This morning I noticed Lily straining in the cat box...Since we have gotten her her stools have most of the time been very hard, I started mixing water in with her food, just so her stools would be a little bit softer...After the last bout of vomiting, diarrhea, and not eating, my husband and I have been paying much attention to Lily's eating/drinking habits. This morning I noticed that Lily did not finish all of her food, which is not normal considering she usually wolfs it down (I give her a 4th of a can of Friskies.) Tonight when I got home from work, it was the same ordeal. Lily seems less active today then she did yesterday. I think I may have figured out her issue, she suffers from chronic constipation (remember that Lily is only 4 months old.) Does anyone know anything that I could give to her to ease her hard poopies??? Has anyone used benefiber or metamucil? Help!
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
I think I've figured it out (Lilith)
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Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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two more attempts to poo since i posted last...i mixed some homemade chicken broth in her wet food....maybe there is enough oil in that to get her moving until i can get some benefiber in the morning...anyone know how much to give her?
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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Hi, Twiztid...a good remedy for constipated kitties is to give them a spoonful of pure, plain canned pumpkin...not the canned pumpkin "mix" that has the sugar and spices in it, but just the plain mashed, canned pumpkin...mix it in with her wet food. It's a good idea to push the fluids, like you are...and make certain that she has plenty of fresh water...lots of cats prefer ice water to room temperature water, my cats definitely do. If you don't have much luck with that, try giving her some hairball remedy...you can find it at any type of store these days...if she does not lick it straight from the tube, put some on her paws and she will lick it off...it really helps them poop! Just follow the amount recommendations for kittens...it should say it on the packaging. Good luck!
BTW, I would be leery of giving her laxatives made for humans...a 4 month old kitten's digestive tract may be too delicate. (But, I'm sure other TDK'ers will tell you if they have used tiny amounts with their kitties without any problems.)
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thank you dee...I have heard of using pumpkin before...I have not tried it, but Lily is quite picky and I have a feeling she might not like it...Is there a specific hairball remedy that is the best?
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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I think they are pretty much all the same in the job that they do...just flavored goopy stuff. Two of my cats love the Hartz salmon flavored hairball remedy in the tube...they lick it directly from the tube...you can find it at any Wal Mart or Target...even most grocery stores carry it.
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well....I woke up this morning to Lily not eating or drinking once again...it seems like a repeat of a couple weeks ago...she did have a poop this morning, but I have this terrible feeling that when I get home she will be vomiting with diarrhea. I think it's from the constipation....maybe megacolon?
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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Once my Shelly had the same, she wouldn't eat or poo, only pee, I took her to the vet and she had all the poo inside!! Anyway after all that, the vet said to give her the stuff for hairballs (the one I gave her was for both hairball and for constipation), I forgot what is called but it comes in a tube kinda like toothpaste, it smells like maple syrup and is thick, you just put a blob on your finger and give it to kitty. That seemed to help her. I'll try to remember the name. Good luck.
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I was reading and I found that constipation is sometimes caused by hairballs as they do not digest therefore it blocks the poo from coming out. Anyway, here is what I found, it's kinda long but informative. Hope you kitty gets well soon.
Hairballs are an extremely common problem seen in cats causing vomiting. When a cat licks himself with his rough tongue to clean his beautiful fur coat, he will often pick up pieces of shed fur on his rough tongue and swallow them. The problem with hair is that it does not digest but, rather, tends to collect in the cat’s stomach and form a large wad of hair---the “hairball”. This wad of hair tends to act as an unwanted valve within the stomach, getting in the way of normal digestion and may also irritate the lining of the stomach and esophagus (as it is swallowed), and can cause irritation to the stomach and vomiting.
Often when a cat has hairballs, they will tend to just gag or cough and nothing comes up or perhaps just a small bit of saliva. At other times, a long sausage-shaped mass of undigested food may come up (have we had our breakfast yet??). Other times, a cat may, indeed, vomit the hairball up, getting rid of the offending problem.
I find that 90-95% of the vomiting I see in cats may be due to hairballs. If your cat feels just fine and is acting normally except for occasional vomiting, I usually recommend that owners try treating for hairballs as a first step to diagnosis. Hairball medication usually will not hurt anything if vomiting is not caused hairballs, and the owner stands a very good chance of curing the vomiting.
