Treating Cat Constipation At Home
What are the Causes and Symptoms of Cat Constipation?
If your cat has digestive problems, whines or strains in the litter box, he may have constipation. This is quite common with modern pet diets of dry food. Check with your vet to make sure it is not a more serious condition such as infection, obstruction or tumor. Dehydration from eating dry food and not getting enough water is the most common cause. In the wild cats would only eat food with moisture. Even though our cats get wet and dry food and are good about drinking water, he still has this problem. I wish I had found treatments for my cat sooner. He has constipation daily unless he gets some form of medication. If left untreated occasional constipation can become frequent and lead to serious and even fatal conditions such as megacolon. So please check out these methods for treating cat constipation at home. Read on for some easy solutions to make your pet much healthier and happier.
This is my top recommendation for long-term treatment.
How Can you Treat Constipation in Cats?
There are several ways constipation in cats can be treated. There are prescription drugs but those are difficult to obtain if you have trouble convincing your vet that constipation is the problem. My cat appeared normal and my veterinarian was not sure that was the problem. Prescription drugs can also have side effects and be expensive.
There are over-the-counter pharmaceutical remedies such as Miralax which is made for humans but can be used for cats. My vet recommended Miralax and we have been using it successfully. My cat gets a tiny amount on his wet food twice per day. The recommended dose is about 1/8 to 1/4 of a teaspoon once per day but my cat ended up needing less if it was twice per day. I am so glad I found Miralax when I did for him so he was more comfortable and didn’t whine and cry every time he went to the box. Here is information on Miralax for cats: https://www.vetinfo.com/miralax-for-cats.html They recommend mixing it in water rather than putting it on the wet food.
The third option is natural remedies such as canned pumpkin. There are a variety of natural remedies that are supposed to help but my cat seemed to need more serious help. I tried olive oil for example on his food but I did not try the pumpkin so I can’t say how well it might work.
The best option I have found is non-pharmaceutical, non prescription but still powerful enough to actually work! It is made from cannabinoids without any THC.
A New Natural Treatment for Constipation in Cats!
I have not had a chance to try this yet, but it has wonderful reviews and contains only natural fruit based active ingredients. It is a drop for cats (there is also a formula for dogs). I will be trying this for my cat soon! It looks great. It is call Smooth BM Gold for Cats by Pet Wellbeing. It has added natural bacon flavor.
The Best Treatment for Constipation in Cats
I finally tried a non-THC cannabis capsule made specifically for cats and dogs! I was so happy to find this since it is made specifically for them and comes in a tiny capsule that is small enough for a cat to swallow whole. You can also twist the capsules open and put the powder on their food. I started with this method and later just gave my cat the whole capsule since it was easier than making sure one out of three cats ate from that particular bowl. If you have one cat it would be easy.
 Canna-Pet¨ Advanced Small – 30 Capsules – $29.99 Canna-Pet¨ Advanced Small capsules contain a broad spectrum of concentrated, naturally occurring cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids from hemp for dogs and cats. Simplified servings, improved and more concentrated formula, cGMP sealed packaging ensure consistent, quality product with a long shelf life. |
This product has a potent mix of natural and concentrated cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids that work well but does not contain THC which is the psychoactive component of marijuana. Get the best combination of these powerful healers for your pet! These components have amazing properties to heal a wide variety of diseases and ailments and we seem to learn about more uses for them all the time. Now there is a product made specifically for your pets to harness this amazing power that is safe and convenient.
Glowing Reviews from Cat and Dog Owners for Anxiety, Pain, Digestion and More
If you go to the Canna-Pet website there are many, many testimonials of cats and dogs who were cured of pain, anxiety, digestive problems, skin problem and even treated for cancer! The reviews are incredibly positive and come with pictures of each pet so you can see these are real cats and dogs. Read their stories and you will probably be inspired to help your pet right away. I certainly was and I am glad I tried the capsules for my boy. I wanted a natural long term solution that would truly help him and that is what I found.
