My cat's poop is rock hard. Pumpkin didn't work. What should I do?

Poor Hazel. It may be she is not getting enough water causing her poop to be hard. I recommend giving her some wet kitten food, and adding a bit of water to it to see if that helps. I'd also recommend getting a cat water fountain. These devices provide a constant source of fresh water, and can encourage cats to drink. Try feeding her the wet food for the next 24-48 hours, but if she continues to have hard poop or it gets worse (she's straining to poop, she's poops very small and hard nuggets, or she develops other signs such as lethargy and a loss of appetite), then I would take her into the vet. I hope this helps!

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!

Sometimes changing the diet helps or adding more fiber to the diet as well can help firm up the stool if there are no underlying causes of soft stool such as an infectious cause like parasites. You can try and add a tablespoon of regular canned pumpkin puree (not the pie filling) to her food to see if that helps firm it up. I would also recommend a fecal test with her veterinarian.

Hi and thanks for posting! Hard stool can certainly be an indication of constipation and while a hairball formula can help, you can also try a higher fiber diet (one that is formulated for hairball control) or just give a few teaspoons of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in her food which can help. However, if she is not eating and is acting lethargic, you may want to take her in to see a veterinarian to get checked out. Sometimes underlying health conditions such as liver or kidney disease or certain endocrine problems like diabetes can cause dehydration and can lead to harder stools and episodes of constipation as well as decreased appetite and lethargy. Certainly worth a veterinary visit if the hairball cream doesn't seem to be making a difference in her appetite or energy level. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Mix water into his food to increase fluid intake. A teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) added to his meals once or twice daily may also help. If this doesn't help, have Tiggs examined by your veterinarian. Prescription stool softeners can be dispensed if indicated along with other medications to aid defecation.

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!

Poor Angel! This can be such a problem in older cats. You can add in some canned pumpkin (1 teaspoon a day) to help increase her fiber intake. Also, if you haven't already, I would talk to your vet about doing some abdominal x-rays. These will help the vet see how large the colon is and how much stool is present. Cats can get something called megacolon where the muscles in their colon don't work well and they get easily constipated. These cats usually need to be sedated and manually have some of the stool removed and then put on a drug called cisapride. Some cats will have to stay on this drug long term, but I have personally had good success with putting them on a food called Royal Canin GI Fiber Response and eventually getting them off cisapride and stool softeners. It is a prescription food so I would talk to your vet about it. Also, . Every cat is different and your vet will need to help guide you through this process. If your vet doesn't think she has megacolon then cisapride may not be needed but if she is REALLY backed up then she may still need to be sedated and have some feces removed to help her out. I hope this helps!