At Wits End

On Apr 5, 7:00*pm, jmc wrote:
I'm at a loss what to do. *Meep has gone from occasionally not pooping
in her box, to pooping out of it about 75% of the time.

Seems I have a choice to let her be constipated, or be cleaning cat sh*t
(it's poop when I'm not mad, and s*t when I am) off the carpet and
sundry objects every other day.

Untreated, she'll poop like every 5th+ day, very dry hard poops.
Treated with Laxatone, she'll poop every 3-5 days, still very hard and
dry. *Those instances, she normally uses the box. *Treated with Miralax,
she has normal poops every other day, and most of the time poops
somewheres in the basement.

On a very, very low dose of Miralax (1/16 tsp a day), she'll poop every
other or every 3rd day, slightly less dry and hard, but mostly in the
box. *If she hasn't gone in 3 days, I'll add a tiny bit of laxatone -
that always works, but never the way I want - soft poops anywhere but
the box.

Today she used something that mattered, that was very hard to clean soft
cat crap off of.

I love my cat, but this is really starting to get to me! *The vet is
running out of ideas too.

I can't understand why, when her poop is normal-to-soft, she'll poop
outside of the box, but if it's dry and hard she'll use the box.

Any ideas how we can manage the best of both worlds?

jmc

Give her a dose of Miralax that is large enough to keep her pooping
daily and also feed strictly measured amounts of food as well so there
is no variation in the amount of medication per meal. I have a few
cats that are constipated and 1/4 teaspoon twice daily fed with their
meals keeps them nice and regular..At the clinic I work at, Miralax is
what we use most for constipated kitties and it works great. Allowing
this constipation to continue is setting her up for megacolon and she
is obviously very uncomfortable and most likely very painful at times.
Be consistent with the meds as this constant changing of meds and
doses is not helping her and she is obviously miserable (which is
clearly illustrated by her litterbox behavior.) Get her poops right
and, if necessary, keep her limited to one room until she is
consistently using the box and then gradually allow her more freedom.
It is not her fault and the frustration you're feeling, while
understandable, has been in part created by the inconsistency with her
medication.

Suddenly, without warning, catlady exclaimed (4/19/2011 2:52 AM):
On Apr 5, 7:00 pm, wrote:
I'm at a loss what to do. Meep has gone from occasionally not pooping
in her box, to pooping out of it about 75% of the time.

Seems I have a choice to let her be constipated, or be cleaning cat sh*t
(it's poop when I'm not mad, and s*t when I am) off the carpet and
sundry objects every other day.

Untreated, she'll poop like every 5th+ day, very dry hard poops.
Treated with Laxatone, she'll poop every 3-5 days, still very hard and
dry. Those instances, she normally uses the box. Treated with Miralax,
she has normal poops every other day, and most of the time poops
somewheres in the basement.

On a very, very low dose of Miralax (1/16 tsp a day), she'll poop every
other or every 3rd day, slightly less dry and hard, but mostly in the
box. If she hasn't gone in 3 days, I'll add a tiny bit of laxatone -
that always works, but never the way I want - soft poops anywhere but
the box.

Today she used something that mattered, that was very hard to clean soft
cat crap off of.

I love my cat, but this is really starting to get to me! The vet is
running out of ideas too.

I can't understand why, when her poop is normal-to-soft, she'll poop
outside of the box, but if it's dry and hard she'll use the box.

Any ideas how we can manage the best of both worlds?

jmc

Give her a dose of Miralax that is large enough to keep her pooping
daily and also feed strictly measured amounts of food as well so there
is no variation in the amount of medication per meal. I have a few
cats that are constipated and 1/4 teaspoon twice daily fed with their
meals keeps them nice and regular..At the clinic I work at, Miralax is
what we use most for constipated kitties and it works great. Allowing
this constipation to continue is setting her up for megacolon and she
is obviously very uncomfortable and most likely very painful at times.
Be consistent with the meds as this constant changing of meds and
doses is not helping her and she is obviously miserable (which is
clearly illustrated by her litterbox behavior.) Get her poops right
and, if necessary, keep her limited to one room until she is
consistently using the box and then gradually allow her more freedom.
It is not her fault and the frustration you're feeling, while
understandable, has been in part created by the inconsistency with her
medication.

Oh, yes, the Miralax works great, and I wish I'd insisted on it ages ago
- but my vet prefers the lactulose (not laxatone as I stated above).

You assume I'm making these changes randomly - which is not the case.
We've been trying to find the right med/dosage for her for quite some
time. These have been gradual changes (aside from adding the lactulose,
which I've stopped) under the vet's advice. For most cats, your advice
might be good, but she's a very needy cat, and she would be much, much
more miserable if I was to lock her in a single room. She gets
depressed and withdrawn very quickly if she cannot stay within visible
range of me (my little shadowcat). I rent. There is no room, aside
from the basement bathroom, that I could leave her locked for days and
not worry about where she's going poop.

