My cat is leaving hard poop nuggets randomly. Is it constipation?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mellow. His still appears to be dry and firm un the pictures. He may be battling constipation. I recommend increasing his water intake and adding canned food to his diet. You can also offer a small amount of canned pumpkin daily. If this does not help him to produce normal stool, then he will need to see his veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There are definitely radiopaque dense gravel-like objects near the bladder and cranial to it as well. It would help to provide the x-ray where she is laying on her back as well. Multiple views on x-rays help pinpoint locations of objects if there is doubt as to where they are located. I would say that this looks to be near the bladder but not within the actual bladder itself because the same dense material can be found forward to the bladder on this x-ray, so it is likely GI tract. If you can provide a second view that would be great. It also appears that she has quite a bit of fecal material in her intestines. Is she constipated right now? If so, she may need an enema and stool softener. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bucky! If Bucky hasn't defecated in 2 days and is vomiting and/pr straining he needs to see Vet for an exam, belly X-ray and likely an enema. Constipation is a symptom of something else. In older cats constipation tends to be secondary to kidney disease or intestinal disease. Your Vet may also want to do blood work. he likely will have to be on Miralax, or a stool softener long term. I hope this helps and I wish Bucky a speedy recovery!

As long as she is defecating regularly and not straining the firm stool may not be a concern. It is a little unusual for a/d to be recommended as a maintenance diet - you may want to check with your vet and see if there is another diet that would be recommended for Hopper given her constipation. This diet is very nutritionally dense, so it's possible that she's just not making much stool. If she has been straining, or you feel her stool looks black and tarry I would recommend making a recheck appointment with your veterinarian.

Hello! It sounds like Roxie may be experiencing constipation. There is a problem some cats get called "Megacolon", in which their large intestines slow down. This disease can be treated with a special diet and medications. Sometimes, underlying kidney disease can cause dehydration that leads to constipation. In Roxie's information, it states that she is 19 lbs. She is a very big kitty! Obesity can sometimes physically hinder the defecation process when it becomes difficult for the cat to appropriately bend over and posture. Weight loss may be something that could help Roxie with this issue as well. I would recommend having Roxie seen by a vet to find out what exactly is causing her to not be able to defecate fully. They will likely recommend bloodwork and x-rays to check her organ function and evaluate her intestinal tract. They will make treatment recommendations based on those findings. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Its very difficult to say for sure based on the picture if that is the cotton from a q-tip. My guess would be probably not. A small amount of cotton like that would probably look indistinguishable by the time it exits the body. Constipation in cats, particularly for long periods like you have described, can be painful and have some serious consequence on their well-being and health. Often the cause the constipation goes undetermined, particularly in younger cats. Sometimes dietary change is all that is required, adding something fibrous into the mix. Other times, there is a motility problem in the GI tract that requires intervention with drugs. Either way, if there is truly bad constipation, Bomi probably requires an enema (multiple, more than likely). An x-ray will be able to reveal the extent of constipation as well as the size of the colon. Sometimes cats with severe constipation require hospitalization to rehydrate them. Once the body is better hydrated, somethings the dry fecal material will loosen and pass more easily. Overall, I wouldn't say this is necessarily an emergency, but I would get her in somewhere by tomorrow. Hope his helps.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Jasmine. Poor girl! It could be she has a GI illness causing the vomiting and diarrhea. Likely she has had some loose stools, and it's normal to see a cat act like they are trying to poop but have nothing come out. It's not constipation, it's just she still has the urge to go but nothing comes out. It happens in humans as well who have diarrhea. Unfortunately I cannot recommend giving Pepcid or Miralax without seeing her in person, it's illegal. I can give you a home remedy to see if that helps. Feed her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If she vomits the bland diet, the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck.