cat poop

Cat Constipated???

Diane Weinmann Animal Health, animal hospice, healing your pet , , , , , ,

Cat Constipated???

By Dr. Karen Becker

 

Just like us, our feline friends can suffer from constipation. In some kitties it happens just once in a while; for others it can become a persistent problem.

When stool stays in the colon too long, it becomes dry, hard, and difficult to pass. Left untreated, chronic constipation can lead to megacolon, a terrible condition in which the large intestine stretches so much it can no longer do its job effectively.

How to Tell if Your Cat Is Constipated

Your kitty should poop at least once every day because it’s an important part of the body’s natural detoxification process.

Your cat is constipated when he either has difficulty pooping (and the stool he produces is dry and hard), or he isn’t pooping at all. This is why it’s so important to keep an eye on kitty’s daily “output.” The quantity, color, texture, and smell, along with the presence of mucus or blood, are all indicators of his general well-being.

Often, what passes from (or in the case of constipation, doesn’t pass from) your pet’s body is the first sign of a health problem, so you should regularly monitor your cats litterbox and familiarize yourself with what “normal” looks like for your kitty.

Your cat’s stools should be brown, formed, and soft enough that litter sticks to them. If your kitty isn’t going daily or his stools are so hard and dry that litter doesn’t stick to them, he could be constipated. And keep in mind most constipated cats will never show overt signs of a problem. In fact, some suffer their entire lives and their humans don’t realize it because they aren’t aware of the more subtle signs of chronic constipation.

Left untreated, a constipated cat may begin to vomit intermittently, lose his appetite, and start dropping weight. He may seem lethargic. Don’t let the problem progress to this point before you take action.

Potential Causes of Feline Constipation

Often, constipation in cats is simply the result of inadequate water consumption or lack of dietary fiber. But sometimes the situation is more complicated, involving an obstruction inside the colon or a problem in the pelvic cavity, such as a tumor that interferes with bowel function.

If you actually saw your cat swallow something that could cause an obstruction, get veterinary help right away as this situation can rapidly progress to a very serious and even fatal problem.

Intact males, especially if they’re older, can develop enlarged prostates that compress the bowel, creating very thin stools or even an obstruction. This problem can usually be resolved by having your male cat neutered.

Hernias in the rectum are another obstruction that can cause constipation. The hernia bulges into the rectum, closing off passage of stool. Hernias usually require surgery to repair.

Constipation can also be the result of a neuromuscular problem or a disease like hypothyroidism or hypercalcemia. Some kitties have insufficient muscle tone or neuromuscular disorders that impede the body’s ability to efficiently move waste through the colon.

Other causes of constipation can include infected or cancerous anal glands, or a hip or pelvic injury that makes pooping painful, the effects of surgery, certain medications, iron supplements, and stress.

Hands Down, the Most Common Reason for Kitty Constipation

With all the above said, when it comes to constipation in cats, by far the most common cause is inadequate fluid intake. Your kitty’s natural prey (e.g., mice) contains 70% to 75% water, and felines are designed to get most of the water their bodies need from their diet.

Cats fed exclusively kibble are getting only a very small amount (10% to 12%) of the moisture their bodies need, and unlike dogs and other animals, they won’t make up the difference at the water bowl due to their “underactive” thirst drive. So, these cats are chronically dehydrated, which causes constipation.

The lack of moisture causes stool in the colon to turn dry, hard and painful to pass; it also causes the kidneys to become stressed. If your cat happens to be overweight and not getting enough exercise, the problem is exacerbated. Physical activity stimulates rhythmic muscle contractions (peristalsis) in the colon, which helps move things through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Unfortunately, many housecats have lifestyles that involve eating too much of the wrong type of food and moving too little. Swallowing fur during grooming can further slow the transit time of waste through the colon, especially in cats fed dry diets who are also not getting adequate exercise.

How to Help a Constipated Cat

Assuming your kitty is in otherwise good health, there are several things you can do to help solve her constipation issues.

