Kitty is listless, and way behind schedule (10 hours) on pooping.
The last production was both skinny and too short - and that was with Vaseline*.
I’ve tried cooking oil on food (she won’t touch it). She did go for greens, and wolfed down the “indoor” Friskies which is supposed to contain the equivalent of “greens”.
I ended up putting a 1/4 tsp of oil on her paw (last night). Frankly, she got the Vaseline off better than she has the corn oil.
I have also massaged her stomach and intestines. She seems to appreciate the help.
This is a 6 yr old, 14 pound Maine Coon (spayed female).
Ideas before resorting to petroleum jelly?
yeah, I know it is now considered animal abuse, but, dammit, it WORKS!
The vet. This is possibly a sign of a health issue but even if it isn’t, the vet is the place for a constipated cat. Don’t try to handle it yourself. Especially don’t try forcing any kind of oil as they can aspirate it.
Question - have you consulted a vet? Does she have a history of trouble in this area? Why are you concerned?
Is she feverish? Stopped intestines in cats can lead to very bad things, like infection. Just like people. If you suspect a fever, get her to a vet, now.
Listless behavior after 10 hours without a bowel movement seems a bit extreme. On the other hand, maybe it’s hot there and she doesn’t feel like it today.
Make sure she has access to water. Offer her food. If she is interested in one or both, those are likely good signs. Don’t force her to take either. If she stops eating or drinking, consult a vet.
Overall, without more information it’s hard to know how serious this is. If it’s not serious, don’t force her and don’t worry about it. If it is serious, she needs a vet.
Vet first, then discuss ongoing care. Weight loss may be part of it. Fiber supplement may also be part of it. Canned diet can help, with water added. But vet first. “Oil” is not a treatment for constipation. For anyone. If she’s dehydrated, that will contribute to the problem and vaseline will not make it better next week, next month, etc.
A Vet, as suggested, above. He/She will probably prescribe something like a stool softener, which can be purchased OTC at any pharmacy, but you’ll have to cut the pill and probably grind it up and mix it with the cat’s food. But the fastest way is to take the cat to a vet soon.
Sje continues to drink and eat (there are 3 flavors of kibble open fed, and canned 2x daily…
She is not dehydrated - the pinch test is fine.
There are no indications of circulatory or respiration problems (I’m old, know cats).
Just constipated. She was playing with one of her (play) mice last night, and keeping guard at the screen (very territorial little bitch). One she was after was a real heartbreaker - solid, shiny black coat and emerald green eyes. She almost got traded right then. Just Kidding.
She began life as a “kept stray”/“indoor-outdoor”. Her first owner died on her and I got to talking with the relatives. She wandered by just in time to be the topic. The relatives were full-up with cats, and they were debating taking her to the pound or letting her wander and maybe get adopted by a new person.
I came home with a cat.
Which is to say: I know nothing of her medical care. She has never worn a collar (and I doubt she’d want one) and, given the previous owner’s financial condition, I really doubt she has a chip.
Any way to tell without a scanner? Where are they placed?
By the time she got comfty enough to let me hold her, she weighed 7 pounds. I thought she was 3/4+ grown. I did not know of Maine Coons and their size.
She has 2 water fountains - she hated still water, but would drink from the lavy faucet - so I picked up fountain when she outgrew the lavy.
How long have you had her? Have you ever taken her to a vet? If not, this would be a good time to start. If there’s a vet near you that has regular appointments as well as 24/7 emergency service, I would recommend checking them out - my vet’s office is that way and it’s nice not having to worry about where to go in case of an emergency.
Also, a vet should be able to scan her for a microchip.
Try putting a little bit of tuna juice or kitten formula in the water, to make sure she is drinking. Go around the house and make sure there isn’t anything she has gotten into.
If you are not running AC at a high speed (that is, low temp), she may not be eating much.
10 hours without a poop is not long, but listless behavior is worrisome. If she were behaving normally, I would say not to worry, but behavior is always an early warning sign with cats. If you are very preoccupied with worry, just go to the vet. The money is worth it to put your mind at ease.
Maybe try something like Petromalt from the pet store? My cats actually like this, and I hold them like babies taking a bottle while they lick the tube. They get it pretty infrequently, but every now and then, one has they dry heaves, so I give a dose.
If the litter box is still clean tomorrow morning, she goles to the vet as soon as possible. The carrier is out and she seems to be comfty with it.
She’s been here 5 years. When excess money was available, my teeth came before cat. She has not seen a vet in that time. I suspect the spay was done by the shelter as part of an adoption.
Maine coons are big cats. The smallest one of my acquaintance, a female, is tiny at only about 8 to 9 lbs. Our guy is only the small side for a male being only 13 or 14lbs. They grow slowly too - Shamus wasn’t full size until he was four years old, which is about average.
I use tuna in oil - and she turns up her nose at it.
There are two flavors of Friskies canned she likes and a couple of more she’ll take as a break in routine.
She will not take milk (whole) or butter.
I will offer her the remains of my (frozen/nuked) dinner - she is not interested in anything.
A weird cat when it comes to food.
At bedtime she will crouch as if stalking me and then spring and dash down the hall and into the room.
She hasn’t down that in at least 4 days.
Yes, it’s hot here - pushing 100. The house gets cooled to 77 daytime, and the place is aired out overnight (60-ish).
I’ve never noticed a break in her stalk/ponce routine before.
I’m dissolving (trying) a 100 mg capsule of docusate (stool softener) in 15mg of water.
If it will dissolve, it will get added to her night canned food.
This is a water-attractant which sucks water into the colon, breaking down and lubing the feces.
I bought it for myself last year. Kitty needs it more than I.
Yes, it is recommended for cats at 50 mg/day, If she eats half of her canned food, she is hungry. I put 2x the cat food in the garbage disposal as in the damned cat.
Oh, man. I had a cat who had to take antibiotics once. The only thing that worked was to mix it with Alfredo sauce and smear it on his belly. That was Joey. He feared no dog nor person, but medicine was not his friend.
I once had a sweet, black cat named Irene Dunne. I could give her a pill with one hand. There has never been another like her.
My OTHER dog (15 lbs) finished up a portion of takeout miso eggplant last night. I was nervous because of the bits of hot peppers and scallion in the sauce.
Sure enough, in the middle of the night, instead of pawing my face to go outside, she took a messy diarrheal shit on a rag rug.
So. Miso eggplant for your cat. Would a cat eat eggplant, I wonder?
She owed me a poop yesterday, and, at minimum, a piss waiting for me this morning.
Nothing on either front. She did just take a decent drink and ate some canned.
Never before have I so desperately wanted to find a secret pile of kitty crap.
She has a 2:00 with a vet.
I’ve been looking at diagrams and dissections of cat innards - bizarre, compared to human. The small intestine is SHORT - that stomach must be a frigging In-Sink-Er-A-Tor to take a critter, fur included, and get it broken down so well that all nutrients can be extracted that quickly.
She didn’t even wake up when I opened the sliding door in the bedroom - usually she is there within 20 seconds - and that is when she is in the other end of the house. Her eyes have also lost liveliness.
Just got a call from “Neptune Society” - “we will be on your street today, anyway (suuuuure you will) - when can we come by?”
“You don’t operate an office I could come in if I wanted to chat?”
“Yes, but then you wouldn’t get the discounts!”
I will have to remember to call the Neptune Society and see if this boiler room operation is one of theirs. If it is, I will look for some other burn-and-scatter.