# Cancer cat: constipation remedy?



## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

My cancer cat has constipation and I have been using liquid parrafin as recommended by the vet. Unfortunatly it is not working and I wonder if anyone knows a surefire remedy which is preferably tastless and odorless and can be added to her food? 

I already have to give her prednisone and norocalv tablets (ground with a little marge so she can take them in without cutting her tumour which is where the windpipe meets the stomach pipe) twice a day and dont want to further stress her.

Hope someone has experience in this,
Thanks,
Sara.


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

So sorry Sara i have no experience (TG) with this matter,so i'd suggest speaking to your vet again-my sincere best wishes for you and your patient


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## Saynamore (Feb 28, 2008)

Also no experience in this area, I can only suggest something like oily fish, maybe mackerel or sardines with all bones removed, to get more oil into the digestive system? At the end of the day, take the vets advice C.x.


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Saynamore said:


> Also no experience in this area, I can only suggest something like oily fish, maybe mackerel or sardines with all bones removed, to get more oil into the digestive system? At the end of the day, take the vets advice C.x.


Kind of you to respond but your post is an example of the danger of people who dont know what they are talking about giving advice. A cat with a tumour in its foodpipe is only going to be made worse by eating unprocessed food which is too stringy for them to digest. You dont need to say take the vets advice, thats obvious.


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

One of my cats had a tumor just into it's stomach (when I was a lot younger) and the only thing that was given to us from the vets was liquid parrafin. Sadly we didn't find anything that would work and had to have her put to sleep as she really didn't have any quality of life. I would have thought the vet would have given you something to help with the constipation, one of my rescue cats was very constipated when I got him (I know it's different) but the vet gave me some medicine to give to him to help his bowels and soften him up. I hope you manage to find something to help the cat out.


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Katherna said:


> One of my cats had a tumor just into it's stomach (when I was a lot younger) and the only thing that was given to us from the vets was liquid parrafin. Sadly we didn't find anything that would work and had to have her put to sleep as she really didn't have any quality of life. I would have thought the vet would have given you something to help with the constipation, one of my rescue cats was very constipated when I got him (I know it's different) but the vet gave me some medicine to give to him to help his bowels and soften him up. I hope you manage to find something to help the cat out.


Thanks Katherna,
My problem with vets is that I live in a country area where the vets are experts on farm animals and dogs but know very little about cats (though they would never admit it).

I have since been recommended on another forum; lactulose, which I will give her but it has to be measured with a syringe and then dropped on her food. Also physillium husk powder which I will obtain next time I get to town.

I am very concerned about the point where she will decline and the huge decision about when or if she is put to sleep.

There is a false impression created to some extent by the meat industry that animals can be easily 'put down' but actually many cats are terrified of vets; particularly farm ones who arrive covered in smelly rubber from testing cattle, and country surgeries in this part of the world are noisy smelly places. My cat is rescued and is very nervous and sensitive. I don't want her to die in fear.

Perhaps if her quality of life deteriorates to the point where I feel it is better she goes than I will have to find some way that I can personally administer a sleeping draught and then when she is unconcious call the vet out to end her life.

I am hoping to get in contact with someone who has nursed a cat with a tumour in the area where the windpipe meets the stomach pipe so that she can benefit from their personal experience.

regards,
Sara.


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

you can use lactulose on babies it helps soften their poo when they're constipated as well, so hopefully your cat will feel much better (although babies can get flatulance when on it). When our cat had to be put to sleep it was a difficult decision as well, luckily our vet was very gentle and offered to come out to the house to help with the cat. I hope what time you have with her is happy for both of you as it's very upsetting when one of our animals becomes ill.


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2008)

I have to give lactulose to my poorly boy cat - but only drops into mouth with plastic suringe - as there is no way he will eat it with food. We both used to that process - with my left hand I hold him and with right - giving lactulose.........If that will not be possible - he'll be put to sleep - which will be very hard.


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Anele Jessica said:


> I have to give lactulose to my poorly boy cat - but only drops into mouth with plastic suringe - as there is no way he will eat it with food. We both used to that process - with my left hand I hold him and with right - giving lactulose.........If that will not be possible - he'll be put to sleep - which will be very hard.


