Following are selected posts to Holisticat on the subject of constipation. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utlize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!

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Subject: Re: [HOL] enlarged colon
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 02:48:47 EDT

On Tue, 21 Jul 98 22:48:47 PDT "Jodi Fureman" writes:
<<a few more weeks and rescheduled her again.  Yesterday when I took her  to the vet they x-rayed her and saw that she has an enlarged colon.  Right  now she is on Propulsid 1 tsp. two times a day and also Laculose 1cc  every 12 hrs. Both of these medications are stool softeners as her stools have ALWAYS, & I even told the vet, have been hard little balls as if she  was constipated.>>

Hi Jodi,

Sorry your post slipped me by or I would have replied earlier.  I couldn't find anything in my books for an enlarged colon.  I've heard of mega colon but dunno a whole lot about that either; are they the same?  Hopefully someone who knows about this can comment.

All I know is my cat, Hunny Bunny, has colitis.  I simply add a few drops of aloe vera juice to her food each day, and now no more bleeding from her bum.  I use Alvera (no commercial interest) brand b/c it has no sodium benzoate - just AVJ and Ascorbic acid as a preservative.

If your kitty's stools are hard, AVJ will help since it has a laxative effect.  The other thing is to try good old psyllium husk mixed in w/ her wet food and add lots of water to it.  Also, a lot of people on the list use slippery elm.  I would probably also make a tea from Chamomile and ginger and mix it to her food or give it to her orally (if she will let u).  Both are good for the tummy.  If she is gassy, fennel seed tea will help w/ that.  When I first got Pigpen, she used to let 'em fly big time..dunno what i would have done w/o fennel..LOL!

Oh that reminds me - what does your kitty eat?  Since I switched mine to raw, the gas/vomiting/smelly poop problem is but a distant memory.  Just tossing the food idea out as something to think about.

Good luck w. your little one, and hope she feels better soon. Sandy

<< I came in late on this thread but I can't imagine that NO grains is  healthy for a cat even if they are carnivores. >>

Where in the wild would they get grains?  Frazier says look at a mouse - even what grain they eat, there would hardly be any left by the time the cat got them.  And as we discussed earlier, those who observe such things note that the stomach is usually not eaten, and that's where the grains would be. Also, part of the discussion was that, being obligate carnivores (not like people and dogs) the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, protein) in the grains/veggies would be hard for the cats body to extract.

I know one of my cats is crazy about barley grass, and I have seen them try to munch on plants for greens, so I feel good about a certain amount of veggies. And besides, I think Frazier and Pitcairn and their 60/20/20 ratio are off base.  Do you really think only 60% of the mouse is meat?  The other 40% would  be mostly bone, fur, etc., but not grains/veggies.  This is one reason I
didn't switch to raw years ago, because Pitcairn was the only resource I had and I didn't want to go that far.

The recipe I have been following is Celeste Yarnall's.  She says 80% meat 20% grains and veggies.  They have done incredibly well on it, but I was looking for a way to drop some weight on my 2 chubby bunnies, and it was suggested I try grainless.

After less than a week, however, I am less than impressed with grainless. Could those of you who feed this regularly give some input?  I appear to have a constipation problem, as there hasn't been enough poop in the box to account for one cat, never mind 3.  Should I have switched over more slowly?  I'll have to add some psyllium tomorrow and see if I can get some bowels moving . .

Lee

Hey Kath, list-

Don't know anything about evening primrose oil, sorry If I get a chance later on today, I'll check thru my books and see what they say.

<< veggies and fiber, she's chronically constipated and lately it's getting worse. Apparently this is common with hyperthyroid. Pumpkin  has been the veggie of choice for nearly a week now and it's just not working. Any ideas? Do you think olive oil would help? Poor dear, she's really uncomfortable, which may explain the increase in fighting >>

Diane Stein has lotsa suggestions for constipation -- do you have her book? Homeopathy-wise, tho, Kashmir sounds like Stein's description of Nux Vomica would be right for her: "an irritable dog or cat that strains to eliminate much doesn't produce much".

