Natural Home Remedies For Cat Constipation

Cats, our feline companions just like us, experience constipation once in a while. It makes stool dry, hard and difficult to pass. It can be caused due to a number of things like an unbalanced dry diet with less fiber, sedentary lifestyle, fur indigestion and even dehydration.

Here are some of the natural home remedies for relieving our feline friends from the discomfort:
You should provide adequate water to your cat and make sure they drink it as constipated body needs hydration the most. Well hydrated body is healthy body. It keeps your cat's gut hydrated too. Feed your cat wet food (food with gravy), this way liquid diet makes way to your cat’s stomach lubricating the intestine walls and stool. Fiber contributes to the stool mass, which means giving fiber rich diet would eventually make the gut clean by pushing the bowel movement. So try to feed your cat a fiber rich diet. Plain mashed pumpkin or small amount of aloe vera juice both acts as a natural laxative for cats, supporting bowel movement when constipated. Include either of them in your cat's diet or serve it separately. Make your cat exercise, it helps fasten the digestive process as stress releases when the body moves. It stimulates all the body muscles, including intestines. Mixing up just a small amount of olive oil in the diet can work wonders by lubricating the food, colon and softening the stool making it easier to pass. Sometimes a diet can also cause allergies and inflammation if it doesn’t suit your cat’s gut, so try changing your cat’s diet. Good bacteria for your cat gut would help with the constipation as it would make the gut overall healthy. Homemade probiotics like kefir milk or fermented food are a good source of probiotics.

Constipation mostly lasts for a short time but causes a lot of irritation and discomfort. But if it lasts for more than 48 hours, with blood, vomiting, fever or any other symptom, a vet should be consulted immediately.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What are the symptoms of constipation other than no poop?
   There are other signs like frequent visits to the litter box without defecating, straining or crying when trying to defecate. Passing small, hard and crumbly stools. Or having bloody stool or anus.
2. Are human laxatives safe for cats?
   No, human laxatives are not safe for cats as they are designed for human physiology not for cat's, they can be toxic and may lead to some serious health problems.
3. Is milk good for cat constipation?
   No, milk may provide temporary relief as they moisten the gut, but is not good as most adult cats are lactose intolerant and milk can cause diarrhea, gas or cramping.