Kitty post herniated colon diet tips and tricks

November 3, 2015 4:33 AM

Hi! My dear kitty had an impacted colon until yesterday, when the vet extracted the offending poop blockage. My question has to do with diet for this perpetually underweight little thing that will not bring about future blockage.

Trudles suffered the unique experience of having a poop blockage removed from her colon manually. The poop blockage nearly killed her, as I was not realizing that she wasn't pooping for a few days. Moreover, she has kidney disease and IBS and is skinny skinny skinny.

So, to keep Trudles alive hopefully until her third decade on this earth, avoid traumatizing her with future poop extraction incidents, and also to avoid an $800 vet bill, I want to manage her diet to make her poops not be evil.

The vet gave us a big bag of dry food especially for cats with GI problems, and says that's all the dry food she should eat. But! Trudles loves dry treats and kitten food, and I want to give this to her to keep her weight up.

Has anyone been through this? I am thinking about keeping a supply of cold cuts on hand for her so that she can eat her new dry food and then eat as much turkey as her tiny belly can handle. Does that sound wise? Will I just be clogging her colon with evil desiccated turkey poops?

THANK YOU

posted by angrycat to Pets & Animals (15 answers total)

The vet recommended DRY food? Hhmmmm. My understanding is that cats should be largely eating a wet food diet. But anyway, assuming you go along with the vet's suggestion, here are a couple of ideas:

1) To stimulate her appetite, you might take her to the vet's on a regular basis (1x/month) for vitamin B12 injections. When our cat was sickly and being very picky about food, this helped him (and us) a lot.

2) Maybe supplement her dry food with salmon oil (omega oil for cats) to help keep her intestinal track nice and slick. And/or give her that paste that cats can lick off of your finger to help prevent hairballs. The oil and the paste are fatty substances which, as I say, can coat her guts, but they will also provide a few extra calories. That being said, I wonder if your vet it worried about fats in her guts irritating it somehow (inflammation); so you might want to check with the vet before taking this approach.

3) Firstly, regarding the cold cuts, do NOT give salty or highly-processed meat to a kitty with an irritable gut. More generally, there are certain meats that are supposed to be less irritating (less allergy-causing/less inflammatory) than others. According to this article, (meat) allergies to beef, pork, chicken and turkey are the most common. I think that leaves options like fish, rabbit, veal, and the like. Maybe read about Inflammatory Bowel disease in kitties? There is a lot of info about how diet can affect the feline bowel (wheat, dairy, and grains being pretty terrible for them generally).

Good luck with getting your kitty plumped up. I do highly recommend the B12 shots, and the salmon (omega) oil for cats (if your vet thinks it is ok).

And please give her a pat from the cat-nuts of MetaFilter. :)
posted by Halo in reverse at 5:07 AM on November 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Plain canned pumpkin is safe to give to kitties for a little extra fiber.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 5:57 AM on November 3, 2015 [2 favorites]

Given the seriousness of the surgery, I would avoid treats that haven't been approved by the vet, at least until your cat has healed. Call the doc and ask if there is a canned food equivalent of the special diet food he gave you; I've taken care of inappetent cats over the years and I generally found they're more likely to like wet food versions. The moisture content of wet food also helps cats with kidney issues.

If the turkey you refer to is in the form of cold cuts, I would avoid that because of the high salt content and spices such as garlic and onion (bad for kidney disease). I know how much cats love cold cuts and I know it's tempting. If just plain cooked turkey (again, not cooked in broth, which would have garlic/onion/salt, very bad for cats) that might be okay, but honestly, until your cat is well on the road to recovery, I would be sure to ask the vet. Be straightforward about your concerns your cat is underweight and see if there is some kind of high-calorie supplement they might recommend. Also be aware that the weight a lot of indulged cats reach is considered quite overweight by many vets, who consider normal weight to be a bit on the skinny-looking side. (I was chastised by vets over the years for my cats being chubby, though they didn't seem that fat to me.)

