Why hasn't my senior cat pooped in days after her medications?

Hi there. No, metronidazole does not cause constipation. It's normal for a cat to go 2-3 days without a bowel movement if he is getting over diarrhea - it takes time for the intestinal tract to fill up again once the diarrhea is resolved. As long as he is acting normal otherwise (eating and drinking, not vomiting, and not straining to defecate), there should be no cause for concern. He will have a bowel movement when he's ready, probably sometime in the next day or two :)

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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Junie. Most of the time, it will take a while for a cat to have a bowel movement after a bout of colitis. So hopefully this is the case and she is not constipated. If she is eating and drinking normally again, then she should have a bowel movement soon. If she is straining to defecate, then this is more indicative of constipation. Sometimes feeding a bit of canned pumpkin can help. Most of the time, you need to contact her veterinarian though. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Galaxy! I recommend cisapride, lactulose and Royal canine fiber response for constipated cats. Sometimes with the prescription diet it eliminates the need for most medications. If she isn't eating I would have her seen today and deobstipated (sedate and remove all feces) before the weekend. Then get the cisaride and food started. Sometimes refractory cases need partial removal of their colons. I wish you the best!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Jasmine. Poor girl! It could be she has a GI illness causing the vomiting and diarrhea. Likely she has had some loose stools, and it's normal to see a cat act like they are trying to poop but have nothing come out. It's not constipation, it's just she still has the urge to go but nothing comes out. It happens in humans as well who have diarrhea. Unfortunately I cannot recommend giving Pepcid or Miralax without seeing her in person, it's illegal. I can give you a home remedy to see if that helps. Feed her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If she vomits the bland diet, the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I want Mittens to get checked out but it's not an emergency. The fact that he is eating and acting normally is huge and a very good thing. It could be that his GI tract has just been very upset by the antibiotics. While you gather the money for a recheck appointment, try a probiotic like Purina FortiFlora (use as directed on the box). You can also add a fiber supplement like Benefiber powder (tasteless- 1 tsp with each meal). Stay on the GI diet given by your vet as this is likely also helpful. If this seems to fix the problem, great! If not, get into the vet as soon as you are able to get other medications for the diarrhea. Best of luck to you and Mittens!

You should not be worried yet, after several days of diarrhea, the intestines empty completely and it takes 2-4 days to start and having stools again, as long as he is otherwise back to normal that's the most important thing. Flagyl also tends to cause slight constipation, but again nothing to be worried about just yet.