My cat isn't pooping after dental surgery. What should I do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mieko. Anesthesia will slow digestion down so it is common for a cat not to have a bowel movement for a period of time. Once her appetite is back to normal, she should have a bowel movement within a day or two. Encourage her to drink plenty of water as this will soften the stool. If she is straining in the box to defecate, then she will need to see her veterinarian. Otherwise, she should be back to normal soon. I hope this information helps!

He should start having an easier time pooping but could be difficult at first due to the pain and/or swelling. If you aren’t giving any stool softeners right now, I would contact your vet and ask for some to help with recovery. They may also want to recheck his incision. You can also add some canned pumpkin (~1 teaspoon) to his diet twice a day to help make the stool pass more easily. I hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not uncommon for cats to not defecate as readily after starting a raw diet which is low in fiber. You can add 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin to her meals which may help with constipation. Best of luck!

If your cat hasn't pooped in three days I would be concerned about constipation. One thing you can try at home is adding some fiber to his diet, either by doing a teaspoon of metamucil on his food or some canned pumpkin on his food. If he is not already on wet food you could try adding some warm water to his food as well. If the constipation becomes severe your cat will stop eat, act painful and maybe start throwing up. If you notice any of these symptoms you should take him to your vet so they can give him medication to relieve the constipation.

It is common for dogs and cats not to pass stool for several days after these types of surgeries - probably due to the drugs used during anesthesia and the lack of food intake before and after the surgery. I usually don't get concerned until 5 days have passed as long as the cat is eating normally, is not vomiting, and is not straining or attempting to defecate. I bet Jones will go in the next couple of days!

It could be either one - he may not have much in his colon that needs to come out or he may be constipated. Sounds more like he doesn't have enough to go because usually when they are constipated they spend a lot of time in the litter box straining. I suggest you get him back on some cat food as soon as you can. I know you are transitioning back and we usually tell clients to do that over a week's time but I would try to shorten that to 5 days. One of the best ways to help constipation is to increase water intake. Ways to do this: apply chicken broth over the food or feeding canned food only (not dry). You can also try feeding more fiber in the way of canned pumpkin. Most cats will readily eat this: 1/4 teaspoon up to twice a day. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Poor Smores. Cats cannot tolerate anorexia for long, and I'm concerned that she is barely eating. If she isn't eating, then she has nothing to poop. I would be worried and have her seen by an ER vet now. Best of luck.