues are due to stress).

You mentioned cisapride. My vet said Celia may also just have a sluggish GI tract and cisapride could safely be taken forever. I get it compounded into chicken flavor tablets. The vet had told me that most cats love it, and my super fussy Celia thinks they're the best thing ever. She looks forward to that little tablet every night.

I'd definitely recommend trying it. Of course, compounding makes it much more expensive (including shipping, I pay $33/month for 30 tablets), but since she takes it easily every day, it's totally worth it!


----------



## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

My male tabby very suddenly got very sick just after turning a year old. long story short - 2 vets + $400 later . . . all we could come up with is that he was chronically constipated. They had me put him on both Miralax and Benefiber (generic versions!) and add a couple drops of olive oil to it. He started out getting a 1/4 tsp of each twice (miralax + benefiber - not 1/4 tsp of oil!) a day - we are in the process of slowly reducing it to once a day.


(btw- his sister started getting sick a month later but I recognized the symptoms alot faster + put her on a lower dose. Both are doing great!)


I think the Benefiber is a key part of it. (Being on Benefiber myself . . . )


I got very lucky when I chose which Vet Clinic to go to! We've seen 2 different vets there and I love them both! They address my concerns + answer my questions + don't act like I'm stupid. They are very gentle + caring to my babies. 


Change vets! Pitter was so sick that even the vets didn't think it was “just” constipation + we did a ton of tests on him. Plus, he was so 'not himself' + crazy wild (instead of his laid back self.) that he had to be sedated to even get him out of the carrier. Constipation is not something to just say “Oh, no big deal.” It is.


*chin rubs for Saber to feel better fast!*


----------



## apple.blossom (Jan 2, 2016)

Hi LakotaWolf - I may also try canned pumpkin but carefully in case it bulks up his stool and makes things worse. I've read it can help some and hurt others. I like the idea of cat grass but I had an incident with it with my other cat... she ate 1/2 a strand and threw up half a dozen times! Not fun for anyone! But I could keep it out of reach and just give Saber a nibble of it everyone once in a while. And yes - please let me know how pumpkin and/or slippery elm bark work out!

spirite - thanks for your response. I hope Celia gets back on track soon! Have you had to add anything or change her regimen in the meantime? The compounded cisapride tablets sound great! If Saber needs to go on it, I would pay extra for those as well. I don't know why the one vet said he could only go on cisapride for a few days. The vets at the place I've been going to seem to give wildly different advice and information. It's confusing and frustrating.

Bon - is Benefiber basically just a source of fiber? That's helpful to know in case Saber won't eat canned pumpkin. I'm glad things are improving for your kitties! 


I tried giving Saber subQ fluids yesterday and wasn't able to do it successfully, unfortunately . He was probably picking up on my stress and he wouldn't relax or stay still. I did get the needle in but he moved suddenly both times and I reacted and took the needle out.... I may try again this week but it wasn't a good experience. 

I started him on Miralax yesterday but since he is on lactulose right now, I gave him a very small amount in order to transition smoothly. Fingers crossed!


----------



## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

I tried giving Saber subQ fluids yesterday and wasn't able to do it successfully, unfortunately . <snip> [/quote]

Thanks apple.blossom! Yes, the Benefiber is strictly a source of fiber. (Especially cuz mine are on a grain-free diet.) The great thing about both Miralax and Benefiber is that they come in a generic version + neither has any taste.  Easy to hide in food! (Mine didn't like pumpkin either!)

I used to be owned by a six foot iguana who got sick + needed daily injections of antibiotics for a month. (gulp) Yeah, the 1st time was an absolute failure. But after that, I wasn't quite so freaked out about it + it went very smoothly. Just try + relax. (I know - Yeah, right!) 

I was s'posed to gave my ig sub-q fluids too. I gave up on that + went for giving him extra water by oral syringe every day. Worked better for both of us because he was very accepting of it and so got his needed extra fluids. Maybe you could try that as a compromise like it was for me?

