Preventing megacolon in cats requires early identification and treatment of predisposing conditions including pelvic fractures, perineal hernia, and chronic constipation before irreversible disease develops.
Preventing megacolon avoids a significant and progressive welfare burden that is much more difficult to manage once established. Cats with mild chronic constipation that is recognised and treated appropriately rarely progress to the severe irreversible disease requiring subtotal colectomy. The opportunity to intervene before irreversible muscle dysfunction occurs makes early identification of at-risk cats a high-value welfare intervention. Cats that have sustained pelvic fractures should be assessed for pelvic canal narrowing before the first episode of constipation occurs, as surgical correction at that stage is more straightforward than managing established megacolon.