My cat struggles to poop, not drinking. Is it FLUTD or constipation?

Poor girl. It sounds very likely Lola has an internal problem causing her to have an accident outside the box as well as a decrease in her appetite. This could very well be constipation, since constipated cats will strain and can often-times get nausea causing them to eat less or even vomit sometimes. I would highly recommend getting her seen by your vet soon to have her fully evaluated via physical exam to see if constipation is the underlying cause for her illness. If it is, then the vet will likely get her on a stool softener and recommend fluids to hydrate her. I hope that Lola's condition improves soon! Best of luck and take care.

This is very abnormal for a cat this young to have these chronic issues. If your family vet is stumped then it would be best for your kitty to see a specialist. I would recommend asking for a referral to a veterinary internist. Internists have advanced training beyond a family vet and can diagnose and manage more complex cases such as this one. Any blood work performed? This is a crucial first step. Xrays of the spine? Have these UTIs been diagnosed and treated by running urine cultures? With a chronic history this is very important. Has any endocrine testing been performed? There are some congenital/developmental disorders that should be ruled out as well given the history. An abdominal ultrasound is important as well to assess for structural changes to organs. Unfortunately in order to help your kitty she needs more tests. Not all pet illnesses are easy to diagnose and some cases can be complex. It sounds like you are worried about her so i would recommend reaching out to your family vet with your concerns and/or to ask for a referral. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Adding water to the food, or a spoonful of canned pumpkin with each meal, can often help with mild constipation issues in cats. I'm not sure what Jack is doing, specifically, that is making you concerned about constipation - but I would caution you that straining in the litter box is more likely to be due to a urinary obstruction than constipation. This would be a medical emergency, so unless you are positive that he is constipated and not straining to urinate, it would be best to take him to a vet today for an exam to help determine exactly what's going on.

Drinking a lot of water can be a sign of kidney problems or diabetes. Depending on your cat's age not using the litter box may be a sign of arthritis (most cats get arthritis by the age of 7) and squatting may hurt, so he would hold his bowel movement until he can't hold it any more and then does not make it into the litter box in time. I suggest you take him to your vet for a blood test and exam and assessment for pain medicine.

Hello, thank you for your question about Atticus. The symptoms that you are describing could be indicative of two possibilities - constipation or urinary obstruction. Urinary obstruction is much more common in male cats due to their anatomy; however, if Atticus had an underlying condition such as bladder stones, she could experience an obstruction. Constipation is a not uncommon condition in cats. It can have many different underlying causes. Since Atticus is otherwise acting normally I would recommend continuing to monitor her for the next 12-24 hours. If she continues to go in/out of the box and does not produce any urine/feces or she develops any other symptoms (lethargy, vomiting, inappetance) I would recommend having her seen by your veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

Oh no, that's not good. This can be a sign of a blockage in the urethra from bladder stones. A urethral blockage is fatal without treatment, and since I can't see Mittens in person to rule one out, I think it's best to take him into a vet now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

I'm sorry to hear that this is going on with your cat. The corn in the diet should not cause any urinary problems and it generally very safe and a very common ingredient in many cat foods. Oftentimes when a cat is peeing outside of the littler box it is because of a urinary tract infection or cystitis (inflammation of the bladder wall). When the cat has one of these conditions it can make it painful to urinate and the cat associates the pain with the litter box and thus starts going outside of the box. This could explain her constipation as well. If she is not frequenting the litter box and holding in her bowel movements it can cause her to become constipated. I would recommend making sure the litter box is cleaned frequently (twice a day) because some cats can be finicky when it comes to using a dirty litter box. I would also definitely recommend keeping your appointment with your vet. They may test the urine for infection and can give you a recommendation on a good, balanced diet for Inara. Good luck!