Is she constipated all the time?

On boneless meat?

I ask this because the calcium in bones is not just a necessary mineral .... but it also firms up, not loosens, poop.

Yeah from what I got out of her owner, she has had the constipation and wobbling since she was fed exclusively meat without bones. The bones act like fiber from what I understand, so without them; constipation. I'll check on her and see how things are going hopefully soon.

I would have the owner read up on raw feeding cats and serve a premade frozen raw until she does. IF the cat is constipated, the bone could increase the problem.

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood#Constipation

Thanks Tammy I'll send her this link. Yeah I don't want her to change the diet until the constipation is under control and we don't want her adding too much bone. I agree education is the Rx for her right now.

That interesting about soluble fiber being best for cats, I have some that I haven't been using...I may give her some of that if she needs it.

The calcium in bones is a poop-firmer for both cats and dogs. Bones aren't like fiber.

That's an interesting article. (And it does correctly point out that if bones were part of a constipation problem, it would be from too many and not too few.)


I'm with you, Tresa, that "I agree education is the Rx for her right now."

I know bones firm the poop (and can cause constipation)....but what I am saying is they also help it move through....I mean a diet of only meat has nothing to make it go through, I know bones aren't fiber but without them, how would the bowels move like they should?

That's a big topic for an animal with a chronic problem.

For a healthy animal, peristalsis (helped along with exercise) and the water in the food and that they drink move the feces on through (of course, this is very over-simplified).

This cat sounds like there might be chronic constipation, and there are several possible causes. I'm not up on cats, but I know that a dirty or otherwise "not to the cat's liking" litterbox can trigger holding back, and develop into constipation. Also, not enough water (I think cats are known for pickiness about water) and also megacolon (a kind of enlarged and slow-contracting colon) can both, separately and together, cause constipation to the point of impaction.

Megacolon (maybe mentioned in that link I posted) isn't usually fixable with diet tinkering.

The problem is that it's a vet thing, because once it has developed, it probably requires lifelong softening meds with regular vet supervision.

The reason I know about this is because it's also a (less frequent) dog problem, and one of the articles I read happened to say in passing that it was even more common in cats.

Insoluble fiber, effective for many a human's constipation (with lots of water!), can actually cause or exacerbate constipation in cats. (Soluble fiber is different, of course.)


ETA
The distended stomach is one of the megacolon signs (as well as some other conditions, of course).

Edited by Connie Sutherland (04/23/2013 12:59 PM)
Edit reason: eta

Yikes I hope this doesn't become a long term vet issue. This did start with the all meat diet so I am hoping adjusting her diet carefully will fix it. From baysitting her for a few days I do know she does drink water. The litter could possibly be part of the problem...its dusty and scented and may bother her...it bothered me!

Thanks for all the info...I'll pass it along. The hardest thing here will be getting her owner to understand that making her eat what is good for her isn't being cruel. *sigh* smh

 Quote: Tresa Hendrix

Yikes I hope this doesn't become a long term vet issue.

So do I, Tresa. Fingers crossed.