# Help my cat poop **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 22, 2021, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094 "2021-07-22T22:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/1 "2021-07-22T22:09:26Z")
Hi. So my cat gets constipated quite a bit and, surprisingly, the vet didn’t ask to see her, (she’s hard to deal with,) but did recommend MiraLAX. 8 oz of water and 17 grams of the poop powder. The problem is… the kitty sticks her nose up to any food that isn’t dry cat food. I tried everything from baby food to tuna, she doesn’t dig it. The vet suggested sardines. She hates it. Doesn’t want anything to do with it. The ONLY thing I ever saw her eat other than her crunchies was blueberrie muffin. I tried to forcefully give it to her, with not the best results. She can be pretty cray-cray. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated by my little stinker. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/2 "2021-07-22T22:18:07Z")
You just haven’t left the cat without food long enough yet. Continue to provide the food that you wish the cat would eat, and nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/3 "2021-07-22T22:33:38Z")
Our vet also recommended MiraLAX for our constipated kitty: ⅛ teaspoon stirred into his moist food. I wonder what would happen if you tried putting ⅛ teaspoon on your kitty’s dry food. If that fraction doesn’t render for you, it’s 1/8. ---
**Author:** ![PB\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6de8d8/32.png) [@PB\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PB_J)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/4 "2021-07-22T22:59:46Z")
Do you think you could try putting the miralax directly into the cat’s drinking water? I gave 2 cats Miralax, and it must be tasteless because I just added it to wet food. Oh, there is a wet food that most cats cannot resist. It’s Hill’s prescription A/D. It’s for cats with no appetite. You might ask your vet to sell you a can and try just a teaspoon at a time, with miralax in it. Cat’s can be soooooo fussy! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/5 "2021-07-22T23:06:54Z")
My former cat (ca. 2000-March 2018) had a full colon per the vet, and she recommended putting Miralax in his water. I put 1/8 teaspoonful in the shared water bowl (I still have his “sister”, and still do this for her because she’s getting up there in cat years herself) and I also got some empty capsules, filled them with the powder, and pilled him with them a couple times a day. It didn’t take long for him to start backing up and running away when I walked into the room, but in any case, a couple days after I started doing this, I found something in the box that sure didn’t look like it could have been produced by a cat. If things get REALLY desperate, the vet may resort to this, which I wouldn’t recommend on a full-sized cat without full body armor. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/odi6cRoBnUI/maxresdefault.jpg "Tiny Constipated Kitten Gets an Enema...and Has a HUGE POOP!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odi6cRoBnUI) ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/6 "2021-07-22T23:56:29Z")
My senior kitty (she passed a few months ago, 16 years old) fought megacolon (and bad kidneys) for at least a year and the key was weaning her off of dry cat food. They only way to do it was eliminate the dry cat food for all the cats in the house and not have any out at all. They didn’t have a choice if they wanted to eat. I started by offering wet food with about a dozen pieces of kibble on top, then mixing the kibble into the food and then finally eliminating it completely. I also added a teaspoon or so of water rinsed in the food can to make some extra gravy. Once she started eating the wet food I was able to sprinkle the MiraLAX on top and she ate it all no problem. I have 4 other cats and dry food has been mostly banned from the house. Their primary diet is wet food and even when I treat them with the kibble, it with water added to soften it. Kind of like cereal in milk for them. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/7 "2021-07-23T02:54:31Z")
One addition to canned wet food that our cat really loves is liver. Just a teaspoonful mixed in gets him very interested. Here’s a website with tips and tricks on getting cats to transition to wet food: > **[Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy...](https://catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_)** > > A veterinarian explains the basics on properly feed cats which are strict carnivores, and the link between a poor quality diet and common diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/8 "2021-07-23T03:04:10Z")
> [@PB\_J](#): > > Do you think you could try putting the miralax directly into the cat’s drinking water? That’s apparently what the OP has been doing. > [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > 8 oz of water and 17 grams of the poop powder. We have three kitties and only one has chronic constipation, we don’t want all give all three the laxative. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/9 "2021-07-23T05:47:02Z")
