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#1
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Giving Mineral Oil to My Cat - Answered by Dr. Van Lienden
Hi -
It's been recommended that I give my cat about 1tbsp of mineral oil daily to help her with consitpation. Since I have 5 cats that all eat out of the same dishes can I give it to her by mouth? I can give it to her by syringe. I know it is a semi laxitave and don't want to have my other 4 cats running to the litter tray ~M |
#2
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I would give it by syringe. I would also give canned food too, if you aren't already.
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#3
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If mineral oil doesn't work for your cat (it didn't work for mine and I was never very comfortable giving it), try unflavoured, unsweetened Metamucil (available at pharmacies), a quarter of a teaspoon mixed in with his (wet) food every day.
The minute I see my cat is having problems, I start him on Metamucil for a few days and it always does the trick. The minute he's regular again, I stop. The more his own system is left to function 'normally', the better. Agree with LR, wet food is best for kitties with bowel issues. Make sure he drinks plenty of water, |
#4
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Thanks. I'll try the Mineral Oil first. If that doesn't help, I can try the Metamucil.
I was giving a partial can of wet food to them in the morning and at night, but stopped it because a lot of them were gaining to much weight. If I started Lucky back on partial wet food again, I'd have to fight off the others lol. Is there something else I could put the Metamucil in that I could give to her besides the wet food? ~M |
#5
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Not really, for humans they recommend one teaspoon or more of Metamucil in a full glass of water and it has to be downed all at once. Can you not feed him in another room?
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#6
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Why don`t you try the hairball remedy stuff. It`s made with mineral oil and most cats are supposed to like the taste although some I`ve had didn`t. But if you smear it by their mouth or on their paws they will lick it off.
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#7
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Be very careful when giving mineral oil by mouth; if it ever gets into your feline's lungs, then significant medical problems are the consequence, even death is a possibility.
Why not add something like pumpkin mash (found in your grocery store, in a can and used to make pies) to everyone's food. It won't make your cats incontinent, it isn't messy, and many cats enjoy the taste. A tablespoon per cat per meal is usually sufficient. Dr. Van Lienden Dr. Raymond Van Lienden DVM The Animal Clinic of Clifton 12702 Chapel Road, Clifton Virginia, U.S.A. 20124 703-802-0490 |
#8
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Mega colon
Can we give our cat Platago Ovato (Psyllium), mixed in with his wet meals as high fiber to try and move the blockages?
What else could you recommend for us to try and solve this big problem? |
#9
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I DO use metamucil for my Quincy...Those who have heard the story before, Quince was paralysed in the lower limbs and as he got over that, a small amount of neuro deficit was left and was the cause of a great deal of contsipation where enemas, lactulose, probiotics and other remedies just did not work long term. He had to be manually evacuated 3 times and that many anesthetics just isn't good either! My vet was starting to consider radical colon surgery so I was motivated to make something work!
He is doing great now but I do have to maintain him on prepulsid twice a day, lactulose, twice a day and I give him a quarter tesapon of metamucil every morning in his breakfast meal. I DO HOWEVER, MIX AT LEAST 25CC OF WATER INTO HIS FOOD WHEN HE GETS IT. I have spoiled this guy rotten, and he eats the food from a spoon I feed it to him with. That way I know, he gets the full dosage, and no one else is getting the metamucil. I also wait about an hour before giving him his other meds in the morning as metamucil can coat the meds and prevent absorption when given at the same time. I also mix his lactulose with an additional 10cc of water each time, so increasing his fluid intake also helps the chronic constipation with him. I had heard about mineral oil, but was always afraid of kitty moving or jerking and ending up aspirating the stuff. It scared me so I avoided it. Good luck.
__________________
No Heaven can be Heaven if my cats are not there to welcome me Yes, I believe in the Rainbow Bridge |
#10
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cat constipation
I have a similar story about my cat Simon. He died 2 months ago of kidney failure at 22 yrs. When he was about 14 he started getting constipated and had to take him to the vet for enemas. He already ate wet food. Eventually the vet recommended metamucil. That worked fine. For the occasional flare ups when i needed a quick fix, the vet recommended 1/8 tsp of Miralax. He said it was safe. It worked great and Simon's coat was beautiful and he lived another 8 years with the metamucil use.
Recently, when I was looking at kitties to adopt (I now have a new one), the site described a kitty that did not have control of his bowels. The cause was surgery to address constipation. The owners previously tried all kinds of "natural" (non scientific reviewed) homeopathic cures like massage, acupuncture etc... They did not try metamusil or Miralax which makes me sick to think the kitty could have been OK if they had and avoided all of those other home remedies and surgery. In my search for a kitty I also came across another kitty that had constipation issues and they have it under control with 1/8 tsp of Miralax/day in the wet food. Please, all you cat lovers, never consider surgery to correct constipation. Quote:
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#11
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Metamucil is psyllium fibre.
__________________
No Heaven can be Heaven if my cats are not there to welcome me Yes, I believe in the Rainbow Bridge |
#12
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Quote:
And some info on constipation: http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...onstipatedcats
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#13
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Quote:
Siily me to forget that one.
__________________
No Heaven can be Heaven if my cats are not there to welcome me Yes, I believe in the Rainbow Bridge |
#14
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Mineral oil not recommended for cats
Mineral oil interfers with nutrient absorbtion and puts your cat at risk for
pneumonia due to aspiration. |
#15
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Sorry to be slightly off topic but as I was reading all the posts I have to say
@quincymycat Quincy's so lucky to have you. Couldn't be in better hands. When I was reading all your will to find something that works and the discipline to do it that's pure wub heh I give Scully hairball remedy twice a week because she used to throw up a lot and it has worked. Keeps her pooping and the vomiting frequency went down a lot.
__________________
" How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven." - Robert A. Heinlein |
#16
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No Mineral Oil please
I'm horrified re number of tblspns of mineral oil you were advised. Give None! I only gave approx. 1/2 tspn of Paraffin oil & my cat got Lung Aspiration from taking a breath while drinking it in milk. With food isn't any better. They eventually get absesses or pneumonia & threat of death. They need antibiotics. Metamucil is made of Psyllium husks which can be bought in cereal isles supermarkets. 1 tspn. with food. It swells so needs fluid in mix. Bran should be safe. See www.merckmanuals.com/pneumonia in cats. I know Cayenne Pepper is safe for cats. It is good for ulcers & for numbing any pain. Absesses in lungs have resulted even 5 mths after, I'm sure.
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