Could my cat’s spine be obstructing his rectum?
Hello,
Kind of long story here, TLDR at the bottom
My cat is a ~4.5 year old male domestic short hair tabby that weighs 11.5 pounds.
Ever since I picked him up from the shelter in 2023 (when he was 1.5 years old), he’s had GI issues. Specifically he cannot pass bowel movements without laxatives.
In his adoption history, there is an incident from when he weighed just 2 pounds where he was attacked by a coyote and managed to escape and hide in a bush. I think trauma from this incident may be causing a few of his issues.
Within five days of adopting him, we had to take him to the hospital to be treated for vomiting, lethargy, and UTI. He ended up being hospitalized for a total of 3 days and was treated for his constipation. After his hospitalization , the advice given to me was to keep him on laxatives(miralax in his case).
Through some trial and error over the years, the ideal dose for him seems to be 1/4 teaspoon twice daily with meals. This keeps him pooping regularly, however all of his bowel movements are primarily liquid.
He also seems to experience some neurological troubles around his lower spine/pelvic area.
* Doesn’t seem to have sensation in his tail
* His tail mostly droops past the first few inches
*His back right leg often shakes/trembles
*He often leaks pee in his sleep( still able to pee without straining or anything when he is awake)
He is otherwise very healthy with a kind and curious personality!
I recently switched vets, and after informing the new vet about his condition, they requested his X-Rays from his previous hospitalization. I also had not seen the X-Rays before and after receiving them, the portion of his spine directly above his pelvis seems a little off to me.
However, I am not a medical/veterinary professional in any capacity. I am wondering if others think that his X-ray looks abnormal as well?
I’ve added a link to a picture of his X-ray on my profile, as I do not know how to use Imgur. Thank you for reading all of this! And if you didn’t
TLDR: Cats weird spine from possible injury might be causing tight poop tube, leading to permanent Constipation