This is an extremely difficult condition to treat in your cat as in the majority of cases the actual cause is never fully known or understood.

Megacolon in cats is a condition where your pets colon has become extremely dilated and as a result has very little motility and is no longer spontaneous or active. To compound this situation, your cats colon becomes full of feces and does not have the ability to release it. It is an extremely stressful situation for your cat and can be equally frustrating for the owner.

Your cats gastrointestinal tract ends with a tubular organ that is referred to as the colon. It has two basic functions: to extract water and electrolytes from your pet and as well as controlling defecation. It acts as the storage unit for fecal material and it is continuous with the rectum. The walls of your cats colon contain muscles that are designed to be activated by the nerves in the spinal cord.

When it contracts properly, the fecal material in your cat is removed from the body. However, if these nerves malfunction, they do not contract properly. Once this happens, the muscles starts to stretch and the colon enlarges. When it becomes enlarged, it traps the fecal material and the result is severe constipation.

Causes:

Megacolon in cats is still somewhat of a mystery of why is actually occurs as over 65 percent of all cases are Idiopathic, meaning that there is no actual known cause of why it has developed and why the nerves have stopped functioning.

However, an injury to cats spinal cord due to some type of a trauma can result in a narrowing of the pelvic canal. When this happens, it can cause a blockage of the feces in your cat and cause the colon to expand. Even if your cat has been only slightly injured in a fall, a fight with another cat, or an attack by a dog, it can cause a pelvic fracture not to heal properly.

This condition accounts for about 25 percent of the actual cases of Megacolon. Cats born with a spinal cord deformity may also be the cause, but this is extremely rare, and the only breed that is really susceptible to this is Manx breed.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of Megacolon in cats will be very definitive. As the condition starts to develop, your cat will have a decreased ability to properly defecate, and this will very rapidly turn into an extremely painful ordeal for your pet. As it progresses, your cat will make several attempts to defecate, but by now they will not be able to go at all.

One of the symptoms that you can watch for that this condition is starting to develop is that your cats feces will suddenly start to become very hard and very dry, which is a signal that the colon is not properly dilating. As the condition worsens and continues your cat will become anorexic simply because they will have no appetite. At this point it has become severe and you will need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Treatments:

In most all cases, your veterinarian will try a series of medical treatments in an attempt to stimulate the nerves back to functioning properly. This is not simply a situation where you can give your cat a laxative; the key is trying to find what works and what is causing it, if it can be found.

If it is a simple form of constipation, a laxative may be the only treatment that is needed and they are very effective at stimulating the colon to release the feces. There are several forms of laxatives that can be tried and you should discuss all of the alternatives with your veterinarian.

Bulk forming laxatives combined with bulk fiber diets are usually the first from of laxatives. Emollient laxatives may be recommended, but they have not shown to be very effective. Lubricant laxatives such as mineral oil or white petrolatum work very well with mild forms of Megacolon and can relieve your cat, but not with moderate or severe forms of constipation.

If your cat has a persistent or advanced condition that most effective laxative will be Lactulose. This is a hyperosmotic laxative that stimulates the colon to secret fluid as well as softens your pet stool. However, be prepared, as it is also is very effective at propulsive releases and will rapidly relieve your cat, but will also be very messy.

Other treatments will be changes in your cats diet that will include high fiber diets that can be bought commercially. However, adding Metamucil into your cats regular food is equally successful. This fiber change will help water absorb into the feces as well as building bulk in the stool.

In the severe forms of this condition, there are drugs available that can be used to contract the colon, but you should be extremely skeptical of these types of drugs. There have been no reported side affects in cats, but they have produced severe reactions in humans and one in particular, Cisapride, was pulled off of the market because of the severity in the reactions.

In the most severe of cases, surgery will have to be preformed to release the feces from your cat and to remove their colon. This procedure is called subtotal colectomy and it removes the non functioning portion of your cats colon that is not functioning properly. Your cat can live a very normal life after this surgery, and after a couple of months, will have normal movements again.

They movements may be more frequent, but they will not lose fecal control.

Summary:

Megacolon in cats can be a very stressful situation for you and your pet as it most cases it will be never known what is actually causing it. As a result, you will have to constantly treat your cat for this condition and monitor there progress daily.

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I am an avid lover of pets and my wife and I have had several pets throughout our years. We are especially fond of dogs, and we have a 12 year old Dalmatian (our 3rd) and a "mutt" that we rescued when someone threw him away to die in a vacant field. He found us, nearly starved to death, and weighed about 2 pounds. After severe bouts of mange and severe dehydration, and over 1,000.00 in veterinarian bills, we saved the little guys life, and he is one of the best, if not the best, dogs we have ever had and today is a muscular, fit, and firm 70 pound best friend. After finishing my MBA, which at middle age was not easy, I decided to keep the research work ethics that I acquired, and devote about two hours each night in understanding the health benefits of supplementation for both humans and pets and how they might strengthen our, as well as our pets, immune system in a pre-emptive approach to health rather than a reactionary approach. Both of my daughters are avid cat lovers, and asked me to help them with health concerns and challenges with their cats. I am not a veterinarian nor claim to be, just a lover of pets that loves to research and pass on some knowledge that might be helpful, or at least stimulating to the thought process. Several of the articles that I have written can be found on my website; Liquid Vitamins & Minerals for Humans & Pets http://www.liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com/