Constipated cat.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Asking on behalf of a friend. She has just adopted two rescue cats and one hasn't pooed since adoption last week. Any ideas. I believe you can give human lactulose, but not sure how much.
TIA.

It hasn't poo'd for over a week then? I'd be heading to a vet now, I reckon.

Yes, the puss needs veterinary attention. You can give cats lactulose or liquid paraffin, but only under vet's care. The cat cos have a serious.

The cat could have a serious problem. My cat has a condition called mega colon & has spent many a day & night at vets, very poorly, on a drip because of dehydration. Thankfully, he now takes liquid paraffin & is very regular, indeed.

I suspect he has been using the same litter tray as his brother and his owner has not realised. She's put two trays out but only using one of them.

Advise her to keep the two trays there anyway. The trouble is that not going for a long long time can lead to poo becoming compacted/dried up in the gut and difficult for any cat to shift. It doesn't necessarily mean that there will be future troubles but there might well be a problem at the moment which could need veterinary attention. Over a week is just too long for comfort, now.

Is he still eating and drinking?

Yes I believe he is still completely well in all other ways. Which makes me think that he is just using the same tray as his brother.

I'd have to ask how she knows that he hasn't had a poo for that length of time, I guess.

I have been wondering the same. If you've not had them long you don't know their 'habits' or how much they usually produce between the two of them. If mine produced less poo for more than a day or so, I'd notice pretty quickly.

Just so. I can understand why a cat who had been moved might cross his legs for a bit but if he's eating and drinking happily, it sounds as if he's not doing too badly. (In my experience, if they're badly constipated for a while, the 'whole works' sort of gum up.) I trust she's already eg checked behind the sofa/in dark corners etc?

She says she's checked and I think you'd smell it! If there was one hidden!

Any 'movement' so far?

Yes, apparently a huge poo yesterday morning. My colleague said she almost sent me a picture. I was quite disappointed she didn't! He must have been sharing the tray with his brother though.

It's worth having an extra litter tray just in case this has been putting him off? Also, has he been on the same diet he was on before she had him? If changing diet, it needs to be done slowly over a couple of weeks, otherwise that can cause stomach problems.

Good news about the poo. I'd seriously suggest acquiring another tray or two, though, as well. My own old lad likes to have two trays all on his tod. (He uses whichever one he seems to fancy.) Many cats dislike - or become stressed by - having to use a tray for one function that has already been used for another. (Sensitive noses don't help even if they're cleaned quickly.) Compound that with another cat using them..............

She had two trays out. One with the same litter the rescue had used (wood) and one with normal litter in it. They both ignored the wood and used the other one. She also kept them on the same food as the rescue.

If I were her, I'd put out another tray with 'ordinary' litter in - I assume she has a spare for cleaning purposes etc - and gradually retire the wood one. It sounds as if they're making their feelings known.

(Mind you, after Oneago's .......forthright rejection of wood pellet litter, I wouldn't use it again. I count as biased, therefore.)