by Amy Shojai
contract are beneficial to some cats. But if dietary
management and drug therapy aren't helpful, the colon may
be beyond help. In those cases, surgery seeks to correct the
cat's "plumbing" by removing the sick portion of the large
intestine. The rectum is left intact, and reattached to the
smal intestine to create a functional bowel.
“The surgery is cal ed a sub-total colectomy, and cats
do great with it,” says Dr. Shaw. “They have short-term
diarrhea right afterwards, but once their intestines get used
to it they actual y have no problem beyond that.” The surgery
can restore near normal bowel function in some affected
cats.
Severe constipation, referred to as obstipation, lasts many
days at a time. The large mass of hard waste that col ects
stretches the rectum to gigantic proportions. This condition
is cal ed mega-colon. “This is a degeneration of the muscle
in the colon such that it is no longer able to contract and
move things along, whereas the part of the colon that is
responsible for sucking water out stil works,” says Dr.
Burrows. “The stool in the colon just stays there and gets
harder and drier and bigger and bigger until it’s impossible
to eliminate.”
Senior Symptoms
Occasional constipation in older cats isn’t considered a
serious problem. Prolonged or repeated episodes can point
to more dangerous condition cal ed obstipation. Signs of
constipation include:
· Absence of stool in the litter box
· Straining in the litter box without passing stool
· Passing hard, dry stools accompanied by dark brown
liquid
· Painful swol en abdomen
· Failure to defecate for two or more days,
accompanied by vomiting and/or anorexia
Treatment
Mild cases of constipation can be treated with a
commercial cat laxative such as Laxatone from a pet
products store. “I would not general y recommend the hairbal
medicine for cats unless there was an actual documented
problem,” says Sarah K. Abood, DVM, a clinical nutritionist
at Michigan State. The stimulant laxatives can interfere with
normal bowel function if overused, so don’t make a habit of
relying on these products.
You can instead use one teaspoonful mineral oil per five
pounds of pet, or a half to two tablespoons of non-medicated
petroleum jel y, such as Vaseline. Mix the oil or jel y into the
food—most pets relish the oily taste, and it lubricates
everything on the inside and helps it move through because
it won’t be digested. If the cat won’t eat the doctored diet, try
spreading the oil or jel y on his paw so he swal ows it when
he licks himself. The laxative should work within 24 hours.
Dr. Abood believes preventing constipation is much better
than treating it once the condition develops. One simple
solution is addressing environmental issues. “Make sure that
water and food are accessible on a regular basis, animals
don’t have to go through a maze to get it, and don’t have to
wait an extra 8 to 12 hours,” she says. “It comes down to
good animal husbandry habits—regular exercise and regular
meals.” Avoid missing or delaying meals, and stick to a
regular schedule.
Feeding For Health
Regular exercise, lots of water, daily grooming, and the
proper diet goes a long way toward control ing hairbal s that
cause constipation. Some commercial foods are designed
to reduce hairbal s, and if your cat has chronic problems, one
of these may be a good option. Hairbal formulas include:
Eukanuba Adult Hairbal Relief Formula
Science Diet Hairbal Control Formula
Nutro Max Cat Hairbal Management
Cases of obstipation and mega-colon must be
diagnosed by the veterinarian, and general y they cannot be
treated at home, says Dr. Burrows. “They need help. They
need medication, enemas, and laxatives.” Some cats need
to be sedated in order to remove a fecal bal that’s grown too
large to pass through the pelvis. These cats wil need
medical management for the rest of their lives.
A drug cal ed cisapride (Propulsid) helps the colon to
better contract. It has been removed from the human market
due to health risks, but these do not apply to cats. “We stil
use it if we can get hold of it,” says Dr. Burrows.
Compounding pharmacies are currently the best source for
obtaining cisapride. Lactulose also is often prescribed to
help soften stools, and is particularly helpful because it not
only promotes intestinal contractions but also draws water
into the large intestine.
When medical management using drugs, laxatives, and
diet aren’t effective, some cats require surgery. The
malfunctioning colon is removed in a procedure cal ed a
subtotal colectomy. “You cut it out and join the [farthest] part
of the smal intestine to the rectum, and that part of the smal
intestine then takes over the storage function. Cats tolerate
that very wel ,” says Dr. Burrows.
The surgery is used mostly as a last resort but can restore
the cat to near normal function. The feces usual y wil stay
soft with a cow pie consistency for the rest of the cat’s life.
Nurse Alert!
When the laxative doesn’t work in 24 hours, an impaction
requires an enema. If your cat has chronic constipation or
obstipation problems, your veterinarian may suggest you
learn how to do this at home. However, cats that struggle
during the enema may be injured by the applicator if
mishandled. You know your cat best, and if he’l object, you
should make a trip to the veterinarian. Warning: Human
enemas typical y contain phosphates and are deadly to cats.
Use only preparations recommended to you by your
veterinarian. Warm tap water (about 105 degrees or so),
one ounce per pound, is the safest option and very effective.
Put the cat on an absorbent towel, or in the bathtub—in
case the enema works very quickly.
Any standard enema applicator works for most pets.
Veterinarians often use red rubber tubing with a large
syringe at one end to inject the fluid. But a turkey
baster or empty contact lens solution bottle wil also
work.
Lubricate the tip with Vaseline or K-Y jel y, and gently
insert it into the rectum one to two inches.
Then depress the syringe, squeeze the bottle
applicator, or the bulb of the turkey baster to infuse the
liquid into the rectum.
Age-Defying Tips
Using basic common sense wil keep your cat regular for al
his life. Begin these steps during kittenhood, and adjust as
the cat matures.
· Groom your cat regularly. Hair you comb or brush off
won’t end up swal owed by the cat, and that wil reduce the
chance for hairbal s—the number one cause of constipation.
· If your cat has repeated problems with hairbal s
despite g
ood grooming practices, consider feeding him a
commercial hairbal diet. These typical y include added fiber
that helps move hair out of the system.
· Infrequent problems with hairbal s can be managed
with home remedies. Mix one-half to one teaspoonful of
unflavored Metamucil in canned food to add extra fiber.
· Many cats relish canned pumpkin as a treat, and this
natural high-fiber food is a great laxative. Garnish the regular
diet once or twice a week with one to two teaspoons.
· At age seven or thereabouts, make the transition to a
“senior stage” diet formulation. These tend to have a bit
more fiber to take care of the older cat’s tendency toward
irregularity.
· Encourage the cat to stay active al his life. That helps
keep him a healthy weight, and exercise is a natural laxative
that keeps his insides moving properly.
· “Lots of times a simple case of constipation is
because an animal didn’t have access to water,” says Dr.
Abood. Cats tend to be finicky about water so watch the cat
for a cue about what he likes—fresh or standing water, bowl
or dribbling faucet.
DEAFNESS
In simplest terms, deafness means the cat doesn’t
recognize or respond to sound stimuli. Hearing connects
cats to their world, including their owners, and deafness
causes a constel ation of behavior changes, says Dr. Strain.
“It may be a gradual change so the owner may be unaware
of that for some time.”
Cats may be born deaf, or lose their hearing earlier in life.
Some cats, especial y white cats with blue eyes, are born
with a condition that causes the cochlea, deep inside the
inner ear, to degenerate and results in deafness at an early
age. Chronic ear infections such as ear mite infestation can
damage the hearing organs and cause deafness.
Drugs such as gentamicin sulfate (an antibiotic) can
produce hearing loss because they’re toxic to the nerve cel s
of the ear, says Dr. Strain. There are almost two hundred
medications that can be toxic to hearing. “Those drugs
usual y have to be given systemical y [swal owed or injected]
rather than topical y as eardrops, to produce this effect,”
says Dr. Strain. He says drops are normal y not a problem.
Age-related hearing loss, cal ed presbycusis, is the most
common form and is a progressive condition that affects al
cats to some degree as they age. It can develop rapidly or
be slow and gradual. Basical y, the tiny bones of the middle
ear tend to lose their mobility and ability to vibrate and
transmit sound. Also, the nerves of the cochlea degenerate
over time. The cochlea is a fluid-fil ed tube coiled like a snail
shel deep inside the ear where hearing actual y takes place.
Toxic reactions and sound trauma can also increase the rate
of the normal process of presbycusis.
Senior Symptoms
Behavior changes are the most common symptoms of
hearing loss.
Increased sleeping
Increased meowing or yowling
Voice that sounds strident or “odd”
Is more easily startled
Increased biting or hissing
Accommodation
Hearing aids have been developed experimental y for
dogs but to date have not been offered to any extent in cats.
A more economical and effective option is simply making
environmental accommodations for the deaf cat, which wil
help maintain the bond you share.
“The increased reliance on other sensory modalities wil
offset that loss a little bit,” says Dr. Strain. Deaf cats typical y
depend more on sight and can learn to respond to visual
signals. For example, cats often learn to respond to the
porch light flashing on and off, rather than being cal ed to
come in. You can use a flashlight rather than your voice to
get your deaf cat’s attention. Although they can’t hear, deaf
cats can stil feel vibration, so a slammed door or stomped
foot may also work as a signal. It’s particularly important to
give the deaf pets some sort of warning of your presence to
avoid a startle/bite reflex. “If they’re startled, sometimes
they’l reflexively bite before they have time to recognize that
this is not real y a threat,” says Dr. Strain.
