How much Carlsbad salt to give a cat for constipation. Constipation in cats and kittens - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention

Normal stool is a sign of excellent functioning of all body systems. Any violation immediately finds a response in the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. The causes of constipation in cats can be very diverse: from a minor malfunction to oncology. Before treating your cat's constipation at home, make sure it won't harm her further.

Constipation is usually called the inability to defecate for quite a long time (more than 2-3 days). Delay feces in the intestines - this is only a symptom of many health problems, and not separate disease. The main task for constipation is to restore regular bowel movements and, if necessary, eliminate the underlying cause of the disorder.

When did constipation occur for the first time? for a long time and not associated with others alarming symptoms, and even more so you know exactly potential cause– there’s nothing to worry about. The problem will be quickly resolved and most likely the cat will cope with it on its own. In other cases, you should carefully study the situation and not delay in providing assistance.

Basics, signs and symptoms

The scientific name for constipation is constipation. The symptoms are as follows: the stool is very hard and dry, its amount is negligible or it does not leave the intestines at all. The cat's urge to defecate ends with only disappointment and tension, and the litter box remains clean.

FACT! Long-haired cats suffer from constipation more often - due to hairballs clogging the intestinal lumen.

Constipation can be chronic (the frequency and success of bowel movements decreases) and acute (bowel emptying does not occur for several days). Typically, a healthy cat walks once every 1-2 days; kittens do this after every meal. If a cat is constipated, both his behavior and the condition of the litter box will change:

• Decreased appetite – natural reaction: until yesterday’s lunch is gone, the cat avoids new portions of food;
• Decreased tone, lethargy, inactivity;
• Nausea and – optional, but possible symptom associated with intoxication processes;
• Drowsiness, laziness;
• Pain syndrome (the cat meows while sitting in the tray);
• After several visits, the tray remains empty.

ATTENTION! If there is nothing at all in the tray during the day (and no puddles either), then this should be considered as an alarm signal and contact a doctor.

Causes and prevention

If a cat is constipated, what should you do? You will have to make an effort and help your pet. You will have to find out the cause of constipation on your own or in tandem with a doctor, eliminating each of the options in turn:

• Poor nutrition (unbalanced diet, lack of routine);
• Lack of rough dietary fiber aft;
• Lack of fluid;
• Physical inactivity (due to illness or temperamental characteristics);
• Hairballs in the intestines;
• Hypertrophied cleanliness (the cat does not go into the litter box until all the consequences of the previous visit have been removed from it);
• Stress, fear, moving;
• Hemorrhoids or fissures that cause pain;
• Intestinal motility disorders;
• Pathologies of the pelvic floor muscles;
• Kidney and liver failure;
• Congenital anomalies of the colon;
• Injuries spinal cord, leading to disruption of intestinal innervation;
• Hormonal disorders;
• Worm infestation ();
• Infectious bowel diseases;
• Surgical diseases of the intestine (foreign body, ulcer, volvulus, etc.)

This is far from full list possible reasons appearance of constipation. However, most of them are related to the feeding and lifestyle habits of pets. Therefore, as a preventative measure, do the following:

• Start ;
• Use a paste or food labeled “for hairballs”;
• Choose a container and quality of water that your cat likes;
• Try to diversify your pet’s life with outdoor games;
• Brush the coat more often;
• Carry out deworming in a timely manner (let's do it);
• Minimize stress (noise from the window, vacuum cleaner, visits of foreign animals to the cat’s territory);
• Choose the desired filler for the tray;
• Visit your veterinarian regularly to check your cat's health.

Is this dangerous for a cat?

Many cats have chronic, mild constipation, and owners simply do not notice the problem. Inattention to your pet's health can lead to irreparable consequences! General state a cat suffering from chronic coprostasis is close to satisfactory:

• Dull, porous wool, lacking elasticity and silkiness, becomes tangled;
• Poor, unstable appetite and weight loss, “extinguished” look;
• Refusal of play and research activity and even weakening of the hunting instinct.

It would seem that there is nothing obviously harmful about chronic constipation. But long-term constipation not only reduces the pet’s quality of life, but also threatens with consequences, for example:

• Secondary colitis, inflammation of the rectum;
• Enteritis, hepatitis, biliary tract diseases;
• Development of hemorrhoids and fissures, inflammation of the rectum;
• Rectal and colon cancer.

