Why is my cat pooping small, hard, round stools? Is it constipation?

It sounds like it is uncomfortable for him to poop as the poop is very hard and dry. You can try giving him some canned food in addition to his dry food and add a bit of water to it. Make sure the box is cleaned out every day as some cats do not like going into a litter box where there are more than a few poops or urine clumps are, so they wait until they really cannot hold it anymore. This delay makes the colon pull even more moisture out of the feces and so makes them very hard. Also put his water bowl at least 6ft away from his food bowl. Cats do not like to drink water when it is near the food.

Poor pup! If his stool seems too hard, you could try mixing a spoonful of canned pumpkin into his food at every meal to see if this helps. Switching from dry to canned food may also be helpful, since canned food has a higher moisture content and usually results in softer stools.

This could be due to a mild constipation, possibly due to hairballs. Mild constipation that lasts no more than two days can usually be resolved at home with increased fiber and hydration. Canned pumpkin (not pie filling, just the straight-up pumpkin) or liquid paraffin can be used, and should work straight away in the following 8 hours from administration. DO NOT TRY to give an enema as it could be dangerous and cause electrolyte imbalances and colon perforation. If constipation lasts more than 24 hours from administration of those or 48 hours in general, a check up at your local vet is required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It could be Mellow has some problems with hair balls, and there may be poop stains around his anus. I'd give him a bath to clean up his anal area. Feed him wet food with water added to it to see if that helps with the firm poop.

This is unusual but nothing to be overly concerned about. I would give the tablespoon of pumpkin twice a day. Often cats with kidney failure do get constipated. I recommend a kidney function test if you’re worried. That would give you a baseline level to refer to as he ages. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kasper.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I have seen cats that are constipated leave hard pieces of stool randomly over the house. I would have your Vet do an exam and take a belly X-ray to evaluate for constipation. Constipation is a symptom of an underling condition: sudden dehydration from an illness, kidney disease or intestinal disease (IBD or intestinal cancer). I hope this helps and I wish Midnight the best!

Hi. Poor Zoe. Definitely not normal to have feces that firm. You need to do all you can to increase water consumption. Some ideas include adding ice cubes for her to play with, a water fountain that they make for cats seem to help attract them to drink. I would also recommend adding wet food and with the dry food and even possibly adding water to the dry food. You can also speak to your veterinarian about a stool softener. In addition I would recommend a full blood panel to make sure that there is no obvious Medical reason that could cause dehydration. Good luck