Cats are quite regular in their bowel movements and it once or twice a day but, just like humans sometimes they can become constipated. For the most part, cat constipation is nothing to worry about, however, sometimes it can be a serious problem and if you cat suffers from chronic constipation you should get him to the vet to find out what is causing the problem. It's pretty easy to tell when your cat has constipation as they go to litter box quite often and then are straining to pass stools.
Oftentimes they'll make noise and you may see them looking they are anus as well is getting kind of sluggish and not eating right. Sometimes they will vomit and may pass a little bit of liquid when trying to have a bowel movement. Needless to say, this can be very uncomfortable for your cat if it becomes severe you might try an enema to clear the colon of impacted feces, but you probably want to check with your vet take that event because sometimes it needs to be removed physically while your cat is under anesthesia.
Your vet can also check to see what the problem is and will probably give your cat intravenous liquids to keep him or her from becoming dehydrated. Sometimes your cat will have an obstruction such as a tumor, a foreign body or maybe even a hairball which prevents a stool moving through your cats digestive system. This causes fecal matter to build up which then becomes hard and dry causing a distended colon and making it difficult, if not impossible, for your cat to expell feces.
This is known as mega colon. If your cat is suffering from mega colon, then you will have to change some things for him. Sometimes increasing the fiber that your cat gets will help them have bowel movements and also increasing the liquid can help with this to. You can increase the liquid by giving them canned food or you might try giving them soup or milk to get them to drink more liquid that they enjoy. Sometimes the only alternative to mega colon is surgery which can be quite tricky as the colon needs to be removed.
Sometimes however, Constipation isn't something so drastic and it might just be that your cat, like you has been eating something that has him bound up. In this case, it will pass and your cat will get back to his regular routine. It is important, however, to watch your cat closely and if you see any disruption in his routine check with your vet so that you can ward off any problems before they become serious.
Lee Dobbins writes for Colon Articles where you can learn more about constipation in humans and well as get the poop on cat constipation.
