Expert: Ali - 12/8/2009

Question
Can I give my 17 yr old cat a portion of a child`s glycerin suppository to help with her constipation?


Answer
Roger,

If at all possible I'd strongly suggest that this kitty sees a veterinarian ASAP because there's a possibility that she's got a health issue that may look like constipation to you but there is a possibility, especially in an older kitty that she may not actually be constipated. Obviously if you only have the one cat and you scoop the litter boxes at least once each day then you're very familiar with your kitty's potty habits and what's normal for her in terms of urine/stool output within a 24 hour period. If you're not seeing any stool or you're seeing stool that's in the form of small, hard round balls then your kitty is most likely constipated, I've provided you with a short list of home remedies that might actually help your kitty's digestive tract get moving again. If your kitty has a long coat that isn't regularly brushed out it's possible that she's got a case of mechanical constipation which means that her digestive tract is doing exactly what it's supposed to but her ability to defecate is being impeded by some matting in the fur around her back end. If your kitty does happen to have one or more mats around her back end then I'd strongly suggest that you seek out the services of a groomer or veterinarian to clip the mats away since it's far too easy to accidentally cut your cat's skin.

Your kitty is elderly, she's roughly 84 in human years. When dealing with an elderly kitty it's a good idea to check the condition of her coat daily, if she's not able to groom herself all that effectively then it's important to step in and help keep her coat well groomed by brushing her all over and using a damp cloth, an all natural UNscented baby wipe or even a mild cat shampoo (I use Earth Bath products, they're environmentally friendly, gentle and safe for us and our cats) at least once a day. Elderly kitties may get to a point where they're not as able to clean their coat as effectively as they did in their younger days so it's important to ensure that you check her over daily and clean soiled fur as promptly as possible using a mild cat shampoo, moist cat wipes or even an all natural unscented baby wipe to remove dirt and other debris from her coat. If this is the case then having a vet or groomer shave away the mats around your cat's bottom may be all that it takes for him to be able to have a bowel movement. This type of constipation is often referred to as mechanical constipation because the intestines are doing what they're supposed to be doing, the process is literally being blocked from the outside of your kitty's body.

I don't recommend giving any amount of a glycerin suppository to your kitty unless a veterinarian has given you the go ahead because while I understand that you mean well it's really important to realize that many human medications are very dangerous to cats since a cat's system is very different from that of a human child or adult. Some home remedies for constipation are:

- You could use a commercially available hairball remedy as directed on the label.

- Sometimes a constipated kitty just needs a little bit of lubrication to help get dry stool out into the litter box, a small amount of butter/margarine can be helpful, but again try to avoid the salt if possible.

- My vet has recommended pure canned pumpkin for my middle cat who sometimes gets pretty badly constipated. You can give your kitty up to a tablespoon twice daily, some cats really like the taste of canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling), others aren't so fond of it.

- I'm not sure how long your kitty has been constipated, but any veterinarian should be able to prescribe a laxative that's kitty friendly.

- Another option for constipated kitties is unflavored metamucil (up to a 1/2 tsp twice daily) mixed into food with quite a bit of water added to prevent choking.

- You could try a 1/2 tsp of oat bran mixed with your kitty's favorite canned cat food or meat/broth baby food (hold the spices, onions, garlic and salt, they're not good for cats).

- I've never tried this but one of my reference books suggests the flakes from Grape Nuts cereal, I'm not sure if you can get that in Thailand, but it's a thought. If your kitty likes these flakes then he can eat them as often as he likes within reason of course (do remember that your kitty is an obligate carnivore so the majority of his nutrition should come from a meat based diet).

- A small amount of cow's milk may loosen your kitty up. Normally feeding cow's milk to cats isn't recommended because they are generally lactose intolerant and milk can cause diarrea, in this case because your kitty is constipated milk just might loosen things up enough for her to be able to have a bowel movement with a minimum of discomfort.

Hopefully your kitty does end up being able to defecate on her own, with medicine from the vet or with some of the home remedies that I've sent your way. My middle kitty has issues with mild to moderate constipation and digestive upsets that will sometimes go along with feeling pretty rotten because he's constipated. On one occasion despite treatments recommended by our veterinarian he once went a little over two weeks before he was finally able to defecate more than a few small, hard pieces of stool. Obviously I wouldn't recommend that you wait that long to see your veterinarian since there could be other underlying medical issues causing your kitty to be unable to defecate, after all the earlier potential problems are identified and treated the better it is for your kitty's overall health and comfort levels. I wish you and your kitty luck, I'd be interested to hear how she's doing and when her bout with constipation settles down. If you have any further kitty related questions or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime, I will do my absolute best to help you out.