It is perfectly normal to wonder about what the recommended amount of fiber to give your feline should be. If you’ve ever had a young or an old cat, you’ve probably witnessed diarrhea, constipation, hairballs, obesity issues. So, in this article, we will help you see how high-fiber meals can be beneficial to the health of your cat.
One of the common health problems associated with a cat’s digestive system is constipation, difficult or infrequent bowel movements.
How the digestive system of your cat functions
Fiber has been a vital part of a cat’s diet. Until recently, we began to understand the many benefits that fiber can have for the wellbeing and health of cats. Recent research on prebiotics and better understanding the importance of a healthy colon microbiota. The interest in fiber has grown. Specifically, the database on prebiotics and dietary fiber is increasing in pet health and nutrition.
The addition of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides and oligosaccharides to food has positively modulated intestinal bacteria concentration. These changes in the microbial lead to increased production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and a decrease in the pH value in the intestine, which limits the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Probiotics’ foods are referred to as prebiotics, and they live microbial species that can colonize the intestines after ingestion. Due to a myriad of problems, probiotics often find it difficult to colonize and stay colonized in the intestine. One of the best solutions to this problem is to use a combination of probiotics and prebiotics known as synbiotics that make the bacteria in the intestinal tract highly persistent. One way of improving Persistence is by providing preferred nutrition for the probiotic, which promotes an increase in bacteria and improves colonization.
Is fiber good for your cat?
Cats are obligatory carnivores. In other words, their systems are only suitable for the digestion of meat. Animal protein is the only food source from which they can get all their nutrition and the energy their bodies require.
As carnivores, they have shorter intestinal tracts, unlike dogs which can easily eat plants and meat.
Plant-based meals compared to meat take more time to digest. This means that cats have adapted and don’t need plant fiber to keep their gastrointestinal tract healthy. Cats get their fiber in other ways.
Outdoor and wild cats that eat their prey after hunting them down get fiber from tendons, fur, and cartilage. Instinctively, outdoor and wild cats stay away from most plant fibers.
Dieting without it means their stools are usually small and almost odorless. This makes their litter easy to bury, and it protects them from predators.
Cats inside and outside also clean themselves multiple times, and this introduces fur into their body systems. Believe it or not, cat fur is also a great source of fiber.
Which cats need fiber in their diet?
Let’s go back to the days when cats weren’t kept as pets. Cats feasted on unfortunate prey, such as birds and rodents. Fur and bones were their primary source of fiber.
But these days, there are lazy house cats, adventure-seeking kittens, and felines that require a special diet. In all of these cases, kittens require to stay happy and healthy!
Fiber can help cats with any of these five problems:
- Cats with diarrhea because fiber absorbs moisture
- Constipated felines whose food does not get digested easily
- Overweight kitties who enjoy spending most of their time indoors
- Cats with hairballs
- Senior cats
1. Fibre for cats with diarrhea
Diarrhea is “an increase in the frequency, flow or volume of stools” and is common in cats. Since several factors can cause digestive upset, finding the exact culprit for your cat’s diarrhea can be challenging.
Some of the most common causes of diarrhea are inadequate diets, sudden changes in diet, food indiscretions ,sensitivities and food allergies, toxins, certain medications ,environmental stress, infectious diseases ,gastrointestinal disorders, systemic disorders.
Adding Dietary Fiber to the kitty’s Meal
Including specific types of fiber in your cat’s food can resolve diarrhea problems. Prebiotic fibers such as inulin and psyllium are suitable choices for felines with diarrhea. These prebiotics are beneficial on two levels.
Foremost, they hold and absorb water that is in excess. Secondly, they contain vital nutrients good for beneficial gut bacteria, restoring balance to the gastrointestinal tract, and supporting normal function.
When introducing a fiber supplement to your cat for the first time, it is recommended to start with a smaller portion and then increase the dose with time until the recommended dose is reached.
How Fiber Helps Fight Cat Diarrhea?
Fiber is a kind of carbohydrate that a cat’s digestive system can not digest and metabolize. Soluble and insoluble fibers are the two kinds of fibers. Supplements and foods high in fiber generally contain both types.
The fact that the fiber cannot be digested and metabolized makes it useful for felines with diarrhea. Dietary fiber is an equalizer, thus helping food move in the bowels since it provides the bulk properly.
Additionally, dietary fibers hold and absorb water, thereby modulating the intestine’s humidity level and affecting the consistency and consistency of cat poop. Also, they provide nutrients good for beneficial gut bacteria, overall increasing digestive and normalizing microflora.
According to research from the IAMS Society, crude fiber levels ideal for healthy cats are between 1.4 and 3.5%.
High Fiber Cat Food
If you google high fiber cat food, you will get many sites that recommend canned pumpkins. Truly, pumpkin is great – Besides having insoluble and soluble fiber, it’s also a rich source of minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins.
However, there is a problem with the pumpkin: the recommended quantity is one or two tablespoons. According to the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center located at Tufts University, this dose is very ineffective. To ensure adequate fiber intake, cats should eat 2.5 cups of squash per day.
