Constipation is a common problem in cats. This article will delve into home remedies for a constipated cat. You can help your cat relieve the constipation problem by following the excellent advice I will give you. Constipation may be a little problem or due to a serious condition. Before we talk about home remedies for a constipated cat, we talk about the symptoms of a constipated cat.
symptoms present in a constipated cat
Constipation is characterized by irregular stools or stools that are hard to pass. Normally, cats defecate every 24 to 36 hours. If this period is prolonged without defecation, your cat already has constipation, and you should take all the necessary measures to help your cat relieve this issue and feel better quickly. The symptoms of constipation in cats are:
Dry and hard stool
The healthy stool is rich brown, should appear well-formed, and contain enough moisture which waste will stick to. Constipated cat has very dry and tough feces. You may see these feces outside the litter box because the discomfort of trying to defecate can lead to leaving the litter box before it is finished.
straining or crying in its litter box or avoiding it totally
Your cat seems uncomfortable; you notice that it is using its litter box multiple times, going in and out of it. Discomfort appears in vocalizing or straining during defecation. As we said before, constipation may be a symptom of severe disease. You may notice other symptoms with it, such as nausea, vomiting, peeing more, weight loss, decreased appetite, changes in drinking water(drinking more or less water), muscle loss, hiding, difficulty jumping up, and walking stiffly. You should see your cat’s vet when these symptoms combine with or without constipation.
Before discussing home remedies for a constipated cat, we will mention the causes of constipation. Constipation in cats may be due to various underlying causes, such as:
- Conformational abnormalities
such as pelvic fractures that cause narrowing in the pelvic canal - Idiopathic megacolon
The term idiopathic means with unknown cause. Idiopathic megacolon means dilation of the colon with an obscure cause. - Nerve dysfunction
- chronic kidney disease
- Hypercalcemia( high calcium level in the blood)
- Hypothyroidism( low level of thyroid gland seen in cats)
- Dehydration
Dehydration can be caused by little intake of water and eating a dry food diet and, as a result, lead to constipation of your cat. This problem can be solved by lifestyle modification. We will mention it below in detail. - Stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety lead to your cat’s intestines not moving well, causing constipation in your cat. - Inflammatory bowel disease
- Allergies
- Some kinds of cancer
- Diabetes
- Impacted or ruptured anal sacs
The existence of stool in the cat’s colon longer than expected leads to constipation due
to the reabsorption of water from the colon causing constipation. Your cat holds the feces in its colon and cannot defecate due to obesity, pain from arthritis, blockage, stress, anxiety, or anal gland issues.
Home remedies for a constipated cat
You can do these home remedies to help your cat relieve its constipation and feel well quickly.
Increase water intake
As we said before, dehydration leads to constipation, so drinking more water and keeping your cat well-hydrated helps prevent constipation. Cats are not perfect in drinking plenty of water, so you can solve this problem by giving it wet food to keep your cat hydrated. This increases its water intake and reduces its risk of constipation.
You can help your cat to increase its water consumption by doing some things such as putting more water bowls in different places of your home, letting a faucet dripping, making pet water fountains, and flavoring the water with flavors cats like such as tuna juice, clam juice, or beef broth. Put a plain water source together with the flavored water in case your cat does not like the flavored water. Increased water intake is considered one of the most essential home remedies for a constipated cat.
Follow a new diet
Food allergies can lead to inflammation of the intestine and constipation. By changing the protein source of the cat food, the inflammation reduces and this allows the intestine to move normally and thus minimize constipation. Adjusting the cat diet is one of the most effective home remedies for a constipated cat.
Hypoallergenic diets and limited ingredient diets can help cats allergic to multiple things.
The diet takes from 8-12 weeks to begin to work. Follow the recommended diet period and mix between the old and the new food as stated on the food package of the cat. Adjusting the cat’s diet is one of the home remedies for a constipated cat.
Increase exercise
Home remedies for a constipated cat include increasing exercise. Exercise can help boost normal intestinal movement, which treats and prevents constipation. Help your cat to be more active by giving her more playtime with you by using cat toys, window seats, and cat trees. Exercise provides enrichment, decreases cat anxiety, and helps in weight loss.
