# Katalax?



## Cheryl1987 (Nov 16, 2013)

Hi. I have a Persian cat who is 4 and a half years old. He has started retching almost every day but he is not bringing anything up. Once he retches a couple of times he runs into the litter tray and has bad diarrhea. He has been to the vet and had checks but all she can suggest is hairball. I am going to change his food to science plan hairball to see if that helps. The vet also recommended Katalax. I was put off getting him this as its a laxative. He is not constipated and he does not need help moving his bowels. Does anyone give their cat Katalax?


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

No, please, no "hair ball" foods! No dry food at all!

You need to feed your cat a more species appropriate diet. Please get him on a canned diet, with lots of meat in it, no grains, or fruits and veggies.

No hairball gels, they are made with petroleum products. Petroleum is toxic to cats.

Getting him on a wet diet, brush him daily, and make sure he gets enough exercise, that may be all he needs, IF the problem is hair ball related. 

Add a probiotic to help with the diarrhea. All cats can benefit from a probiotic anyway.

I would look for another vet, actually.

A better way to treat hairballs, if this is his problem, is egg yolk lecithin. But I think a diet change to a good wet food, and adding a probiotic should be first.

Or...if you are open to raw feeding, even better.


----------



## maisiecat (Jul 27, 2011)

He might be constipated, yes, I know he has diarrhea but, what happens in this case is runny faeces bypasses the hard stool making it appear as if there is diarrhea. It can be serious if not dealt with so Katalax is not a bad suggestion.

If he is blocked up, it will make him want to vomit because he can't pass anything solid through.

There are cheaper alternatives to Katalax but for now I would get the first one you can and use it a.s.a.p. otherwise you may find you are dealing with megacolon in a while and you do not want that.

If the Katalax or other malt paste doesn't shift anything, you need to go and find another vet, one that will give an enema (a micralax enema - only to be administered by a vet, not at home). If it continues after that you would be looking at sedation and a wash out.

It might be a furball higher up in the digestive system, try feeding some mashed up wet food with plenty of water, make a 'soup' - it can sometimes help with bringing up the fur.

When you have sorted it out, you need to groom, groom and groom to prevent a build up again.

You need to avoid constipation, feed only wet food, supplement it with a drop of water, if it is not caused by this, then you need to find out what is wrong.


----------



## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I'd use Catalax, yes, as it can also help the hairball's passage through the digestive system. A Persian realy shouldn't be on dry food though. Change to wet and groom regularly, and hairballs will be a thing of the past!


----------



## Cheryl1987 (Nov 16, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. I had him on felix as good as it looks for the first 3 years but he is very fussy. He has always had diarrhea problems but now its so bad. The vet knows hes on science plan sensitive stomach. she recommended this. he has been on this for over a year now and he also gets sheeba tuna once a day as he loves this. I have tried him with different food but he likes the science plan. the vet told me to change him to science plan hairball as this should help. I really don't know what to do


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Obviously these foods are not good for him, since he is having diarrhea. As we have all said, get him on a decent diet. 

Vets, as a group, do not know much, if anything, about feline nutrition. Your vet obviously doesn't either if she is recommending "hair ball" food, that your cat is already eating and there is no improvement.

Diarrhea means he is not absorbing any nutrients (such as they are, with those foods) from his food. It is also dehydrating.

Get him on a good canned diet, that contains no sugar and no corn or other grains, and add a probiotic. 

Did the vet do a fecal exam to test for parasites?

I'd find another vet. And change the diet. And get him on probiotics.


----------



## meg2 (Oct 25, 2011)

have you tried you cat on raw food, i really cant recommend feeding raw enough. mine suffered with diarrhea but it stopped once she was on raw food.
good luck, hope the fur balls get sorted.


----------

