So glad to hear you got your cat to the vet. Just guessing, but I’ll bet the dehydration and constipation are related, so getting him hydrated should help. I hope your vet gave you tips on keeping him hydrated and whatever else he needs to be healthy and happy!

I’m glad I get email notification of comments because this blog is kind of just sitting here–I started it awhile back but have been focusing on my other blogs, so I wouldn’t have known you commented if I didn’t get the email right away. Very glad to be of some help! And I wish you the best–give your cat a big hug for me

I actually toook my cat to the Vet today and he was severely dehyrdated so he was given fluids. As well, he was given an enema by the vet and a few poops finally came out. But more still needs to according to the Xray. So we will see how it goes.

Again thanks again for your advice and your quick reply.

In my cat’s case, he wasn’t completely stopped up–I don’t remember if he ever missed more than a day or two. It was just really hard and he seemed to be straining. It was only a day or two before it made a difference, though.

You can also try a little plain, ordinary petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Just a dab on his mouth helps a lot. Not too much–an amount about the size of a pencil eraser or so (most cats will lick it off from around the mouth so watch to see how much goes down).

Important: check with your vet! Sometimes cats get “compacted” really bad, and it has to be pulled out. Make sure your cat is getting plenty of water too, or some form of liquid, even plain (unsalted, totally plain) chicken or fish broth.

Good luck! Just so you know, I’m not a vet, just an experienced cat owner, so please do speak with your vet about this even though these are very standard for constipation in cats–there could be something else going on.

So glad this has helped you, and I’m sad to hear about what Mao is going through. My cat Eliot had the clots in his legs which had caused the trouble I described above (they went to the brain), and the vet was able to get them dissolved.

It’s so hard. I hope Mao is doing better now. Below is a link to the original guidelines I found. I’m sure by now you’ve come across Dr. Alice Villalobos, the vet who started the “pawspice” movement.

http://www.homevet.com/petcare/documents/quality.pdf

And I apologize for taking so long to respond–this blog has been under construction for awhile.

Lots of love for you and Mao,

Leah

Thanks much for asking. If you like, you can read the story here at Peaceful Planet: http://peacefulplanetcommunication.com/2010/09/03/funeral-for-a-cat/ This pet site isn’t active at the moment; maybe some day I’ll get back to it. Thanks for stopping by. I’ve taken a look at your site as well–looks good! Also just re-read my post and see that I linked to you–it was awhile ago but I thought the name sounded familiar!

Good point about herbs and spices. Definitely a no-no with the spices and herbs for animals (unless it’s from a certified holistic practitioner familiar with certain herbs for treatment). Also good point about “if that’s the kind of food the pet would normally eat.” Yes, plain meat scraps and certain veggies and so on (my dogs love to chew on raw carrots!) are great for dogs, but not stuff like processed food and complicated recipes for humans.

Funny–long story–but my dog who had cancer was on a LONG eating strike. I hand fed him, but a friend on a support forum said ANY dog will go for a plain McDonald’s hamburger, no bun. OK I’m a vegetarian, and I never go to McDonald’s, but I was willing to give it a try (one McD burger couldn’t be that bad). Well, he took one sniff and puked all over the place lol Wasn’t funny but it sort of was, especially since we were within view of the drive-in cashier window and I had told her it was for my dog. Hey, my dog has good taste, what can I say? lol