Yet Another Cat Post

Bigaldoc · Post by **Bigaldoc** » 09 Apr 2010, 21:03

But, I hope this one begets some serious suggestions. I'm looking for care-and-feeding advice that might supplement the recommendations I get from my vet. I have an 11 year old female domestic short hair who, a number of months ago, developed constipation problems. She doesn't appear to be an animal in pain and continues her normal activities but she will stop eating and, ahem, pooping for two or three days at which time I get nervous and take her to the vet. The doc has concluded that she has no intestinal problems (diseases) and. embarrassingly, an enema seems to get her back to normal for 3-4 weeks. Then it happens again. She is at the pet hospital as I write for another enema and further evaluation.

Our last visit, the doc put her on a twice-weekly dose of a sugary, sticky laxative called Lactulose and Hunter tolerates and eats the treated food but, as now, it soon seems to stop working. All her life she has been fed dry Purina Cat Chow but a couple of months ago I changed her to Purina Pro Plan hairball formula. She likes the food and eats it well, but soon the constipation rears up again.

The reason for this question is that my internet research turns up the fact that for cat constipation, a moist canned food might be better than the dry variety for it contains more water and fiber. Does anyone have any experience or advice to give about how to treat (and/or feed) my poor girl? (Brand names would be helpful.)

viking33 · Post by **viking33** » 09 Apr 2010, 21:39

Bigaldoc wrote:But, I hope this one begets some serious suggestions. I'm looking for care-and-feeding advice that might supplement the recommendations I get from my vet. I have an 11 year old female domestic short hair who, a number of months ago, developed constipation problems. She doesn't appear to be an animal in pain and continues her normal activities but she will stop eating and, ahem, pooping for two or three days at which time I get nervous and take her to the vet. The doc has concluded that she has no intestinal problems (diseases) and. embarrassingly, an enema seems to get her back to normal for 3-4 weeks. Then it happens again. She is at the pet hospital as I write for another enema and further evaluation.

Our last visit, the doc put her on a twice-weekly dose of a sugary, sticky laxative called Lactulose and Hunter tolerates and eats the treated food but, as now, it soon seems to stop working. All her life she has been fed dry Purina Cat Chow but a couple of months ago I changed her to Purina Pro Plan hairball formula. She likes the food and eats it well, but soon the constipation rears up again.

The reason for this question is that my internet research turns up the fact that for cat constipation, a moist canned food might be better than the dry variety for it contains more water and fiber. Does anyone have any experience or advice to give about how to treat (and/or feed) my poor girl? (Brand names would be helpful.)

Al,
Having had both dogs and cats ( alone and coexisting ) I can only offer what we have experienced with the cat side of the house. Our present cat is a black short hair that looks a lot like yours. Don't all black cats look similar?
1. Was there a good reason to change her brand of food beyond what sounds like a hairball problem? Have you tried going back to her other food?
2. We always try to give our pets ( dog and cat ) a blend of wet and dry food, along with plenty of water. Purina "fancy feast" the canned wet food and "Science Diet" senior blend in the dry type. This seems to work out well for her and she has a good appetite.
The German Shepard doen't care for any cat food, so she leaves the cat's chow alone.

Bigaldoc · Post by **Bigaldoc** » 09 Apr 2010, 22:13

viking33 wrote:1. Was there a good reason to change her brand of food beyond what sounds like a hairball problem? Have you tried going back to her other food?

Thanks for replying, Bob. When this constipation problem first surfaced the vet recommended the "hairball formula" food for its higher fiber content. Both the original and hairball formula are Purina, so it wasn't a "brand name" change or problem. It's just that her constipation continues with the new food and a laxative doesn't seem to be helping keeping her innards "moving." That's why I zeroed in on my Googling that said a canned food might be more "moist" and help put more water in her lower GI tract.

I haven't tried to put her back on the original food since there didn't seem to be anything to be accomplished there.

The "Fancy Feast" is kinda what I was looking for here. If you've had success with it, it might be worth a try with my girl. The thing I worry about with her is that she's a (typical) finicky eater and I don't know what she'll be willing to try. But it's worth a shot. Thanks...

