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Good morning, I have an 8wk old presumed female kitten with a rare congenital defect causing a cloaca instead of normal anus and vagina. She went to another vet for what was thought to be constipation and a partial vaginal prolapse and we were given the diagnosis and told of an expensive surgery that could correct the issue but were advised that euthanasia might be the best course as we’re a rescue and the surgery is not only expensive but has a high complication rate. I’m trying to find anyone with experience with this or surgeons that have done this surgery. We’re trying to decide if the surgery will prolong a happy, comfortable life or only cause issues down the road. She is currently being maintained with laxatives, abdominal massages, antibiotics both oral and topical, prednisone, and bathing. She is a normal, happy kitten except for her bathroom needs and being very undersized(1.4lbs and half the size of her littermates).
Her diagnosis:
Type II Atresia Ani
Rectourethral Fistula
how can i best extract bowels from my injured cat? she is not using the litter box, but there is some leakage. she has no tone in her anus and most likely is healing from nerve damage. i have figured out how to extract her bladder. she is still eating and lively. more details of her condition and our process to support her below.
moonstone is about a year old and showed up at our house 4 months ago brave and spirited. she disappeared for a week and came back with a serious injury. we took her to the er because she was leaking urine and had a limp tail and left hind leg. we learned that her bladder needed to be urgently expressed and that her bowels were backed up. we also learned that she had a tail avulsion and a fracture in her left femoral joint. they expressed her bladder and bowels and sent us home with pain meds and anti-inflammatory medication. we went to aspca the next day hoping to get treatment for her fractured bones, but they suggested nursing her at home and learning how to express her bladder and bowels to see if she could regain control and tone in her anus. they said that maybe in a few weeks she could regain feeling and be able to use the bathroom on her own, and then they would consider amputating her tail and treating her leg. we have quickly learned how to express her bladder, but are struggling to get her to poop. please help us keep moonstone alive!
During the summer my cat Higgins (Higgy) was lying at the top of the stairs and I noticed that she was lethargic, she’d lost a little bit of weight. After monitoring her for a day or two I noticed that she was unable to poop and she winced when I touched her stomach. To cut a long story short, she ended up being hospitalized for two days for an impacted colon. She’s been doing very well until a few days ago. We’ve been giving her lactulose, as prescribed by our vet and we’ve also given her a little Catlax. Her appetite is the same, I’ve been giving her only wet food, she’s drinking water like she normally would and, she is urinating plus, her weight is the same. Her behavior is normal, she’s playing and she’s already attacked the Christmas tree, but she hasn’t been to the bathroom for 5 days. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hello,
In cases like this I try to teach people how to palpate their cat so they can monitor the size of the colon. This will help you understand and take care of the feces before it becomes obstipation.
In some cases there is an underlying problem that causes poor movement of the colon. I also recommend lots of exercise and bloodwork to look for other possible conditions like kidney disease or thyroid disease that might be complicating the condition.
Thank you for responding. She had blood work done and all was good with her kidneys. I’ll give her another day and if there’s no change I’ll take her back to the vet.
I have a 10 year old female cat. I found her outside two years ago. The past few days she has been running and jumping. Today I fed her and now I noticed her colon is inlarged. She has poo trying to come out but cant. How can I help her? What home remedies can I do? Feed wet food? Or give her a laxative?? She won’t let me rub her tummy or back.
Hello,
If she isn’t staining to defecate then I would just give her some time. Also you can add water to some canned food over the next few days to try to soften the feces. I think that keeping her on a high quality food also helps. Encourage her to play and move around as this helps keep the gi tract moving.
Help!
We rescued a 4 week old kitten and immediately noticed his butt area was different than we’ve ever seen but it did not seem to cause him any pain. Initially he was doing well until he began having diarrhea and mucus/blood in his stool. We brought him to the vet and turns out he had a parasite called Coccidia. It was treated with a 10 day oral medication and we believed everything would be fine afterwards.
After the diarrhea subsided he began to be constipated to the point we had to bring him back to vet twice within a week for him to be sedated and his bowels to be manually released. They have no idea what would cause this.
We went to a specialized vet clinic and they said they could dilate the anus/rectum to help him pass his stool (may not help or may have to constantly have redone) or do a exploratory surgery to see if any tissue or something is in the intestines and such that stops him from passing by himself.
Our personal vet clinic says his anus is abnormal which may mean that he lacks the muscles to be able to push out his own stool.
We have researched online and found a couple pictures of kittens after they have had a prolapsed rectum and they look similar and symptoms seem about the same. He just does not have anything coming out of him.
Does anyone have any advice or personal experience that can help us? The specialized vet says if we can’t figure out what is causing this it would be best to euthanize him so he does not suffer. We do not want to do that. He is the sweetest and most playful kitten.