To treat for hairballs, you can use a small amount of petroleum jelly given either directly in the mouth or else smeared on the paws or body. Most cats will anxiously clean themselves off to get rid of the petroleum jelly and in doing so will swallow it. Petroleum jelly will tend to lubricate the offending hairball and allow it to pass safely out the rectum. It is important that you give enough medicine to be effective, and this usually means ½ 1 teaspoon full for 2 to 3 days in a row. Mineral oil is NOT recommended as a treatment, since it is much easier for a struggling cat to inhale the material, potentially causing pneumonia.
An easier way to treat for hairballs is to purchase a commercial preparation (which is mostly petroleum jelly if you read the ingredients) that tastes good and the cat enjoys consuming. I’ve seen beef, chicken, tuna fish, malt, and vanilla flavors, so take your pick. You can also find hairball formula treats and foods that contain added fiber and lubricants to help hair pass safely through the digestive tract, and many of them really do help.
If two to three hairball treatments do not solve your cat’s vomiting problem, you should have your cat examined by your veterinarian, since there are a wide variety of serious problems that may also cause vomiting.
Once in the stomach, the fur can form a large wad of hair that does not digest with the food and will tend to get in the way of normal digestive processes in the stomach. Food that enters the stomach may have a hard time exiting because of the hair blocking its path, and the hair may irritate the stomach and esophagus, causing a gagging reflex.
Sometimes a cat with hairballs with simply gag as if they want to bring something up, yet nothing will come up, or perhaps just a small amount of digestive juices from the stomach will come out (which can thoroughly stain a carpet!). Sometimes a cat will vomit up food that appears only partially digested. And other times they will vomit up the offending wad of hair.
I find that 90-95% of the vomiting/choking in cats is caused by hairballs, so it is always worth trying treatment if you suspect a problem. Hairball medicine usually comes in a toothpaste-type tube and looks like sticky jelly. Flavors I have seen are malt, tuna fish, vanilla, beef, and chicken, so if you can figure out what your cat likes, he may enjoy his medicine, making you job much easier. If he doesn’t really care for the medicine, try wiping it on his paw or on his side, then he may lick it off to clean his coat (and he’ll swallow it). If hairballs are the problem, usually the cat will be better in 2-3 days. If this does not help the situation, you should take your cat to your veterinarian for and examination to find out what is wrong.
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Twizted, Dont give your cat any medications that are meant for people before you check with a vet first. Most medications for humans are toxic to cats. Tylenol is a perfect example of one medicine that is toxic to cats.
Posted 3 months ago by BoogerMercurysMama #
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I have given my kitties a little tuna packed in oil to get a oil in them and it has worked.
Posted 3 months ago by KYKAT 12 23 #
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Lily is doing about the same...no throwing up or diarrhea, which is a good sign, because last time (which was a little over a week ago) she was vomiting and had diarrhea....I bought some pedialyte and chicken baby food, mixed some olive oil in with it and syringed it to her...i have an appointment with the vet on friday so he can xray her...i want to make sure she doesnt have a deformity in her intestines that is causing this problem...because she gets more than enough water!
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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she's eating!! (wet food mixed with water)
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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BMM, I asked the vet about benefiber and he said it was ok for her....but her suggested I just put some oil in a syringe and syringe it to her
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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I'm so GLAD your baby is doing fine.. I know how tough it is going through this.
Your doing a GREAT JOB... keep it up....Posted 3 months ago by Snickers N Vader my babies #
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Lily is doing better today....she was so sweet to wait until I got home to show me that she pooped!!! She must have known I was waiting for it....there was quite a pit and it was soft, not diarrhea or hard...she is eating again, and i am still mixing pedialyte with her kitty food....i did give her some tuna in oil today...she is very active and the oil seems to be making her coat very sleek and shiny....pretty kitty!
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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That is wonderful news, TAL. Hurray for healthy pooping!!!! I'm glad Lily is feeling fine and looking pretty! :)
Posted 3 months ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Thanks KW....I am still taking her to the vet tomorrow so they can xray her...i want to make sure everything is ok in there!
Posted 3 months ago by TwiztidAnimalLover #
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I sure hope your Lily is doing better and that the vet gives her a clean bill of health!! I will be checking this post to get the latest!
Posted 3 months ago by kalsobrooks #
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