Bowels

IMPORTANT: If your cat is in any distress or discomfort, please consult your own vet as your first priority.
Post Reply
User avatar
Didi
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:10 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Bowels

Post by Didi »

Apologies before I start I know it's not the nicest of subjects.

After his bladder blockage at the beginning of the year Bilbo has had to go onto prescription food, a battle in itself which is a whole other story suffice to say even now 6 weeks later he still isn't eating properly. He has lost about 0.5kg and is due back at the vets in another month for a weigh in just to check he isn't still losing weight. As a result he hasn't been opening his bowels as often gone from every day to every 2-3 days. Add to that the fact he is long haired and prone to fur balls, his old food was an anti furball formula, and over the last few weeks he has been quite constipated.
Over the weekend he has been particularly reticent to eat unless he was being hand fed and then he wolfed it down or if it was a treat of some sort again couldn't get it down him quick enough. He is still having some of his old dry food but was completely switched to the wet which he has stopped eating this weekend, he will eat the old food but not the new- picks out what he wants and leaves the rest ! I thought maybe he was uncomfortable because of a fur ball - there has been quite a lot of fur in his poo- because this is how he has always reacted in the past to one. So I gave him some of his furball paste
To cut a long story short, this morning he went to the litter tray and the first part was very small hard lumps but there was a a very soft unformed bit at the end. About an hour later he went back and produced a "cow pat" then promptly finished off his old food.
He is playing on the bed at the moment and seems more relaxed than he has been the last couple of days, is it "normal" for a cat who seems to have been constipated to then go to producing this cow pat (I can't think of any other way of describing it sorry ) and is it likely to be the food change that is effecting his bowels. I will see if he eats his wet food tonight but he seems to be ok in himself now he is drinking plenty and weeing fine and seems to be comfortable he has just had his brush and purred the whole time as normal
booktigger
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 2664
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:36 pm
No. of cats in household: 3

Re: Bowels

Post by booktigger »

Constipation can cause loose stools, but if he is eating less, he won't be pooing as much. What prescription food did the vet put him on?
User avatar
Janey
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:04 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Bowels

Post by Janey »

As Desley says constipation can cause loose stools, as can diet change. Does he like the new food and is enjoying some of his food?
User avatar
Lilith
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 3600
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:00 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: West Yorks

Re: Bowels

Post by Lilith »

Hi there - yes, as others have said, the loose stuff can still form behind the hard motions - in extreme cases, both human and feline, it can appear that the patient is faecally incontinent because the sloppy stuff bypasses the hard lumps and drips out.

I've just had an education about all this because my poor Mouse has just had a BIIIG bowel drama; constipated, she was sent home for the night with Lactulose (laxative) with instructions to return if no result. After the Lactulose I caught her straining in her tray ... a couple of little puddles. The vet washed out her colon the next day - she'd parted with some big lumps before I took her in initially but being elderly (almost 15) her muscles, they said, were losing strength and she was unable to pass the rest. (VERY cross with myself for letting things get to such a pitch.)

So sounds like Bilbo got off lightly, bless him and good on you :)

There IS an excellent dry food for chronically constipated cats - Royal Canin Fibre Response (it's expensive; guaranteed to cure any constipation of your wallet too!) But worth every penny; Mousey used to be on it but in fact she stabilised for about a year, so that's why I had none in when she needed it. It came back on the menu very fast; she tucked in straight away and has since gone from strength to strength.

However I've no idea if FR could be used in conjunction with a prescription diet (say once or twice a week for a chronically constipated cat) but your vet could tell you. It does seem very palatable; smells yeasty like the old Meowmix (anyone remember that?)

But with any luck you got to the bottom of it (pun intended) :lol:

Hope he goes on ok now and that he starts eating better too, bad lad, hope his poor old backside is growing back too :)
User avatar
Didi
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:10 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Bowels

Post by Didi »

He is on Royal canine urinary diet and no he isn't very keen at all :) I don't think it's that he doesn't like it more than he just wants what he wants and that isn't it. !! He looks at me as if I'm trying to poison him :lol: The dry I can get him to eat by putting it in an empty whiskas treat bag and hand feeding him but a bowl ? Forget it !! The wet he is tolerating now but no more than a sachet a day.
Poor mouse hope she is feeling better now I will ask the vet about the fibre response he's never had any trouble with his bowels before now and he did look as if he was feeling sorry for himself yesterday but since going to the tray twice this morning he seems much brighter. I'm hoping it is just the reduction and change in food that is the cause of this
He is growing back some very curly cream fur on his bottom now Lilith, don't think we have seen his fur so short even as a kitten so he still looks a bit odd got a big chunk missing under his chin as well so from the side looks very strange with a hole in his "mane" but it's growing back slowly I'm expecting it to take quite a while before he is back to his former glory. He has been doing really well back to his normal "naughty" self I found him sat in the laundry basket last week in amongst the dirty washing Happy as Larry !!
User avatar
Janey
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:04 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Bowels