Acute constipation lasting more than three days will lead to a significant decrease in health and deterioration in well-being. Let's look at how to treat constipation in a cat below.

Please pay Special attention that constipation in a kitten is a condition no less dangerous than diarrhea. If kittens lead to dehydration and exhaustion, then with constipation the risk of intoxication increases. For a young body, this condition may be unbearable. How to help a kitten in this case? See a doctor immediately.

Qualified help

An adult cat will need a doctor in cases where constipation is accompanied by other symptoms. Only a veterinarian will be able to reliably establish a diagnosis and determine what to do if a cat experiences certain symptoms. The owner should be alert to:

• Significant swelling in any part of the peritoneum;
• Temperature increase;
• Clear signs of pain;
• Large volumes of stool or foreign objects are palpated;
• Change in skin color over the suspected area of ​​intestinal blockage;
• Appearance large volumes blood (normally, small droplets sometimes accompany hard feces, which injure the mucous membrane lower sections intestines);
• Signs of hemorrhoids (this problem must be dealt with in the clinic);
• Constipation due to exacerbation of urinary tract infections or insufficiency of the abdominal organs;
• Constipation due to an infectious disease.

First aid and treatment

Cure coprostasis itself at home is usually not difficult. It is much more difficult to overcome the cause of its appearance. If all the preventive measures described above have already been taken, but the problem remains, then a more thorough examination is required.

What can you do at home?

If a kitten is constipated, under no circumstances should it be given laxatives or given an enema. Both must be prescribed by a doctor. The maximum you can do to help your baby’s body is Vaseline oil at the rate of 1.5 ml per 1 kg of body weight, frequency up to three times a day. If defecation does not occur within 24 hours, do not risk the kitten’s health - consult a doctor.

It is also advisable for adult cats not to use any means other than laxatives:

• Vaseline oil (sold in a pharmacy) - ml per 1 kg of animal weight;
• Glycerin suppositories rectally – 1 children’s suppository once a day;

For more persistent constipation, it is prescribed laxatives remedies: rhubarb root tablets, buckthorn extract, kafiol, castor oil. For cramps: caraway fruits, dill fruits, carminative, as well as antispasmodics. Low peristalsis: seaweed, prozerin. Only a clinic can give a cat an enema without harm. It’s better not to experiment with this at home.

IMPORTANT! Laxatives are contraindicated in cases of spasms, suspected intestinal obstruction, pregnancy and neurology, as well as in kittens without the consent of a veterinarian.

Recovery diet

Regardless of the cause of the blockage, the intestines need to be restored to normal function. If constipation was prolonged, it was accompanied by fasting, which means that the restoration of the diet should be gradual.

The amount of food should be gradually increased and brought to normal within 1-2 days. Monitor the amount of liquid consumed. The doctor may prescribe additional drug therapy(to restore the mucous membrane, intestinal microflora, peristalsis and intestinal innervation).

Cat food for constipation should contain a large number of coarse fiber. At natural feeding grass grown or purchased is suitable, adding bran to the cat's diet, temporarily increasing the amount of vegetables. If the cat is accustomed to dry food, then it is better to give preference to veterinary diets and food against hairballs.

So, if a cat is constipated, the first thing the owner needs to do is take a closer look at how the cat is feeling and try to find the reasons. If a kitten is constipated, it requires special attention. In case of suspicion or obvious severe symptoms For other diseases, you must immediately contact a veterinarian, and in other cases, provide first aid to the cat with drugs from your home medicine cabinet.

Constipation in cats is one of the most common phenomena. This occurs especially often in cats that are sedentary, like to eat bones or small insects, as well as in cats whose intestines accumulate a large amount of ingested hair (Siberian, Persian, Angora and other long-haired breeds).

In older cats, the likelihood of constipation increases due to deterioration of the liver and metabolic disorders.

Constipation- this is the absence or difficulty of defecation, that is, bowel movement, resulting in the accumulation and hardening of feces in the colon, which can have a negative effect on the body as a whole.

Constipation or stool retention causes discomfort and sometimes pain to the cat.

Remember: U healthy cat bowel movements should be carried out 1-2 times a day, therefore, constipation is difficult to miss.

A cat suffering from constipation becomes lethargic and may experience vomiting, anorexia (lack of appetite) and nausea.