  1. If you’re feeding kibble, I strongly encourage you to switch to a moisture-rich, nutritionally optimal, species-specific diet. It’s always the first thing I recommend, especially for cats with any sort of digestive issue. At a minimum, transition from dry food to canned food, which will automatically increase the moisture in your cat’s system.
  2. If you make your own food, be absolutely sure your kitty’s diet is nutritionally balanced. Many of the homemade recipes I’ve analyzed have two to three times the upper safe limits of calcium levels recommended for pets, which will lead to constipation, among many other things. Recipes to try.
  3. Make sure your cat has access to clean, fresh, filtered drinking water at all times. Place a few stainless steel or Pyrex glass bowls around the house in areas she frequents. Avoid plastic water bowls, which can make the water taste unpleasant. You might also want to consider purchasing a pet water fountain to replace your cat’s water bowl, since many kitties will drink more from a moving water source. If she still isn’t drinking enough, consider adding bone broth to her food to increase the moisture content in her diet.
  4. Offer bone broth, in addition to water. Broths are an excellent way to entice cats to drink more. Add a bowl of warm broth beside her regular food on a daily basis. Here’s a recipe for homemade bone broth.
  5. Cats need to move their bodies through play and exercise. Movement also helps stool move through the colon. Regular physical activity can help prevent or remedy constipation.
  6. Add digestive enzymes and probiotics to your pet’s meals. Both these supplements will help with maldigestion, which is often the cause of both occasional constipation and diarrhea.
  7. If your cat lived in the wild, his natural prey would provide ample fiber in the form of fur, feathers and predigested gut contents. Needless to say, domesticated pets don’t get a lot of these things in their meals! Good replacement options for your feline companion include:
Psyllium husk powder — 1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight 1-2 times daily on food Ground dark green leafy veggies — 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight 1-2 times daily with food
Coconut oil — 1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight 1-2 times daily Canned 100 percent pumpkin — 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight 1-2 times daily on food
Aloe juice (not the topical gel) — 1/4 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight 1-2 times daily on food Acacia fiber — 1/8 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight 1-2 times daily as prebiotic fiber
  1. Chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage can also be very beneficial in helping to alleviate chronic constipation in pets.

Please note these recommendations are for cats experiencing a minor, temporary bout of constipation. If your kitty’s condition is not resolving or seems chronic, or if you aren’t sure of the cause, make an appointment with your veterinarian.

 

Feline inappropriate elimination

Diane Weinmann Animal Health , , , , , , ,

Feline inappropriate elimination

By Dr. Karen Shaw Becker and comments by Diane Weinmann

Feline inappropriate elimination — a fancy name for those times when kitty pees (or poops) outside the litterbox — accounts for about half of all reported behavior problems in cats. Sadly, it’s the reason pet owners give most often when they relinquish their kitty to an animal shelter. According to Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a professor at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and founder of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic:

“It is a cold, hard fact that cats who fail to use the litter box once a week are four times more likely to be relinquished; if they eliminate outside the litter box daily, these odds increase to over 28:1. About 4 percent of cats urinate outside the litter box weekly, and 1 percent eliminate outside the litter box daily.”1

Cats relieve themselves outside the litterbox for a number of reasons, some having to do with natural feline tendencies, and others involving their environment. Often there are both natural and situational factors underlying a problem with inappropriate elimination. The three main causes for feline inappropriate elimination are:

1.    A medical problem

2.    Urine marking

3.    Aversion to the litterbox

Estimates are that 10 to 24 percent of all kitties have an inappropriate elimination problem at some point in their lives.

Medical Conditions That Can Cause Inappropriate Elimination

If your cat suddenly forgets her manners and starts either peeing or pooping outside the litterbox — especially if she starts using the bathtub or a sink instead —the first thing I recommend is a visit to your veterinarian. There are a number of medical conditions that can contribute to inappropriate elimination, including feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), urinary tract infection, cystitis, obstruction of the urethra, diabetes, cognitive dysfunction and hyperthyroidism.

