Plugged kitty and avoiding megacolon! If anyone has experience with this....

[lilitiger2]

So my poor kitty has now had two “episodes” of getting plugged up(is peeing fine,just not pooping). Had one episode in December following his road trip across the country (no poop for five days but still had an appetite - was given subQ fluids, lactulose and in about a day he was pooping again and has been regular star pooper)

But now, again. Plugged. Wednesday he was in the box looking concerned and confused and nothing happening, so off to vet.More subQ, and lactulose,canned pumpkin… and a poop wed afternoon, but then nothing. Yesterday, Sat, they wanted to see hm again. Apparently, he had hard feces all the way up to his transverse colon, vet said no way he’d pass it, so kitty enema and presto! He cleared. Vet said he should poop again in 24-28 hours, so far nothing.

He get almost all canned food - earthborn holistics. He gets about 1/4 of dry kibble distributed throughout the day as he has loved it. So vet one (wed) said no diet changes, but vet two said absolutely NO dry food, at all,no canned pumpkin (he is saying no carbs and feels pumpkin has a lot), no lactulose. Just nothing (except his canned food). He does not share his kitty box which is kept very clean, he gets two bowls of fresh water, he gets exercise (actively played with!)…

Any other ideas or experience with this? Poor little guy.My other cat (18 lbs) craps like a german shepard and just hate to see this guy suffering. Getting plugged is no fun, and I would really NOT like to advance to megacolon.

[Zu_Zu]

Yes ~ two episodes ! now fine here’s what worked for Katharine Ann ~

[B][I]Katharine Ann episode #1. … digital xray `` full body clog``` enema & IV fluids ```` colon blow-out complete.

better but NQR and then another episode ~ always conveniently timed with a major HOLIDAY ! :eek::lol:

this time digital xray showing “shuttle about to land !”

vet advice ~ due to picky eater

1. add MIRALX in wet food juice … like [/I][/B][B][I]Fancy Feast Fish & Shrimp ``` drain juice and add Miralax (( amt as per vet ))
   cat drinks juice ````` hold cat on lap … I know I know takes times…

2. feed wet food =the juiciest “grilled with gravy types” Fancy Feast or the "shredded in light broth with garden green’ types…

3. and i know this sounds weird and against what your vet rec but please ask about switching dry food to Science Diet “I/D”= gastrointestinal == easily broken down and a bit of extra fiber …

• i know the dry sounds like a no no …but it made a difference … and when Katharine has not ‘dumped’ within two days we simply add some MIRALAX to her "gumbo’ appetitizer = Fancy Feast Shrimp & Fish Feast JUICE ~ and
  VOILA !!! her stool is softened a bit and

‘the shuttle lands !’ and ON TARGET:cool:((not on carpet :eek:because she has to strain soooo long ! that she was wandering out of the restroom !
:lol:
:lol:[/I][B] this icon thing has gone nuts … sorry… anyway hope this helps ,

Katharine Ann is well over 15 yo but now is running around and back to normal and not walking like the Christmas tree is stuck up her a$$ ~[/B][/B]

[grayarabpony]

Has your cat been tested for kidney function?

It may be that he’ll need extra sub-cu fluids for a few days, or perhaps even long term.

[lilitiger2]

OMG! I KNOW the “Christmas tree up the a$$” walk!! And thank you!

I AM thinking of doing the digital xray to see whats up, and also doing some kind of blood work to see about kidney function - always a concern.

Had not thought about miralax and now I will ask!
Will also ask about FF! They have had the “classic” grain free before and would likely be delighted to have something with grain. I will for sure, ask!

Did not know about I/D. Will ask about that too! My mom’s cats have been on Z/D and D/D and have done, at various times, K/D.

I have been doing grain free with them (except for the kibble-as-treats) but at this point will do ANYTHING to get him some relief.

And that’s a good idea about the subq! It has worked twice! I have done all my previous renal failure folks. This guy is not a lover of subq,but with a good enough scuff/grip, gets with the program and reaches acceptance!!

These are great ideas to ask my vet, which I will do this evening when he comes back on duty!

Poor little folks - no fun being plugged or wandering around with “the tree” half in and half out!

[SarahKing]

i/d comes in canned as well. There’s also a Royal Canin GI diet for cats.

[SquishTheBunny]

Medical Gastrointestinal Fibre Response (Royal Canin), unfortunately only comes in dry, but was the ONLY diet that worked on my friends cat. He was very close to euthanasia (she tried everything, including raw). He was in hospital monthly for deobstipation. Since starting her cat on this 3 years ago he has had zero issues with constipation.

[Appsolute]

My 19 year old cat was prone to get plugged up (compromised kidney function).

What worked for her was keeping her very hydrated. I mixed distilled water with her wet food to make a soup that she would lap up. I would also add inulin (fiber) to her soup if it seemed like trouble was brewing. In addition, she had one of those “cat fountains” as she seemed to drink more when running water was available. And last but not least, I would massage her abdomen, which seemed to help things move along, as she would usually go have success in the litter box after a massage.

[Appsolute]

My 19 year old cat was prone to get plugged up (compromised kidney function).

What worked for her was keeping her very hydrated. I mixed distilled water with her wet food to make a soup that she would lap up. I would also add inulin (fiber) to her soup if it seemed like trouble was brewing. In addition, she had one of those “cat fountains” as she seemed to drink more when running water was available. And last but not least, I would massage her abdomen, which seemed to help things move along, as she would usually go have success in the litter box after a massage.

[mvp]

Been there, doing that.

I find Miralax to work best (as opposed to pumpkin or lactulose).

OP, you might ask your vet about how best to use either Miralax or lactulose. I am suspicious that a cat kept on either of those for a long time can become addicted to them… just like laxative-popping bulimic people do.

My vet believes that official Mega colon can be created by a cat being “filled to the brim” for too long… the colon gets too distended for too long and screws up the nerve center that produce peristalsis.

Some vets do a surgery for this. They removed a damaged section of colon whose nerves aren’t working correction and the rest of it resumes normal peristalsis. But IIRC, DVM opinion is divided on the merits of this surgery. (I didn’t go way into it because Old Lady Cat is not a great candidate for Big Surgery and I’m cheap.)

Otherwise, day-to-day management seems key. I don’t think there is a one-stop-shopping cure… other than keeping the SuperPlugged episodes down to a minimum so that you don’t trash those little colon neurons.

[2Jakes]

My oldster, Bill, is 15 this Valentines Day. He was a chronic plugee for a long time…and he got Lactulose almost daily for a long time…then he went the other way and had colitis and loose stools for a while. Trips to vet routinely produced normal bloodwork and a $300 invoice. Finally we tried the ID diet and we figured out that canned food (any canned, even the ID) was definitely contributing to the colitis. So now Bill gets ID dry and maybe 2-3 little treats. Brother Stormy (a youngster) is not thrilled with the ID but he eats it…and he’s getting a bit plump so it must not be all that bad. Since we went to ID we haven’t had any plugs and the colitis is under control.