The consequences can be the most tragic. Accumulated stool can lead to harmful substances, which will poison the animal’s body. Consequently:

• hair problems;
• renal dysfunction;
• liver dysfunction.

If your cat is not treated promptly, constipation can cause death. To cope with the disease, it is necessary to understand its causes.

Causes of constipation in cats

Cats that suffer from diseases of the liver, anus, rectum, kidneys and have orthopedic and neurological disorders. The age of the animal can also be a cause of constipation, as older cats are more susceptible to this disease.

The main causes of rare difficult bowel movements or complete absence of stool:

• improper feeding;
• tumors in the anus or rectum;
• stress;
• accumulation of fur;
• perineal hernia;
• foreign body;
• diseases of the paranal glands;
• disruption of the innervation of the large intestine;
• hyperplasia;
• orthopedic problems;
• megacolon;
• cicatricial narrowing of the anus.

If you are unable to determine the cause on your own, you should contact your veterinarian.

Treatment of constipation in a cat

Cats suffering from constipation should be fed foods with high content fiber - they are easily digested, improve intestinal function, and the stool becomes softer. Very helpful oat bran. In addition, various laxatives or a cleansing enema can help with constipation. Promotes good bowel movement exercise stress in the first hour after eating.

A side effect of eating foods high in fiber can be the formation of gas, which, for example, Boxer and Bull Terrier dogs are especially prone to. If your cat develops gas, then avoid this diet, do not give her vegetables, milk or foods containing soy or wheat, and do not play with her before feeding.

Constipation light form can be cured with a laxative; if the disease is advanced, the veterinarian may resort to surgical intervention to eliminate massive fecal accumulations and only then an enema is administered.

There are many methods to treat constipation at home:

• Add 1-2 drops of vegetable oil to the cat's diet. This method copes well with the disease, but may have Negative influence to the liver.
• Give the animal Vaseline oil several times a day, 5-50 ml. Before starting treatment with this method, you should consult with your veterinarian, as the dose is selected individually. Vaseline oil lubricates the intestinal walls, softens stool and ensures painless bowel movements. It is practically harmless to the animal’s body, but its use in combination with vegetable oil prohibited so as not to harm the liver.
• Give your cat medications and laxatives to soften stool and normalize intestinal microflora. Here it is necessary to consult a veterinarian. As a rule, lactulose preparations such as Lactusan and Duphalac are prescribed. The dose is selected depending on physiological characteristics animal and instructions for using the medicine.
• A mixture of raw water and condensed milk - common folk method treatment of constipation in cats. The drink will normalize the intestines and soften the stool.

If home treatment does not help, you need to contact veterinary clinic to perform a cleansing enema, which is very difficult to do at home.

Preventing constipation in cats

There are several rules that you can follow to avoid constipation in your cat.

• A balanced diet that contains all the necessary microelements. This approach to nutrition will save the animal from many problems, including constipation. Be sure to give your cat cereals, carrots and cabbage.
• The cat must lead an active lifestyle. Many pets have limited movement. Let your cat go outside as often as possible, buy her toys or special exercise equipment, with the help of which your pet can develop physically.
• Daily cat grooming. When a cat licks itself, hair gets into the body, which can cause constipation.

Every owner wants their cat to be healthy, beautiful and playful. But, unfortunately, sometimes our pets also get sick. For four-legged friends, digestive problems are typical in the same way as for people. Constipation in a cat can be caused by many factors, and if it happens to your pet, you need to be fully prepared.

In this article we will take a closer look:

• The causes of this disease and ways to avoid it;
• What are the signs of constipation in cats?
• What is the classification of constipation?
• What means to use for treatment.

Why is a cat constipated and how to prevent it?

Digestion and bowel problems in animals occur for many reasons. We can influence some of them, but not others. Therefore, the risk that your pet will have such problems always remains.