Hello,
I think that this requires a vet who can do a very thorough exam and maybe even try different diets to see if you can manage the colon to a point where this kitten can survive. I have seen a case like this in the past where a kitten had bilateral rectal hernias. This is essentially the colon or intestines slipping between the muscles of the anus. It was one of many issues this kitten had and ultimately we had to euthanize.
I appreciate and applaud your trying to help. Please keep us posted.
Very best of luck.
7 year old female beagle with a history of allergic reactions (bee stings, environmental/pollen/poison Ivy)- started to exhibit serious scratching and head shaking. I have a cone at home so I used that to deter the scratching and head shaking. I also tried these “allergy aid” treats (picture attached), and /or Benadryl to try and calm down the allergic response.
She was starting to get small hives on her head and one of her ears was swelling . She’s had the ear hematomas before in both ears, and the hives before in her head and back.
I was worried it may be fleas or ticks with the smaller hives, so I did the topical flea &tick K9 Advantix with no improvement.
I also gave her a bath two days ago with her mild oatmeal shampoo, and gave her a good scrub just in case there were any mites or critters.
My other half said she threw up yesterday when I was out and had some anal leakage? And now she is not eating- she didn’t poop today when I took her out, instead she peed, did her usual walk around and then just sat down like she was uncomfortable. So I am wondering if she’s constipated and that is why she’s not eating.
Hello,
What advice has your veterinarian given you. ? It seems like there are lots of options for you they should be offering.
I think it’s a good idea to start with them. If you are worried about a budget be honest with them. They should be able to offer lots of things to try after they confirm it is allergies. These cases always start with a thorough discussion of history and a list of things to try. Some are over the counter and others are more expensive like apoquel or cytopoint.
I hope this helps.
Thanks Dr Magnifico. My dog is actually a current patient at Jarrettsville Vet and I plan on calling tomorrow to make an appointment. I called today but with the holiday they are closed. Totally understandable.
We have some medicine from her bad reaction last summer, but I was worried to try those because I am not 100% sure what the cause of her symptoms are this time around.
Only one of her ears is swollen this time, so I am curious if it’s an infection- but no foul smell or odd colors. Definitely red & swollen though.
I was mostly concerned about her not eating. Thank you for the advice, again I plan on calling the office tomorrow to hopefully get an appointment if there’s been no improvement.
I saw the YouTube video about constipated cats. I really need help with my cat. We have been through so much starting with elevated liver enzymes that are finally back to normal, diabetes that has resolved and now constipation. He was at the ER over the weekend and had an enema, and is on Lactulose and Miralax. I live alone with him and my dog. I am a grad student and completely exhausted from all the care I have given him and and my dog (who also has elevated liver enzymes) in addition to trying to keep up with school and the bills.
Please contact me with any help at maryob814@gmail.com or 415-754-9587. After watching your YouTube video, I took away the dry food. I should have thought of that sooner. I want to know how to care for him and my dog. They are my babies and all I have. Please contact me. Thanks.
Hello,
I am sorry for the delay.
These cases can be really frustrating. If at all possible try to find a feline only veterinarian.
I scrutinize diet, environment and do a thorough physical exam and talk about blood work, xrays. ultrasound and try to identify any underlying causes that might be causing the difficulty in ability to defecate.
im sorry but i can only provide medical advice and care for established clients. if you are near northern maryland i am happy to see you at the clinic, jarrettsville veterinary center.
you can ask your vet about trying to identify the cause(s) and trying medications to see if they help,, like metocolpramide., motility agents, even anit nausea medications and providing fluids at home (we sell sq fluids kits at my practice).
I really wish you the best of luck
He has been on sq fluids and now on a motility agent. He passed 4 small single round pieces of poop throughout the day on Friday after I gave alittle Lactulose. Nothing Saturday and now I’m debating on giving alittle more Lactulose to help him out going into Sunday. I don’t want to use the laxative too much not wanting him to depend on it but also don’t want to go through another enema. He has now had two of those (Saturday morning and Wednesday morning last week). I’m trying to stay on top of it. It’s very frustrating and scary.
I wish I was in Maryland. I’m not. I’m across country in Bay Area, California if there is anyone you can recommend here. He has been seeing an internist since we started with the elevated liver enzymes back in December. I’m looking for a feline only vet. Found a couple. He doesn’t have a primary care right now since we moved just before the pandemic hit. I’ve been trying to find a good one. So hard trying to find a doctor I trust.