Diagnosing and treating an underlying medical condition is extremely important to your kitty’s health and to resolving inappropriate elimination behavior. Your veterinarian will perform a physical exam, and order a complete blood count, a blood chemistry profile, a urinalysis and check the thyroid if your cat is older. If the problem involves pooping outside the box, a fecal sample will be taken.

If your cat gets a clean bill of health from the vet but is a senior or geriatric kitty, it’s possible the aging process is causing changes in her elimination habits. For example, does she have to climb stairs to get to the litterbox? Is the box easy for her to get into and out of? It can be challenging to determine if a cat is uncomfortable or in pain. If your older cat is otherwise healthy but could be experiencing joint pain, make sure you’re doing all you can to make it easy for her to use her litterbox.

Urine Marking

Urine marking can be hormonally driven, but it’s most often the result of a natural system of feline communication, or stress. Both male and female cats spray, as do both neutered and intact cats. However, neutered cats spray less, and neutering can reduce or eliminate spraying in some cases.

Kitties who urine-mark generally use the litterbox normally, but also perform marking behaviors. Some cats do both house soiling and urine marking, but it’s easy to tell the difference between the two once you know what to look for.

Urine marking, when it takes the form of spraying, typically happens on vertical surfaces. However, some cats urine-mark on horizontal surfaces, which can make it more difficult to determine whether you have a marking problem or a house-soiling problem. Where your cat marks is of primary significance. Generally speaking:

·         If he marks under windows or on baseboards, he may perceive a threat from animals outside, usually other cats

·         If he marks on or near furniture or doors inside your home, he might be having problems with other cats in the household

·         If your cat marks personal belongings, such as clothes, bed linens, a favorite chair or a computer keyboard, he’s probably experiencing some anxiety about the human who owns those things

Other places cats are known to urine-mark are on shopping bags just coming into the house, heating registers and household appliances.

Resolving urine marking involves identifying and addressing the source of your kitty’s stress. When did the marking begin, and what was happening in your cat’s environment at that time? Just as cats favor certain scratching surfaces, they also return to the same spot to urine-mark. You’ll need to use an enzyme-based product for cleanups to remove stains and odor.

You might also want to spray a synthetic pheromone like Feliway on kitty’s favorite marking spots. Cats also “mark” by rubbing their cheeks against objects (for example, the top of their human’s head), and Feliway may encourage your cat to mark with his cheeks instead of his urine.

It’s important to note that urine marking can be difficult to manage, as often the root cause, if determined, can’t be resolved completely. And sometimes despite addressing all possibilities, cats still mark. 

One option is talking to an animal communicator, like Diane Weinmann to understand the underlying problems your kitty has.

Litterbox Aversion

Cats who are happy with their bathrooms behave more or less like this:

·         Approach and jump or climb into the box without hesitating

·         Take a little time to poke around and choose a good spot

·         Dig a hole

·         Turn around and do their business

·         Inspect the result and then cover it up with litter

Cats who are developing a litterbox aversion may approach it tentatively. They may balance on the side of the box or put only two feet in. They may actually use the litter, but immediately leap from the box when finished. Worst case they may walk to the box, sniff at it, turn, walk away — and eliminate elsewhere. Pooping outside the box, but very close to it, is almost always a litterbox aversion problem.

Your cat can decide she doesn’t like her litterbox for any number of reasons. Perhaps it isn’t being cleaned frequently, or not frequently enough for her comfort. Maybe she’s sensitive to a chemical used to clean the box, or perhaps she’s not fond of a box with a hood. The box may be in a noisy or high-traffic location, or where another pet in the household can trap her in there.

Tackling Kitty’s Litterbox Aversion

• Extra boxes for multi-cat households. If you have multiple cats, you may need to add more boxes. The general guideline is one box per cat, and one extra.

• Litter preference. It could be kitty doesn’t like the type of litter in the box, or it’s not deep enough (4 inches is recommended). You can discover your pet’s litter preference by buying the smallest amount available of several kinds of litter, and several inexpensive litterboxes. Place the boxes with different litters side by side and see which box gets used most often.

