Is my senior cat constipated? Vomiting, straining, liquid poop.
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 16 years and 5 months old
Hello, my baby girl kitty is 16 yrs old and has been healthy her entire life. Today she vomited and shortly after, pooped on the floor. When I picked her up she had clear liquid coming out. Ever since she has been trying to poop, but nothing is coming out but little dots of liquid. Is she constipated and if so, will pepcid or miralax help her? This happened once before several years ago and the vet said it wasn't anything serious. She's currently playing with me, but I'm still concerned.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 31st, 2019
Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Jasmine. Poor girl! It could be she has a GI illness causing the vomiting and diarrhea. Likely she has had some loose stools, and it's normal to see a cat act like they are trying to poop but have nothing come out. It's not constipation, it's just she still has the urge to go but nothing comes out. It happens in humans as well who have diarrhea. Unfortunately I cannot recommend giving Pepcid or Miralax without seeing her in person, it's illegal. I can give you a home remedy to see if that helps. Feed her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If she vomits the bland diet, the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 8th, 2017
I would recommend that Jasmine get checked out by a vet. There could be many possible things going on, including intestinal parasites, GI blockage, internal medical disease (kidney, liver, diabetes, hyperthyroidism), among many others. After a thorough physical exam, the vet will probably recommend bloodwork and maybe x-rays or ultrasound to try to figure out what could be causing Jasmine's illness. Until you can get her to the vet, I would recommend that you keep her separate from the other cats with her own litter box so that you can monitor her urinations and bowel movements.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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