April 2009. Daisy’s (my cool cat) stool was getting very dry and small. She was always constipated and only had a bowl movement every 3 days. Daisy also started to loose weight (16 lbs) and did not want to eat the Wellness can food that I was feeding her with for the last 6 years. I had stopped feeding her with the Wellness dry food because of the dry stool. I started feeding her other can foods, but her appetite decreased more each day. I searched the Internet hoping to find a remedy for her constipation. I tried laxative, high fiber cereal, psysllium, nothing helped. Daisy also had a problem with her hind legs when walking.
June 18, 2009. 3 months later. Daisy lost 2 pounds during this time (14.2 lbs). Took her to the Lakewood Veterinary Hospital Inc.Dr. John L. Sylvester, DVM took Radiography-First and Radiography-Additional (Each). Daisy’s stomach and intestines were OK. She is still over-weight. The X-rays showed Arthritis in both hips. The Patella of both hind knees slips out of the groove when walking. Her heart is enlarged (Cardiomyopathy), the walls of her heart could be too thick or too thin. Since there is no cure for the defected heart, only medication to put in her food to thin the blood, the recommended Echocardiogram/Ultrasound was not done. The liver emsyne was 106, normal is 100. Dr. Sylvester said it was no concern. I got a prescription of Golytely Powder 4 Litres for Daisy’s constipation, which she must take for the rest of her life. I can give her up to ½ tsp. for the day mixed in to her food. The 30 days prescription was only enough for ¼ tsp. per day and cost $16.60. I only mixed a total of 3/8 tsp. into her food for the day. Her stool was still never soft enough. I also started feeding Daisy only prescription Hills feline W/D canned chicken food. I believe the crude fat content was 2.8%.
August 28, 2009. Last order for prescription Golytely Powder 4 Ltrs, $31.60 for 90 days at ¼ tsp. per day. Daisy’s knees got much better, due to the weight loss.
November 13, 2009. Today I found out that MiraLAX is the same powder as the Golytely. MiraLAX 119g for $7.40, $0.062 cents per gram, verses 112.5g for 31.60, $0.28 cents per gram. That is almost 500% more per gram purchased at the veterinary.
January 31, 2010. Daisy’s weight is 12.2 lbs. She lost 4 lbs. since April 2009. I went to PetCo looking for PBA free canned food for Daisy. No luck with the BPA free canned food. However, I found a Holistic canned food ‘Spot’s Stew’ by Halo, Purely For Pets with a crude fat content of 1.5% (min). I purchased the ‘Wholesome Chicken Recipe’ and ‘Succulent Salmon Recipe’. When I opened the can I found whole green peas, chunks of carrots and green beans. I thought she would not like this and pick out the chunks. To my surprise she likes the food very much. She licks the bowl clean. Not only does she like the food, her stool is soft and bulky. I stopped giving her the MiraLAX powder. It has been one week now, Daisy’s stool is still soft and bulky without the MiraLAX powder.
March 2010. Two months later. Daisy’s stool started to get small and dry again and she got tired of the ‘Wholesome Chicken Recipe’. She still eats the ‘Succulent Salmon Recipe’. I started giving her 1/8 tsp. MiraLAX powder 3 times a day mixed in to her canned food for a total of 3/8 tsp. per day. Add 1-2 tsp. of water to each portion of canned food when adding the MiraLAX. You can give cats up to ½ tsp. MiraLAX powder per day mixed in to the canned food. Stop feeding dry food totally. Do not feed any additional laxative products, this will cause extreme stomach cramps.
May 2010. I am changing Daisy’s food every day now. I think giving the same food every day is causing her constipation problem. I included a new canned food ‘Avoderm’ and ‘Pinnacle’. She likes it. I am still feeding her the Halo ‘Succulent Salmon Recipe’. Still adding 1/8 tsp. MiraLAX 3 times a day mixed with 1-2 tsp. of water into each portion of her canned food. Total MiraLAX for the day 3/8 tsp. Daisy’s weight is now 11.5 lbs.
November 2011. Twelve months later. I had to make changes to Daisy’s food again. Her appetite decreased more each day and her constipation problem increased to the point that it took 3 days for her to have a bowl movement. I had never stopped giving the MiraLax to her. I tried adding another 1/8 teaspoon of MiraLAX to her daily food intake. But, it made her stool too soft and got stuck to her coat. What a mess, I had to wash her behind with soap (I use a small drop of Neutrogena Rain Bath soap) mixed with warm water and a wash cloth. I keep using a new wash cloth until all the poop is washed off. My poor Daisy, what she has to endure. I always have to follow her when she went to her box, so I can pick her up and wash her behind. I purchased a large package of cotton terry cloth rags at Costco and washed them with hot soapy water before I used them on my cat.
December 2011. A month ago, I purchased Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes & Probiotics supplement on Amazon for my cat. This Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes & Probiotics has the ingredients of Aspergillus oryzae var. and Aspergillus niger var. It may be that all animal enzymes include this fungus. I am concerned about this fungus and therefore only giving her half of the recommended dosage, since she needs help to get an appetite and digest her food. I am giving my 10 plus year old cat (she is an adopted stray cat, not sure how old she is) five small portions of canned food per day and divide 1/8 teaspoon of this enzyme powder into the five servings. The directions on the container read to give 1/4 teaspoon per day to cats and 1/4 teaspoon per day for a 30 pound dog. My cat is only 11 pounds. It has only been one month since I started giving this to my cat. My cat has a chronic constipation problem and is also getting 1/4 teaspoon MiraLAX per day. 1/8 teaspoon in the morning and 1/8 teaspoon at night mixed into her canned food together with the enzymes & probiotics. So far my cat’s constipation did not get worse by giving the enzymes & probiotics to her, as many reviews state it is mostly used for their pets diarrhea. My cat’s appetite got a little better and I hope this product will work even better as time goes on.
I stopped giving the MiraLax to my Daisy. The Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes & Probiotics supplement is making her stool softer, she has a bowl movement every day and her appetite has improved. She is happy and so am I, no diarrhea. I am feeding her BPA-free 3-oz. canned food. Mostly WERUVA and Best Feline Friend. My cat and I hope this will be the end of the constipation or diarrhea problems.
March 2012. It is time to update how I deal with my cat Daisy’s chronic constipation and no appetite problem. I am now mixing 1/8 teaspoon MiraLax and 1/8 teaspoon Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes & Probiotics supplement together for each day. Divide the powder mixture in five portions and sprinkle on each of her meals. Both of the products have no taste or smell, my cat does not appear to realize she is getting them mixed into her food. She gets about 7 oz. of canned food per day, divided into five servings. I also add 1-2 teaspoons of water to each meal. If I give her more food she will surely gain weight again. She has a bowl movement every day (no diarrhea) and her appetite is still good. Stop feeding dry food totally. Do not feed any additional laxative products, this will cause extreme stomach cramps.