Studies on the types of litter cats prefer show they are quite particular about particle size. The cat’s evolutionary substrate, for potty purposes, is sand. When kitties started living indoors, clay litter came along and most cats were okay with it. But clay has its own issues, as do corn- and wheat-based litters.

These days, there’s a wide selection of organic and natural types of litters on the market, but many of them feature big particle sizes, which don’t appeal to most cats. Kitties also don’t like synthetic scents or odor control additives in their litter. The litter I use for my own cats is our own Biocharged Kitty Litter made with organic biochar. Biochar has a large surface area and is a recalcitrant, which means the charcoal itself holds onto things such as water and smells.

Our litter has incredible clumping properties, which means it lasts longer and there’s less total wetness and mess. It’s also 100 percent biodegradable and compostable. And it’s entirely fragrance-free, because the carbon helps to lock in odors.

• Litterbox location. Find locations for litterboxes that are somewhat out of the way, and away from noisy household machinery and appliances. Choose warm locations in the house rather than the basement or garage. And make sure boxes aren’t close to kitty’s food or water bowls.

• Litterbox cleanliness. Boxes should be kept scrupulously clean. They should be scooped at least once a day and more often if you’re dealing with a potential litterbox aversion situation. Dump all the used litter every two to four weeks (I recommend every two weeks, minimum), sanitize the box with soap and warm water (no chemicals), dry thoroughly and add fresh litter. Plastic litterboxes should be replaced every year or two.

To review, litter box aversion can usually be resolved by:

·         Determining the type of litter and litter box your kitty prefers

·         Using the right amount of litter (4 inches, minimum, at all times)

·         Keeping the boxes scooped, and doing a thorough cleaning at least every two weeks

·         Having enough boxes and locating them in safe, easy-to-access locations

Diane has encountered many litter box issues in her 20 years as an animal communicator.  Many litterbox problems are related to changes in the household, cleanliness and actual litter preference.  Please note that sometimes cats change their mind about the preference of litter they like so the tried and true litter you’ve used for years may not cut it any longer.  Contact Diane at Dianefortheloveofanimals@yahoo.com to schedule an animal communication session.

 

Here’s the Scoop on Cat Poop

Diane Weinmann Animal Health, animal hospice , , ,

Here’s the Scoop on Cat Poop

 By Cheryl Lock

While most cat owners are on the lookout for litter box problems, they may not be paying close enough attention to what’s going on inside the box. As unappealing as it may sound, keeping an eye on your cat’s poop can provide an important window into his health.

By knowing what a healthy bowel movement is supposed to look like, you can notice when something isn’t quite right with your kitty, and figure out what to do about it.

What Cat Poop Reveals About Overall Health

Just like for humans, your cat’s feces can be a predictor of important things going on inside his body. For example, a cat with abnormal feces may be suffering from a digestive disorder or liver or kidney disease, says Dr. Alan Schwartz of Compassion Veterinary Health Center in Poughkeepsie, New York. “In a relatively normal cat, [problems with bowel movements] can also be a sign of a sensitivity to the diet offered, as well as parasites,” he adds.

Many times, when cats start to show signs of kidney disease, they become dehydrated, which causes them to have hard stools, says Dr. M. Duffy Jones of Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. “This can lead to constipation, but also should tip you off to get some blood work run to see if there is early kidney disease.” Of course, constipation can have other causes as well, including anything else that leads to dehydration, intestinal blockages, dirty litter boxes, inactivity, neurologic disorders, painful defecation, and the use of some types of drugs.

Diarrhea can also indicate intestinal upset and inflammation, Jones adds, so it’s important to get it checked out. “It can be caused by anything from worms to things stuck in the intestines,” and many other potential problems, he says.

abrupt change in your cat’s diet will almost always cause a change in stool, Schwartz says. Diet changes can temporarily affect the smell, color, and quality of your cat’s poop, notes Dr. Mark Waldrop of the Nashville Cat Clinic. If your cat is otherwise healthy, however, these symptoms should resolve within three to five days. “While your cat’s feces will never smell like roses, a notable worsening in smell should be evaluated, as it can be a symptom of intestinal disease,” Waldrop stresses.