When I had to give my cat three chemo pills a day, I pulverized the pills and mixed them with some condensed milk. In fact, one of the side effects of all this was semi-loose stools. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/10 "2021-07-23T05:54:42Z")
Trying to get a cat to do something he doesn’t want to do, eh? May the lord have mercy on you. My secret weapon is this hairball paw gel. My cat loves the taste of it and will mostly eat anything I smear it on. Your feline may vary. > **[NUTRI-VET Chicken Flavored Gel Hairball Control Supplement for Cats, 3-oz...](https://www.chewy.com/nutri-vet-chicken-flavored-gel/dp/46038?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Nutri-Vet&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjwruSHBhAtEiwA_qCppl8btkW3BxSV7sk6qN_3mVGeCMXebIbKiF7zsaDhkk2RX-fdL0IcmRoCh9MQAvD_BwE)** > > Buy Nutri-Vet Chicken Flavored Gel Hairball Control Supplement for Cats, 3-oz bottle at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/11 "2021-07-23T15:40:41Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > So my cat gets constipated quite a bit > … > The problem is… the kitty sticks her nose up to any food that isn’t dry cat food. Does she have a water fountain to drink out of? If not, I recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/12 "2021-07-23T17:37:29Z")
Thank you all for your suggestions. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Does she have a water fountain to drink out of? If not, I recommend it. She drinks from a dish. Why do you recommend a fountain? She is the only stink-bag I have currently. Thanks to everyone for the valuable information and links! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/13 "2021-07-23T17:50:56Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > She drinks from a dish. Why do you recommend a fountain? From both personal experience and things I’ve read, I know many cats prefer drinking running water to still water. A fountain can encourage a cat to drink more, which is especially important if they only eat dry food. My WAG is that your cat’s constipation issues might be at least partially caused by not getting enough water. I base this on the anecdotal fact that, one of the few times my own cat was suffering from constipation, I discovered that her drinking fountain hadn’t been reassembled correctly the last time I cleaned it and she hadn’t been able to drink from it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/14 "2021-07-23T18:09:18Z")
I’ve added a fountain for the cats. The other thing I recommend is having water in multiple locations. For (cat) reasons, it was too hard for the cats to walk down the hallway to the water bowl. I’ve added a water bowl at the base of the cat tree, and one in the kitchen. The fountain is near their food bowls. They are definitely drinking more, which is a good thing. They’re all officially “senior” now, and I worry about their kidneys. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/15 "2021-07-23T19:04:21Z")
Good tips! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/16 "2021-07-24T14:22:39Z")
17 g in 8 oz water? That’s an adult HUMAN dose! Please verify with vet! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/17 "2021-07-24T17:17:18Z")
A few years ago one of my cats developed diabetes and after doing some research and talking to my friend the vet I discovered that basically all dry cat foods have way too much carbohydrate in them for cats and also that they’re treated with all sorts of palatability formulas to make them basically as addictive as crack. So I threw out all the dry food and put both cats onto pate style wet food only. They were a bit fussy about it at first, mostly because I could institute portion control by only feeding them the correct amount at defined times rather than having them just snack constantly but they adapted. The diabetic cat lost weight (which he definitely needed to do) and one of the happy side effects was that scooping the cat box became a much less horrific chore. The big diabetic cat especially was in the habit of crapping a couple times a day and he produced giant poops that were incredibly stinky. Now both cats produce nice small poops (because of not having to get rid of all that fiberous filler in the dry food) and they have almost no smell at all. I will never go back to free feeding dry cat food, that stuff is awful. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/18 "2021-07-25T02:49:06Z")
Thank you for the reminder. I need to switch mine. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/19 "2021-07-25T18:59:32Z")
Thanks for the heads up. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094/20 "2021-07-25T19:17:20Z")
I’ll make the switch. I’ll have to get a a feeder with a timer on it. Thanks for the help. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-cat-poop/947094.md?page=2)