Is this stool small, hard, and constipated, or is it just getting stuck in the hair around her rear end? If it's actual constipation, you should try to find out what's causing it so that you can deal with the source of the problem, not just the result. What do you feed her? Canned or dry? Does she drink much water? Could she have ingested something (like a string or small toy) that is causing an obstruction?

Since I am now caring for my third CRF cat, I am very tuned in to the fact that cats in renal failure are often chronically constipated. At 12 yrs old, it's certainly not uncommon for a cat to have some degree of renal insufficiency. You might consider having a full blood chemistry run on her to check organ function and see how her kidneys are doing.

If this is a constipation issue, there are several remedies you can try. Mixing one tsp of canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) into her food daily will help bulk up and soften her stool. Baby food peas will do the same thing. So will 1/8 tsp. of unflavored Metamucil. They are all sources of high fiber.

Miralax is a very effective stool softener for cats and can be easily mixed into food or water. A low starting dose of 1/8 tsp once daily might do the trick, and it can be increased slightly if necessary to achieve the desired result.

Constipation often goes hand in hand with dehydration, so if you are feeding her dry kibble, I strongly recommend you switch her to canned food. Better yet, mix some warm water into the canned food to make it a sloppy gruel that she can lap up. The more fluid running through her digestive tract, the more moist her stool will be.

Laurie

Thanks Laurie,

Sophie's poop is small, hard, and dry.

She's had a full blood workup recently (she was diagnosed CRF by our vet but a second opinion did not concur as did the CRF folks on yahoo).

She has a combination dry and wet food. 2/3 small can wet and free fed dry. She seems to drink her share of water so I don't think its dehydration. Perhaps I should not free feed them the dry food (my other cats are a bit chubby so pulling back gradually might benefit all).

I'll try the warm water in her wet food and try the other suggestions if that doesn't work.

Thanks again Laurie.

Sue

My CRF cat did exactly what you describe for awhile before CRF was diagnosed - after a major crash. No dry food and lactulose was prescribed for that - along with subq fluids of course. I would think it would be pretty clear from chem workup if your cat has CRF indications or not. Vet can usually determine dehydration pretty clearly as well.