Luckily she seems to take it with the food ok though I have stopped and gone back to liquid parrafin because I don't have a syringe to measure the lactulose.

Unfortunatly I could'nt give her lactulose orally as she hates getting her twice daily dose of prednisone steroids and quarter of a tablet of noroclav anti-biotics ground up and made into a paste and put in her mouth.

I am also worried about the end of this and unsure whether to eventually just withdraw all medicine and let her die naturally or administer a sleeping draught and then call the vet out to inject her while she is asleep.

You are lucky if your vet knows anything about cats. It is better if you live in a populated area where the vets have experience of cats or in the United States where vets are much better trained and more specialised than in Europe.


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

A syringe for measuring the lactulose - could you get one of the childrens medicine syringes from a pharmacy? Just a thought, as thats what I've done in the past to get medicine down my animals (if they've needed more than just a couple of mls).


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Katherna said:


> A syringe for measuring the lactulose - could you get one of the childrens medicine syringes from a pharmacy? Just a thought, as thats what I've done in the past to get medicine down my animals (if they've needed more than just a couple of mls).


Good point Katherna, I'll do that. Thanks .


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

No problem  it's just one of my drawers in the kitchen has about 10 syringes in there, some are for the dogs, some for the cats, and some for the kids, heehee. If my animals need liquid medicine the vet always give me a syringe, heehee, so I've been collecting them for a few years (plus they're great for water fights in the summer means I don't get drenched).


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

sarasara said:


> Kind of you to respond but your post is an example of the danger of people who dont know what they are talking about giving advice. A cat with a tumour in its foodpipe is only going to be made worse by eating unprocessed food which is too stringy for them to digest. You dont need to say take the vets advice, thats obvious.


Responding rightly or wrongly is what breed forums are for as then we can learn and i disagree with your last remark, given some posts on this forum in that it's clear that not everyone speaks to a vet whether a serious matter or not let alone take their advice,so sometimes what may appear to be obvious reason and sense to some,isn't to others


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2008)

Siamese Kelly said:


> Responding rightly or wrongly is what breed forums are for as then we can learn and i disagree with your last remark, given some posts on this forum in that it's clear that not everyone speaks to a vet whether a serious matter or not let alone take their advice,so sometimes what may appear to be obvious reason and sense to some,isn't to others


ABSOLUTELY. We discuss and we learn.


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

The big mystery with her is that she used to be a milkaholic and hated water, now she wont look at milk, even the special cat formulas. I have to add a bit of water to her chopped up food. The vets know nothing here and I wonder if milk annoys the tumour in her stomach pipe?


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

It might do. One of my cats is a milkaholic, the other cats are allowed a little milk once a week, but my youngest cat will tip over a bottle and break into it if it's left out on the side. She wasn't well when she was a kitten and so she had lactol (think thats what it's called, formula milk for kittens and puppies) so I assume she thinks it's the same stuff. I also remember my mum nursing a feral cat back to health after it'd had a broken jaw, she had to get antibiotics into him somehow so she strained water through some raw mince to make a drink and added the medicine to that, she also added water and mashed mince up for him so he could lap it up (you couldn't catch the cat either, the vet visited when he was at the local farm). 
How is she doing? Also how is she pooping?


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Katherna said:


> It might do. One of my cats is a milkaholic, the other cats are allowed a little milk once a week, but my youngest cat will tip over a bottle and break into it if it's left out on the side. She wasn't well when she was a kitten and so she had lactol (think thats what it's called, formula milk for kittens and puppies) so I assume she thinks it's the same stuff. I also remember my mum nursing a feral cat back to health after it'd had a broken jaw, she had to get antibiotics into him somehow so she strained water through some raw mince to make a drink and added the medicine to that, she also added water and mashed mince up for him so he could lap it up (you couldn't catch the cat either, the vet visited when he was at the local farm).
> How is she doing? Also how is she pooping?


Hi Katherna, 
You know I think that my cat must be an extremly rare case.

