Cat Constipation in younger cats.

Question.
I have a four-year-old British Shorthair, neutered, indoor, overweight (8.5kg) cat. He has always passed very hard, small stools. After being on Lactalose and Peridale for a while (sometimes softening the stools but not always and not a great deal), I took him back to the vet and he had an X-ray.

The vet said my cat's colon was slightly larger than normal and that was the problem. He suggested putting him on a diet.

At the moment he is on Lactalose, Peridale, occasional Notrifyba, Hill's rid, Purina biscuits, water, occasional soft food and tuna in water. His stools are sometimes crumbly and he hasn't lost any weight.
Another vet has told me that Peridale and Notrifyba are old-fashioned ways of treating his condition and that a low residue diet would be better.

Answer.
Feline constipation has many causes and so there are many different ways 0 treat it. Many cats respond to a high Fiber/high residue diet while others do well on low Fibre/low residue Foods. Normally, I begin by advising a diet containing a moderate level of Fibre, such as Hill's w/d but in your cat's case, since he is so overweight, I would probably use Hill's r/d. I guess he hasn't lost any weight because of all the other Food you are adding to this already balanced diet.

I would suggest giving just rid with or without Peridale and Lactulose. Remember, you should give your cat at least seven days after you have changed the diet or altered the dose rate of medication, to see an effect. When he has reached his target weight you may be able to move him onto a lower residue diet and reduce the medication.

_{source Your Cat Mag.}