My cat's anus is swollen and he hasn't pooped. Is he constipated?

The red ring may be a potential rectal prolapse from all the straining. Add water to the meals to increase fluid intake. Too much pumpkin may worsen constipation. Add no more than 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds body weight of plain canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) to the meals. Ideally, Olivia should be examined by your veterinarian. Abdominal x-rays should be done to determine if she is obstipated (obstructed with stool). If so, she may need sedation and manual emptying and or enemas. Do not administer an enema at home.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If it has gone back to normal, then it likely was just a bit harder for him to pass that bit of poop. This could have been a one-off episode for Pumpkin, or it could be a sign that his poops are too hard. You can try just monitoring him and feeling his poop to see if it is hard or squishy. If it is hard, or very wide for his anus, then try adding canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain canned pumpkin) to his diet. This will increase fibre. Also, with his name it is fitting that this should help him. Otherwise, just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't stay out. If it comes out and stays out, this is a true emergency which requires fixing right away. Best of luck with Pumpkin.

If your pets anal area is swollen and there was diarrhea before this happened, then there are two possible scenarios here 1) Your pet has severe colitis and needs antibiotics (Metronidazole helps with GI issues and inflammation of the gut) prescribed by a veterinarian. They will also recommend a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice or cottage cheese or a low fat dog formula like Hill's I/D or over the counter Purina EN Gastrointestinal and potential probiotics (you can try Culturelle it works great). 2) If the swelling is actually to the side of the anus then this could be an impacted anal gland- which also should be treated and express by a veterinarian.

I would recommend that you have Kiara checked out by the vet. Constipation can be a serious issue in kittens, and she may need an enema, which should only be administered by the vet to avoid tearing the delicate colon tissue. The vet may recommend an x-ray to check for any congenital issues that could lead to the constipation. You can try using a moist rag and squeezing very **gently** on the outside of the bulging anus to try to help remove some of the feces.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Instead of an enema, I would recommend you first try something that is less involved and likely to help which is giving him about 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin with his meals. This usually helps with constipation in cats. Good luck and have a great day!

It looks like Ollie might be having a partial rectal prolapse, which can happen with diarrhea from things like parasites or from constipation. The blood might be related to diarrhea or if it's a small amount it could be from the rectum and from irritation. I would recommend seeing a veterinarian right away given his age - if it is a small prolapse it could get worse quickly and require surgical repair. The vet can hopefully determine the underlying cause and offer treatment.

Hello, sorry to hear about Jones. He may be dehydrated and needs fluids or he may need an enema. Have your veterinarian examine him and decide wether or not Jones needs an enema. Cats can occasionally experience problems with defecation when they are dehydrated but occasionally, they can also have a disease known as megacolon. Hope this helps and best of luck.