If you don't have the book, let me know, and I'll type stuff out for ya!

Vick, Skippy, Sam, (Mad)Max, and Jezebel

Boy, can you believe the things we discuss on this list on a regular basis! It's so frustrating we can't get them to eat, then we can, they're too fat, they're too skinny, they're constipated, then they have diarrhea.  I am *not* making light of these problems, 'cause my cats have had 'em all. I think sometimes we have to maintain a sense of humor in the face of all these daily trials.

Kathy, Pitcairn does say you could try the olive oil 1/2 to one teas., but I think I'd try 1/4 teas. first if you want to try that for constipation. If you prefer to try Anitra's recipe, here it is:

1 T. baby food vegetables and meat mixture
1/2 teas. melted butter
1/8 teas. ground psyllium husks
1/8 teas. powdered or fine bran
2 T. (or more) of water

You have also had some success with flower remedies, so you might try Anitra's mixture.  She says constipated kitties hold vension in their bodies and secret worries in their minds!  Three drops four times a day of the following:  crabapple to help expel toxins; vine to help relax and aspen to dispel vague fears.
Leah
 

Leah, thanks for the reminder about flower essences for constipation. I do have crabapple, and it's the only essence that's ever done any good for Kashmir. As for administration, I put the drops on my hand and rub it on the top of her nose. Seems to work.
Kathy

Hi Jane, list-

> I am interested in remedies for constipation.

Boy, gonna make the two-fingered typer work today, huh? ;-P

Slippery elm will help, but if one of the monsters won't eat it, then we gotta look at other choices.

Stein says "a poor-quality diet w/ too much meat and not enough fiber is the usual cause". What are you feeding them normally? Stein says that a change of diet may be all that is needed, w/ balanced protein, grain and veggies. I grind flax seeds for my cats, and haven't seen a hairball since. If you have some handy, they may provide relief by merit of roughage. Psyllium seeds are good for this, too. If ya have some of those (or a fiber laxative made of them) mix 1/8 teaspoon w/ 2 tablespoons of water and give it once a day, at least 1/2 hour before a meal.
 

NATUROPATHY
Stein says her "first choice" is to feed aloe vera juice with liquid chlorophyll once a day. She says it's a "gentle laxative that soothes and heals the internal membranes of the bowel. She also suggests the following under this heading:

•   digestive enzymes
•   garlic
•   'bee products'
•   quotes Anitra Frazier's suggestion of 1/2 tsp of bran + 1/2 tsp of butter 'do this for a few days but not every day'

Give one teaspoon of each daily, plus 30-50 IU Vitamin E

She also says that Ca/Mg is a detoxifier, and Mg is slightly laxative. You can also try Vit C in larger than usual doses. Over about 1000 mgs my cats experience diarrhea. She says that Zinc is important, and recommends 5mg a day for cats, plus up the daily Vit E.

HERBS
Psyllium, of course. Also senna pods, cascara sagrada, licorice root,  and rhubarb. Again, she says that the aloe vera+chlorophyll is her first choice, tho. She also suggests comfrey w/ pepsin, and alfalfa. Can't comment on any but the psyllium. I always have that on hand.

One of my allopathic vets also told me that cats can have 5mg of Dulcolax, once, if need be. Stein says that human herbal laxatives can be used, but to "divide the dosage according to weight for pets".

