Does your cat feces look like small brown pellets? Does your cat appear to be straining when trying to poop? Is her abdomen distended and tense? Is she not pooping regularly?
If this is the case, your cat is more than likely suffering from cat constipation.
There are other symptoms of constipation in cats. For example, your cat may be showing a loss of appetite or crouching and straining for prolonged periods of time in her litter tray without pooping or pooping small, hard dry stools. Your cat may also be defecating outside the litter tray, vomiting, hunching over due to discomfort or losing weight.
Causes Of Cat Constipation
There is any number of things that can cause constipation in cats. These can include:
- Dehydration - More moisture can be reabsorbed from the bowel if the cat is not getting enough to drink
- Drugs and medications - Antihistamines, diuretics and antibiotics are some of the drugs that can cause cat constipation
- Dietary - Diets that are low in fiber can cause constipation in cats. Also, food containing hair and bones can cause a blockage.
- Reluctance to defecate due to behavioral issues. This could include a dirty litter tray or not wanting to share a litter tray with another cat.
- Obstruction of the colon. This can be caused by any number of different issues including a birth defect, hairballs, tumors, polyps, or ingestion of a foreign object.
- Hyperthyroidism
- Neurological - Including damage to the nerves in the colon and anus, spinal cord injury, or paralysis.
- Pelvic injuries from a car accident which led to a fracture, which narrowed the pelvic canal.
- Metabolic/hormonal - Low potassium, kidney failure, diseases of the thyroid and parathyroid gland.s
And finally, there is an idiopathic cause, meaning that sometimes there is just no way to determine what is causing the cat constipation.
Cat Constipation Remedies
The good news of cat constipation is that there are a number of remedies available to relieve it. Some of the most helpful products include:
PetAlive’s “Natural Moves” herbal and cell salt constipation remedy. This product contains psyllium husks,
oats, aloe ferox, and homeopathic Natrum Muriaticum 6X, which PetAlive says, helps to maintain the body's water
balance and is an essential component of all living cells. The product’s manufacturer says that Natural Moves
will support regular bowel movements naturally, and maintain bowel and digestive health.
Cost: $23.95
Pet Essences “Digestion/Assimilation Flower Essences” is a homopathetically prepared formula. It is a liquid
that can be rubbed on the skin, lips, ears or paws. This product can also be added to drinking water, put in
the food, put in bath water or into a misting bottle or treatment bottle. It is said to improve food digestion
and assimilation of nutrients. It used appropriately, Flower Essences can balance the emotional attitudes of
your cat and short circuit the path to illness.
Cost: $14.99
Only Natural Pet "Laxa-Herb" tincture contains seven herbs and is glycerin-based to stimulate and soothe
the bowel. It is not easy to get a cat to take this product but it is said that once it’s down, it will get
things moving quickly.
Cost: $14.99 – 2 oz.
Lax-eze. This veterinarian-formulated product is said to be safe, all natural, and works great. The manufacturer
of Lax-eze further states that it will help control the symptoms of chronic constipation in cats when used as
recommended, and will also eliminate hairballs.
Cost: $2.00 – 10 oz. jar
Cat Constipation Prevention
The best way to keep your cat from becoming constipated is to eliminate those things, which are most likely to cause cat constipation in the first place.
For example, if your cat is prone to hairballs you might talk to your veterinarian about a special hairball diet for cats. You can also make sure you brush your cat regularly as this will remove loose hair before your cat can ingest it.
Do you feed your cat only dry food? If so, you might add a tablespoon of olive oil to its food a few times a week. Also, high-fiber foods will help prevent cat constipation. One idea is to add unsweetened, canned pumpkin to your cat’s food at the rate of a few tablespoons a week to provide additional fiber.
It's important that your cat drinks plenty of water. It is more likely to become constipated if it does not drink enough. It will help if your cat has access to running water as this can encourage it to drink. A small electric fountain is a good way to encourage your cat to drink more.
Some cats are very finicky about their litter tray. If your facilities do not meet the cat’s expectations, your cat may hold her need to go. This can lead to constipation. Make sure the litter box is easily accessible. If yours is a multi-cat household, try to make sure that one cat is not guarding the box and keeping others from getting to it when they need to go.
Cat constipation may also be the result or little or no exercise. This is especially true if your cat is overweight. You may not take your cat for a walk in the way you would a dog, but you do need to get your pet up and moving. One good way to do this is with laser beams. Cats often enjoy chasing the light across floors and walls.
Cat constipation is usually fairly easy to treat. However, if your cat becomes lethargic and weak or starts to vomit, you should get it to the vet as soon as possible, as the condition could be developing into a medical emergency.
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