Like humans, cats can get backed up too. This is especially troublesome in an older cat. As cats age, their bodily functions slow down. This sometimes requires the assistance of the pet's parent to keep things moving. The constant grooming of the fur often creates a buildup of hair in the intestinal tract that requires treatment. Whether your cat is young or old, your job requires monitoring the frequency of stools as a way to assess overall health. If you notice frequent hairballs or if your cat is meowing in the cat box, most likely the animal is having trouble passing stools. The fix is simple and effective and addresses both the foods you're feeding your cat as well as treatment options. Below are a number of options for taking care of a constipated cat.
Things You'll Need
- Vegetable oil
- Teaspoon
- Tube of cat laxative
- Tube of cat vitamins
- Cat brush
- Cat comb
Instructions
What to Do for a Constipated Cat?
Provide an ample and clean water supply for your cat every day. Use a ceramic or metal bowl to alleviate smells and to encourage the cat to drink. Proper hydration will benefit your cat in a variety of ways, including providing fluids to pass stools
Give your cat moist cat foods, preferably of the highest quality that you can afford. All natural varieties contain fewer grain fillers. Cats are carnivores and therefore require meat, not grains. Limit dry food intake to a small amount each day as these products contain large amounts of grains, fillers and flours to clump the food into pellets for easy consumption.
Mix 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into your cat's food each day until the animal passes a stool. Once the cat is regular again, you can mix vegetable oil into the food every other day.
Squeeze a half-teaspoon sized amount of cat laxative onto your finger as a treat for your cat. Laxatives are available at the grocery and at your vet. Most cats readily lick the paste off your finger. If your cat is reluctant, mix the laxative into her wet food.
Choose a reputable paste-like cat vitamin and feed this to your cat in his food or from your finger. These vitamins often get the intestinal tract moving, allowing for regular stools. Any age cat benefits from the vitamin supplement as well as the regulation effect from the treatment.
Brush your cat regularly (at least every other day) to remove as much fur as possible. Loose fur clogs the intestines and can result in blockages.