Therefore, if you are looking to increase your cat’s fiber intake, first consult your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will consider your cat’s specific needs before they recommend the correct method of fiber supplementation. The vet will also examine the food your cat is already eating.
2. Constipated cats
If you’re a feline lover, you know how restless when constipating? Cats generally have one healthy bowel movement at least daily. But if your feline has dry, small, or hard stools, possibly covered in blood or mucus, frequent unproductive shifts to its litter box, and loss of appetite, it may be time to change its diet
Fiber is a carbohydrate type that a cat’s gastrointestinal tract can’t digest, although the bacteria in the feline system can ferment or break down certain fiber types. Fiber is vital for the cat’s health because it provides mass to move food. This process creates short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are an essential energy source for the cells that line the intestinal tract.
Undigested fibre enters the intestines and cleans them along the way. You can liken a dietary fiber to a little broom that sweeps clean your cat’s colon. The thought of it is a bit disgusting, but without fiber, your pet can’t maintain bowel health.
If you were to get rid of fiber completely, the waste in your feline’s intestines would build up and cause constipation.
How high fiber eliminates constipation in cats
If your pet has uncontrolled constipation, it can lead to an impact. The impact ends up causing rupture of the intestine, a potentially fatal problem.
There are two distinctive types of fiber namely:
- Insoluble
- Soluble
Soluble fiber highly dissolves in liquids and becomes a gel-like substance that controls blood sugar.
Insoluble fiber is the fiber we were previously comparing to a broom. This type of fiber does not dissolve in water, and the body doesn’t absorb it. Instead, the body eliminates it as stool in a way that enables relief from constipation and other gastrointestinal issues.
3. Overweight Cats
Suppose your cat tends to become overweight. Some fibers slow down the absorption of nutrients, allowing starch sugars to be absorbed more slowly and thus stabilizing blood sugar. Fiber intake can make them feel fuller than regular food, and losing weight can help manage diabetes.
Feline obesity and especially in domestic cats, is on the rise. If your cat tipped the scales during the previous checkup, most probably your vet recommended a low-fat, high-fiber diet to help your kitty shed pounds and lower her risk of developing health problems n the future.
The benefit of a high in fiber and low-fat diet
There are a couple of reasons why a cat may follow a diet low in fat and high in fiber. This food may offer relief to felines with chronic diarrhea and those with inflammatory bowel disease. Some older cats may benefit from an increase in fiber content to help with constipation. The most common use of these diets is to help chubby kittens lose weight. As with humans, obesity increases a cat’s probability of developing respiratory complications, arthritis, diabetes, and anesthetic risk. Managing the diet t is the first step of defense for obese cats.
4. Cats with hairballs
If you have lived with cats for long , you’re bound to come across a hairball in your home but it doesn’t have to be a regular thing for your cat.
Cats wear hairballs often enough that is easy to assume that they are normal, but, the fact is , they are an indication of an underlying problem . Look at hairballs the same way s diarrhea – they both happen once in a while, but are always an indication of a health problem.
The most common problems behind hairballs are skin diseases or gastrointestinal dysfunctions that triggers excessive self-cleaning and hair loss.
High Fiber cat diet for Hairball Control
A diet high in fiber helps some cats with hairballs problems. Different kinds of fiber play different digestive roles. Sources of insoluble fiber such as hemicellulose, lignins, and cellulose can help sweep the hair via the intestinal tract.
Sources of soluble fiber like inulin, chicory fructo-oligosaccharides, vegetable gums, pectins, psyllium, oats, barley, beet pulp, and certain legumes and fruits work the same way and also support general gut health.
Bacteria that are living in a cat’s large intestine partly destroy soluble fiber, producing short-chain fatty acids, which are vital energy sources for the cells lining the large intestine.
5. Senior cats
Although some age-related issues in senior cats respond well to high fiber intake, giving high fiber meals is not recommended for all older cats simply because fiber can reduce the absorption of some vital nutrients.
Senior Cats with anal gland disorders, constipation, diabetes, or colitis often benefit from a diet containing more dietary fiber
How to Choose High Fiber Cat Food
Several manufactures of pet food have included fiber in their meals to create “hairball” diets that help some cats.
Find dry diets containing around 81% of crude fiber while the percentage of the canned option is about 24%.
If you’re researching the best way to include fiber in your cat’s meals, try to mix in a small unflavored psyllium or canned pumpkin.
Ways to choose the right high fiber cat food
Although cats get more satisfied when fed with meat proteins, their bodies require fiber-rich meals.
- Pick high fiber foods that comprise of both soluble and insoluble fiber
- The fibers must be of good quality so that that your cat can easily digest them.
- In special situations, such as when your cat is suffering from constipation or hairballs, choose foods that are exceptionally high in fiber.
Conclusion
High fiber cat food prevents diarrhea, constipation, obesity, hairballs so including fiber in your feline’s meal is very important. Before including the high fiber in the meals, ensure you first contact your vet for guidance.
Determining the amount of fiber to add to your cats food is a very individual problem as cats have different nutritional needs and lifestyles. It also depends on their general health. Outdoor cats get their fibers from the prey they hunt down, while indoor felines only get fiber from what they are fed. Therefore, their bodies need fiber for good digestion and healthy weight.