Peppurr101 · Post by **Peppurr101** » 13 Apr 2010, 09:53

Hi Al,

I had an elderly kitty for a number of years who used to have that problem from time to time.
Not sure where you are, but in the pet stores near where I lived, I used to get a product called Petromalt which came in a toothpaste sized tube. I used to give it to my cat for hairball and constipation prevention. I am not sure what your vet recommended--something similar.. this stuff was a malt based petroleum jelly sort of thing.. you give an inch or so out of the tube once a week or so..
On the plus side, my cat loved the stuff...

Also I am not sure if your cat is indoor or indoor/outdoor, but I read somewhere a long time ago that indoor cats need some 'greens' to help with digestion. There used to be small pots of grass that you could buy and grow and let your cat nibble on them.. (they do eat grass sometimes if they are outdoor cats.
My cat wouldn't go near it so I never got to try that.

The only other thing I might suggest, is she drinking enough? My cat would only drink out of the upstairs bathroom sink....and only if I stood there and filled it from the tap just then.. champagne kitty.. not standing water for her...

Hope it helps?
Keep me posted..

Bigaldoc · Post by **Bigaldoc** » 13 Apr 2010, 10:38

I brought her home from the vet's yesterday afternoon, after a good cleaning out and a day of "observation." The doc said she's eating and relieving OK now and she gave (sold) me a few cans of prescription wet food that's high in fiber. Well, she did that two visits ago and I couldn't get the cat to eat it, at all. So I asked her if she (the cat) had eaten it during her stay there and was told that she did. I don't know if it's a strange setting, 'cause I don't think the vet would lie to me, but she still doesn't look like she's gonna eat the stuff. I gave her half a can when I went to bed last night and it still in her bowl. I can't tell if she nibbled or not. After it sits in the bowl for several hours it doesn't look so good, so I think in a little while I'll dump it and try again for during the day today.

Given Bob's earlier suggestion, I asked the doc about Fancy Feast since it has a SALMON flavored variety and my kitty loves salmon flavored Whiskas treats. The vet didn't object so I'm off to the store today on a hunt through the "MILLLIONS" of varieties of canned cat food.

I don't know about local stores but I see that Petromalt is available at Amazon, but I don't think I'll try it just yet. Several weeks ago, one of the vets commented that if the Lactulose didn't work we might try some Miralax and I happen to be a "user" of that product, so I started her on a very small dose yesterday afternoon in her Cat-Sip milk. It's also been suggested to me by another friend that psyllium powder (metamucil generic) is better than Miralax but I don't know yet if we'll try that.

First is the challenge of eating canned food, since she's lived on dry for 11 years. I think I'll buy only two cans at a time until I find something she likes. Gettin' old AND having ingested hair is a bummer!

viking33 · Post by **viking33** » 13 Apr 2010, 18:07

Bigaldoc wrote:I brought her home from the vet's yesterday afternoon, after a good cleaning out and a day of "observation." The doc said she's eating and relieving OK now and she gave (sold) me a few cans of prescription wet food that's high in fiber. Well, she did that two visits ago and I couldn't get the cat to eat it, at all. So I asked her if she (the cat) had eaten it during her stay there and was told that she did.
Given Bob's earlier suggestion, I asked the doc about Fancy Feast since it has a SALMON flavored variety and my kitty loves salmon flavored Whiskas treats. The vet didn't object so I'm off to the store today on a hunt through the "MILLLIONS" of varieties of canned cat food.

Gettin' old AND having ingested hair is a bummer!

Al, Give that stuff from the vet a taste. See how it works on you. Maybe it won't be a "waste" after all!

DenGar · Post by **DenGar** » 13 Apr 2010, 20:43

Bigaldoc wrote: Given Bob's earlier suggestion, I asked the doc about Fancy Feast since it has a SALMON flavored variety and my kitty loves salmon flavored Whiskas treats. The vet didn't object so I'm off to the store today on a hunt through the "MILLLIONS" of varieties of canned cat food.

I don't know about local stores but I see that Petromalt is available at Amazon, but I don't think I'll try it just yet. Several weeks ago, one of the vets commented that if the Lactulose didn't work we might try some Miralax and I happen to be a "user" of that product, so I started her on a very small dose yesterday afternoon in her Cat-Sip milk. It's also been suggested to me by another friend that psyllium powder (metamucil generic) is better than Miralax but I don't know yet if we'll try that.

First is the challenge of eating canned food, since she's lived on dry for 11 years. I think I'll buy only two cans at a time until I find something she likes. Gettin' old AND having ingested hair is a bummer!

