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severe constipation in cat
Species: cat | Category: medical-surgical | Submitted: 02-Mar-07 08:29PM | viewed 2778 times
Q Alexandra asks about molly (cat - domestic semi-longhair, F) (age 0 years, 5 months):
Molly has been suffering from constipation or so a vet told us, she was prescribed liquid paraffin 2 weeks ago which had no affect. We were also advised to administer lactulose which also didn't work. She has lost her appetite and will not eat any wet food but occasionally nibbles at dry food. She has become extremely vocal and restless - when moving she stays very low to the ground and rolls on her back rubbing her head against things which is very out of character, is there anything we can try or do we need to take her back to the vet?
Q Samantha says: Constipation in cats can often be frustrating to treat. Sometimes the constipation may become so severe that cats become very uncomfortable and they may stop eating which does not help the situation at all. In some cases where there is very severe constipation cats need a general anaesthetic so that they can be given an enema to remove the extremely hard faecal masses which can build up in the rectum and large bowels. It would be wise to get Molly checked again by your vet to assess how severe the problem has become. A few things which might help if the constipation is not so severe or to try to prevent it recurring include: Feed her at least twice daily, try to feed as much wet food as you can, or perhaps try soaking some of her biscuits in luke-warm water prior to feeding, this will increase the water content of her diet. Provide water that she will drink at all times; many cats do not like tap water because it smells of chemicals so you might try filtered or bottled water (not water with a high mineral content though - evian is ok), leaving water to stand overnight in the fridge also helps some of the chemical smell to disperse. Some cats prefer running water or dripping taps and if this is the case for Molly you could try one of the cat drinking fountains which are commercially available. Try to get her to move around during the day with games and things to explore as resting all the time will not help her constipation. Preparations such as the lactulose can also be added to her food once or twice a week to try to prevent constipation. I hope she feels better soon but do get her checked since her restless and vocal behaviour may indicate she is in pain.

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