As far as getting cats to 20+, you might consider a special savings account for a vet fund. All my cats who lived into their late teens (n = 4; oldest made it to 19) racked up some non-trivial vet bills over the years, especially in their later years. I have been fortunate to be able to afford such care for my pets, but I know it's not easy for everyone.

Plain canned pumpkin is safe to give to kitties for a little extra fiber.

Though again make sure with your vet that extra fiber is okay during the recovery phase. That said, one of our cats liked pumpkin too.

I hope your cat recovers quickly and lives a long happy life!
posted by aught at 6:42 AM on November 3, 2015 [2 favorites]

The other thing I found with cats who are picky eaters is that I sometimes needed to rotate the kind / brand of food I fed them. Cats are easily adverse to things that upset or annoy them, including their foods. If they associate a particular food with indigestion or bowel pain, even if it wasn't that food specifically that caused the distress, they might still associate the taste of that food with discomfort, but a different brand with similar nutritional / medical profile, they might eat more enthusiastically. With chronic kidney cats, I frequently rotated among 2-3 brands of kidney diet food, so that when they seemed to be slacking off one one brand, usually because they associated the kidney disease nausea with that food, I could switch to another and see if they liked that better. Again, best wishes for you and your kitty.
posted by aught at 6:50 AM on November 3, 2015

Just my perspective: consider researching/asking your vet (or a different vet) about feeding kitty a raw or at least wet food diet. I have a cat with IBD and this is the only thing that has slowed his chronic vomiting and weight loss.

There's a ton of stuff all over the internet about this--here's one link: http://feline-nutrition.org/

And another: http://catinfo.org/

Good luck with Trudles' recovery. She is a sweetie.
posted by whistle pig at 8:06 AM on November 3, 2015 [3 favorites]

Fluid intake is important in keeping the digestive system working smoothly in normal situations I'd encourage you to make sure your cat is getting enough moisture by say soaking the dry cat food in water or serving wet food. As your cat has kidney disease though I would check with your vet first as you don't want to put extra strain on those kidneys.
posted by wwax at 8:12 AM on November 3, 2015

You might want to consider asking the vet about a probiotic. I give my cats a probiotic designed for children, it's loose so I can just sprinkle it on their food. They don't even notice they're eating it. It's really helped with their digestion.
posted by rdnnyc at 8:14 AM on November 3, 2015

the poop blockage nearly killed her

If your cat was diagnosed with a multiple gastrointestinal problems that include IBD, and fecal impaction requiring manual extraction of feces from your cat's rectum, I strongly recommend that you follow the directions that your veterinarian has given you and not the advice of people on the internet.

And FFS, do not feed your cat a raw diet.

Quite sincerely,
Not your veterinarian
posted by Seppaku at 4:50 PM on November 3, 2015

I am thinking about keeping a supply of cold cuts on hand for her so that she can eat her new dry food and then eat as much turkey as her tiny belly can handle. Does that sound wise?

No.
posted by Seppaku at 4:56 PM on November 3, 2015

Seppaku, I mentioned the raw diet only because it is literally the only thing that has helped my kitty's IBD that we have been battling, with many, many vet visits and drugs, for years. OP also mentioned that their cat has this condition, as well as struggles to keep her weight up. I do agree that internet advice should not replace vet advice, but perhaps, OP, you can ask your vet about it.

Carry on.
posted by whistle pig at 7:00 PM on November 3, 2015

My advice to not feed a raw diet is based upon "the poop blockage that nearly killed her" because a raw diet is one of the worst things that you can possibly feed to a cat with something like megacolon because of its inherent low fiber content.

Feces produced by a cat fed a raw diet are very hard and dry. Not what you want to feed to a cat with constipation.

IBD can be managed with non-raw diets that contain sufficient fiber that can ALSO help manage megacolon.

Also, raw diets expose you and your pets and your family to disease and are not necessary because cooking a raw diet does not change its digestibility, only its ability to cause food-borne illness.
posted by Seppaku at 8:30 PM on November 3, 2015

cold cuts on hand for her

No, because cold cuts contain a lot of sodium and if your cat has kidney disease, increasing the sodium in her diet can increase her blood pressure and cause additional damage to her kidneys, and to other organs.

