Fecal incontinence occurs when a cat loses control over bowel movements. For this reason, cats may frequently defecate around the house or outside the litter box. Some pet owners confuse fecal incontinence with behavior problems and consider training their cat to use the litter box. However, since fecal incontinence is an indicator of gastrointestinal and rectal disease, pet owners should perform a veterinary examination to diagnose the underlying problem and begin treatment early.
The causes of fecal incontinence vary. Older pets may take longer to reach the litter box and therefore defecate in unusual places. Other pets may suffer from intestinal tumors, parasitic infections and lower urinary tract diseases.
Signs of incontinence
Symptoms of fecal incontinence in cats include:
- Insufficient ability of the large intestine to retain feces.
- Frequent urge to defecate. The animal often empties its intestines, and no fecal leakage is observed. False painful urges and pain during bowel movements may occur. Less commonly, bloody impurities are found in the stool.
- Increased sensitivity of the rectum, detected during endoscopic examination of the large intestine. The walls of the organ thicken, the mucous membranes thicken. The sphincter and muscle tissue of the anal area remain in normal condition. The anal reflex is not impaired.
- Presence of extensive perianal fistulas. It is observed with post-traumatic or infectious incontinence. The anal reflex is not impaired, but the outer muscle ring remains slightly open, especially if there is structural damage to the sphincter.
- Involuntary release of feces during physical activity. It is observed in diseases associated with impaired innervation of the rectum. The anal sphincter loses its tone, the reflex is weak or absent.
- Associated urinary incontinence. In combination with spontaneous defecation, it indicates disturbances in the functioning of the kitten’s nervous system.
- Loss of mobility and tone of the tail, pain in the lower spine, complete or partial paralysis of the limbs. Occurs when incontinence is caused by damage to the spinal cord. The muscles of the hind legs completely lose their tone, and there is no reaction to external stimuli.
Symptoms
There are several signs that can accurately determine that a cat is suffering from fecal incontinence.:
- The release of feces when the pet sleeps, eats or is carried away by play.
- Behavioral disturbances, the cat becomes nervous, fearful, and may show aggression.
- The animal is unable to restrain defecation by force of will. For example, a pet is sleeping, then suddenly jumps up and runs to the tray, leaving marks along the way. This happens precisely because the cat cannot hold in his feces.
Punishment in such cases is useless and pointless; it will only aggravate stress, which will contribute to the deterioration of the pet’s condition and the progression of incontinence.
Causes of the disease
The following reasons contribute to the occurrence of spontaneous bowel movements in cats:
- Decreased tone of the muscle walls of the large intestine.
- Diseases of the digestive system. Fecal incontinence is observed with colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and the presence of malignant tumors.
- Diarrhea. When large volumes of feces are produced, the rectum loses its holding capacity, causing feces to leak.
- Injuries to the perianal area (scratches, abscesses, bites).
- Complications of surgical interventions. Incontinence occurs if the rectal wall or sphincter is damaged during surgery.
- Infectious diseases. Bacteria penetrate the fiber surrounding the rectum, causing fistulas to form through which feces are released.
- Nervous system disorders. Spontaneous defecation occurs with degenerative myelopathy, spinal cord damage, congenital defects (spinal deformity, spinal cord herniation), intervertebral hernia, trauma, inflammation of the spinal membranes. The innervation of the rectum can be disrupted when the arteries supplying the spinal cord are blocked by fibrous particles.
- Cauda equina syndrome. This term refers to a number of pathologies characterized by narrowing of the sacral part of the spinal canal. The nerve endings coming out of the spinal cord are compressed, which disrupts the functions of the rectum.
- Spondylosis. The disease is characterized by the appearance of bone growths on the vertebral plates.
- Pathological mobility of the lumbosacral spine.
- Bacterial or fungal infections of intervertebral cartilage and bone surfaces of the vertebrae.
- Benign and malignant tumors of the spinal cord.
- Neurological disorders associated with damage to the nerve endings of the perianal area. They occur against the background of infections or taking certain medications (for example, chemotherapy drugs).
- Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, neurological diseases of unknown origin.
- Muscular and neuromuscular pathologies.
- Aging of the body. It is accompanied by many pathological changes, for example, a decrease in the tone of the muscles responsible for controlling bowel movements, weakness of the anal sphincter, and impaired innervation.
What to do
Your veterinarian will prescribe a medication appropriate to treat the underlying cause of fecal incontinence. If parasitic infections are present, your veterinarian will prescribe medications to clear the parasites from the body. Because cats are sensitive to adult cids, it is best to consult with your veterinarian to determine the ideal treatment option for a severe parasitic infection.
Your veterinarian may also suggest dietary changes to reduce stool volume. Prescription diets can be helpful for this. Spinal lesions require surgery and postoperative care. If fecal incontinence is related to old age, pet owners will have to adopt new techniques to adjust to the situation at home.
The prognosis is favorable if the main problem is corrected on time. Because in some cases the actual cause of fecal incontinence is unknown, pet owners should discuss supportive care or herbal remedies with their veterinarian for a long-term solution to the problem.
Treatment of the disease
If your cat spontaneously passes bowel movements, the following will help to cope with the problem:
- Warm water enemas. The procedures help reduce the volume of feces accumulating in the large intestine. The number of cases of spontaneous fecal excretion is reduced.
- Calling reflex defecation. You can empty the intestines of a paralyzed animal by pinching the tail or toe of the hind paw.
