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My cat is constipated. How can I ease her discomfort tonight?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 8 years and 2 months old

My cat is slightly constipated. She does pass stools, but they are smaller and more compact than usual. Tomorrow, I will buy her some pumpkin when the stores open, as she's had success eating canned pumpkin before, but is there any thing I can do tonight to help relieve any discomfort she may have?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on March 2nd, 2018

I'm sorry to hear that Julie is having this problem. I am attaching a link to a handout below with more information on constipation. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=634 I'm glad that Julie seems to respond well to pumpkin. There are a number of other options for fiber if needed in the future that are discussed in the handout above. The only recommendation that I would have for you tonight at home would be to encourage additional water intake. Stool tends to get smaller and harder as it remains in the colon, so increasing their water intake can help with this. You can use canned food (and mix some additional water in), low sodium chicken broth, or a small amount of water from canned tuna that is packed in water (not oil). Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Julie feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Elva Ma DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello, and that you for your question. I'm sorry to hear that Julie is have troubles passing stools. For tonight, try encouraging her to drink plenty of water. This can be done through offering more wet food, adding water to the food, and flavoring the drinking water with a drop of low sodium tuna juice. Trying out pumpkin is a good idea, but if she has still not passed a decent bowel movement in the next 24 hours, then she will need to see a vet for further treatment, such as an enema and fluid therapy. The vet may also suggest a long-term diet change to help prevent constipation in the future, such as a higher fibre diet. I hope this helps, and that Julie feels better very soon!

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