My Cat's Stool Is Hard. How Can I Help Her? CatChannel and CAT FANCY veterinary expert Arnold Plotnick, DVM, helps a cat owner who is concerned about her cat's constipation as she ages. Arnold Plotnick, DVM | Posted: August 12, 2011, 3 a.m. EDT In a previous article in CAT FANCY, you discussed cat constipation causes. Although our cat is healthy and normal, some comments you made about hard stool caught my attention. Our cat is 8 years old, and we’ve had her for six years. She had been raised on dry food only. I have tried to introduce my cat to semi-hard or moist food, but she will have no part of it. She does have a good a habit of drinking water two or three times each day. We feed dry food, and most mornings she will eat six or seven hairball control treats. She is a shorthaired cat and prone to shedding and so does pick up hairballs from self-grooming in spite of daily brushing. Most times she will throw up the hairballs every two or three days. To help her, every once in a while I give her some kind of hairball gel.

Her stool is always hard. Although she seems to be quite consistent on going to the litterbox every day, I wonder, is there some stool softener that I should feed her to help her on a daily basis? I am worried, as she gets older, will passing hard stool become a problem? Is there some symptom I need to look out for? I admire your interest in being proactive about your cat’s health.  It sounds like you’re taking excellent care of her. Ford Mondeo Leather Seat CoversAs for stool softeners, I’m not convinced that your cat really needs them at the moment. Having firm or hard stool is not necessarily a predictor of future problems. If you see your cat straining to defecate, or if the frequency of defecation decreases, perhaps then would I consider a stool softener.  The first thing I would try is cat hairball ointments. Given two or three times a week, they help prevent cat hairballs.

Given every day, they will usually work as a laxative. If your cat does not like the taste of these cat hairball remedies (some cats love them, some cats despise them), try Miralax, a stool softener available at most pharmacies. Mixing a small amount (start with 1/8 teaspoon) into every meal may soften the stool a bit. Gradually increase the amount as needed, until the stool reaches the preferred consistency.  More potent cat stool softeners, such as lactulose, should be reserved for cats with true constipation problems. If you’re concerned about the consistency of the stool, the first thing you might want to do is simply change your cat’s diet. Try a different brand of canned cat food.  You may find that a different food produces a stool with a less firm consistency. Miralax is not a stool softener, it is a LAXATIVE! My cat is about 19 years old. He has been having problems pooping. He seems to strain. Csn i give him small amounts of a human stool softener. CatChannel Editor    Irvine, CA

Christy -- Tell your vet what is going on. He or she might need to run tests to determine the exact cause of this problem and the proper treatment. In the meantime, you can mix a little canned pumpkin in with your cat's wet food. This helps with constipation issues. My cat has been pooping all over the house. She runs through the house several times and then starts squatting and poops. Her stool is real hard and quite large. I have taken her to the vet and they gave her an enima but 2 days later she was doing the exact same thing. What do I do? Cat of the Day Hi, my name is Angel Haylee--We love you!. Visit the photo gallery to cast your vote Get quick tips for happy cats, food recall info, news alerts and best behavior advice. Like Us on FACEBOOKForum Veterinary Drugs and Treatments Pet Owners Join Date Mar 2011 Posts 1 Help! Very OLD cat poops hard rocks. I adopted my neighbor's old cat when they put her out in favor of two new "house dogs". She's very old & dying of kidney & liver failure.

I'm just trying to make her comfortable in her last days or weeks. I hold her a lot, even tho' she smells bad. Took her to the vet, and confirmed liver & kidney failure. Vet said give her low-salt soft diet. I give her sterile water subcutaneously, but it doesn't seem to help her poop. Don't want to stress her, but is there any way to soften her poop without big pills or bad tasting liquids? She is tiny, & just skin & bones, partly because she cannot eat if she can't poop it out! when she finally manages to poop a little rock or two, she immediately eats again. I HATE putting her down! She has had SUCH a hard life. Join Date Mar 2011 Posts 1 feed cat who won't go #2, needs pumpkin Hi, my daughter is a veternarian technician and she said to put a teaspoon of canned pumpkin on her food each time she eats. That should help her bowels. Hope she does well.Bjoyjoy Join Date Oct 2011 Posts 1 I've also heard that pumpkin will help. the same stuff we make pies out of. Just buy a can and add a scoop to each meal.

Honestly though, have you considered euthanizing her? If she is suffering so badly IMHO that is the most humane thing to do. It is very quick and painless. they just go to sleep. If you just can't bring yourself to do that, (and my Cat is my baby, Im not even sure I could do it). Just TLC until her days are done. Join Date Oct 2011 Posts 3 I have had cats my whole life and have lost a few to kidney failure. I am not a professional but I do know that there is nothing you can do. And the cat is in pain. Soon if not already the cat will not be able to poop or pee or want to eat and it is a sad thing to watch. I know it's not easy, but you can't be selfish. The cat will have no pain and the cat will have peace. good luck and good blessings Join Date May 2012 Posts 2 Try adding olive oil to her food, it worked for my cat. As for the liver and kidney failure I would try food grade hydrogen peroxide diluded with distilled water, (don't use the hydrogen peroxide they have in the stores, it is not food grade).

I dilude it to 3% and mix it with their food. This works well with all of my cats. Join Date Nov 2013 Posts 62 If you have a pet store near you, go into the cat section and pick up two things. One is hair ball remedy, and the other is linatone. The hairball remover is basically flavored petroleum and meant to help hairballs slide through the GI. In a cat with hard stool, it may make his bowels softer and defecation more comfortable for your cat. The linatone is basically liquid vitamins, but it has a greasy base and may also help loosen stool. Both of those things are usually accepted readily by cats. Pick up a syringe at the pet store and use that to put the medicine in your cat's mouth should he not want it. What you are probably giving under the skin is either LRS or Normasol. Both have electrolytes in them. Most cats tolerate getting fluids under the skin well. If you have an entire bag of the fluid, fill a mixing bowl up with hot water and set the bag of fluids in it, being careful not to submerge the port where you put your needle in.

The fluids should feel slightly warm to the touch. That will avoid the discomfort of cold liquid against subcutaneous tissue. If your cat is dying, feed him what ever he wants. If he doesn't like the low sodium diets there is no sense in tormenting him. The veterinarian's job is to do every thing they can to keep the pet alive and comfortable. That being said, there is a difference between prolonging life and prolonging death. I know you want your cat to be as comfortable and happy in what sounds like hospice care. If your cat was expected to live and had a curable problem, then it would be worth it to try and get him to eat the low sodium diet, but if he is dying, there really isn't any point to it. Just love him and keep him as comfortable as possible. One other thing you could try you will have to ask your veterinarian for. Its a medication called lactulose. Its given to increase appetite and also supports the liver. In a healthy liver, food and some medications are broken down.