feline elimination behavior, lack of

[firecat]

My cat won't poop. :-(


He won't eat either, which hasn't happened before.

I've tried pumpkin, metamucil, lactulose (but only the small dose the vet recommended, not the really large dose), petromalt, catnip, brushing, and rocking him.

He is a little more lethargic than usual (he's extremely lazy in general) but still responsive to attention in the usual ways.

I have an enema that is supposed to be safe for cats, but he gets understandably cranky about people sticking things up his butt, so I don't know if it would be safe for me to administer it...

Comments

[zillah975]

This may sound silly or maybe you've already done it, but have you tried massaging his belly near his hindquarters? It helps my kitty sometimes.

How long has he been like this? Has the vet checked him for blockages?

*hugs lots* I hope he's better soon.

[firecat]

Yep, I've tried massaging his belly.

Checking for blockages will happen tomorrow or the next day if he doesn't come unstuck.

Thanks! [hugsback]

[tedesson]

I've heard of using oil or vasaline on their paws. Your vet's suggestion sounds good.

Not eating is wise, if things aren't moving.

[serene]

Poor little one! Poor firecat! *hugs*

[elainegrey]

I hope that something has worked for you, but we ended up having Mr M at the vet for this over Christmas. All is well now, although we're encouraging more water drinking with a cat fountain in the bedroom as well as all the other water bowls.

[laughingrat]

Aw no. I hope he's okay. How old is he? Does he have a history of health issues?

[amethystfirefly]

Oh no. I hope you can find out what's wrong and that it's easily fixed. :( -hug-

enema

[e4q.livejournal.com]

that does sound dangerous. have you ever wrapped a cat in a towel to administer unwanted things like tablets? that might work, or you might just have a houdini cat scrambling into your hair.

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

The one time I had this problem with a cat, she had dried fecal material that was blocking her up because she had eaten a shoelace and had stopped taking food and water. Has the vet x-rayed him yet?

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

Vet. Please.

[ailbhe]

Oh dear, I would definitely leave sticking things up bums to the vet. It sounds miserable.

[fimbrethil.livejournal.com]

More than one of my cats has gone through this. Each time a trip to vet was required because they had fecal matter blockages and required medical attention. It's pretty serious. A trip to vet should happen soon. Good luck and I hope your cat is ok.

[elissaann.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. I hope he perks up soon.

[gconnor.livejournal.com]

Definitely recommend going to the vet... I would be afraid of trying to administer that myself, not only of damaging the cat, but of losing control of the cat and getting shredded in the escape attempt.

I've had one of our kitties in at the vet before for same. Everything came out OK in the end.

[tanteterri.livejournal.com]

I would get him to the vets. Not pooping and not eating is not good.

If the pooping is because there is nothing in the digestive track, you might try baby food - chicken is best because it's pretty mild; has a lot of liquid in it (dehydration is a problem too); and smells very tempting to cats.

Hope your kitty is on the mend soon.

Poor Chairman Kaga!

[kyubi.livejournal.com]

Is he making attempts to poop, or not even trying?

Inappetance can go along with constipation -- it can make critters feel generally yucky and disinclined to eat. We wish to discourage this not-eating thing in our kitties...

This page (http://www.felineconstipation.org/acutetreatment.html) has some suggestions for acute treatment of constipation in cats. Their presentation style is, mmmm, unique -- the "What Goes Wrong" page explains the mechanics with pull-out quotes like "The stool invites the bowel to dance" -- but the information seems pretty solid, based on my research into Things I Wish I'd Never Had To Learn About Cat Health.

I hope that He of the Spangled Tuxedo is feeling better soon!

Re: Poor Chairman Kaga!

[firecat]

he's trying, and at this point he's eliminating a little bit (but apparently still has a partial blockage) and he's eating a little bit and keeping food and water down.

vet appointment tomorrow morning. (i figured even if he did come unstuck, i want to check out what's going on.)

that's an awesome resource, thanks!