Tenesmus and obstipation in a cat.

A 7-year-old, 3.2-kg, spayed Siamese-mix cat was referred for evaluation of a 1-week history of tenesmus and obstipation. The cat had undergone ovariohysterectomy 4 weeks before presentation. The referring veterinarian administered two 30-mL warm water enemas and one enema consisting of 5 mL of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate and 30 mL of warm water and started oral lactulose at a dose of 2 mL q8h for 3 days, but passage of feces was not achieved. After 3 days with no resolution of clinical signs, the patient began to vomit episodically. The referring veterinarian sedated the patient for further examination. The cat was premedicated with 0.01 mg/kg of buprenorphine and 0.03 mg/kg of acepromazine administered subcutaneously, accompanied by inhalation of isoflurane and oxygen through an anesthetic mask to achieve deeper sedation. The patient was then intubated and maintained on isoflurane inhalant anesthesia and oxygen. On rectal palpation, a stricture was suspected approximately 7 cm cranial to the anus. The patient was recovered and transferred to our hospital. Physical examination revealed depression, likely attributable to the anesthetic event before admission. Abdominal palpation revealed a large amount of hard feces throughout the colon. A complete blood count showed mild lymphopenia (1370 cells/μL; reference range, 1500 to 7000 cells/μL); a serum biochemical profile was normal. The referring veterinarian submitted two abdominal radiographs (FIGURES A and B).