Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

Kitten has hard poop. Is it constipation? When should I take her to the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Brazilian Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 3 months and 8 days old

Hi my kitten has been pooping hard not soft poop should i take her to the vet

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on August 26th, 2023

Poor Hazel. It may be she is not getting enough water causing her poop to be hard. I recommend giving her some wet kitten food, and adding a bit of water to it to see if that helps. I'd also recommend getting a cat water fountain. These devices provide a constant source of fresh water, and can encourage cats to drink. Try feeding her the wet food for the next 24-48 hours, but if she continues to have hard poop or it gets worse (she's straining to poop, she's poops very small and hard nuggets, or she develops other signs such as lethargy and a loss of appetite), then I would take her into the vet. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We have just recently got our kitten she's 6 weeks old she's peeing but not pooping and it's nearly been 2 days
Sometimes stress can cause constipation. Make sure she is drinking plenty of water. Canned food is good to prevent constipation; you can also add a little water or chicken/tuna broth to the canned food to get her to drink more water. She is still young, so you may be able to stimulate her to have a bowel movement by rubbing her anus gently with a warm wet washcloth. If she does not have a bowel movement in 24 hours, I recommend that she see a vet before the stool gets too dry and hard.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
How often should a 5 month old kitten poop? We just got him from the local shelter yesterday around 5pm, and he used the restroom around 2 times. He keeps moving his litter and squatting, turning around and doing it again. Most of the time, nothing h
Young kittens will normally toilet frequently, often up to 6 times a day but I would be very concerned by repeated trips to the tray without producing anything as this may indicate an obstruction or severe spasm and inflammation which is quite common in cats and can be triggered by stressful events such as moving house. I recommend an urgent vet check to determine if he is constipated or bladder pain and to prescribe the most appropriate treatment and ongoing management to prevent recurrence. In the meantime I would try to encourage fluids with flavoured water (freshly boiled chicken broth or a little cod liver oil on the water bowl) and provide wet food to maximise fluid intake which can help soften stool and flush the bladder
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
We have had her now for 46 hrs but she hasn't pooped yet. She is eating wet food and formula but not crunchy. The lady we got her from had crunchy out for the kittens when we got her. What do I do about both situations? Help and Thank you in advance
Hi and thanks for posting on Boop by Petco! Sometimes changes in stool production can occur when the type or kind of food is changed. You may try introducing the food the original owner had her on to see if that helps. Otherwise, you can try a little plain canned pumpkin in her food (not the pie filing) for an added fiber boost that can help move things along. If that doesn't seem to help, I would have her seen by a veterinarian as there may be other issues such as a parasitic infection that may be a contributing cause. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My 5 days old kitten has very hard and yellow poop, and poops only once a day
Some variation in bowel movements can be normal especially in very young still maturing animals. However, I would monitor your kitten closely and ensure she is nursing frequently from her mother. The hard feces could be a sign of dehydration. They following could indicate a problem and a reason to visit a veterinarian or add kitten milk replacement to her diet: Struggle to pass feces Pain when passing feces Lethargic or drowsy Not nursing very frequently, multiple times a day and night Mother seems not interested in kittens Mother has enlarged, red, swollen, painful or discharge from her mammary glands Please feel free to post any further questions you may have. We are here to support you Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Lilly has been having very dry stools and their short small stools I give her liquid with her wet food and there is dry food out. I'm thinking she doesn't get enough liquid in her system so now and then I syringe some water into her but I just want
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lilly. Good job on including wet food in her diet and trying to include more water for her. Increasing moisture content should help to soften the stool. If this becomes an ongoing problem for her, she should see her veterinarian. She may have a disease such as kidney problems. This can make a cat dehydrated leading to constipation. If this is not the case, she may need a prescription laxative. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
I haves 3 week old kitten who has not pooped in 2 days. She's drinking milk fine and is very active can she be constipated?
MIracle is REALLY cute! You could check to see if she is dehydrated by pinching up the skin between her shoulder blades. If it is slow to go back to normal then she is dehydrated which could be contributing to the lack of feces. I would have your vet take a look at her if she is dehydrated so they can give her a little fluids if needed. If she is well hydrated then I would continue to feed her every 3 hours and be sure to use a warm wet cloth at every meal to rub around her anus. This will help to stimulate her bowel movements. If she still hasn't pooped within the next 24-36 hours then I would have your vet look at her. With her being so small, I don't want to give her a bunch of stuff over the counter as they can be quite sensitive. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
Hi, my one week old kitten is constipated. I took it to the vet and he prescribed one drop of pedriatic dimethicone every 8 hours and longer belly massages. However, he is struggling with hard stool at the moment and I can feel (his belly gets hard)
Offer a bit more water, KMR or diluted PediaLyte. This will maintain or improve hydration. A dab of olive oil around his back end may help to ease the passage of stool. Position him on his belly when feeding and burp him as you would a baby afterwards. Stimulate him until he urinates and defecates after each feeding. Keep him warm also. A chill may slow everything down and make it difficult for him to defecate.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
My cat poops everyday but it looks like pebbles. I've also noticed he has been ingesting human hair. Any recommendations? He will meow every time before he goes to poop in the litter box? Is he uncomfortable or is that normal?
It sounds like it is uncomfortable for him to poop as the poop is very hard and dry. You can try giving him some canned food in addition to his dry food and add a bit of water to it. Make sure the box is cleaned out every day as some cats do not like going into a litter box where there are more than a few poops or urine clumps are, so they wait until they really cannot hold it anymore. This delay makes the colon pull even more moisture out of the feces and so makes them very hard. Also put his water bowl at least 6ft away from his food bowl. Cats do not like to drink water when it is near the food.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has oop harder than granite. I have given her pumpkin & a holistic remedy Nothing helps . Can you recomend anything
Hi. Poor Zoe. Definitely not normal to have feces that firm. You need to do all you can to increase water consumption. Some ideas include adding ice cubes for her to play with, a water fountain that they make for cats seem to help attract them to drink. I would also recommend adding wet food and with the dry food and even possibly adding water to the dry food. You can also speak to your veterinarian about a stool softener. In addition I would recommend a full blood panel to make sure that there is no obvious Medical reason that could cause dehydration. Good luck
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My kitten has started pooping after long intervals of time, is it constipation what are the symptoms tho and how could i rectify the problem?
Finally it is pooping. So now you have to make sure you feed it good quality kitten food, make sure it drinks water (put the water bowl about 2m away from the food bowl). Make sure it gets plenty of exercise (playing). Monitor its habits. It it does not poop once every day, you will need to take it to your pet doctor for an exam.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Cat Food Cat Supplies Wet Cat Food Canned Cat Food Cat Laxatives Kitten Food High Fiber Cat Food UTI Cat Food Kitten Formula & Milk Replacer Grain Free Cat Food Velvet Mousse Kitten Food Solid Gold Kitten Food Holistic Kitten Food Baby Kitten Food Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Kitten Food Science Diet Kitten Food ProActive Health Kitten Food Hill's Kitten Food Moist & Tender Kitten Food Wellness Kitten Food
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored