Constipation in Cats, Preventing Poor Teeth, Poor Appetite, and Diets Low in Fiber

We’ll continue the discussion on constipation in cats, focusing on what we can do to prevent and treat it. Let’s take our factors that predispose cats to develop constipation and discuss how to prevent each of them:
1. poor teeth
2. poor appetite
3. diet low in fiber
4. dehydration
5. arthritis so cannot assume a squatting position
6. lack of exercise
7. dislike area used for defecation
8. kidney disease causing fluid and electrolyte disturbance
9. hairballs
10. obstruction from cancer mass
11. rectal pain
12. medications

1. Poor Teeth
We can help cats with painful poor teeth by having yearly dental treatments. Exposed painful root areas can be covered over or teeth can be pulled. Cats always do better with no teeth than with painful teeth. We can provide CoQ10 to nourish the gums and help keep them healthy so that gingivitis is less likely to develop. We can also give our cats crunchy bones to chew on or allow them to catch mice because these are nature’s toothbrush—even to the tail with which the refined cat flosses.

2. Poor Appetite
Cats need material moving through their intestines daily to stimulate defecation. When they become ill with liver or kidney disease, they often lose their appetites. Have blood tests taken every year in young cats and every 6 months in older cats. If there’s a suggestion that the kidneys or liver is weakening, ask for herbs or nutritional supplements that support these organs. Omega 3 fatty acids from fish or flax seed are good for the kidneys. Milk thistle and artichoke are two of the many supplements that benefit the liver.

3. Diet Low in Fiber
Cats naturally love fibrous foods because they’ve evolved eating insects, mice, birds, and fish. Discuss with your veterinarian if you should be providing small amounts of ground bone, or using fiber such as rice bran, psyllium, or Metamucil. Consider adding supplements with ground flax or hemp. Missing Link makes a great product for cats. When offering any fibrous food, ensure your cat gets plenty of water. Flavor it with a drop of fish oil or a few drops of cream. Use only those foods and supplements that agree with your cat. Not all cats are healthy eating all the great foods out there.

We’ll examine more of these predisposing factors in the next entry.