Constipated Cat

Hi everyone,
I have a cat that is approx. 10 1/2 years old. Within the last few years, every single time we leave him for longer than a few days, he develops gastro problems within 24-48 hours of our returning to him. We leave PLENTY of fresh water and food for him. His gastro problems include: constipation, vominting and watery stools. When he develops constipation I have to disimpact him (carefully) and use baby laxatives on him. After this phase (which lasts for about 24 hours) he is fine. He doesn't develop these problems as long as we are home. Our family has recently discovered the joy of camping and are hoping we can continue enjoying this. However, we do not like how this impacts our "baby" and are willing to put any trips on hold or just make them overnight trips. :love: Any idea why he does this? And how can we help him?

every single time we leave him for longer than a few daysI find this quote very upsetting. MORE than a few days alone? I'd be very upset if I was your kitty and you did that to me. Can't you find a kennel or a relative to take the kitty while you go away for prolonged periods of time? Dogs and cats are pack animals and get upset when they are alone. I don't think it's fair to this kitty, especially at his age to leave him hanging like that. JMO.

few days as in 3 or less days. I don't think a kennel is a good idea for him. Wow, I was looking for advice was not expected to be attacked and called a bad pet owner. :mad:

I'm not calling you a bad pet owner. I'm saying if I was your cat, I would be upset if I was left alone for longer than 3 days (you said "more than a few", right?) and that would certainly cause some medical reaction. I merely suggested a way to avoid leaving him alone for that long. I answered these:
Any idea why he does this? And how can we help him?

It would seem that he's stressing big time, and while 10 1/2 is relatively middle aged for a cat, he's going to be far more susceptible in his later years to changes like that. I would recommend having a trusted friend or neighbor or family member come in and check once a day, if for no other reason than to see if he's exhibiting the symptoms or if just that contact settles him out. Cats show their displeasure at our departures in various ways, clearly he's stressing over yours and it's coming out (or not) in this manner. Good luck and keep us posted :)