My Suggestion
If you have a cat or dog with constipation, other digestive problems, anxiety, or pain, I would highly recommend this product. I held off writing this review until I used it long enough to be sure it really works for my cat. I would say only 1 day out of 20 did he seem to have any issues and they were very mild compared to the normal struggles he had every single day. It works.
If you have a cat with constipation right now, I would get Miralax if you can get it at your local store to give them some relief right away while you order Canna-Pet. Ask your veterinarian specifically if they think Miralax would be ok but I know it is a very common treatment for cats and my veterinarian actually recommend it. Miralax is a stop gap solution that treats the symptoms of constipation but it is not a cure and should not be used long term. I was afraid long-term use of Miralax would lead to complications and it was a pain to make sure he got it twice per day and one of the other cats didn’t eat his food. I did not see any bad side effects from Miralax however and it seems safe. My cat was on it for quite a long time, probably over 6 months. If your cat is suffering now, I strongly urge you to get a bottle of Miralax today. Order it here or get it at your grocery store or drugstore. When you receive your Canna-Pet in the mail (which doesn’t take long) you can switch over to that.
Canna-Pet Products for Cats, Dogs and Horses Too
Canna-Pet makes great supplements for keeping your cat or dog healthy even before they have any health problems! Try it out for yourself. Canna-Pet also makes larger capsules for dogs and an extra strength version for treating serious conditions like cancer. They make CBD oil for dogs and a large size CBD oil for horses but recommend the capsules for cats since cats don’t like the taste of the oil. There are also treats for dogs in flavors such as Turkey Dinner.
Other Cat Digestive Problems like Throwing Up
If your cat throws up regularly, don’t assume this is normal! Once in awhile may be ok but if your cat throws up on a regular basis or every day there is a problem. Please check out this post I wrote on the causes and treatments for this problem. Remedy for Cat Vomiting.
Let Me Know What You Think! Please Comment and Share.
Please let me know what you think of these remedies for treating cat constipation at home as well as so many other ailments in cats and dogs. Please leave a comment below or share this on social media if you think it is valuable information! Thank you so much!
Jessica
Additional Information
- Pictorial of how cannabinoids affect different organs and functions in a pet’s body for overall health: Check out this link!
- Great easy to understand information about cancer in dogs, including types of cancer, risk factors, symptoms, treatment and successful cures using Canna-Pet: Information here.
- For more information on constipation in cats go to: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Cornell Feline Health Center http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/constipation.cfm
- For information on Miralax for Cats: https://www.vetinfo.com/miralax-for-cats.html
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Hi Jessica,
Thanks for the amazing article.
A while ago, my cat (Tom) had a serious constipation. Had your article came up earlier this week, It would have saved me money from going to vet haha. I will bookmark your site and come back for future updates!
Thanks again for the article Jess.
Regards,
Kenny Wong
Hello Kenny, I have been wanting to write this post but waited to make sure the supplement actually worked first. If your cat is prone to constipation he may get it again. If he does you could try this! I hope he is healthy though. Check out my other posts on tooth and gum disease prevention and immunity support with PetAlive supplements. https://thrivingcat.com/revolutionary-supplement-that-keeps-dog-and-cat-teeth-clean Those are what all my cats get every day to stay healthy.
Thanks,
Jessica
Hi Jessica, thanks for such a great post on how to care for your cat with constipation. I had no idea you could give Miralax to your cat. The non-THC Canna-Pet products sound like miracle products for suffering cats & dogs everywhere. It’s obvious from your post that you love animals and try to find the best products to aid in their care. Also, I know that CBD Oil is a great treatment for humans, never thought about it might work for animals also. Thank you again for sharing such great information regarding our pets& remedies that will improve their lives.
Thanks Riley,
I am glad I can share information that is so important and hopefully what I have learned can help others. Our pets deserve to be healthy and we need to keep working to find ways to treat them with the best products available. I am excited about this supplement since it can be used for many different health problems. I plan to try it for my other boy with anxiety next.
