Any cat experts out there feel like imparting some advice?

Vixxster

Nojo on the YoYo
I have a very skitty little 6 or 7 year old kitty called Fred. We moved house recently and he's been ok up until this week (we moved three weeks ago).

This week he has not pooped at all! We did switch him from wet and dry to purely dry food when we moved house and he had taken to it well, but this week he has not pooped. He's drinking, and we are leaving little bowls of water in different places in the house, as he likes to drink our water, 'being naughty'. He's not showing any signs of pain or discomfort though I did see him trying to poop a few days ago, he was straining a lot and a tiny little poop came out. He hasn't pooped again since.

We only just got insurance for him about a month ago so I can't take him to the vet yet for a checkup, plus I have been made redundant so I can't afford a vet bill - this is the reason for us starting him on the complete nutrition dry food. Is there any reason to worry do you think or should I just hang fire and see if it's a reaction to the change in diet?

Please help, Fredder is my little baby!
 
The reason is, he will only eat Simply Fish pouches and they are too expensive now I've been made redundant. Like I said, he was ok with the change for three weeks, now this week he's not pooped. But everything else remains the same and he seems ok.
 
Cats do not have an automatic thirst reflex. In the wild they get all the moisture they need from the food they eat.

To feed just dry food is not good. It is not natural and contains many thing that cats can not digest well if at all.

I know cats are fussy eaters ad kid you that they only like one brand of food........not true !!! Our 4 kitties now eat a supermarkets own brand of the pouches of food and it has cut down the feed bill by almost half.It took a little time to convince them and it was hard during the changeover period.

The financial thing is horrid. I understand perfectly that if you do not have it you just do not have it and you can not perform miracles.

I know there are people who do feed just dry food but it is really, really bad.

If Fred is still constipated try him with a tin of tuna in oil. If that doesn't work try mixing a bit of mashed butternut squash in his favourite food. That works within about 24 hours.

You could ring your vet and ask for advice over the phone. I am sure if you explain your financial situation they would help you. It is always best to ask your vet first.

Read this. It might seem a bit long but it explains it better than I ever could.

Feline Renal Protective Diet | eHow.com


I hope he is o.k. very soon.
 
You could also try making the dry food wet with some water or homemade ( from bones) stock without salt?

Oh and Fillymum is right as usual Cats won't starve themselves ( neither will children BTW) and will try to manipulate you until you show them you won't cave!!!
 
We do half and half with our cat-dry food there for her all day and she gets a small can( like sheba) or pouch in the evening, maybe this will sort his tum and help stretch the pennies ?

If you are out of work can you take him to one of the PDSA vets if he's not improved soon ?
 
Hi all thanks for your advice!

I popped into Pets 4 Vets today and the vet was really nice, advised me that dry food on it's own, so long as it's a complete nutrition food (it is, the new Indoor Cat Whiskas Complete with the nuggets in) then it will be ok, but she suggested that I feed him one pouch and see if that gets his tummy going. She said I could also try tuna, as one of you guys said, and also I could get some liquid parrafin (!!!!) and wrap him in a towel and force feed him a spoonful! I didn't want to do that.

I popped into Tesco after saving a few pennies in Aldi today and the Simply pouches were on offer, so I got a box.

When I got in I saw Fred trying to poop, he was straining really hard and nothing was happening. I gave him a pouch and I swear within an hour he did the biggest smelliest poop he ever did! I was sooooo happy!!

Fred is going to have a wet/dry mix. I can't have him go through that again. More tinned spaghetti and jackets for me, so Fred can have Simply. He's my baby and I hate to think that I made him poorly by switching his diet! :-(

Thanks again all, crisis averted!
 
we have dry food down all the time for our 2 cats but there is wet food down as well - they get a pouch split between them twice a day - they have the felix wet ones- and the older of the 2 will goes days without eating any wet untill he drives us mad then will start eating again- we used to get worried about him but its just him now.

Plus there is water down for them - a bowl in the bathroom as they wont drink if its in the kitchen plus with it being in the bath then there is no wet spashes...lol
 
I use dry food all the time with my two cats, I use proplan indoor cats (mine are indoor ones as we live on 16th floor flat) and the cat food is great for the indgestion and other stuff. Since changing to these brand they have less hir balls and better coats as well and seem much more energetic and happy :) It is more pricey though but do grt it online as it is cheaper then the shops but think it is worth it as improvements have been met!
 
My three get half a pouch each in the morning (Whiskas, currently 12 for £2.50 in Morrisons), the little one gets a 1/3rd, then they get a good quality complete biscuit throughout the day, with a bowl of water, which they insist on sharing. At the minute only the big one goes out. The ginger one is ready to go out, but I don't want him too! The little white one is yonks off being old enough to go out, and I worry they will get pinched, even though they are chipped.

The two younger ones use the litter tray, and the big one uses lord knows what. I would have preferred them on an all dry diet, but they kick off in the morning if they don't get their pouch, so I cave in. They only have one set meal - the morning - each day as its easiest for us, and they seem to don't mind. They get biscuits throughout the day, or if we are out, they get a little pile each to munch on.

Glad little Freddy has started to go again. Welcome to stinks-ville :D
 

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That pic is so precious!! Yes stinksville indeed! I never thought I would be so happy to see such a big pile of poop!!! xx
 
We were the same when we first got the little one, as he didn't do anything for 5 days. You know life is a bit odd when you get texts off the OH enquiring as to whether Gordon has left us a present in the litter tray!

Celebrate the poop, but resist decorating it for Christmas :D
 
I'm glad Fred is doing better! My cat has just decided he's a fussy eater now he's 14 & it's so hard to know what to do for the best for them when they're refusing to eat food they loved the week before!
 
I don't have cats of my own at the moment but do have shares in the 3 at my parents!

They have wet pouches for their meals but also have a supply of dry food down throughout the day so that they have access to food if they get hungry. They also get spoilt to tinned salmon or sardines every now and again or when Aunty KK visited the other weekend some basa fillets!

They also have access to 2 drinking fountains throughout the house and 1 in the shed they sleep in overnight (not over winter though, when it's cold they sleep in the house!).

Since I was a very young child I've always had cats and have tried them on wet food only, dry food only and a combination, and quickly found that the combination was the prefered one for them - they always seemed more healthy and happier with a combined diet.
 
I am so pleased that Fred is o.k.

Our babes are such a worry to us aren't they ??

For the last 5 years , on top of feeding my own brood, 15 animals in total, we have never missed a day of feeding a feral cat who lives a couple of kilometers away from us. She gets a pouch and dry food every day from us and I am sure other people take her tit bits as well. She has shelter in someones summer house. She has none of the luxury my spoilt brats have, she eats everything put in front of her, is not fussy at all and looks amazing. There must be a moral there somewhere.

Also want to say how much I understand the eating more baked potatoes and pasta. It is the same in this house. Our animals are first in the queue for everything.

Really pleased for you and Fred.
 
My two cats aged 12 and 11 have a combination of wet and dry food. It works for them and I've never had any trouble in the poop department with either of them even when I've moved house.

Glad to hear Fred is now back to pooping! :D

Go Fred...go Fred :party0049:
 
I haven't been on here for a couple of days but thank you all for your messages for Fred, he is doing really well.

You people are so nice!! Thank you for all your advice and concern. Cat people rule all xxx
 
PS this is Fred on my birthday last year, being the barricade between me and birthday cake!

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