What high-fiber non-prescription foods help my constipated senior cat?

I feed my cat diet canned canned food which has added fiber. Most any brand will work. In addition I add a tablespoon of plain pumpkin to each feeding. The pumpkin adds more fiber and most cats like it. It works well to bulk up the stool and prevent constipation. You’ll be adding additional water also when you feed the canned food instead of dry. Use a brand that you like and that she likes too. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Juicy.

Here are two good options: Royal Canin Veterinary Diet® Feline Gastrointestinal Fiber Response dry cat food Royal Canin Veterinary Diet® Feline Calorie Control CC™ High Fiber canned cat food You can also add small amounts of bran or canned pumpkin to your kitty's wet food...start with very small amounts and increase slowly.

I would certainly hope the fiber food will help Casper, but without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. It sounds like you've done the right things by taking him to see a vet and having this medication. You can also try adding a teaspoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) with his food to see if that helps. Unfortunately, sometimes with cats they become so back up that manual removal may be required to do, which can only be done by a vet. When you say he's been "scooped out," I'm assuming that's what you mean, but it may have to be done again if he continues to have problems with pooping. Try the special food, if it doesn't work, let the vet know right away, and you may have to make another trip to have Casper seen. I hope he feels better soon!

Since constipation issues are directed at increasing water content and fiber, I would recommend sticking with the canned Purina urinary food and then adding in fiber daily with 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin or Metamucil. Also have him checked with your vet if there is ever a time he can't go at all because he may have a condition called megacolon (enlarged colon) which would require medicaiton to treat. You can also try Laxatone over the counter. Here is a website link with more information for you.http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=634 I hope your fur baby gets well soon.

In my clinical experience high fibre food is most effective in managing chronic constipation in cats. You will find many brands of high-fiber food for cats on the market. You could try Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Fibre Response, Iams Proactive Health or Hill's Indoor With High Fiber. You would have to wait about 4-8 weeks on high-fiber food to see improvement. Good luck.

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!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend switching to a different food such as Science Diet or Royal Canin and see if a diet change makes a difference. You may even consider adding in a fiber supplement to help bulk up her stool so that it passes without getting stuck. A probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora may also be a good idea, which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.