MY PET WORLD Q and A: CAT HAS HAD TWO MASSIVE ENEMAS
By Steve Dale | 11 June 2009

Q: I'm stressed out about what to do for my cat, Henry, a 2 ½-year-old Maine Coon mix. My vet suggested adding wet food to Henry's dry food diet. But the cat is not fond of the wet food, and now he's continually becoming constipated. He's had to have two massive enemas. Now he's home with a prescription for two drugs and on a high-fiber diet. I need to wean Henry off the drugs because one is $40 per bottle, and I simply can't afford it with three kids in college. I'm already $800 up to my nose in vet bills and I don't know what to do.

A: "I hear your frustration, and I understand," says internal medicine specialist Dr. Sandy Willis, of Seattle, WA. "It's not only the expense, but if it is possible, avoiding those enemas would be much appreciated by your cat, I can assure you. I am concerned since constipation may only get worse because the colon will continue to enlarge. I wonder if the diet change caused the problem. You could ask your veterinarian if it's possible to go back to dry food. However, it's important to increase Henry's hydration."

One trick is to add some tuna juice and also water to your cat's dry food.

You could also ask your vet about using Lactulose (a drug to help move stool) and/or pumpkin (available at supermarkets).

"If you don't succeed, an internal medicine specialist may come up with the solution," Willis says.

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