Cat and Constipation

A year and a half ago, I adopted an elderly Siamese cat from the fellow who had raised Ziggy from a kitten. Ziggy is now 15, and has been constipated for some time. My vet thinks it is an old, old problem for him, and we're trying to avoid surgery by increasing the fiber he eats. Ziggy gets dry food only as a kitty treat – perhaps a tablespoon a day – and I mix pumpkin with his canned catfood. Ziggy has been on pumpkin since last October, and is much more active than he was before. He runs and plays and seems to be enjoying life more. His appetite is good and he likes the pumpkin/canned food mix. He doesn't seem to be moving his bowels any more frequently, although when he does, it seems to cause him less pain. Do you have any herbal ideas that might help Ziggy?

Although your cat is doing better with the addition of pumpkin (fresh or canned?), he would do even better on a good, homemade diet. Resources can be found in the entry, "Dogs and Allergies" on this website (www.richters.com). In cats as humans, nutrition is often 95% of the solution. As for the other 5%, the answer depends on the cause. What do his stools look like? What colour and consistency are they? Is there any accompanying blood or mucous? Are his intestinal muscles weak? Is there any spinal involvement? Herbs most useful would be based on the answers given to the above.