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Old April 29th, 2010, 04:39 PM
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Older cat with bowel problems... please help!

Hello,

I have a 12 year old cat who is unable to have a bowel movement without the use of laxatives. I have taken her to the vet and he doesn't know the underlying cause, just that her rectum is not working as well as it should. The problem is, she keeps getting filled up with poo, and every time she does we need to take her to the vet to get cleaned out (which is not cheap). So far she has gotten cleaned out twice in the past 5 months. I've gotten her to the point where she has a bowel movement every 3 days or so, but she is still filling up. Currently she is receiving prescription laxative twice a day as well as mineral oil in her food. I can't keep shelling out money to get her cleaned out every couple of months... but I cannot bear to think of putting down an otherwise healthy and happy cat purely for money reasons. This is causing an immense amount of stress between my boyfriend and I for we love this cat very much and don't want to put her down. Does anyone have any other home remedies for cat laxatives? Any help is greatly appreciated!
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Old April 29th, 2010, 06:58 PM
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This can be such a frustrating problem to deal with! My first question is, what does she eat? And also, how long has this been going on?
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Old April 29th, 2010, 07:15 PM
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The problem with stimulant laxatives is that they can cause constipation including constipation caused by colonic inertia.

You don't mention whether your cat is taking any otc / prescribed medicines. I don't know about cats but in hoomans thyroid issues and diabetes can lead to constipation.
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Old April 29th, 2010, 07:24 PM
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she isn't on any other medication other than the prescription laxative
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Old April 29th, 2010, 07:31 PM
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Can you tell us the name brand of the foods?
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Old April 29th, 2010, 07:33 PM
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both the wet and dry food are Hills Science Diet for senior cats
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Old April 29th, 2010, 07:20 PM
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She eats dry food in the morning- when we wake up we put down just enough dry food to last our two cats for most of the day until either my boyfriend or I come home. Then for dinner she gets wet food with mineral oil mixed in. It is hard to say exactly how long this has been going on because she was living with my mother up until Jan '10. I believe she has been having problems since the middle of last year.
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bowel movement, cat, geriatric, laxative

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