Help think cats constipated

geminilady

One of my cats is spending a lot of time crouched in her litter tray so I think she may be constipated is there anything I could give her?

Tiglath

Are you sure it's not cystitis? Have you noticed any drops of blood? I'd make sure she has lots of clean water available and ring your vet for advice.

paddypaws101

cats DO suffer from constipation, but it is more likely --and more problematic---to be cystitis.
She will be in a LOT of discomfort so i really think you need to get her to a vet, fast.

SnowyOwl_2

Please try and find out if she is passing water. Unfortunately crouching over the litter tray could be water or poo. If you can't find out for sure I would strongly suggest that you take your cat to the vet NOW to rule out a blocked bladder. She will survive constitpation, but she will not survive long with a blocked bladder. Sorry to worry you, but your cat is important to you, right??

geminilady

Am worried now will keep a close eye on her ,she always has fresh water available although she does eat mostly dry food,would she look alright in herself and be eating if it was cystitus or a blocked bowel?

tuttifruiti20

It is difficult to say what she would be doing but it is important to make sure that it isn't cystitis as this can be very dangerous for kittens and cats.

Make sure that she has lots of fresh water, try and get her to drink some more if you can, perhaps even a little cat milk, anything to get some more fluids in to her. Also, check her urine if possible, perhaps remove litter from her tray to see if she will still go in her tray on a dry patch.

If it is constipation then a few drops of olive oil can be very helpful.

Also, if you're concerned that it is cystitis then get your cat to the vet ASAP.

bananachip

Does your cat seem in any discomfort? Is she meowing when it is in the tray? Is she straining? When was the last time she peed or pooed?

One of my cats is prone to constipation, usually preceded by a hairball. It generally starts with tiny little hard poos and the last time progressed within 2 days to the point where he stopped pooing at all. The vet gave him an enema which did nothing and then lactulose (which she confirmed was the same stuff that humans take). A 5ml dose the first day did nothing but a smaller dose of 3ml the next day eventually got him moving again.

Other home remedies worth trying are olive oil or if you have a furball paste such as catalax it also works as a laxative.


My other cat is prone to cystitis and it is worrying as the symptoms with him are going frequently and being in pain (it is more common in male neutered cats but can also happen in females). If you do suspect cystitis you need to get her to a vet, I know there are various types of crystals which can form in the bladder so it is not just a bacterial infection which causes it.

Bailey101

I agree with others who've said you need to speak with a vet. One of my cats gets cystitis quite often, and my vet has always told me that when he'd peeing blood, it's serious but if he stops peeing anything at all then it's really bad and means his bladder is likely blocked!! If your cat has a blocked bladder and can't pee then not only is she going to be in a lot of pain but it could be causing bruising and damage to her kidneys.

The only way to make sure it's nothing serious is to speak with a vet, unfortunatly keeping an eye on her isn't going to help if she's in pain and since cats tend to be very private about showing discomfort you might not see any other signs of something being wrong until a lot of damage is done.

It's much better to have a wasted journey to the vets for something minor then it is to wait it out and risk the worst happening.

donnac2558

My boy is 14 and gets constipated he has to take lactulose everyday. The vet sent me to a chemist to buy it at £3.99 a bottle.

The crouch differently when pooing, the bum sits higher. But you need to check the tray straight after and make sure.

SnowyOwl_2

One of my kitties has chronic constipation, otherwise known as feline constipation. It is pretty serious, lots of kitties end up going through major surgery, or even getting "the needle". I hope you have taken your cat to the vet - it really is the only way forward with this issue. Please let us know how you get on.

moggymutt

Hopefully you've now already been to the vets. Despite eating ok, the cat may be in a lot of pain every time they try to use the tray. Some of the possible causes will prove fatal if not treated promptly.