Constipation in cats is most often caused by the following factors::

1. Dehydration. If your cat doesn't drink enough fluids, the digestion process doesn't work properly and the resulting stool becomes too hard. They cannot move freely through the intestines, and as a result, the cat cannot defecate.
2. Wrong diet. This is a very common cause of constipation in cats. After all, many owners do not think about how balanced the cat’s nutrition is. They believe that if the cat tastes it and eats it with pleasure, that’s enough.
   In fact, food should not only be tasty, but also healthy. If you give your cat food, alternate between dry and soft, preferably from the same manufacturer. If you cook for your cat yourself, add it to its diet along with meat and fish. healthy cereals and vegetables. Also, if your cat is a kibble feeder, it should not be given “human” food.
3. Sedentary lifestyle. Also a very popular reason eating disorders. Cats by nature must move a lot, run, play, and hunt. Their physique requires this. If the cat is active, its body is in good shape and digestion processes proceed correctly. However, if a cat sleeps a lot and is lazy to play, then she will very soon gain excess weight and risks getting sick. To prevent this from happening, walk with your cat, or play with him in the apartment - devote some time to this every day.
4. Accumulation of fur in the stomach. This reason is most common for purebred cats with fluffy coats. They wash themselves thoroughly, and therefore swallow a lot of fur, and this inevitably leads to digestive problems.
   To prevent this from happening, you need to take care of your pet: be sure to periodically give the animal for prevention special means against the formation of hairballs in the stomach, or feed them special food for fluffy cats. Also, brush your cat regularly with special brushes.
5. Swallowed inedible objects. This often happens with kittens or young playful cats. They may accidentally swallow a toy mouse or ball. The cat can also eat something tasty along with the wrapper - for example, a sausage. This leads to intestinal obstruction and is a very dangerous problem. In difficult cases, the cat even has to be operated on.
   To prevent this from happening to your pet, try to make sure that he doesn’t eat anything like that. If you suspect that the cat has swallowed something inedible, you need to give him some kind of emetic while the eaten item is still in the stomach. It’s better to immediately contact a veterinarian.
6. Helminths. Worms often cause constipation in cats, and especially in kittens. A caring owner should regularly and correctly give the cat anthelmintics as a preventive measure. Moreover, this must be done even if your cat does not leave the apartment: there is always a risk that she will eat something infected with helminths.
7. Stress. This can also cause constipation - the cat may experience stress after any major changes or traumatic situations: if you changed your place of residence, she got lost or someone scared her. Also, the cat may refuse to go to the toilet in a dirty, bad-smelling litter box.
8. Hernias, tumors, cysts or intestinal diseases. Only a veterinarian can make a diagnosis, and he will also advise treatment methods. If your cat has had constipation more than once or twice, but happens regularly, she needs to be seen by a doctor.

There are other causes of constipation in cats, but we have listed only the most common ones.

Diagnosing constipation in a cat

For those who have never encountered the problem of constipation in animals before, it will be useful to know a few signs that your pet has this particular ailment.

• The cat has not gone to the litter box for more than two days. You will notice that she periodically climbs into it and characteristically sits down, tenses a lot, but nothing happens. However, there are cats that tend to defecate no more than once every two days. In this case, you can talk about constipation only on the fourth or fifth day.
• The cat looks apathetic and lethargic. She doesn't want to play, eats less and sleeps a lot.
• The cat's belly is hard and swollen. Touching it may cause harm to the animal discomfort and even pain.
• The cat may feel sick or even vomit.
• In the most dangerous cases, the animal may develop a fever.

What are the types of constipation?

To pick up correct treatment, the first thing you need to understand is what type of constipation your cat has.

They are divided into:

• Functional. Their cause is insufficient intestinal activity due to a sedentary lifestyle of the animal or due to improper feeding of the cat. In such cases it will help special diet, stimulating intestinal function, as well as medications.
• Organic. The cause of such problems is physical obstacles to the movement of feces through the animal’s intestines. This includes foreign objects, swallowed by a cat, and various tumors or hernia. There is also a risk of intestinal torsion. In all these cases you will need veterinarian.

What to do if your cat is constipated

Many owners are no doubt concerned about what to do if their cat is constipated.

First, you need to exclude the possibility of organic constipation: remember if the cat could have eaten something in a cellophane package two or three days ago, did her favorite toy go missing? If you suspect that intestinal problems may be associated with a foreign object entering the intestine, you should contact your veterinarian.

It is also better to contact a veterinarian immediately if you notice that your cat has a fever. When her body is hotter than usual and her nose is completely dry, these are very alarming signs, and in this case it is not worth taking risks.

