What to do if your cat has constipation

When a cat has constipation, methods such as adjusting diet, increasing exercise, administering medication, enemas, or using laxatives can be used to help the cat recover as soon as possible. When the constipation is mild, you can feed the cat honey water or goat's milk, and play with it regularly to increase its exercise. If it is caused by hairballs, you should feed the cat hair removal paste or catnip. However, if the constipation is severe, oral drugs containing magnesium sulfate or lactulose can be taken under the guidance of a doctor. If necessary, enemas or other methods can be used to help the cat defecate.

Constipation in cats is usually caused by an unreasonable diet structure or poor physical condition. When a cat has constipation, the owner can observe that the cat struggles to defecate, takes a long time to defecate, has dry and hard stools, and even blood in the stool. Here are some suggestions to help alleviate the symptoms of constipation in cats:

Adjust diet structure

There are several ways to treat constipation in cats by adjusting their diet. First, feed the cat foods that lubricate the intestines, such as honey water or goat's milk, but remember to feed honey water moderately and not to use it long-term. Second, adjust the cat's diet by feeding foods rich in fiber, switching to natural cat food with lower protein content, and increasing the amount of wet food. Third, increase the cat's water intake by setting up multiple water stations in its living environment.

Increase exercise

Encouraging the cat's running and jumping behaviors can effectively promote its metabolism and gastrointestinal movement. If the cat usually doesn't like to exercise, the owner can play with it daily to increase its exercise volume, which can help improve the constipation to some extent.

Feed medication

The main drugs used to treat constipation in cats are magnesium sulfate or lactulose, which can directly target the problem and stimulate the cat's gastrointestinal muscles, showing significant effects. Additionally, if the cat's stool contains hair, it could be caused by hairball constipation, and the cat should be fed hair removal paste to promote gastrointestinal movement and help expel the hairball. Note that medication treatment should be carried out under the guidance of a veterinarian.

Enema or laxative

If a cat hasn't defecated for more than 3 days and has severe constipation, such as dry stool stuck at the anus, enemas or laxatives can be used to lubricate the intestines and soften the stool, helping the cat to defecate. Also, never perform an enema at home alone – it must be done at a hospital or under a veterinarian's guidance to avoid injury to the cat.