I have searched forums all over the net and documents and cannot find any example of a cat with cancer in the stomach pipe which is pressing on her windpipe and therefore ultimatly threatening her ability to breathe or eat. In fact I cant find any instance of a cat with cancer in the gullet at all.

It's a problem because the implications for her prognosis are important to know and with no one else having posted to my knowledge about it I can't get the advice and support I'm looking for. Our vets out in the sticks are specialised in farm animals and dogs but know very little about small animals.

What I do now is to chop her catfood 'chunks in jelly' fine then add a little liquid parrafin and water. So she drinks the water as gravy and so gets liquid into her system. Just what your mum did.

Rarely she will take a long-distance lick of the water with the very tip of her tongue, as though she is just washing her tongue. But she always looks at the saucer of water with a sort of astonishment as though giving it to her is yet another proof of my insanity! She never drank water even from rainpools.

She does a good poop every two or three days now but again there must be something in the cancer or the meds that causes constipation and the vet has'nt got a clue.

The tumour must be irritated by milk and that is why she has turned against it.

I keep her on a quarter of a tablet of noroclav anti-bio (If I stop alltogether she developes a secondary upper respitory tract infection within 12-24 hours) every morning and evening.

Of course if she does develope a secondary infection I would step the noroclav up to half a tab morn and night -she particularly hates that drug.

I give her one and a quarter tablet of predisterone steroids morning and evening to shrink and slow the tumour.

Her general health is fine at the moment though we are having a wet and windy winter and a bad night can really bring her condition down. I'm having to leave the central heating on 24 hours for her which is really bad for my chest...but's that the fate of mums!


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

It could well be the meds that are causing the constipation. My ginger cat had to have high doses of steriods when he was younger and he blew up like a balloon, we had to give him diuretics to try to get rid of the water. I have also had a cat the didn't seem to drink much water, but if you left the tap dripping he'd drink out of the tap (cats are strange sometimes).
Our cat that had cancer had it in her stomach, you could feel the mass there, I'll ask my mum if the cat was constipated at all as she'd know better than me as I was still a kid so didn't take much notice of those type of habits. I'll also try to find out how long she was happy and had quality of life for, as I think it was quite a while, rather than just a couple of weeks, but it was a fast growing tumour as on her x-rays the mass had grown pretty quickly. Although she had other problems as well as she'd been poisoned when she was a kitten (she'd visited a local farm and caught a mouse or a rat, then some kids had kicked her around, she'd crawled under a neighbours caravan, so she had some brain damage and couldn't balance on a fence but she was a feisty thing and ruled the neighbourhood dogs and cats. With one look the dogs would vacate kennels and cats would run away). 
I hope you manage to find something out about her problem as I think it's worse not knowing rather than having an idea about all the problems that may come.


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Katherna said:


> It could well be the meds that are causing the constipation. My ginger cat had to have high doses of steriods when he was younger and he blew up like a balloon, we had to give him diuretics to try to get rid of the water. I have also had a cat the didn't seem to drink much water, but if you left the tap dripping he'd drink out of the tap (cats are strange sometimes).
> Our cat that had cancer had it in her stomach, you could feel the mass there, I'll ask my mum if the cat was constipated at all as she'd know better than me as I was still a kid so didn't take much notice of those type of habits. I'll also try to find out how long she was happy and had quality of life for, as I think it was quite a while, rather than just a couple of weeks, but it was a fast growing tumour as on her x-rays the mass had grown pretty quickly. Although she had other problems as well as she'd been poisoned when she was a kitten (she'd visited a local farm and caught a mouse or a rat, then some kids had kicked her around, she'd crawled under a neighbours caravan, so she had some brain damage and couldn't balance on a fence but she was a feisty thing and ruled the neighbourhood dogs and cats. With one look the dogs would vacate kennels and cats would run away).
> I hope you manage to find something out about her problem as I think it's worse not knowing rather than having an idea about all the problems that may come.


The cat is up and down from day to day and even hour to hour. Every time she starts coughing again I increase her meds and I have no idea how long she will live for.

