Cat question -- keeping things "moving"

[GreyHunterHorse]

I posted for jingles about my kitty on here. She seems to be doing much better, but I'd like to look into something to add to her food to "keep things moving" since it appears she had constipation/hairball/something keeping her from pooping for a few days. Someone PM'ed me and suggested canned pumpkin....anyone tried this? Do cats eat it?

PROBLEM IS -- she has rodent ulcers. Basically what this means is she is allergic to many things, plastic, most foods, allergens (corn/wheat/soy). When she gets an allergic attack, she gets mouth sores on her pretty face :eek:

This cat gets fed human-grade ingredient, holistic food with no-allergens or by-products.

What can I try? Thanks for any suggestions.

[LittleblackMorgan]

I had the pooping problem with my Sphynx. She was not herself for a few days and was not eating. Turns out she was super constipated.

My vet recommeneded mixing 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin in with wet food (probably another tablespoon-if you arent a fan of wet, which I am not).
They find this very palatable (who woulda thunk it??) and the fiber keeps the poo a-rollin.

[LittleblackMorgan]

I just read your whole post. duh, someone already suggested it. But yeah, it works great. I bought organic at Trader Joes.

[cloudyandcallie]

Laxatone, it's been around for years and it works on hair balls and all.

Ask your vet if it is ok with your cat's health problems.

You smear it on a paw or mouth, and it goes down. Some cats will actually come to you to get it.

Pumpkin is full of fiber and is good for people and animals.

[hessy35]

I had the pooping problem with my Sphynx. She was not herself for a few days and was not eating. Turns out she was super constipated.

My vet recommeneded mixing 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin in with wet food (probably another tablespoon-if you arent a fan of wet, which I am not).
They find this very palatable (who woulda thunk it??) and the fiber keeps the poo a-rollin.

I use it with my perisan and it moves things right along and she doesn't mind the taste at all mixed in with her wet food.

[LisaB]

Honestly, this has worked for my kitties. But they don't have the problems that yours does.
Vaseline.
Put a dab in the wet food.

[GreyHunterHorse]

I actually don't feed her canned at the moment - she seems to self-hydrate well. However, I still have one can of the prescription wet that she used to get (and not like much) so we stopped. I have procured canned pumpkin (even checked to make sure it had no cross-contamination at the plant, one had wheat cross-contamination :eek:) and I will try it and see what she thinks. Thanks!

[pony89]

My vet recommended canned pumpkin. You can also ask your vet about laculose (sp?)

Check w/your vet about vaseline or petroleum jelly based products. From what I read, they may interfere w/absorption of nutrients. I'm not sure of the details of your cat's health problems, so I would be checking to make sure that wouldn't be harmful.

[CB/TB]

Depending on the size of the can and how long you'll be using the pumpkin, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray and take out a few days worth to thaw . I used the pumpkin for my dearly departed kitty and it did help her quite a lot, but at a teaspoon 2 x a day it took a long time to use up a can . Even refrigerated, it can only last so long.

[etc.]

Pumpkin also helps firm up loose stools in dogs. My dogs love it.

[Ibex]

I have one with Rodent Ulcer as well... I found an all meat (NO rice, corn, wheat or any kind of grain) canned food seemed to help keep it under control, and provide enough moisture in my guy's diet.

What are you using to treat the RU?

[Chall]

I found an all meat canned meat
Care to share the brand name?

[Serendipity]

I have a senior cat who has chronic renal failure (CRF), and is very prone to constipation. Someone else mentioned lactulose - we started giving our cat that about 8 months ago, and it works very well.

If your cat doesn't like the pumpkin, other things you could try to prevent the problem include Metamucil, oat bran, or a little bit of milk. You may want to think about giving her more wet food, because the extra hydration will help alot.

In an emergency (i.e. if you suddenly realize that she is very constipated- I didn't catch your earlier posts, but I'm guessing that's what happened), call the vet first of course, but if the vet approves you can try giving her vegetable oil or hairball jelly (laxatone) to get things moving along. I've found that vegetable oil is easier to give than the jelly at that point.

I'm not sure how much of this will be OK for a cat with rodent ulcer, but hopefully some of it helps!

[GreyHunterHorse]

Ibex -- once it was finally diagnosed, which took a while, she was on a prescription-only diet for a while. She had some steroid shots unfortunately which were needed but at this point a flare-up is usually countered by anti-histamines. The food we have her on seems to (knock on wood) not create allergies and we just need to keep her away from plastic (and don't ya know she loves those plastic milk rings and finds them somehow). She's crafty!

Gave her some pumpkin last night and she did eat it with wet food. Also curious about the all-meat canned food brand. Please share!

[Ibex]

Care to share the brand name?

"Go", and I feed it in combination with the "Now" dry food from the same maker. :)
http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=155
http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=167


My cats also LOVE the Trader Joe's food, but I try not to feed a lot as it has rice.

[betsyk]

Prune juice. Honest. We have one with chronic constipation and she gets about a tablespoon of prune juice with her tablespoon of wet food twice a day. As long as she gets it on schedule, she stays regular. If she skips a meal, we pay the price (when she's constipated she tends to have urinary incontinence problems...). We buy those little tiny cans of prune juice because it takes a while to use it up and she only likes it fresh.

We tried pumpkin and she didn't like it after a couple meals. Laxatone just made a mess, and made her hide and avoid us. She runs out at mealtime now and chases the other kitties away from her food, so we know it gets into her! The vet doesn't have any problem with her getting it long term.

[McVillesMom]

"Go", and I feed it in combination with the "Now" dry food from the same maker. :)

OT - Am I the only one that thinks this is funny in a thread about constipation?

[Obviously Oblivious]

I have an elderly (19) kitty who got really sick last summer starting from constipation. Lactulose worked wonders for her! I gave it to her every day for a while, but am down to a dose every few days or even weekly. Keeps things moving!

I'll remember the pumpkin and the prune juice suggestions though. Good to know!

[Brydelle Farm]

It depends on why she is becoming constipated? Adding fiber can make it worse in some cases. If her stools are normal size (tootsie roll) but just hard, then you can try fiber, but it may be that adding some water to her food, or get her to drink more with a recirculating water fountain, or you may need to use something lactulose prn.

Cats get megacolon, and fiber is contraindicated in these cases, they need a low residue diet to make their stools smaller and easier to get out, vs making them have larger amounts of stool produced (ie a high fiber diet).

Jingles for you kitty!!!

[lolalola]

Lysine will help with mouth sores. It is available in a gel from the vet.

[Alice]

In a pinch you can use a hairball remedy. They are a bit of a laxative too.

[Liberty]

Care to share the brand name?

Wellness makes a grain-free canned food. They also have a few flavors with grain, so look for the "grain-free" notation on the label. PetCo carries it. PetSmart does not (at least not in any of the ones in my area).

[sporthorsefilly]

I bred Persian Cats for 30 years, this is what I would use:

Evaporated milk mixed 50% with water.

Also Linatone added to the food.

Feed canned food atleast once daily. Cats do NOT drink enough water, and dry food can cause constipation and worse especially in male cats.

The best canned foods for getting everything moving are the ones that are morsels or "in gravy"...but you don't want to use them on a long hair...trust me!

[page3girl]

I have an old kitty who suffers from chronic vomiting. Turns out she was constipated, and the vet prescribed lactulose. It makes a real difference for her. (She also gets a 1/2 of pepcid ac each day for a sensitive tummy).

I haven't tried pumpkin (!) or any of the other suggested remedies, but I'm happy with our results (if we miss doses, she starts throwing up again!).