HOMEOPATHY
Nux Vomica- for the irritable dog or cat that strains to eliminate but   doesn't produce much
Bryonia- when the stools are large, hard and dry, almost burnt-looking. Mucous membranes are also dry and the animal prefers not to move.
Lycopodium- for ineffectual urging, w/ small, hard, incomplete stools,   and for constipation when the animal is pregnant
Sulfur- if the constipation goes w/ skin problems
Carbo Veg- gas w/ simple constipation
Natrum mur- especially useful for cats when there is excessive thirst, sores in the mouth, and general weakness, and when the stool seems dry and hard to expel, but there are other watery discharges (watery eyes, watery vomiting, excess salivation or urination)
Silica- when the animal cannot seem to expel the bowel movement
Graphites- where constipation and diarrhea alternate

FLOWER ESSENCES
Crab apple, Camphor, Tomato, or Luffa are essential for clearing and detoxifying. Pomegranate is the essence for constipation. Cedar detoxifies environmental contaminants, Vine helps the animal to relax. Constipation w/ an emotional basis  = Chamomile or Aspen. Aloe Vera and Sage are also useful

She also has acupuncture/acupressure and gemstone suggestions.

<< But I will because of course there isn't a thing in this world I wouldn't do to help my kitty babies, especially Maxamoney, he is just a bundle of snugly snugles.>>

I know what you mean!

Good luck getting the furry little monster to be more productive :)

Vick, Skippy, Sam, (Mad)Max, and Jezebel

<< I know you guys have the answer for me, especially after reading how knowledgeable you are on constipation, but remember when you give me the name of the herb or supplement to give them you have to tell me where to get it and what it looks like. >>

Try Slippery Elm. It comes in powder or capsule.  You can sprinkle powder on the food, but I believe it has a strong taste (never tried it myself!).  If your cats are pillable, I would get the capsule form and pill them.  I get it at my large drug store, also available at health food stores.

Many of the remedies for constipation and diarrhea are the same, because they work on regulating the bowels rather than firming or loosening the stool itself.  Therefore, you can try psyllium husks (like metamucil but get an unflavored brand) and sprinkle it on their food.  Just remember to add water, or make sure somehow they get extra water (by syringe, whatever).

Judy has had success with her Rudy (IBD/CRF) kitty with some fiber supplements she found.  For fiber, if you can't find the psyllium, try wheat bran.  Mix it in with the food, it's pretty tasteless.

If it has an unusual color or odor, (not just poop odor) you may be dealing with a parasite or bacterial infection, in which case I would have different advice.

Hope this helps, Jane (and we won't tell anyone about the butt wiping stuff)

Lee, Cleo, Kiki, Kelly and the Peach

Hi list,
Since going off commercial canned and dry food, Saski is a bit constipated - he eliminates every 2nd day, stools are hardish.

He's mostly not producing the blood drop after his stools the way he was before - although sometimes he does - but he still stands and strains, grunts and groans after he's finished dropping his feces. This is a very long-standing problem and one I've been working on to try and heal. I still have no official diagnosis of whether he has IBD. (Sandy, I'd like to try the aloe vera, but just *can't* find a brand w/o sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate.)

I'm giving him daily:
- 30mg CoQ10
- 1/4 tsp taurine
- trace minerals
- 1/4 tsp JuicePlus (digestive enzymes, acidophilus, barley grass, wheat
grass, selenium, etc. etc.)
- 1/4 tsp slippery elm
- few grains of vit C
- 1/2 tsp bran
- about 6 drops salmon oil (I'd give more but he doesn't like it)
- half grain/half veggie, about 25%
- about 75% ground raw chicken or turkey with the skin and most of the fat
 left in (plus a small percentage of ground chicken hearts or liver)
- a raw chicken wing or thigh bone once a day. If he doesn't get the bone,
he   gets finely ground eggshell.
- water till the food is sloopy.

Once a week he gets 400 IU Vit E, and 5,000 IU Vit A & 200 IU Vit D.

I've begun giving him 1/2 tsp extra bran mixed with 1/2 tsp butter occasionally but I don't want to do that on a long-term basis.

Judy, you mentioned FiberSol. Mind telling me what's in it?

Rather than adding supplements when he's constipated, I'd like to change his diet on a permanent basis to prevent it, and I'd welcome any comments or suggestions along that line. I suspect he needs more fibre (mouse fur equivalent!) - but what? One vet says grains are good, another one says bad, use veggies/seeds instead.