I think I know the cause. She was a rescued cat who had been starved with her mother in a shed, they ripped her off her mother while she was drinking milk and gave her to me. For a couple of days she was terrified and hid behind furniture but when I eventually did catch her she immediately started to try to drink from my breast instead chewing on my cardigan. This became a comfort blanket for her as she is the most insecure animal I've ever come across. She has to suck on the cardigan a number of times a day and cries and cries till she gets it if its in the wash

I did some googling on fabric softeners which stay on the fabric after the wash and found they contain seven different carcinogens. So that seems probably to be the likely cause. Now I rinse her 'minkie' well under the cold tap in the bath after it comes from the wash but the damage is done. This is the only way I can account for a cancer which seems so rare that I can find no instances on the Internet or forums; most cancers being in the organs.

I dont want her to suffer and I have no idea what to do in the future. It is not only damaging her but my health also as I have to leave the cen heating on 24 hours which is bad for my chest (and finances!) and she disturbs me at night which is affecting my studies the next day.

I wonder if you or anyone knows typically how long cancer cats survive and if anyone has managed to allow theirs to die naturally? A strategy for non intervention of anti-biotics and steroids while instead using painkilling narcotics might be the answer when the time come. She is totally terrified of vets and I would rather she die unthreatened in pain than in terror.


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Sara, have you thought about going to a cityvet/city pdsa nearest you.Maybe if you can have a drive out and enquire first without your cat(so as not to distress her)as i'm sure they will have knowledge/experience of this situation and be able to advise you so at least you'll be better fact equipped to make a decision on the best way to go As i said i have absolutely no knowledge/experience of this nature so this is what i think i would do


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

My oldest cat suckles clothes still, he's 19 almost 20. He was probably taken away from his mother too early but I only got him when he was 6, he also has a thing for chocolate! You cant eat it without him trying to eat it with you. I tend to agree with Kelly, perhaps ring or visit a couple of city vets, or ones closer to a city and see what information you can get from them first so you're not distessing the cat. I'm not sure of what meds our cat had but she had tablets and medicine as well as the liquid paraffin.
She was probably well for about 6 months then she had a sudden decline and not long after that we had to have her put to sleep. She did suffer with constipation (it was that reason that my mum took her to the vets in the first place) but the meds that she had made it worse. Apparently she'd drink the liquid paraffin off a saucer, so she must have known it was helping her in some way. Towards the end she shut herself away from everyone and everything taking solice in a single room with her litter tray and her food, she didn't want anyone near her or any of the other cats or dogs near her either. She basically went into the spare room one day and refused to come out again. I remember going in there to sit with her, I was the only thing she would tolerate for a short time each day. I'd brush her long fur, and cuddle her as she was my first cat. The vet thought that with our cat it was prbably the rat poison in the mouse or rat she caught when she was a kitten that caused her cancer.


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Katherna said:


> My oldest cat suckles clothes still, he's 19 almost 20. He was probably taken away from his mother too early but I only got him when he was 6, he also has a thing for chocolate! You cant eat it without him trying to eat it with you. I tend to agree with Kelly, perhaps ring or visit a couple of city vets, or ones closer to a city and see what information you can get from them first so you're not distessing the cat. I'm not sure of what meds our cat had but she had tablets and medicine as well as the liquid paraffin.
> She was probably well for about 6 months then she had a sudden decline and not long after that we had to have her put to sleep. She did suffer with constipation (it was that reason that my mum took her to the vets in the first place) but the meds that she had made it worse. Apparently she'd drink the liquid paraffin off a saucer, so she must have known it was helping her in some way. Towards the end she shut herself away from everyone and everything taking solice in a single room with her litter tray and her food, she didn't want anyone near her or any of the other cats or dogs near her either. She basically went into the spare room one day and refused to come out again. I remember going in there to sit with her, I was the only thing she would tolerate for a short time each day. I'd brush her long fur, and cuddle her as she was my first cat. The vet thought that with our cat it was prbably the rat poison in the mouse or rat she caught when she was a kitten that caused her cancer.


The first vet I had though that she had injested lungworms from eating a mouse (which cannot be treated by normal wormer). But the treatment showed that was not the cause in her case.