Jessica
This is a fascinating article! I had no idea that CBD oil was available for pet usage. I have a cat who is currently healthy, but I will keep your research in mind in case his health changes as he gets older. Wonderful!
Yes, I like the CBD since it can be used for so many different health problems at once. I have another cat with anxiety. I will be trying the supplement for him next. It would be great to have one supplement that worked for all the cats!
Thanks!
Jessica
Another exceptional article – very much appreciated. I think our cats are ok in this department, but I’m not certain. Alberta, our calico, eats wet food mostly, so she is probably safe. Chip OTOH is a dry food only guy, so we will watch his habits more closely to check for symptoms. Since he has been prone to drinking a lot of water in the past, hopefully he has enough moisture in his system to do the job, but we will see.
I’m a bit concerned about his vocalizing lately, though. Usually he is pretty quiet unless he is angry about our not letting him out (outside is off limits after dark, but he doesn’t accept that rule). However, lately he will occasionally make a strange cry (a bit like a female cat in heat or mating – both of ours are fixed) from other parts of the house when we are in the bedroom, usually just a few times, then he seems ok. Not sure if this is part of him stalking Alberta (they get a bit frisky at times) or if he is in pain. If this sounds like something you know about, please let me know. It is possible that he may be using the litter box when he does this cry, but neither of us suspected it; we could be wrong, however.
Thanks again for another terrific post!
Steve
Hi Steve,
My boy yowls when he has litter box problems (what we call his constipation). It sounds like that could be the same kind of call you are describing, of course there could be many possible reasons. Ours also grunts and groans when he is in the box and having problems but you wouldn’t hear that unless you were in the same room, not very loud. Then when he is done he gets all excited sometimes and tears through the house like he is doing a victory dance after having such a hard time! Sometimes the lap around the house comes before the box but the yowling is usually right before he heads for the box.
You can assess the remains in the box and tell (if you know he just went and it isn’t from the other cat). Small and compact means hard and not hydrated enough. If that is what is in the box (small, round poos) then he probably isn’t getting enough water into his system. Just drinking water might not be enough though. That is where Miralax comes in, it gets moisture into the digestive tract. So it pulls the water already in his system to that location so it makes it easier to go. If you aren’t sure you could try a little Miralax and see what happens too. Miralax is pretty expensive in the doses humans use but the small amount cats need is tiny (only 1/4 to 1/8th tsp) so you can get a tiny bottle. I even get the store brand if it is cheaper.
You mentioned he drinks a lot of water. Has he always done that or has it increased lately? If it increases that could mean he could have diabetes of kidney failure and you NEED to take him to the vet asap. Those are both treatable (diabetes moreso) but need to be dealt with right away).
If he started the yowling recently I would suspect constipation could be an issue since that is what our boy did.
Let me know how it goes and what works for your boy! If he does develop any of these problems is is good to try to get him onto wet food or at least some wet food. I can recommend some wet foods if you are interested. We use Authority brand wet food since it is a better quality than the cheap stuff (which is terrible) but doesn’t cost as much as the expensive stuff. We got through a lot of wet food. I use it as a vehicle to give them the amazing supplements I recommend here for tooth and gum disease and immunity. If you buy Authority food in bulk and when it goes on sale at PetSmart it can be a really good price. Here are my other posts on the supplements if you are interested:
https://thrivingcat.com/revolutionary-supplement-that-keeps-dog-and-cat-teeth-clean (This was the inspiration for ThrivingCat)
https://thrivingcat.com/how-to-treat-an-upper-respiratory-infection-in-cats
Good luck!!
Jessica
Glad to see you promoting CBD for pets. I have found CBD to be a great help to me and highly recommend it.
Your site is very interesting an easy to follow.
Thank you Ray! I think we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the use of CBD and other natural treatments for pets! I am glad to be part of that! Thank you for stopping by and for your thoughts.
Jessica
My cat has constipation. I think i can give this to him.
Hello Aidan,
I would try both and see which works best. My boy does better on the Miralax but the Canna-Pet definitely helped him.
Thanks,
Jessica