We're doing everything we can to keep her as comfortable as possible.
She's on some pretty heavy painkillers for her arthritis (caused by
structural defects, including a malformed vertebrae), and the vet
doesn't wish to add even more drugs on top of what she's already
getting. I've had quite a few conversations with her about the
situation, and the possibility of megacolon - she has other medical
issues we are also dealing with, so all this is a balancing act.

At least, currently she's pooping on a carpet remanent, rather than on
the basement carpet. I can live with that. I bought yet another box -
another high sided - and put it there in hopes she'll use it.

Reality is, she's probably not got much time left - she's at the maximum
dose of Tramadol she can handle (we think it's causing some urinary
retention issues: another balancing act). She's still getting around
fine, but as you know arthritis does not get better. Between that, the
constipation, her urinary issues, and her age, it's a losing battle, but
she has not yet told me it's time.

It breaks my heart to even think about it... she's been my companion for
16 years now.

jmc

Suddenly, without warning, catlady exclaimed (4/19/2011 2:52 AM):

Give her a dose of Miralax that is large enough to keep her pooping
daily and also feed strictly measured amounts of food as well so there
is no variation in the amount of medication per meal.

I forgot to address this - it doesn't work that way. Although she does
get the same amount of food each meal, she doesn't always eat it all. I
give the Miralax in her evening meal as she *usually* cleans that up,
but it's not a given.

jmc

On Apr 19, 6:41*pm, jmc wrote:
Suddenly, without warning, catlady exclaimed (4/19/2011 2:52 AM):

Give her a dose of Miralax that is large enough to keep her pooping
daily and also feed strictly measured amounts of food as well so there
is no variation in the amount of medication per meal.

I forgot to address this - it doesn't work that way. Although she does
get the same amount of food each meal, she doesn't always eat it all. *I
give the Miralax in her evening meal as she *usually* cleans that up,
but it's not a given.

jmc

Part of the problem is you are not giving the Miralax with each meal.
She needs to get the Miralax with each meal. Second, even if she
doesn't finish her food, if you mix the Miralax in her food very well
it will not matter if she finishes the meal as the proportion of
Miralax to food will be the same and that's what counts.

Suddenly, without warning, catlady exclaimed (4/20/2011 12:15 AM):
On Apr 19, 6:41 pm, wrote:
Suddenly, without warning, catlady exclaimed (4/19/2011 2:52 AM):

Give her a dose of Miralax that is large enough to keep her pooping
daily and also feed strictly measured amounts of food as well so there
is no variation in the amount of medication per meal.

I forgot to address this - it doesn't work that way. Although she does
get the same amount of food each meal, she doesn't always eat it all. I
give the Miralax in her evening meal as she *usually* cleans that up,
but it's not a given.

jmc

Part of the problem is you are not giving the Miralax with each meal.
She needs to get the Miralax with each meal. Second, even if she
doesn't finish her food, if you mix the Miralax in her food very well
it will not matter if she finishes the meal as the proportion of
Miralax to food will be the same and that's what counts.

Ah. I see what you mean. I wasn't really able to with the tiny, tiny
dosage, but I need to up it so I'll do that. I do mix it - and her
glucosamine, and her every-third-day Metacam, and her water - into her
food very, very well for that same reason - so she'll at least get some
of her meds.

I have a sudden, unexpected trip so decided this time, she's going to
spend the week at the vet (they board too), so they can observe her and
have a better idea how to manage her issues.

jmc

"jmc" wrote in message
...

It breaks my heart to even think about it... she's been my companion for
16 years now.

She has arthritis? She need a LOW litter pan she can easily step into.

Suddenly, without warning, Kelly Greene exclaimed (4/30/2011 1:15 AM):

"jmc" wrote in message
...

It breaks my heart to even think about it... she's been my companion
for 16 years now.

She has arthritis? She need a LOW litter pan she can easily step into.

She does. Low entrance, high sides. Problem is, she pees out the
entrance sometimes. I can cut the entrance down further if needed.

jmc

jmc wrote:
Suddenly, without warning, Kelly Greene exclaimed (4/30/2011 1:15 AM):

"jmc" wrote in message
...

It breaks my heart to even think about it... she's been my companion
for 16 years now.

She has arthritis? She need a LOW litter pan she can easily step into.

She does. Low entrance, high sides. Problem is, she pees out the
entrance sometimes. I can cut the entrance down further if needed.

jmc



Perhaps an absorbent pad at the entrance would help. MLB

You could try putting the litter box inside a larger box..For the
arthritis, try adding some cosequin to wet food. It helps Amber a lot.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

Suddenly, without warning, ---MIKE--- exclaimed (5/2/2011 7:55 AM):
You could try putting the litter box inside a larger box..For the
arthritis, try adding some cosequin to wet food. It helps Amber a lot.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')


Yes, she already gets glucosamine conodroitin - has for years. It's not
the Cosequin brand, but it has helped her quality of life quite a lot.
However, it's a treatment, not a cure, and her arthritis continues to
advance.

jmc