We have one city in the country where I live, it's not that advanced even for human health! I was talking about places like the US when I mentioned the subject of city vets.

She's picked up a bit in the last few days, is eating well, she's even started drinking some milk again.

Because I believe the source of the problem was sucking on a cardigan with fabric softener I now rinse the cardigan well to ensure no traces of washing powder or softner for her to ingest.

She takes the liquid parrafin very well mixed in her grub and once a day I put a little lactulose instead, she did a good poop yesterday and today. Today we had our first good spring day so she got lots of fresh air; climbed up her tree even and slept on a branch in the sun for a coupla hours.

Thats very interesting about your cat and I learned a lot from your experience. Mine has been a bit of a loner since she got sick and she does have her own room for a good sleep though she sleeps in my room at night.

I can see that maintaing her overall condition is seperate from the progress of the disease and that if not cured the meds themselves will eventually become a factor in the problem.

I'm praying that my girl is suffering from an extreme allergic reaction to the fabric softener and that she might come back from all this. But it could be that she seems better because I am giving her one and a half pred morn and evening.


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

As long as she's eating, drinking and feeling well in herself, thats the main thing  I'm glad she's had a nice time outside, and hope she enjoyed her sleep in her tree. You could use something called eco-balls to help with the problem of the residue from washing powders and softeners being left in the fabic. ecoballs I'm not sure how well they work on really soiled clothing but on her cardigan they'd probably do really well, no more nasty things on it for you to have to wash off. She's a cute cat too


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2008)

even though you obviously love and think the world of your cat i think you have to be careful that you dont try to prolong her life for the wrong reasons,at the end of the day quality of life should be first and formost and not quantity.As loving pet owners the last kindness we can give is to let them go.Is a couple of good days now and then really good enough reason to keep her going?i wish you both well and can totally emphathise with you.


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Sara ,this was lovely to news to read and it's obvious that her needs are more than being met,sounds like your doing a great job of caring for this pretty lady(she reminds me of Noodles)


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Katherna said:


> As long as she's eating, drinking and feeling well in herself, thats the main thing  I'm glad she's had a nice time outside, and hope she enjoyed her sleep in her tree. You could use something called eco-balls to help with the problem of the residue from washing powders and softeners being left in the fabic. ecoballs I'm not sure how well they work on really soiled clothing but on her cardigan they'd probably do really well, no more nasty things on it for you to have to wash off. She's a cute cat too


Hi Katherna and Siamese Kelly,
The little cat seems a lot better though its hard to say, I am still hoping that the tumour was caused by a hyperallergenic reaction to the fabric softner. I cut her prednisone by a third yesterday. Getting less preds seems to have upset her and make her anxious as less of the drug in her system. She licked the hair off the patches on her front paws again during the night and I had to treat her for furball.

Today she seems good and I will continue the same med cut, if she holds up I will gradullay reduce...perhaps a third was too much in one go so I will do it in eights.

She has been drinking milk, at least a saucer a day which is a very positive sign, hopefully she is getting better.

I'm not worried about the cardigan because I handwash in soap now and rince it very well under the cold tap.

Weather is bad but I am looking to get her out again as soon as possible.

Thanks for your good wishes.
Regards,
sara.


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Good news to read Sara-she's a battler clearly you taught her wellThank god she has you fighting her corner


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

Glad that she's doing ok  she seems to have gotten a little of the spring into her.
My oldest cat licks and pulls his fur out when he gets stressed out and anxious, when we moved a few years ago he was sporting a completely bald underneath style after 4 days of being totaly housebound.


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## sarasara (Jan 9, 2008)

Katherna said:


> Glad that she's doing ok  she seems to have gotten a little of the spring into her.
> My oldest cat licks and pulls his fur out when he gets stressed out and anxious, when we moved a few years ago he was sporting a completely bald underneath style after 4 days of being totaly housebound.


Thanks for your wishes Katherna. She dipped down again after I decreased her meds so I am back to one and half preds a day. We've had a rotten spring with ice and snow and she can't get out much.
I really hope the tumour will eventually go away but only time will tell. Cats! You never imagine what a ride it is with them, especially anxious ones.


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