A good way to help your cat with constipation at home is to use Vaseline oil. This product is sold in pharmacies and is cheap. Vaseline oil will not cause harm to the animal's body, unlike vegetable or castor oil, which should not be given to a cat under any circumstances - they will not relieve constipation and will be harmful to health.

Vaseline oil is not absorbed into the animal’s body at all, has no pronounced taste or smell, and is colorless. Moreover, it has no negative side effects.

The drug works as follows: once it enters the body, it bypasses the stomach and immediately enters the intestines, where it creates an elastic film adjacent to its walls. It makes the walls slippery, thereby promoting the natural movement of intestinal contents. In addition, it dilutes feces, making the process of defecation painless for the animal.

It should be used as follows: the cat should be given oil on an empty stomach at the rate of 2 milligrams per kilogram of its body weight. After taking, you should wait 2-3 hours. If bowel movement does not occur, give the same amount of oil. It should be used no more than three times a day.

However, if after three doses 3 hours have already passed, you should take the animal to the veterinarian - this warning sign The cat may have an intestinal obstruction.

Vaseline oil has several contraindications. Don't give it to your cat if:

• Not sure what caused the constipation functional disorder. Otherwise, you will only make the situation worse.
• She has stomach ulcers or internal infections.
• She has a fever.
• She's pregnant.

It should be remembered that Vaseline oil is a medicine for emergency assistance animal. It should not be given to your pet often, and even more so should not be used as prophylactic. Otherwise, it will only provoke the development of chronic constipation, as the intestinal muscles will stop working properly. If constipation is common in your cat, this is a good time to improve her diet, play with her more, and take her to the vet to rule out hernias and tumors.

Treatment of constipation in a cat medicines It is highly undesirable to carry out without consulting a veterinarian. This applies not only to tablets taken orally, but also to suppositories. However, some remedies are quite safe and can be used. For example, the laxative drug Duphalac. It can be given to a cat once or twice a day, at a rate of 0.5 milligrams for every kilogram of its body weight.

If your cat is often constipated due to... poor nutrition and reduced activity, the drug Bifitrilak can be used for preventive purposes. It is given to the cat in a course of 1 gram (can be measured on the tip of a spoon) once a day. The course lasts from 5 to 10 days. The drug improves the cat's intestinal flora and, over time, makes bowel movements regular. Already a week after starting treatment, the cat will become noticeably more active and cheerful.

Constipation in cats is much more common than in other pets. This is due to the fact that they often lead a sedentary lifestyle, lick and eat their own fur, which causes difficulty in the passage of feces through the intestines and, as a result, constipation and difficulty going to the toilet “in a big way.” In this article we will look at the main causes of constipation in cats, symptoms and ways to combat such a dangerous phenomenon, which can lead to the death of the animal.

The main reasons leading to constipation in cats include:

• poor nutrition, lack of fluid when consuming dry food;
• low activity of the animal;
• helminthic infestation;
• inflammation of the paraanal glands;
• hernias;
• oncology (an enlarged organ compresses the intestines and does not allow the contents to move forward);
• urolithiasis (with blockage of the urethra bladder overflows, squeezing the rectum);
• intestinal obstruction with hairballs, bones, inedible objects (toys, plastic bags, rain);
• disruption of intestinal innervation in spinal injuries.

Signs and symptoms of constipation in a cat

As pets age, they become more susceptible to constipation. Normally, cats should defecate once every 1-1.5 days, feces should be formed and dense. With constipation, the stool becomes very hard, cracked or pea-shaped, sometimes covered with mucus or blood, the animal often goes to the litter box, tenses its abdominal muscles, meows in pain, but cannot go to the toilet. At such moments, the owner may have questions - what to do if the cat is constipated and how to help him in this situation.

Sometimes a cat does not defecate for 2-3 days or longer, while the appetite is initially normal, then sharply worsens, and the animal becomes depressed. In this case, there is no time to wait and it’s time to accept Urgent measures— help the cat at home, or take it to a specialist.

Microorganisms in the large intestine produce toxins during their life processes, and bile contains hemoglobin breakdown products. With constipation, these substances begin to be absorbed by the intestines and poison the body, causing profuse drooling and vomiting, body temperature drops to 37.0 °C (normally 38.0-39.0 °C). On palpation, the abdominal wall is tense, and an oblong-shaped compaction is felt parallel to the spine - this is the contents of the intestines.