Overview
Even the most adorable pet require some dirty work , and when it do to cat , that dirty work include keep the bedding material box clean .
outdo poop is by no means a pleasant undertaking , but the state of your cat ’s litter box can render insight into his health . For instance , you might notice that there is n’t anything to scoop for several days , which could mean that your big cat is constipated .
Yes , like people , cats can get constipated . While most cases of cat impairment are n’t in particular serious , there are time where the condition postulate veterinary attention .
Here ’s everything you require to know at cat deadening , include causes , symptoms , treatment , and prevention .
What is Cat Constipation?
If your guy is constipated , it signify he is n’t pooping regularly or he ’s have trouble empty his bowels . Cats typically defecate one to three times per 24-hour interval , so if you notice that it ’s been more than a daytime or two since unexampled poop has appeared in the litter box , it ’s time to startreallywatching your guy ’s bath wont for further symptom .
A bozo who once in a while go a mean solar day or two without defecating should n’t cause much worry , but if the deficiency of feces is on-going and you start noticing further symptom — like your computed tomography straining to go without success or crying as he uses the bedding material box — it could indicate that a intestine blockage has become severely impacted and that it ’s time to natter your veterinarian ( 1 ) . In extreme case , untreated stultification can be fateful .
Causesof Constipation in Cats
Feline constipation is usually idiopathic , meaning there is no identifiable cause , says Dr. Karlin Erk , an exigency veterinary atThe Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Servicesin Langhorne , Pennsylvania . “ However , there are sure factors that can kick in to stultification , including disease and sustenance , ” he says .
For example , impairment is common in older cats with chronic kidney disease . “ The kidney insufficiency causes subclinical dehydration , and this draws body of water out of the colon just like all other tissue paper in the body , ” Erk says . “ The result is operose and teetotal faecal stuff that is harder to excrete . ”
fleshiness can also act a role in stultification . A 2019 sketch of 189 cats admitted to veterinary pinch rooms found that older , overweight cats with inveterate kidney disease or previous sequence of constipation were more likely to be constipate ( 2 ) .
wrong nutrition , prior pelvic fractures , and megacolon ( a morbid dilatation of the El Salvadoran colon ) can also contribute to cat-o'-nine-tails constipation , Erk says .
Other potential reason of cat constipation let in traumatic accidental injury , contagion , adverse response to medicinal drug , lack of access to drinking water , intestinal tumors , neurologic disease , and metabolic abnormalities ( 1 ) .
Cat ConstipationSymptoms
If you think your cat might be constipate , there are symptom you could observe . Straining to take a crap and pain while defecate are the most common signs of constipation , Erk says . Other African tea deadening symptom may include :
Diagnosing Constipationin Cats
If it ’s been more than a twain of days since you ’ve scooped fresh stern from your cat ’s litter box , or if you ’ve image other signs of constipation , it ’s time to visit the vet for an official diagnosing .
Constipation is normally diagnosed through a combination of the cat ’s history and clinical signs , a thorough physical and rectal exam , and X - rays , Erk says . Your veterinary surgeon may also find your cat ’s abdomen to determine whether the colon stop heavy throne .
Diagnosis may also include blood tests , ultrasounds , and urinalysis to rein out other diseases , including kidney disease or a urinary tract contagion — a condition that often presents like constipation , but is much more dangerous , especially for male cats ( 1 ) .
Cat ConstipationTreatment
Luckily , most case of big cat constipation are mild and can be managed with outpatient care . “ This includes the presidential term of an enema , hypodermic fluids ( fluids give under the skin ) , changes in diet , and stool softener , ” Erk says . These treatment are comparatively inexpensive , he pronounce .
alas , more serious showcase often require hospital care . “ At this point , the computed tomography would be given endovenous fluids and anaesthesia for manual removal of the impacted fecal fabric , ” Erk draw .
In the most severe vitrine , the colon can be irreversibly distended and damaged , which would require surgical intervention .
Though some pet parents might think that a paunch massage could help break up a stoppage , Dr. Sarah Wallace , a veterinarian based in Washington , D.C. , says that this is not the case and a cat deadening massage should never be attempted .
