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My cat's poop is hard and he meows before pooping. Is he constipated?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 4 months and 26 days old | 5 lbs

My cat poops everyday but it looks like pebbles. I've also noticed he has been ingesting human hair. Any recommendations? He will meow every time before he goes to poop in the litter box? Is he uncomfortable or is that normal?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 24th, 2018

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on June 19th, 2019
Hello, sorry to hear about Fatboy. Occasionally changes in diet or medications may cause color changes in their stools. Alternatively, parasites may also cause them to have variations in feces color. If this continues, then an initial step would be to have his stool tested for parasites by your primary care veterinarian. Alternatively, given his constipation history, this color change may be associated with him being constipated and therefore if you note he is straining to defecate more often, then you should speak with your veterinarian about rechecking him in order to prevent his constipation from getting worse. Hope this helps and best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Ann Dion, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on August 31st, 2017
Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is possible that he has more hardened poop stuck in his guts that is making him uncomfortable. I would recommend trying to increase his water intake to try to rehydrate the guts to help the poop pass through. You can do this by feeding canned food and adding water to the food. You can also try adding/feeding canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just pure canned pumpkin) which will increase the fibre. You can monitor Oliver for now, but if you don't see a bowel movement in the next 48 hours I would recommend trying to get Oliver into a vet, as he might need an enema. Best of luck with Oliver.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lauren Jones VMD
Veterinarian
Published on April 19th, 2017
I'm glad that Fatboy was able to poop and I'm sure that he's feeling much better. Due to the presence of hair in his stool, consider starting him on a hairball remedy, such as Laxatone. Closely monitor him to make sure that he is having a bowel movement at least once a day, make sure future bowel movements are not overly hard, and that Fatboy is not straining to poop. If you notice any of these issues, take him to a vet for an exam and the vet will be able to prescribe a stool softener if needed.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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