Get your cat's gastrointestinal tract and kidneys worked up by your vet if you want to best determine how you can increase her weight while managing her 3 concurrent medical conditions. There are so many things that could be going on.

The vet gave us a big bag of dry food especially for cats with GI problems, and says that's all the dry food she should eat

From this side of the exam table, we frequently see pets deteriorate because of lack of owner compliance with our recommendations. Much suffering, grief, and money can be saved by following up with the discharge instructions given at your vet.

Try the food, keep a close eye on her, and follow up with a call (or email) to your vet with questions.
posted by Seppaku at 8:52 PM on November 3, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks everybody.

We are keeping her to the dry food the vet gave us, but it is distressing because all she wants to eat are treats. She cries for food but all she wants is treats (the dry crunchy things). She doesn't like the new dry food and won't eat it. We are not giving her treats. I have a feeling that my giving her treats endlessly prior to discovering the blockage might have aggravated this situation.

We see the vet again this Friday. A few months earlier the vet had made a suggestion about making her food (i.e., cooking a chicken) a la WillGrahm and his dogs in Hannibal. We'll talk about that on Friday.

She is so skinny, but worry not, we are following vet instructions and whatever clarification we get on Friday.

Thanks again!
posted by angrycat at 5:10 AM on November 4, 2015

Response by poster: quick follow up

I'm getting sort of two sets of advice from two vets and don't know how to resolve the difference

sorry this is gross but the vet who removed the blockage prescribed .5 ml twice a day of um lactose something? sorry to not be more specific; out of my wheelchair and the medicine is across the room. it's like liquid vegetable fiber. he said that this should result in (warning) poops the consistency of toothpaste. This hasn't happened yet to our knowledge, although she has pooped.
The other thing is this new (expensive) vet has recommended that Trudles stick to Royal Canin canned cat food. She eats it, hooray, but the damn stuff is $3 a can.

so i conferred with our regular vet last night, and she said that they recommend 1 ml one to three times a day of the liquid vegetable fiber or whatever, depending on the results. I asked about the other vet's recommendation of the expensive canned food and the regular vet was like, as long as it's wet food, it's okay.

I'm going in as a follow up visit today at three to the new (expensive) vet and I don't know, are there specific questions I should ask?

She's doing better, btw. :)
posted by angrycat at 8:04 AM on November 6, 2015

I'm glad that she's doing better!

Medical therapy for constipation / obstipation includes laxatives like lactulose.

Lactulose is a disaccharide (galactose/fructose) that is not hydrolyzable by mammalian and, probably, avian gut enzymes. Upon reaching the colon, lactulose is metabolized by the resident bacteria resulting in the formation of low molecular weight acids (lactic, formic, acetic) and CO2. These acids have a dual effect; they increase osmotic pressure drawing water into the bowel causing a laxative effect and also acidify colonic contents. The acidification causes ammonia NH3 (ammonia) to migrate from the blood into the colon where it is trapped as [NH4 ]+ (ammonium ion) and expelled with the feces.

Most drugs are dosed within a range. Lactulose is often given to effect; the dose might be increased or decreased such that the cat produces feces of the desired consistency (soft to semiformed). So as your vet says, the dosage depends on the results. Giving too much can result in diarrhea and dehydration.

Cats with constipation need a low residue, high fiber diet. Ask your vet if there is another food that might be suitable. I hold Royal Canin in high regard, but I agree that their food is very expensive. There may be a less expensive brand that satisfied these criteria.

This may very well be a chronic condition for Trudles, so also consider that $3 / can versus $800 and your cat's experience of nearly dying before she had feces manually removed from her rectum. Also, bear in mind that chronic constipation can CAUSE your cat to be underweight. Managing her constipation with diet and medication may be the key to helping her gain weight.

Finally, dehydration secondary to kidney disease may be contributing to her constipation. Keeping her well hydrated is important. You may look into purchasing a recirculating water fountain to encourage her to drink more.
posted by Seppaku at 6:09 PM on November 6, 2015