Do other totally raw feeders find their cats get constipated? My sister is also feeding raw and has the same problem.

What do the grainless feeders do to keep their cats regular! :-)

--Jean, Saski-Wheezer-Purrer & Amber the Delightful

When I first started feeding bones, I quickly found that my cats got constipated if I fed them more than once every third day. After I cut back they were fine. I'd try just eliminating the bones everyday and just give them to him a few times a week. As his system gets more used to bones, then you can start feeding them more frequently.

Peggy
Hester and Elleander

Hi Jean,
Have u tried adding psyllium husk mixed in w/ water?  Or canned pumpkin mixed in w/ the raw?

Good to hear Saski is playing and his heart is in good shape:)  Purrs to you all.
Sandy

Incidentally Jean, [psyllium] this is what I'd recommend w/ Saski for his constipation.  Tell us what recipe u are using for the raw diet.  And which veggies etc.  My cats never have either diarrhea or constipation on the raw diet so i don't think it is a natural consequence of feeding raw.

What sort of fiber does Saski get in his food?  U might consider adding ground flax seeds.  Hey anyone ever used ground sunflower seeds? I'm curious if sunflower oil is good for cats.  Course there is that non-animal source aspect to it, but isn't it hi in Omega 6?  The vet on the CRF list (Dr. james) posted yesterday about cats needing more O-6 like arachidonic acids etc. so was wondering if I need to rethink my oil %s.  For the girls, I don't add any oil since they get the chicken skin but for Booey I have been adding olive oil.  Judy and I discussed the pros and cons of adding butter which made me decide against it for now.

Anyway, for those interested in more info on psylliun husk, here is the best site I have come across on this.  It's a link from Henriette Kress' website.  She is one of the most super-duper nice and knowledgeable people I have met on the net when it comes to herbs..she's like a walking encyclopedia, man

http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed/neat-stuff/psyllium.html

Sandy, owned and operated by the mountain cats

hey ladies-
hope everyone's kitties are doing well.

Jean, you asked about bulk in the diet. i feed my cats about 70-80% meat, with a spoon of veggies and some ground flax seed. sam's getting a urinalysis and blood work today, so i'll let ya'll know if any numbers come back weird. i would not go to 50% veggies, and don't really think they get much from the veggies except fiber. the feline future foundation has a grainless recipe at http://www.felinefuture.com/library/nutrition/stdrecipe.html  and they seem to use 70% meat and 30% veggie (1000g of meat and organ, plus 2 egg yolks to 330g of veggie). as a point of science, i checked out a few raw veggie poops and the cats seem to be excreting the veggies in much the same condition they ate them in.

Vick, Skippy, Sam, Max and Jezebel

Olga, I think you said he is eating dry food?  That is a very well recognized problem-maker for urinary and constipation problems.  With additional stress in your cat's life, it sounds like he is not drinking enough water or getting enough water from his food so he is urinating less.  This puts him at higher risk for kidney and bladder problems.  Try to get him onto canned food, at the very least, if you cannot make homemade food. Start by moistening the familiar dry food, then gradually mix in canned food and reduce the proportion of dry.  (Two fairly good canned food brands that most cats accept well are Max and Nutro Natural Choice.  Avoid anything with fish in it.)

Don't use ANY food that lists "byproducts" in the ingredients.  This is a spiffy marketing term for "industrial waste."  Also, be aware that just moistening the dry food is NOT the same as using canned food.  Dry food is baked for a LONG time, and contains a high proportion of grains.  Canned food is less cooked and has (in the better quality brands) a higher proportion of meat.

If I misunderstood you, I'm sorry, but I think that's what you meant by "hard" food.  You really can't do much about urinary problems until you eliminate the dry food.  The very best thing, of course, is to feed your kitty all meat and vegetables and perhaps a vitamin supplement, and of course a calcium and magnesium supplement if you aren't giving any bones.

Good luck,
Leslie