Help your cat keep a healthy weight
Home remedies for a constipated cat include helping your cat get a healthy weight.
Obesity leads to intestinal inflammation, which causes slow movement of the intestine. Too much water is reabsorbed from feces leads to constipation. If your cat has much fat in the belly region, this impacts movement of feces. Your vet can help you find out the need of your cat to lose weight and make a diet plan.
Reduce stress and anxiety
Home remedies for a constipated cat include reducing stress and anxiety. Cats can be stressed and anxious if their routines are ceased. This is due to having a new pet in your house and being jealous, changing in your schedule, or a new dog present in the nearby area in the neighborhood. It takes some time for a cat to adapt to changes.
You can help your cat reduce stress and anxiety by using calming pheromones, herbs, medications, or supplements.
Put more litter boxes
Putting more litter boxes is one of the home remedies for a constipated cat you can use it.
If your cat doesn’t like the position of the litter box or even the type of box, this may lead to constipation. So put more litter boxes at different places in your home. You can ask the experts what the best types of boxes cats like.
Probiotics and fiber
Probiotics and fiber are among the best home remedies for a constipated cat. Probiotics are useful bacteria that make the intestines of the cat healthy, and the movement of the feces is normal. Probiotics also make the cat stool soft, easy to pass, and prevent constipation.
Fiber feeds the valuable bacteria and stimulates the normal movement of the intestine. It also maintains more water in the intestine which prevents constipation.
Fiber has different types that vary between cats. The familiar sources of fiber are:
- Psyllium husks
- Wheat bran
- Canned pumpkin
Canned pumpkin is most often used, but it contains a very
small amount of fiber and lots of sugar, so that it may be ruled out.
There is little difference between people’s and cat’s gastrointestinal tract. So a low-fiber diet can work better than a high-fiber diet. You should comprehend the underlying cause of constipation, so must visit a veterinarian to find out the reason and help treat it.
Observe your cat for constipation
Observe the frequency of the cat excretion and the consistency of the feces initially twice per week, and after that weekly or biweekly.
Over-the-counter laxatives
There are many kinds of laxatives that work differently. Most OTC laxatives pull more water into the intestine, making the stool easy to pass.
OTC laxative drugs may cause dehydration due to pulling water into the intestines, so ask your vet about the good option for your cat.
OTC laxatives are one of the most effective home remedies for a constipated cat.
Drugs that are used in treating constipation in cats, such as Miralax and Colace. Laxatives that are used for people can cause problems in cats. Oil laxatives like laxatone should be used when the vet prescribed it only, and you should avoid long-term use of it because it affects the cat’s ability to absorb nutrients from its food.
Olive oil for a constipated cat
Using olive oil for a constipated cate is safe and effective. It is considered a good lubricant to help pass cat’s stool easily. Don’t force your cat to take olive oil in its mouth, put it in her food. The extra virgin olive oil is a good choice for your cat because it is the puriest form. Give your cat from half to one tablespoon of olive oil. Olive oil has no side effect if taken in infrequent and small doses. But if taken in high doses, it causes diarrhea. Olive oil is one of the simplest home remedies for a constipated cat.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is also considered one of the simplest home remedies for a constipated cat. It acts as the same way of olive oil by lubricating the stool and making it easy to pass.
Treatment of constipation in cats by the vet
If you do all home remedies for a constipated cat and your cat is still straining while defecating, and you notice it is still uncomfortable, you should discuss this with the vet because it indicates a severe disease.
Your veterinarian can give fluids or an enema to your cat for immediate relief of the constipation issue. Administration of enema can be done only by a vet. Don’t make it at home.
The vet only will prescribe the appropriate drugs for your constipated cat. Also, the vet can find the underlying cause of constipation and treat it rather than manage symptoms.
If your cat has long-term constipation, it may have a megacolon. For Megacolon or long-term constipation that does not respond to medications, the vet may remove the affected part of the colon.
Finally, try all home remedies for a constipated cat and consult a vet if necessary.
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