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My cat had diarrhea, now she's constipated. Should I worry?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Cat had diarrhea then we have her medicine to stop diarrhea...and it worked but she has not had any type of BM at all yesterday and today. She is eating, we added pumpkin to her food still nothing. She is eating and drinking.....sleeping... doesn't seem in pain or uncomfortable. How long could she be constipated? Should I be worried? We used to put a small amount of Miralax in wet food but stopped when she got diarrhea....should we continue. She eats Iams wet and Science Diet dry.

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 7th, 2018

It is very common for a cat to not have any bowel movement for a couple of days after having diarrhea because it takes time for stool to build up again in the colon after an episode of diarrhea. I would be concerned if she is straining to defecate without producing any stool, vomiting or not eating. If everything seems normal other than the lack of stool production, then I would just give it a little more time. My guess is that she will pass some stool tonight or tomorrow. If she has not passed stool by tomorrow night, I would have her examined on Friday before going into the weekend. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 3rd, 2018

    It can be very normal for the gastrointestinal tract to slow down after a bout of diarrhea and sometimes there is no stool for a few days. If Clara is straining to defecate without producing stool there may be concern for constipation so you should try to monitor her in the litter box. If she’s eating normally with no vomiting I would not be concerned about a lack of stool for 3-5 days, but you may want to check in with your vet as well to see what they would recommend.

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