a seriously constipated kitty - Vaseline?

[spirite]

The background: Thursday at 3 am, I took Celia to the emergency vet because she was in such discomfort. They gave her an enema, which didn't produce as much poo as they hoped. A urinalysis also showed a UTI (I think the vet said "slight" - ?), for which she got an injection of Convenia - I don't know if that's relevant or not.

She's still looking pretty miserable - has produced only 2 small poops since we got back.

My regular vet left me a message saying her constipation is likely to be chronic since she's a senior kitty, and she recommended Miralax daily. Well, I've tried Miralax before, and I've been trying it again since Friday evening. I can sneak it into her wet food the first couple of times, and then she seems to sense something and she won't eat anymore. That was the case today.

I've already tried every other remedy for kitty constipation known to humankind, and Celia would have none of it. I read that giving Vaseline might help. Has anyone tried this? If so, about how much did you use? Did you just smear some on kitty's paw?

[Marcia]

Miralax dissolves in water and is tasteless - I know I had to use it by the bucket full for a med procedure recently. Try mixing it with some tuna water or clam juice and let it stand long enough to really dissolve . (Only one of my cats like clam juice so it's hit or miss). I hope she feel better soon! She must be miserable. Our Missy gets UTI's and the vet gives her morphine for the pain and an antibiotic. She make not be producing much if she is not eating much, too.

[Tomcats]

In the past we've had to use Metamucil sprinkled on or mixed into food. We've also used glycerin suppositories cut down to child size and smoothed out.

Did the vet check her stool? We had a cat who was eating litter causing chronic constipation. The first three vets did not catch it because they did not check the stool. Please don't assume yours did - ask.

Age alone is not a likely reason for chronic constipation unless she has mega colon or some other issue.

[Pushkabounce]

I read that vaseline is ok to use but not long term. My 2 kittens had bad constipation and I used a bit of vaseline which they took willingly and I put a tiny bit on their bums too. All in all I think it helped until I figured out what was causing the trouble

[cinderflower]

you could try it and see. either put a dab on the end of her nose or on her leg, anywhere she can lick and she'll lick it off. i use it for hairballs and mix it 50:50 with baby food and my cats think it's yummy. if you do that, you can microwave the vaseline first until it's liquid and it mixes easier. just be careful because it's hot.

you could also try the miralax mixed in baby food and see how that goes over, or the tuna/clam/meat juice is a good idea too.

[spirite]

Thanks for all of your great suggestions!

Marcia, I always dissolve the Miralax in a little warm water before adding it to her wet food; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But maybe when it hasn't worked, it was just a coincidence and she wasn't hungry or something. Oddly, she's pretty hungry, something that didn't happen when she was constipated before this episode. The Miralax does get a little syrupy if you leave it for more than a couple of minutes though.

Tomcats, come to think of it, I don't know if the vet here has done a stool sample, something my previous vet did every year. But I'll definitely ask. Of course, at the moment, it's pretty hard to get a sample... I tried Metamucil - or maybe it was Benefiber - before the Miralax with no luck. She's had x-rays taken twice in the past few months, and they haven't shown anything, so I don't think it's megacolon unless that's not visible on an x-ray.

Pushkabounce and cinderflower, I'll put a bit on her nose, since she doesn't seem to want to clean any other part of her body. Great idea to make it liquid before mixing it in. I'm glad to see that it's not crazy to give a kitty Vaseline!

[artiesmom]

I use miralax for myself and my kitty!
I think the dose for a cat is 1/8 tsp...
I mix a pinch in his food, smash down the food, mix it up good, and add a bit of extra water.
I also use laxatone--sometimes twice a day, if Artie is really bad..
I found it takes about 3 days for it to work.. and when it does-it does for about 3 days!
good luck

[rightsaidfed]

Laxatone is often an ingredient in hairball treats. If he won't eat the pastes or food mix-ins, maybe you could try some treats. I use them for hairball vomiting, but after ripping the bag open on his own, my kitty became a poo factory and it was very soft.


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[anie]

Laxatone!
It's for hairballs but it coats hard poop too, so it'e easier for it to come out.
Works well for my cat, who gets hairballs and sometimes has problems woth pooping it out.

Go to any pet store or vet clinic, you will get it. I buy tomlyn (sp?) laxatone tuna flavor.

For constipated kitty give her bigger dose, like 1 tsp per day (you will have dosage on the tube anyway) for few days, and then little less once, twice per week to prevent constipation.

It should help.

If she is not so keen to eat it (my cat loves it, so hope your will like it too), you can spread it on her paw (from paw to elbow) and she will clean herself and eat it. do not put big blob of it on her paw though. She will probably make rapid movement and all of it will end up on your walls and ceiling be sure you spread it on her front leg.

[anie]

Also, my wet recommended this food supplement for my cats:

Amazon.com: NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics - 4 oz: Pet Supplies

Amazon.com: NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics - 4 oz: Pet Supplies

he says it many cases it really helps to keep gastrointestinal issues at bay for cats (and dogs), especially older cats with constipation and/or diarrhea.

I just ordered it for my cats but haven't tested yet. It has great review all over internet though.


good luck!