Frequency of Your Cat’s Bowel Movements

 

“Cats are all different as far as regularity, but most will have once daily bowel movements,” Schwartz says.

As cats age, however, they may have less frequent bowel movements, Waldrop says. “You may even see times when they skip a day.”

But if your cat goes more than two days without stool production, it’s best to call your vet. When cats are constipated, “they will strain or take an inordinately long time in the box, or frequent the box with no stool produced,” Schwartz says.

On the other hand, too much stool can also indicate something is wrong. If your cat consistently has more than two bowel movements a day, you should consult with your vet, Waldrop says.

Color of Your Cat’s Poop

Under normal circumstances, a cat’s stool is dark brown, Waldrop says. “Black is consistent with digested blood in the stool, especially if it’s shiny and looks like road tar,” he describes. Tan or light brown can be an indication of liver or pancreatic issues, he says, but diets high in fiber will also produce a lighter-colored stool.

If you notice blood in your pet’s stool, make an appointment to see your veterinarian, Schwartz advises, as that can be a sign of a potentially serious problem and provide a route for bacteria to enter your cat’s bloodstream.

Pet parents should also call their vet if they notice mucus in the stool. Your cat’s poop should not have any coating, Waldrop adds. “If you find coating on the stool, it could be an indication of colitis.”

Consistency of Your Cat’s Poop

To know what loose or hard stool looks like, you’ll first need to know what regular, healthy stool looks like. The ideal stool should be firm (but not rock hard) and shaped like a log, a nugget, or a combination of the two, Waldrop says.

 

Keep in mind that the ancestors of domestic cats were desert dwelling creatures. As such, their colons are very effective at removing moisture from the stool, which means it’s normal for their stool to be firm, Waldrop says. “I have a lot of clients bring in normal stool for analysis thinking their cat is constipated,” he says.

Anything that is not formed (i.e., soupy or soft stool) is considered diarrhea, Waldrop says. “Whether it’s liquid or pasty, it’s abnormal and should be evaluated.”

Schwartz notes that it’s important to keep an eye on the consistency of your cat’s stools, especially since cats are prone to inflammatory bowel disease, which is a relatively common cause of diarrhea.

Content of Your Cat’s Poop

“Hair is the most common item noticed in stool, and if it’s not excessive, then this is totally normal,” Waldrop says. If you find large amounts of hair in your cat’s poop, it can be an indication that the cat is over-grooming, he explains, which can be associated with anxiety, itchy skin, or diseases causing excessive shedding.

Tapeworms may also be seen in your cat’s poop, Waldrop says. “They are shiny, white, and about the size of rice,” he describes. “They may also be moving.” Most other intestinal parasites are not visible in the feces.

Other things to watch out for include pieces of cat toys or other household items, such as thread or dental floss. “Some cats are chewers, and if you see these kinds of things in your cat’s stool, you will really need to keep those items out of your cat’s reach, as they can potentially lead to an obstruction,” Waldrop says.

If you notice any of these objects in your cat’s stool, make an appointment with your veterinarian.

What to Do About Cat Poop Issues

As a rule of thumb, never try a home remedy for your cat’s poop issues—or for any malady—without first checking in with your veterinarian, Schwartz says. “Cats are very particular with their sensitivity and tolerance to over-the-counter medicines,” he says.

In addition, it’s always important to make sure your cat has access to fresh water and is drinking enough of it, he says. “Elderly cats are commonly dehydrated because they tend to drink less,” and are prone to diseases that increase their water intake needs.

Jones reminds pet parents to relate their cat’s stools with how the cat is acting. “If your cat is lethargic and the stools change, that is cause for concern,” he says. “If the cat is normal and the stools change, normally I will give them a little time and look for other clinical signs of disease.”