Constipated Senior Cat...help!

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Sydney5678
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Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:58 am

Constipated Senior Cat...help!

Post by Sydney5678 »

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I have a 15 year old female cat named Astrid. She's been having a hard time pooping. I took her to the vet last week. She hadn't pooped for over 5 days. She was eating less than usual and drinking water normally but her stomach just looked so bloated.
They took an x-Ray at the vet and thought an enema was necessary. Prior to the 5 days she was pooping every few days just a very small amount like pebbles. (Not normal for her).
The vet said she couldn't get all of it out as some was way back there. Anyways, after the enema it seemed like that helped and she began going again. Not a lot but better than before. Now we've hit another slump and it's been 3 days of nothing. She is urinating normally though. I've followed the vets instructions and give her only wet food with a little pumpkin in it. And the lactulose stool softener. I'm very concerned. I don't have more money to spend at the vet. Any thoughts on things I can try?
She would never let me put her in warm water. :(

Prior to this she's been a healthy cat. It makes me sad that she's getting older.
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CarolC
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Re: Constipated Senior Cat...help!

Post by CarolC »

You could ask the vet about adjusting the dose of lactulose. You should be able to just call in the question to the reception desk, and one of the reception staff can ask the vet and come back with an answer for you, so you do not have to take her back in or pay more money.

You can also do an enema at home with just warm water in the syringe. It may take 2 people, one to hold her still and one to squirt. Do not give a human enema to a cat without asking the vet as some of them have chemicals that are not safe for cats. Your vet may be able to give you a pet enema to use at home, I don't know, I've never asked. They used to sell pet enemas at PetsMart but I don't see them on the website now. I understand docusate sodium baby enemas are safe but please ask the vet, I don't know if they might have other ingredients mixed in. If you do not have a syringe you may be able to get one by buying a baby enema and emptying it out and cleaning it and filling it with warm water.

You can massage her belly and colon, and carefully break up the feces inside the colon. The other thing that helps some cats is giving sub-q fluids, but for that you would need to buy the bag of fluids and needles, not super expensive but not free either.

If you feel she needs another vet appt. and you can't afford it, there is a loan for emergency veterinary care called Care Credit http://www.carecredit.com. Ask your vet if they have it. Many vets have the application at their reception desk and will submit it for you and let you know in a few minutes if you are accepted. The terms are good and most people I know who applied have been approved.

Hopefully she'll be OK, I went through this with my older cat (the same age) and once we got his system moving again the problem did not come back. I apparently caused the problem myself by changing his litter and not realizing he didn't like the new litter :blush: but he's been fine since. Holding a good thought for your kitty. :angel:

Sydney5678
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:58 am

Re: Constipated Senior Cat...help!

Post by Sydney5678 »

Thank you very much Carol! I appreciate all of the information! Hopefully I can get her back to normal again. It's good to hear the situation resolved for your cat. :) Thanks again!
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critters
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Re: Constipated Senior Cat...help!

Post by critters »

:whale: I second everything Carol said. Lactulose is easily titrated to get just the effective amount, and your baby may need more, at least for now. Too much can make the poop runny, although that's probably a problem you'd welcome at this point! :D You might also try increasing fiber, BUT ensuring enough water intake would be necessary. You might try flavoring the water with broth or "tuna juice," or some critters really like ice cubes in their water when it's hot.
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