Phraser, I’m not sure if the vet picked up something or not. The first reason my cat was at the vet was a large “clot” of stool just behind his anus. He had stopped defecating and was throwing up because of the “back up”. The doctor didn’t think “manual removal” would work and gave me an option for surgical removal of the last few inches of his intestines. The x-rays show a 3-4 inch piece of stool stopped in his rectum.
That night, not being able to afford the operation, I did it myself (not the operation, the manual removal) using (TMI!! TMI!!) a spoon handle, petroleum jelly and lots of “tough love”. He got better that night and I made sure everything was moving around for the next few months after (this being back in janurary)
Then recently something like what happened before came back. My cat can (and does) defecate right now, but he’s really pushing hard. He’s even laid down trying to expell himself. I’m worried that another “manual removal” might cause an injury to him that will worsen things. He is old after all and in the end, I’d rather he not suffer more than he has to.
And yeah rsa, 18 years is pretty old I believe. He was born feb 28th 1985 when I was 7. I don’t have many friends that old
OK, sounds like your cat may have been obstipated. This is a particularly severe form of constipation.
Reasons this may occur:
In an older cat, nerve damage to the lower bowel means that the cat can’t expel faeces, leading to a buildup, leading to a toxic overload on the system due to the backup (which in turn can cause vomiting, etc). The faeces, having been there for a long time, dry out and are very difficult to remove by any method. Sounds like this is what may have happened in your cat.
There are other reasons this can happen, but none of these fits your cat’s signs.
The treatment is : Surgery to remove the part of bowel that is causing the problem (this would be the operation your vet referred to).
In less severe cases, hospitalisation to go on IV fluids (this helps soften the constipation) followed by an enema or two and then modified diet can be used.
If your cat is starting to get backed up again, I recommend you take him to a sympathetic vet for an enema, and then watch his diet like a hawk. Make sure he drinks plenty of water and eats high fibre food.
I would advise against any kind of manual removal by an untrained person- it is very very easy to perforate the bowel, causing intense pain and death to the cat.
Please, see a vet, for the sake of your cat, before things get worse… a plan for the management of his condition can be worked out.
Well, he’s never needed one basically. When he was an outdoor cat we saw one for all the regular shots etc. But after he became indoor only (we had moved and there is no way for him to go outside) I didn’t believe he’d need to see one.
You’re right phraser. Things are fine now but I want to take care of things before they get bad again. I’ll see what the vet recommends in terms of food and care. My cat is very anti-vet so if my next few posts after wednesday don’t come quickly, it’s probably because my cat has take a few inches of fingers
BTW, is there anything else that you’d recommend in terms of non-related care? Just so I’m not suprised by a $500 visit? Should I get complete vacinations? Blood work for diabeties? Anything like that? The last vet didn’t mention any of these things but I’ve sorta wondered.
Mice are too quick for my old kitty. Although in his youth we’d have wonderful gifts of dead or twitching mice around the house. He probably ate a few as well but I couldn’t tell.
The last mouse he “played” with ended up in my shoe.
I have a cat with a similar problem. He’s about 8 years old. Stool seems to collect in his rectum and build up, eventually forming a large, hard blockage that he can’t pass. The first time I took him to the vet with the problem, he did x-rays and tests to make sure there wasn’t anything like a foreign object or cancer or anything. Then he gave the cat an enema and worked the blockage out (with his finger, which he didn’t really need to tell me).
We’ve been feeding him Hill’s Prescription Diet w/d, and still have had to take him in a couple of time since then over the last couple years. There have been a few times when he has gotten blocked and was able to work it out himself, and there have been a few times when he just couldn’t get it out. The second time, we took home a couple of enemas to give him ourselves, but didn’t notice that he was blocked up soon enough to be able to help him with just an enema, and I was sticking my finger in there, so he went back to the vet. After that, the vet gave us stool softeners. We haven’t had any more trouble for a couple months.
Our vet said this is not an uncommon thing with cats. He said he sees some cats in every couple of weeks to get flushed out. You may want to consult another vet and ask about the enema. I’d hate to put a cat that old through surgery, even if money wasn’t an issue.
badmana: ask a vet when you see one if anything like blood tests/vaccinations are necessary.
Blood tests: probably not as long as he’s eating and drinking amounts which are normal for him, and isn’t having any surgery or drugs which might compromise liver or kidneys. If you’re really concerned about diabetes, you can do a dipstick test on urine.
Vaccinations: latest literature seems to recommend that if your cat has a good solid vaccination history then it probably doesn’t need to be done every year. Talk to the vet.
A good vet can go through all this stuff with you and explain all the options. Don’t leave til you’re satisfied, especially since the problem will probably require long term management, and you need someone you can work with.
An aside- it’s polite to tell the vet (if you’re seeing a new one) if the cat was previously under the care of another vet for the condition you’re there for. It’s a professional courtesy thing for the previous and current vet.
Hope your kitty gets things worked out ok!
(sorry bad pun )