“ We can feel if there are feces in the intestines do a closure , but we never desire to knead that area , ” she says . “ It does n’t break things up or get them moving . Imagine a stone is in your intestine . If you come out rub down it , it ’s just move to chafe against the slope of intestines around it , causing more irritation and not solving anything . ”
Common Medications for Cat Constipation
Medications that veterinarians rely on when treating cat constipation let in lactulose , a non - digestible synthetic sugar that acts as a dejection softener . “ Lactulose ferment by pulling water into the gut , which take a crap it easier for affair to move , ” Wallace explains .
Another is Miralax , an over - the - counter laxative and stool softener . Miralax is usable in a pulverisation , which Wallace say works much like lactulose . Though pet parents may be able-bodied to get Miralax over the counter , Wallace aver that they should not administer it before consulting with a vet .
Cost of Treatment
The cost of treating constipation varies , depending on the diagnosing and which course of discussion is prefer , as well as geographic fix .
“ For less stern case , which require an examination and maybe some medications , fluid , or an enema , I ’d estimate between $ 400 and $ 500 , ” Wallace says . “ In instances where it ’s been about a week since the cat has defecated and is severely dehydrated , handling could involve a laxative and anesthesia so that the veterinarian can manually remove stuck fecal matter , as well as fluids . Any procedure with anaesthesia is pass to be pricier — in the $ 700 to $ 1,200 range . ”
In some slip , procedures will want to be double to ensure the cat ’s scheme is readable , meaning that cost can stack up pretty quickly , Wallace adds . She also says that operative intervention for a distended Aspinwall would be between $ 5,000 and $ 6,000 .
Home Remedies for Cat Constipation
Home remedies , like stool softener and changes in dieting , may palliate quat constipation , but like Wallace mention above , Erk cautions that pet parents should never administer home cure before crack in with their veterinarian . “ Cat owners should always have their ducky judge before taste any home remedies , specifically because of the risks of delaying appropriate tutelage or mistaking deadening for other potentially aliveness threatening situations , like a urinary blockage , ” he say .
Wallace says that the good thing that khat parent can do at home to combat constipation is to ensure their cat is drinking enough water . “ The number one thing I recommend to patient is a pot weewee natural spring , ” she says . “ CT like drinking run water better than still water . ” If that does n’t work , or a water fountain is n’t in your budget , Wallace also suggests append either downcast - sodium poulet broth or a bit of Opuntia tuna juice to your cat ’s water . “ It flavors it and they ’ll drink more because it tastes honorable , ” she explains .
Another cure Sir William Wallace credit is psyllium powder — a soluble fibre that can be added to a cat ’s nutrient as either a pulverisation or a liquid . She also tell that adding pumpkin vine to your cat ’s nutrient may avail with stultification , as it adds both vulcanized fiber and moisture . However , it ’s not a given that your cat will in reality rust it . “ They have to wish pumpkin , and we know that guy do n’t eat anything they do n’t like . ”
Wallace tally that example can also aid get things move , but only if the impairment is n’t too severe .
How to PreventConstipation in Cats
While nothing is 100 percentage preventable — especially when it derive to the notoriously unpredictable wight that are cat — there are steps that preferred parents can take to minimize the chance of their Arabian tea becoming constipate . “ prevent obesity and feeding a in high spirits quality commercial diet are most of import , ” Erk enunciate .
Edgar Wallace concurs , adding that exercise is central to helping a cat asseverate a healthy weight , which help oneself prevent constipation .
Increasing the amount of fiber in your true cat ’s dieting can also boost the yield of brusk - chain fat person acids , which stimulate colonic unruffled heftiness muscular contraction , note Dr. Susan Little while talk at theWorld Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress Proceedings in 2011 ( 3 ) . That being aver , diets high in fiber can increase the amount of faecal matter a cat produces , which can be counterproductive to diminish impairment . She recommend a give the sack food diet , to ensure the cat is set out enough hydration .
There is no one - size - convulsion - all solution , though . Your veterinarian can help determine the best diet for your guy .
Related Conditions
As previously mentioned , cats with untreated irregularity may originate a megacolon , that is , a Aspinwall that is permanently distended and does not function properly . While megacolon are usually the result of constipation , it could be a innate precondition ( 4 ) .
Urinary blockages can sometimes present with like symptoms as irregularity , such as filtrate and vocalizing in the litter box . These are super dangerous for cats — specially manful Caterpillar — and should be treat by a veterinary surgeon instantly .