Post by Janey »

I bet it’s the change in diet and if he’s not that keen he won’t be eating as much as well (hence the weight loss). I hope you can find a suitable food that he likes. Would he be able to have his normal food with just some of the other food that he enjoys I wonder?
booktigger
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 2664
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:36 pm
No. of cats in household: 3

Re: Bowels

Post by booktigger »

Royal Canin is normally quite palatable, have you tried any other brands?
User avatar
Didi
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:10 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Bowels

Post by Didi »

Not yet I have tried the renal variety which he wouldn't eat either. He has eaten about half a sachet of the wet today and I have given him his old dry variety, quite honestly I'm running out of ideas. He is clearly hungry he will eat the dry when he is hand fed it, up until this weekend he was eating a sachet and a half of the wet sprinkled with urelieve I wonder if he has had tummy ache and that's why he went off eating if I could get him eating the wet food I would just leave him with his purina furball dry. The vet did say that the urinary was quite bland which is why we tried the renal. At the moment I feel as if we are going backwards after making fairly good progress switching him.
I am going to the vets to pick up some food tomorrow I may ask if there are any other varieties I'm just loathe to start swapping and changing again and I'm wondering wether I need to go back to the beginning of half a teaspoon of his wet food mixed with the Sheba he used to have or wether it is just because he has had a bit of a dodgy tummy.
I'm sort of leaning towards persevering with the wet but going back to his old dry food which seemed to keep him "regular" . They do a tinned version I'm wondering wether to try that
They are such hard work these kitties :D
booktigger
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 2664
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:36 pm
No. of cats in household: 3

Re: Bowels

Post by booktigger »

I wouldn't give renal food, but there are lots of brands, you just won't be able to get most from the vet. My old vet never sold urinary food, she preferred wet food with added water and cystaid
User avatar
Janey
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:04 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Bowels

Post by Janey »

Hopefully your vet will say he can have some of the food he loves. I always imagine what it must be like if we had to eat food we didn’t like we would be miserable, cats will be the same. Also, if it’s upsetting his digestive system you’re starting another issue then and having to get things for that, laxatives etc which I wouldn’t want. The wet food and extra water that Desley mentions sounds a better option. Best of luck!
User avatar
Didi
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:10 pm
No. of cats in household: 1

Re: Bowels

Post by Didi »

Welll after a couple of days back on his old food he is producing much more normal looking poo stil a bit soft but not cow pats today. Been to the vet to pick some food up and she wants me to persevere but did say maybe starting the switch again might be a good plan because she doesn't want him to lose too much weight and he just isn't eating.
According to her cats don't refuse food deliberately well as much as I hate to disagree with her when he won't eat the dry out of bowl but will if he thinks it's treats then he is doing deliberately. Last night I got loads down him by throwing it round the room for him to chase feeding him put of my hand all whilst he totally ignored the bowl. He is clearly hungry because give him what he wants - the familiar old food wet and dry- and he eats the lot :lol:
User avatar
Lilith
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 3600
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:00 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: West Yorks

Re: Bowels

Post by Lilith »

Lol - if at first you don't succeed, try a little psychology eh? All's fair in love, war and tricking a cat into eating :D

I'm glad he's beginning to grow his fur back. Reminds me of a cat I used to know called Spencer. He had some kind of eczema which caused all his backside fur to fall off. It would grow, but then fall off again - poor chap, most undignified.

Around this time, touring round the Calder Valley, I spotted a big sign that said - 'SPENCER'S TROUSERS'. When I told Spencer's owner he said, 'oh so THAT'S where they are!'

May Bilbo's trousers grow thicker every day! :D
User avatar
Crewella
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 3605
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2014 9:59 pm
No. of cats in household: 6
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Bowels

Post by Crewella »

My Daz wasn't keen on the urinary diets either, I could get him to eat the dry version, but not the wet, so ended up feeding him half regular wet food (with added water) and half urinary dry . Like Booktigger, I concentrated more on lots of extra water in his diet and a supplement of Cystophan/Cystaid, which was very successful.

I'm glad he's becoming more himself, give him a fuss from me. :)
Post Reply