Our two cats--12 and 5 yrs.--had hairball and hard feces problems, not constipation though. They've always had dry food available and about 1/4 can each of Purina Friskies (most any "flavor" with gravy/sauce) every day. The solution to the problems (at least for now--fingers crossed) is to mix about 1/2-1/3 tsp. psyllium husk fiber (drugstore brand) in the can of wet food. We also brush them more regularly than before--daily, in fact. Water is always available, of course.

Changing food is often a problem. Perhaps placing the wet on top of the dry might ease her into the change. Dry food is more convenient, but it can create urinary tract and renal problems, and it has more carbs than needed, i.e., obesity.

Good luck.

VegasNath · Post by **VegasNath** » 13 Apr 2010, 21:05

Both my (indoor) cats are used to a mixture of wet and dry food. They go through very *fussy* stages. Sometimes, Chino will lick all the gravy off the meat, and Tigger will mop up the dry chunks.

She likes to drink from the sink while he just sits at the bath tap. Neither will drink from a dish.

viking33 · Post by **viking33** » 13 Apr 2010, 21:24

VegasNath wrote: She likes to drink from the sink while he just sits at the bath tap. Neither will drink from a dish.

I wonder why that is?
Our cat will drink from her water dish but takes serious delight in running to the bath sink and begging for fresh water from the tap.

Bigaldoc · Post by **Bigaldoc** » 13 Apr 2010, 21:36

Combining replies to both Dennis and Nathan. Aren't cats the difficult beast? We love 'em so, but they are and can be finicky if not impossible to sway in one direction or another.

Funny, that when my wife and I have always had either dogs or cats, I seem to remember hearing that DRY food was the best way to feed them. It seems, at least in the case of felines that that's not the case. Now I'm in the difficult position of finding something wet that she WILL eat. My vet recommends a wet food with at least 3% fiber and on my way home today I looked at EVERY brand and so many varieties within brands and NONE contains more than 1% or 1.5% fiber. I bought a few "test" cans of something with a salmon flavor that I hope she will like and will try tonight.

The only "plus" for yesterday and today is that I've at least managed to get her to drink the Cat-Sip with Miralax mixed in and will continue thinking about changing that to the psyllium powder if appropriate.

One piece of this puzzle that I don't know the answer to is how much water she takes every day. I fill up her water dish in the morning and refresh it in the afternoon but it's difficult to tell without measuring how much water she actually takes. For all these years I've relied on the condition of urination in her litter box, but I really don't know for sure what she drinks.

The challenges we face with our companion pets...

Bigaldoc · Post by **Bigaldoc** » 13 Apr 2010, 21:41

viking33 wrote:
VegasNath wrote: She likes to drink from the sink while he just sits at the bath tap. Neither will drink from a dish.
I wonder why that is?
Our cat will drink from her water dish but takes serious delight in running to the bath sink and begging for fresh water from the tap.

I was doing a bit of reading a couple of days ago and saw recommendations from more than one (Google) vet for running water devices for cats, like a fountain of one kind or other. I won't go back and find the links to post, but it's an interesting concept if one could deal with it!

Edited to add: An old pix of mine at the kitchen sink!

viking33 · Post by **viking33** » 14 Apr 2010, 00:25

Bigaldoc wrote:
Funny, that when my wife and I have always had either dogs or cats, I seem to remember hearing that DRY food was the best way to feed them. It seems, at least in the case of felines that that's not the case.

The challenges we face with our companion pets...

Al, I vividly remember taking our German Shepherd to the vet for something or another and the subject of food came up. At that time we were feeding her mostly dry food "kibble" and the vet answered emphatically: " That dog needs MEAT, not just dry stuff."
So we switched to a combo, can of wet dog food and another dish of kibble. She loved them both.

Charlotte · Post by **Charlotte** » 14 Apr 2010, 01:12

Al,

I only feed wet food to very young cats or those who are seriously ill and finicky. I feed the rest a high quality hairball control dry food, period. However, I also make sure there is plenty of fresh water available to them at all times and make sure the bowls are clean so they'll drink it. I haven't had the problems you describe with any of the many cats of all ages I've had. I've been happy with Science Diet light Hairball Control dry food. I've never had a cat who was willing to eat the prescription wet food at all, but they have all seemed to be happy with the SD dry food.

