1497. A severely constipated cat. What to do?

Sep 12, 2014

The expatriate lady and her young daughter brought in a small sized cat that was straining to poop for the past 5 days with no stools. A male, neutered, 2 years old, stripped brown at 2 kg. Looks like a miniature domestic shorthaired.

He did not want to come out of the carrier. So I waited patiently. After some time, he came out himself, sniffed the air and walked on my consultation table edge, ready to leap away.

"He seldom meet strangers," the European lady said as this cat hissed several times.
"Just stroke his neck and talk to him," I said to the mother. "I can palpate his abdomen. I can feel a solid rock of 10 cm x 10 cm in his rectum. He is badly constipated."

What to do now?

"I need to sedate him to give him the enema," I said.
"I can wrap him in a towel and you can do it," the lady suggested.
"Not so easy as you think. When the tip of the enema tube touches his anus, he will claw and jump away!"

"I will need to sedate him," I prepared xylazine 0.1 ml + ketamine 0.4 ml to be given IM. My assistant would hold the scruff of the cat's neck. But he was not that keen to do so as the cat already warned us by hissing again.

"Quickly let him back into the carrier," I said. He faced the carrier and walked in for shelter and sat down.

"We must not excite him much as there is no 2nd chance once he is frightened."

"I want to see him sedated," the lady was not keen on scruffing the cat.

So, I got the cat carrier covered by a big black plastic bag. Anaesthetic gas pumped into the carrier inside the bag. It took around 15 minutes. Then Naing masked the sleepy cat to maintain the anaesthesia. I pumped in one tube of Microlax enema.

"You said two," the lady reminded me as she wanted the cat to go home after this procedure.

So, 2 tubes. I advised W/D cans and wait and see for 2 days. An injection of antibiotics. The young daughter covered her nose with the top of her T-shirt as the rectal gas was smelly. "If this works, no need surgery to take out the stools."

"How did he become constipated?" the lady asked.
"Some change of surroundings. Is there a new cat? He could be stressed and stopped drinking water."
"Yes, the neighbour brought in a new cat."
So, instead of FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) usually due to eating of dry food. But this cat eats only wet food, he developed constipation.

Will wait and see. The cat went home in a taxi at 6 pm. An interesting case as this cat lives in a house with garden and has free access to peeing and pooping. But a new cat has come next door.

On Sep 13, 2014, I phoned the owner but there was no response.