Cat won't drink after surgery. How to help dehydration & constipation?

Question

My cat recently had eye surgery, but has refused to drink water since he came home. Crunching his dry food seemed to hurt his eye, so I started giving him wet food with about a tablespoon of water mixed in. He licks up most of the food, and all of the water, but I'm still not sure if he's getting enough. I'm also concerned that my cat has'nt used the litter box since he came home from the vet, nearly a week. Could constipation be caused by dehydration? What do I do for him? Pet's info: Cat | Snowshoe | Male | neutered | 11.5 lbs

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

He likely hasn't eaten enough to produce enough stool yet. If he isn't straining to defecate and he seems to be acting normally I would not be too concerned about that just yet. That being said, constipation can be caused by dehydration. If you are seriously worried about him being dehydrated you cannot force him to drink so my suggestion would be to take him to your vet so they can give him some fluids under the skin of neck so his body can absorb them (this is called subcutaneous fluids). I think you are doing fine by feeding the canned food and adding the water. You can try adding a bit more and maybe just a very tiny pinch of salt to see if that will cause him to drink a bit more. I also suggest you feed him a probiotic. That will help with digestion and overall health. My favorite is Fortiflora. You can buy it over the counter or online. If you can't find it or get it then you can use any probiotic but make sure it is made for cats (not humans and no dairy). Hope this answers your questions. If you have more please feel free to post again.

Cat won't drink after surgery. How to help dehydration & constipation?

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