Some cats lose hearing only in certain ranges. Certain
felines wil stil detect high-pitched “dog whistles.” In homes
that have multiple pets, animals with hearing loss often cue
off the behavior of other animals in the household. “If one
animal suddenly gets up and starts barking, the deaf one wil
get up and move around, too,” says Dr. Strain.
Besides quality of life concerns, deafness becomes a
safety issue for cats. If they don’t hear the car coming, for
example, they aren’t able to avoid the danger. It’s safest for
deaf cats to stay inside.
Comfort Zone
Getting the attention of a deaf cat can be done by
stamping your foot, or by tossing a soft stuffed toy or
beanbag into their line of sight. Many cats enjoy
playing with the red dot of a laser light and can learn to
respond to these signals.
Remote-control vibrating col ars may be helpful. The
cat learns to respond to the vibration to come inside or
run for the dinner instead of the sound of the can
opener. Commercial products cost about $115 from
Doctors Foster and Smith pet supply. Instructions to
make a homemade vibrating col ar using a Radio
Shack remote control car are available on Dr. Strain’s
website.
A “pet locator” is helpful when your cat can’t hear you,
and you can’t find him. Attach a pendant to the cat’s
col ar that emits a tone a light when the hand-held
transmitter is activated. Some deaf cats may “feel” the
sound vibration, too, and the product is helpful for
training purposes. That helps locate the cat whenever
he goes out of sight. A “key finder” product should work
wel for this purpose.
DENTAL DISEASE
Unlike people, cats don’t rely on chewing to process their
food. They are more likely to bite off or pick up mouth-size
portions and swal ow them whole. That means they don’t
benefit from the scrubbing or detergent action of chewing
food the way people do. Also, wet diets stick to the teeth
more readily than dry foods.
Cats develop dental disease no matter what form of food
they are fed. In fact, al animals commonly suffer from
periodontal disease, or problems of the mouth, teeth and
gums. Seventy-five percent of cats develop some form of the
disease by the time they reach two years old, says Dr.
Gengler.
The risks for periodontal disease increase 20 percent
each year of a pet’s life, according to data released by
Banfield Applied Research and Knowledge in early 2010.
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, Banfield’s chief medical officer, says
these data corroborate a very strong link between the
presence of periodontal disease and heart disease. “The
worse the periodontal disease was, the stronger the link
between endocarditis and cardiomyopathy,” says Dr.
Klausner. Even though periodontal disease may not be
associated with mortality, it reduces the pet’s quality of life.
Senior Symptoms
Teeth often are ignored because cats are so stoic owners
may not notice he’s having any problems. “Usual y in the
early stages anyway, animals wil eat through the pain
because the self-preservation instinct is so strong,” says Bil
Gengler, DVM, a dentist at University of Wisconsin What you
wil see includes:
Redness of the gums
Receding gum line
Strong offensive odor
Bleeding on toothbrush
Broken, loose, or missing teeth
Sneezing
Nasal discharge
Chronic eye problems
Periodontal disease is a group of disorders that
affect the teeth, oral bones, and the gums. Bacterium grows
on the tooth surface, which creates plaque and bad breath.
When plaque isn’t removed, it mineralizes into tartar, which
forms hard yel ow or brown deposits. The bacteria releases
enzymes that attack the cat’s gums and cause gingivitis
enzymes that attack the cat’s gums and cause gingivitis
(inflammation of the gums), gum recession, loose or lost
teeth, and pain.
Cats can develop a severe inflammation of the gingival
tissues, cal ed gingival stomatitis. Maine Coons are prone to
the condition, but it appears to be more common in Oriental-
type cats such as Siamese, Burmese and Abyssinians.
Stomatitis resulting from an excessive immune response
often is associated with food al ergies or with early infections
of calicivirus (an upper respiratory agent). Infection with
Bartonella (a blood parasite) as wel as bacteria produced
by dental plaque also is implicated.
Cats are also prone to a condition cal ed Feline
Tooth Resorption (TRs), odontoclastic destruction of feline
teeth classified as either type 1 or type 2. With type 1
lesions, there is no replacement by bone, whereas with type
2 there is replacement of the lost root structure by bone.
There are five types of resorptive lesions,” says Dr.
Holstrom. Type 1 or 2 can potential y be treated, he says.
“Types 3 and 4 and 5 are usual y past doing anything for