My cat is constipated. Can I safely give sennosides to help her?

Poor Marshmellow! It would not be safe to give her an enema at home. You can give her some canned pumpkin to see if this helps soften her stool but it really sounds like she needs to see a veterinarian for care. Your veterinarian can also discuss medication options like Lactulose or Miralax to soften her stool in the future and prevent constipation. In older cats constipation often occurs secondary to some other issue like kidney disease or inflammatory bowel disease so blood work would be a good idea for Marshmellow.

If the problem is fairly minor, you could try a small spoonful of canned pumpkin mixed in Red's food twice daily - this adds some fiber and moisture to the diet, and can sometimes help with mild constipation. If the problem is more severe (meaning that he has been straining for 24 hours or more without having a bowel movement), this is much more serious and he will need to see a vet - he will likely need prescription medication to treat the problem, and may also need an enema under sedation depending on how bad the blockage is.

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Instead of an enema, I would recommend you first try something that is less involved and likely to help which is giving him about 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin with his meals. This usually helps with constipation in cats. Good luck and have a great day!

Unfortunately human laxatives are toxic to cats, so that is not a good idea. Depending on how constipated Martin is, sometimes your vet will have to do an enema to resolve the constipation. If the constipation is mild, you may be able to give a stool softener to help resolve the problem. There are some over the counter and some prescription medications for this. I am attaching a handout below that discusses constipation including medications that we use. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951509 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.

Poor Baby! If you are not comfortable giving the enema, I recommend to call your veterinarian and discuss your concerns. At this point, she may need more care than an enema. She may need fluids or a sedated enema. I also recommend to discuss a specific food made by Royal Canin called Fiber Response. It is formulated for cats with constipation and many cats will get relief within a few days. This diet baby needed lifelong. I hope Baby starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Angel! This can be such a problem in older cats. You can add in some canned pumpkin (1 teaspoon a day) to help increase her fiber intake. Also, if you haven't already, I would talk to your vet about doing some abdominal x-rays. These will help the vet see how large the colon is and how much stool is present. Cats can get something called megacolon where the muscles in their colon don't work well and they get easily constipated. These cats usually need to be sedated and manually have some of the stool removed and then put on a drug called cisapride. Some cats will have to stay on this drug long term, but I have personally had good success with putting them on a food called Royal Canin GI Fiber Response and eventually getting them off cisapride and stool softeners. It is a prescription food so I would talk to your vet about it. Also, . Every cat is different and your vet will need to help guide you through this process. If your vet doesn't think she has megacolon then cisap

It should be okay to give her a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin twice a day. Just make sure it doesn't have any added flavoring or sugars. If that doesn't help, talk to your vet about trying Miralax.

Poor CC! Probiotics have been shown to be beneficial for constipation, and would be particularly beneficial if CC is on antibiotics. Use a product specific for cats; your vet likely carries some. If CC is willing to eat canned pumpkin, a teaspoon in her food twice daily may help. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there are some prescription foods that can help immensely with chronic constipation. I've had really good luck with Royal Canin GI Fiber Response. Ask your vet what they recommend. Hope this helps!

It is unlikely that the pumpkin powder is causing the constipation. You can try canned pumpkin instead. Make sure he drinks enough (Move the drinking bowl or fountain at least 6 feet away from the food bowls. Most cats do not like drinking water that is too close to the food). Do not feed dry food. You should take your kitty in to the vet for an enema before the constipation is severe ( unfortunately poop collects at the pelvic entrance and then the clump of poop gets so big and hard that it cannot get through.).

I'm sorry Harley is having problems with constipation! One of the most common causes of constipation in cats is dehydration due to inadequate fluid intake, which can result from a dry food diet. As feces pass through the colon, water is normally reabsorbed via the colon. When a cat is dehydrated, the colon absorbs more water, leading to dry feces and causing constipation. Other causes include a foreign body, gastrointestinal tumors, megacolon, neurological problems, skeletal pain that makes posturing to defecate painful, hairballs, too much fiber in the diet, lack of exercise, stress, gastrointestinal polyps, and obesity. If pumpkin isn't helping, she needs to see a vet as soon as possible. The vet may need to manually remove any impacted feces, and can give an enema if needed. Please do not give her an enema yourself, as humans ones often contain very high levels of phosphate and giving one to a cat can result in high levels of phosphorus in the body, which can be deadly. There