He was playing with his toy today and I have been walking around the house having him follow me for exercise. He has been sleeping comfortably and the meds seem to help with urination. That was being retained too after getting off the steroids. I’m really hoping the steroids were the cause of this. All blood values are normal. He had x-rays along with the enema and had an ultrasound back in January with the liver enzymes. That can be repeated if needed. The x-ray showed he had a large bladder both times but didn’t see anything else. I’m hoping since the meds helped him empty his bladder that the poop should follow soon.
I’m trying to keep fluids up by offering gravy from the canned food a couple times throughout the day in addition to the sq fluids. Trying everything I can…. please pray we get through this. Thanks for your help.
Hi Krista,
I am overwhelmed with joy and had to share the news. He just had his 1st fully formed, normal sized, normal color, alittle soft POOP!!! This is the first since the 2 enemas and starting on the laxatives. We have an acupuncture appt in the morning and hope he continues to do well from here.
Thank you again for your help. Thank you for posting that video and validating that I was on the right path to helping him. I am sooo grateful. ????????
Mary
My cat was constipated this morning (he has other issues, but this was the key problem this morning). The vet said I could give him Miralax, which I did. I knew it was kicking in because my cat started yowling a bit, most likely because he was feeling cramps. It’s a struggle because I don’t want him to feel bad but I know this is part of the problem with giving a laxative. Does anyone have a suggestion about what I can do “in the mean time” to make him feel better while we wait for him to defecate? Heating pad? Warm rice pad? Cold pad? Just rubbing his belly softly? Thanks!
For cats with constipation issues I recommend a high quality canned food only diet and lots of exercise. If you are worried about pain please talk to your vet about safe options for cats. There are not a lot of them.
Thank you. Since we’re dealing with several other health issues my cat has been less mobile, which I know was part of the problem.
5 Yr old rescue cat named Maew. Indoor/outdoor. Severe mega colon with constipation/ostibation related to nerve damage from having her tail removed by a dog when she was a kitten.
We have had her in and out of the vet many times for enemas and have done everything we can to keep her going. Laxatives, lots of exercise, diet changes We are out of options and considering colon surgery.
I need a magical diet/food remedy to help her mega colon issues. She actually did well for a few years on high fiber dry food. But that time is over and we are trying every food option to keep her hydrated and avoid colon issues.
We do regular manual palpitation also.
Help help help!
She’s always been there for us with an encouraging head boop and now we have to be there for her. We will never give up! She’s a survivor and deserves much more time with our family
We have been very diligent with miralax, lactalose, and such. We need some hippy-voodoo magic!
In all honesty, I’d keep her indoors due to the injury and the likelihood she’ll end up injured further, especially if she ends up separated from you by a well-meaning human thinking she’s a stray. I would also talk with your vet further about that surgery.
My 4 yr old cat seems constipated. I just lost my job a couple of weeks ago and cannot afford to take him to the vet. I noticed on Wednesday he only pooped once and it was kind of hard. He didn’t poop Thursday. Friday I bought mineral oil, glycerin enema, and mixed with warm water…administered about 4ml and he had a bowel movement. Continued with wet food mixed with pumpkin purée, water, Miralax, and catlax. Also manually gave him water with a little bit of pedialyte orally. Saturday he had no bowel movement. Sunday I gave him another enema same as above and he had a bowel movement. Continued with all mentioned above. It’s now Monday and he still hasn’t had another bowel movement. Just gave him another enema (same as above) and he hasn’t made a bowel movement in about an hour…the other two enemas he produced a bowel movement within just a few minutes. I’ve order the official Feline Enemas, but they won’t arrive until Tuesday or Wednesday this week. I honestly don’t know what else to do and I’m desperate! I cannot afford a vet visit right now, but my kids and I love this guy so much and feel terrible for him. He was really not seeming well Thursday thru Sunday morning, but then Sunday night thru Monday morning he was doing so much better. Now here we are same Monday afternoon and he’s not good again. Please help!
UPDATE: he had another bowel movement after the last enema, it was much softer than the others and seemed like it had mucus around it (sorry so graphic). However, he’s still not wanting to move around and his belly still feels firm.
Constipation in cats is usually secondary to another issue. That’s the hard part: trying to figure out the underlying issue(a). I usually advocate for a change in diet, adding fiber or a laxative and getting these cats up and moving. But these do not usually cure the underlying condition alone. Often a full bloodwork, X-ray and ultra sound are needed to help uncover the cause.
It is also helpful to learn how to palpate your cat so you can tell if the feces is gettin backed up. In some cases I teach people how to give sq fluids at home to help add water and soften the feces to make it easier to pass.
Hello
I’m sorry to hear about your cat.
I think that you need to find a veterinarian or a veterinary technician who can show you how to do this. I would also recommend you start gentle physical therapy and feed canned food to keep the feces soft and able to pass more easily.