Helping a constipated kitty

[columbine]

My Smudge was put on on special food (Hill's C/D) that redirects all his water to his urinary tract so that he'll pee a lot and not get struvite crystals. But it doesn't leave enough water for the digestive process - and on top of that, he swallows a LOT of hair! Needless to say, for a while he was only passing twisty little uncomfortable-looking poops, and once horked a huge hairball that smelled like it should have come out the other end.

The vet suggested unflavored psyllium fiber capsules (metaMEOWcil!) I snip one open and sprinkle it over his canned food and mash it all up with a bit of extra water, and he's having a lot easier time doing his business (and horking fewer hairballs, too, as most of the fluff slides right through).

He also likes the Hill's C/D dry, so I get Cat Lube tablets (mostly psyllium, but with some enzymes and other stuff, and chicken flavoring) and break them up over his dry food. And I never forget to add his "treat," 3V Caps that I get from the vet, punctured and squirted over his "kitten kabibble with chicken McNibbles" (but I only squirt it on the dry food - I don't know if it might mess up the enzymes in the Cat Lube).

Anyway, he's processing solids a lot better now. I'm even daring to hope that his constipation might have been partly to blame for the mucus plugs he was getting in his urethra - after all, there's only so much room in one little kitty, and I suspect everything was getting a little squished in there!

Love, Columbine

[Catty1]

At a kennel where I worked (for cats only), we would sprinkle just a bit of human Metamucil on some wet food for the cat - even if its regular food was dry only. Worked like a charm.

There is also that malt-flavoured hairball goop...there are a few out there.

Glad Smudge is feeling better!

[Catlady711]

Jack frequently gets constipated from grooming his long hair. I put pumpkin in his wet food every day, and once or twice a week he gets Felaxin/Laxatone (hairball stuff).