Bigaldoc · Post by **Bigaldoc** » 14 Apr 2010, 09:21

Charlotte wrote:... I also make sure there is plenty of fresh water available to them at all times and make sure the bowls are clean so they'll drink it.

It's 5 am and I've been up with kitty since about 3 am when she came to my bed and woke me. I don't know what's goin' on with her but she still hasn't eaten since Monday afternoon when I brought her home. First, it was the can of prescription and last night I gave her a can of Fancy Feast Salmon flavored and it's still there.

Pulling at straws even though I think her double-compartment feeding dish is clean, maybe it's just old and the plastic doesn't smell right to her. I just now got two china salad bowls out of the cabinet and put another can of Fancy Feast in one and fresh, clean water in the other. If that doesn't do it, I'm gonna give her back some of the Pro Plan salmon flavored hair ball control (dry) that she HAS been eating up until she seemed to have gotten constipated and stopped eating last week.

If she still doesn't eat, I'll be back on the phone with the vet for there MUST be something going on internally. I have no way to know if she's in any pain since she's a pretty silent cat and she moves about the house OK. I have noticed since Monday a reluctance to jump, so it could be that she IS in some kind of distress. Doggone it, how can I tell if she's in pain...

Charlotte · Post by **Charlotte** » 14 Apr 2010, 15:33

Cats tend to hide when they're in pain. I guess they think they can hide from it. I've only heard a cat howl in pain once, a cat I had who was hiding under my cedar chest trying to escape the pain of feline leukemia, which we didn't realize she had. I learned from her to watch my cats' body language. Cats are stoics, so you have to watch carefully.

Good luck to you and your cat, Al. It's heartbreaking when they keep having problems and you're helpless to do anything about it.

DenGar · Post by **DenGar** » 14 Apr 2010, 17:50

Bigaldoc wrote: I was doing a bit of reading a couple of days ago and saw recommendations from more than one (Google) vet for running water devices for cats, like a fountain of one kind or other. I won't go back and find the links to post, but it's an interesting concept if one could deal with it!

Edited to add: An old pix of mine at the kitchen sink!

Here's a ready-made fountain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KswnjMa-MQ

Post by **HansV** » 14 Apr 2010, 18:00

What a funny way to drink...!

viking33 · Post by **viking33** » 14 Apr 2010, 18:20

DenGar wrote:
Bigaldoc wrote:
Here's a ready-made fountain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KswnjMa-MQ

Also one of MANY attachments to stick on your faucet to indulge them. ( no thanks )

http://www.amazon.com/Sink-Drink-Turns- ... 77&sr=8-16" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Charlotte · Post by **Charlotte** » 15 Apr 2010, 23:15

HansV wrote:What a funny way to drink...!

One of mine trained his brother and the new kid to drink by dabbling a paw in the bowl and then licking the water off. Gets water all over the floor, but they seem to enjoy it. They don't do it all the time, just when it will be most annoying.

Hey Jude · Post by **Hey Jude** » 16 Apr 2010, 01:35

Charlotte wrote:
HansV wrote:What a funny way to drink...!
One of mine trained his brother and the new kid to drink by dabbling a paw in the bowl and then licking the water off. Gets water all over the floor, but they seem to enjoy it. They don't do it all the time, just when it will be most annoying.

we've always enjoyed raising Siamese with all their idiosyncrasies. When we lived in an old farmhouse, "Tabitha" learned to turn on the faucets and would only drink from those. She never drank from a water dish at all. She also learned to open the doors by jumping and hanging onto the knobs with her declawed paws. She was quite amazing in her antics. Our 15 yr old "Tequila" drinks at least a quart a day, but eats very little while gallivanting around with 2 yr old "Punkin"--who eats everything "Teke" doesn't eat and then some lol. When we live with our pets long enough we realize what an integral part of our families they are. Years ago my "Mitties" always knew when my mother would call and always chose that time to jump onto my lap while I would be sitting on the kitchen counter. She stayed until the call was completed. She knew her voice and never did that with any other callers.

We too used Petromalt with great success for all of our cats during hairball season. Since running 2 air purifiers with HEPA filters, we are so amazed at all the cat hair that is found on the internal filters. For occasional bouts with constipation we used psyllium powder and it always worked wonders. They really went through the water whenever they had that added to their food though. Good luck with your kitty Al

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