- Antibacterial therapy. Effective for incontinence caused by deep infection. Cefazolin is administered intramuscularly, which is effective against a wide range of pathogens.
- Diets. Special foods help reduce the volume of feces. The cat needs to be fed on a schedule, this allows you to control bowel movements. Foods rich in fiber are excluded from the animal’s diet.
- Surgical interventions. Surgery on the anus increases the sphincter's ability to retain feces.
- Drug therapy. Opiate-based drugs affect intestinal motility. Contractile activity of the intestine decreases, the movement of feces slows down. Liquid from the stool is absorbed, causing its volume to decrease.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs (steroid hormones, sulfasalazine). Used to treat incontinence in cats suffering from inflammatory diseases of the digestive system.
Causes of fecal and urinary incontinence
There can be many factors that provoke involuntary release of intestinal and bladder contents in cats. Fecal and urinary incontinence occurs in both very young kittens and adult animals. Usually, different reasons lead to this problem in pets of different ages. Knowing what exactly triggered the development of incontinence, it is easier to normalize the process of bowel movements.
In kittens
If a kitten weaned from its mother does not hold feces, it is possible:
- He was incorrectly switched to adult food. Babies' intestines are not yet strong, so they must be switched to natural food or ready-made food with extreme caution. Diarrhea in small pets can be caused by foods that are difficult to digest or by overeating.
- He ate something stale. In this situation, in addition to diarrhea, the kitten may begin to vomit.
- A foolish baby was poisoned, for example, by a poisonous houseplant or household chemicals.
- A small cat is allergic to some natural product or component of a finished food.
- A pathological process of viral or bacterial etiology develops in the baby’s body. The fragile immunity of kittens is not able to withstand the attack of viruses and bacteria. When they get into their body, the animals weaken, become lethargic, refuse food, and can go under themselves, unable to reach the tray.
- The baby experienced a strong emotional shock. A baby taken away from his mother feels lonely and defenseless. When he finds himself in a new unfamiliar home, he may experience stress, the side effect of which is fecal and urinary incontinence. You should not scold the baby, you need to caress him, calm him down and let him know that his new family loves him and will protect him from any danger.
- A small pet has congenital anomalies in the structure of organs involved in the excretion of urine and feces. If this is so, the baby will defecate anywhere from the first days of weaning from his mother.
In adult cats
Causes of involuntary release of intestinal and bladder contents in adult animals:
- Childbirth. Postpartum incontinence, i.e. disruption of the urinary system, usually occurs in a stress-dependent form. A new four-legged mother is unable to hold urine when coughing, physical activity, or showing strong emotions. Normalization of the process of emptying the bladder in cats that have given birth occurs within a year, but sometimes spontaneous recovery is impossible for some reason and the help of a veterinarian is required.
- Injury to the lower parts of the spinal column and tail. Such injuries deprive pets of not only the ability to control bowel movements and bladder movements, but also to move their hind limbs.
Prevention of incontinence
Prevention of fecal incontinence in cats involves proper feeding of the pet. Food should not cause constipation or diarrhea. If an animal suffers from a neurological disease, it must be examined regularly. Timely treatment of infections and injuries plays an important role in the prevention of incontinence.
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Associated symptoms
A pet owner can suspect fecal incontinence based on the main sign. Feces come out from a kitten or an older animal during sleep, eating or playing. In such a situation, there should be no speculation that the cat simply wants to attract the owner’s attention. The person will also need to monitor the general condition of the pet. Cats become nervous and fearful. They can show aggression or, on the contrary, become as apathetic as possible. Often the animal rapidly loses weight. It is important for the owner to remember that it is absolutely not worth punishing a cat if fecal incontinence occurs. This behavior of the owner will increase stress in the pet, which, in turn, will further worsen its condition.
Treatment of urinary and fecal incontinence in cats
What to do if your tailed pet develops incontinence? You cannot try to solve this problem on your own. The method of treatment directly depends on why the animal has urinary and fecal incontinence. It is possible to find out this only in a veterinary clinic, where there is all the necessary equipment for this.
There can be no standard approaches to the treatment of uncontrolled bowel and bladder emptying in cats. Some animals require a short diet to normalize the process of passing urine and feces, others require sedatives, and others may require surgery.
Treatment can be conservative or surgical. In addition, there are cases when both methods are powerless. We are talking about age-related changes in the muscular-ligamentous apparatus. The pet owner will simply have to come to terms with this problem. In some situations, neither medication nor surgical intervention is required, since the problem can resolve itself. Postpartum incontinence and uncontrollable bowel movements caused by stress or trauma can go away on their own without drug treatment if favorable conditions are created for your four-legged pet.
Caring for a sick animal
Typically, cats that are unable to control their bowel and bladder movements do not require specific care. If a veterinarian has prescribed a therapeutic diet for an animal, it must be strictly followed, otherwise the diarrhea will never end. If your pet has undergone surgery, for example, to remove a tumor, you will need to monitor the condition of the postoperative suture, treating it daily and preventing suppuration, feeding it with warm liquid food, and preventing contact with other four-legged inhabitants of the home and children.
If your tailed friend was sent home to wait for the problem to disappear on its own, you need to create all the conditions for him so that he can survive this period as comfortably as possible.
After each involuntary bowel movement, the animal must wipe its coat if it is soiled with feces or urine. It is recommended to roll up and remove carpets, and cover furniture with plastic wrap. It is possible to use disposable diapers for animals “Pet Soft”, “Cliny”, “Triol”, which need to be changed on time.
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