Best wishes to Saber + You!
*chin tickles for Saber*


----------



## cpr34 (Jun 1, 2015)

Like Bon above, I also give Snowy extra water by oral syringe everyday. 
I would squirt 3 syringe full of water into his mouth after his wet food feeding, twice a day. Not only does this helps to increase his water intake, but by doing so, I also find that it helps to get rid of any wet food that might be stuck on his teeth


----------



## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

I know it sounds nuts, but if you know that subQ is going to have to be the way to go with Saber in the future, you could try something like this:

index.html

I bought one for Win, but she's not at the subQ fluids phase of CRF yet, so I haven't actually used it (facepalm). I guess I'm ready when we get to that point, though!

This is one of the best guides I've seen for learning how to give a cat subQ fluids:

Sophia gets her sub-Q

Unfortunately the "location" we inject the subQ fluids into has to change every few days or so, or else I'd suggest shaving a portion of Saber's back to give you easy visual access to his skin! 

You can also try getting some of the super-thin needles that most CRF cat owners prefer - they're called Terumo ultra-thin-wall needles, 20 gauge. They seem to cause almost no pain because of their super-small size, but are still large-bore enough to allow fluid to flow nicely. I got mine from here:

terumo, syringes, ultra thin, ultra-thin, needles, pins

Again, I haven't used them myself (sorry >_< ) but I've done a lot of reading on what other CRF cat owners swear by :}


----------



## apple.blossom (Jan 2, 2016)

That harness is pretty cool! I would totally consider getting that. It's not essential that I give Saber subQ fluids right now but I thought I would see if I could do it so I'm not trying to learn when it is actually an emergency. The vet gave me two types of needles: Terumo 18G and Sur-Vet (but also says Terumo) 22G. The 18G looked big so I tried the 22G even though I knew it would take a while to administer 100 ml with that one. Anyway, he flinched slightly the first time I tried and then jumped the second time so I was probably doing something wrong. I'm still not entirely clear on how FAR to push the needle in...

I'm so confused by what's happening right now. My other cat also seems to be constipated. I switched them to an all wet food diet, with added water, in October 2015 after Saber's bout of constipation. Before that, they were on about 2/3 wet, 1/3 dry. After he got constipated again in December, I started adding even more water to each meal. Saber gets about 150 ml added water over the course of the day, while Blossom gets 90-100 ml since she eats less.

While her poops haven't been great the last while (every 2 days, quite firm), she has never strained or gone more than two days without going. This morning she went a very small amount and it was very hard. 

WHAT IS GOING ON?? They eat all wet food with additional water and they seem to be getting worse. They are on mainly Performatrin Ultra Chicken/Turkey Stew (they've been on it their whole lives) and now I mix in other kinds: Wellness, Wellness Core, Weruva. I'm thinking of switching from Performatrin Ultra to Wellness because it must have something to do with the food. Any ideas??


----------



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

apple.blossom, 

I haven't made any changes to Celia's diet/meds, though I'm now going to cut back on the Miralax, since her poo is soft, and she occasionally has a bit stuck to her butt (which she then cleans by scooting across my rug) or drips a small soft piece somewhere on the floor. I have learned to watch my step...

Maybe the formula of the Performatrin changed, and it's not agreeing with your kitties? Or, if the constipation in both kitties coincides with your adding some different foods, maybe one of those is the culprit. If one or more of the brands/flavors you're giving isn't grain-free, maybe the grain is affecting their digestion. I'm pretty sure Wellness Core and Weruva are grain-free. I'm not familiar with Performatrin, but I do know that some of the Wellness flavors are grain-free and some are not. You have to hunt a little on the labels to know which ones are grain-free. 

Poor kitties. I would definitely take Blossom in for a check-up, in case it's something unrelated. She's a young kitty too? It's also possible that she's reacting to your stress about saber. As I mentioned, stress triggers Celia's constipation. She develops colitis, and then pooping becomes painful, so she poops elsewhere - like on my bed...I had brought the stray kitty in overnight a couple of nights when it was really cold out, plus I've been sick and stressed, was in the hospital, then had family here, so her normal routine was totally thrown off for a month. 

I hope you're able to figure out what's going on soon! 


I also add Homeopet's Feline Digestive Upsets, drops that you can put in food or water, to Celia's water every day. I honestly don't know how much it helps or not, but it can't hurt.


----------

