Causes of Constipation in Cats

There are many reasons that can cause constipation in cats, including obesity, dietary issues, environmental factors, anal blockage, insufficient water intake, lack of exercise, hairball syndrome, and the influence of infectious diseases. Therefore, when a cat has constipation, the owner can firstly provide the cat with more water, give it gentle liquid food, and feed it some hairball remedies. If the symptoms do not improve after a period of time, the owner needs to take the cat to a pet hospital for examination and treatment.

Obesity

If a cat is overweight or older, it may experience constipation due to slow intestinal peristalsis. Therefore, owners should feed their cats regularly and quantitatively, and never let them eat whatever and whenever they want, especially foods high in fat such as cakes and biscuits, which can easily cause intestinal discomfort and constipation in cats.

Dietary Issues

If a cat is often fed with high-salt and oily foods, it may experience gastrointestinal discomfort and constipation. In addition, feeding the cat with foods that are difficult to digest or of poor quality also easily causes the cat to become upset and constipated. It is recommended to feed the cat with light and easily digestible foods and choose appropriate cat food for its gastrointestinal tract.

Environmental Factors

If a cat has just entered a new environment and has not yet adapted, it may refuse to use the toilet, resulting in constipation. Moreover, if the cat's litter box is not clean or unavailable, it may also refuse to use the toilet. It is advised to clean the litter box more often and replace the litter regularly to create a good living environment for the cat.

Anal Blockage

When a cat has anal blockage, it experiences pain in the anus, making defecation difficult. Over time, feces will accumulate in the intestine, causing constipation. In this case, using enemas can help the cat evacuate feces. If it doesn't work, the cat may need to undergo surgery at a pet hospital to remove the feces.

Insufficient Water Intake

If a cat drinks insufficient water, the feces will have less water content, making it difficult to excrete and causing constipation. Therefore, owners should regularly replace clean purified water and add more water for their cats. For cats that don't like to drink water, having multiple water bowls in different locations or purchasing a water dispenser can increase their interest in drinking water.

Lack of Exercise

Cats that lack exercise are prone to obesity and constipation. It is recommended for owners to spend more time interacting and playing with their cats, increasing their exercise level, which helps with digestion.

Hairball Syndrome

Cats usually clean their bodies by licking their fur, which can easily lead to ingesting hair into their bodies. Over time, this can cause intestinal blockage and constipation. Mild hairball blockage can be resolved by feeding hairball remedies, while severe cases may require enemas or surgery. However, enemas can be quite stimulating for cats.

Influence of Pathogenic Diseases

Many diseases can cause varying degrees of constipation, such as kidney failure, hypokalemia, liver dysfunction (fatty liver, cirrhosis, liver tumors), hormone and endocrine disorders caused by different factors (diabetes, hypothyroidism, and parathyroid diseases), and neurological abnormalities (stroke, paralysis, spinal cord diseases, etc.), as well as parasites. If the constipation is caused by a disease, it is necessary to take the cat to a pet hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible.