Constipated Cat
How To Treat A Constipated Cat
A constipated cat is not a happy cat. Some will let you know of their problem, by making quite a fuss while in the litter box. Constipation can be quite painful, and the cat may cry out. Other cats suffer in silence and some time may pass before you'll notice that anything is wrong.
If your cat is strictly an indoor cat, it's usually much easier to detect when there's a problem, as most of the signs of a constipated cat, or lack of signs, will be found in the litter box. If your cat is spending a great deal of time scratching around in the litter box, but doesn't seem to be leaving anything, there's a good chance that constipation has become an issue. At times a cat may leave feces, but the feces may be quite small, hard, and nearly dry to the touch. The cat is having some luck but not much, and it may be experiencing pain. Another thing to watch for is small amounts of liquid feces. Liquid feces may be passed by the cat, even though there are hard feces remaining in the cat's bowels, preventing discharge of anything but a little liquid.
A Vicious Cycle - There are several things that can lead to having a constipated cat on your hands. If you feed your cat a diet of dry food only, constipation can result if for any reason the cat is not getting enough water. If constipation occurs, the cat is not going to begin drinking more water in an attempt to cure itself, quite the opposite. A cat, if not feeling well, may drink less water, simply because it doesn't feel like it. The combination of constipation and not drinking enough water can quickly lead to dehydration, which in any animal, but particularly in a smaller animal, can easily become quite serious.
Hair balls can also lead to constipation, although cats sometimes cough them up. Stress is another fairly common cause. Some cats are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment. It may be as simple as the presence of a house guest who they don't know, or spending time in prison, which we refer to as the boarding kennel. And, if you let your cat get fat and out of shape it may be more susceptible to constipation.
What To Do? - When constipation does occur, what should you do? If a cat is severely constipated, or showing a great deal of distress from being constipated, the obvious thing is to see the veterinarian, who will know what to do. If the case of constipation is mild, or occurred quite recently, you may be able to treat the cat at home. Advice from the vet is always a good approach of course, but there are over the counter pet laxatives available, Laxatone is one of the better known ones. Laxatone can be mixed in with the cat's food. It is one of those medicines that cats often find good tasting, so getting it into the cat's system should not be all that difficult.
Pumpkin Works - In our household, we've found canned pumpkin usually does the trick, and the cat loves it. Don't get canned pumpkin containing spices, just plain pumpkin is better. A cat will often happily eat a tablespoon or two of pumpkin. In some cases you may have to use a laxative as well, but a cat can be fed pumpkin for a week or so with no ill effects, something not recommended with a laxative.
A final thought. Have you checked the litter box lately? If it is overly soiled or smelly, the cat may not like to hang around it, and may try to hold things in, or go somewhere else. This could bring on constipation, or if the cat is already constipated, certainly would not help matters any.