Feline megacolon is a severe, often irreversible condition in which the colon loses its ability to contract, causing intractable constipation that significantly impairs quality of life and may require surgery.
Megacolon causes chronic distress through repeated unsuccessful straining that is visually distressing for owners and physically exhausting and uncomfortable for cats. As faecal retention increases, toxins are absorbed from the impacted colon causing systemic illness, nausea, and lethargy. Cats in advanced megacolon are significantly welfare-compromised and may spend hours per day in unproductive straining. Medical management with enemas, lactulose, and prokinetics provides temporary relief but rarely provides durable long-term control as the condition progresses. Surgical colectomy, despite being a major procedure, produces excellent welfare outcomes in most cats, with the majority returning to normal defecation within weeks of surgery.