Thread: Fiber Question
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Old May 12th, 2008, 10:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsy_girl View Post
There are a number of kibbles with grain, that have over 80% of the proteins coming from meat, and still have fiber to deal with these issues.
Cats would not eat pumpkin on the wild, but would eat some grass to get fiber.
Increasing the fat content I wouldn;t try, as you are already having an issue creating a good stool, and often times when you are having these issues, the intestinal tract will be irrated by increasing the fat content.
You can always check the fiber content on the food that you are choosing, and look up what type of fibers are in the food, and whether they are soluble/insoluble.
The easy way though is to do what you are currently doing, provided you ARE getting a firm stool, otherwise you may be dealing with other issues.
Thanks gypsy girl, they do have cat grass all the time and chomp on it every day Maybe I will try increasing the squash I give them. Does anyone know how much I should give per day? I mix it in with wellness wet food.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
One of the problems with grains in kibble form is that they are basically sugar, and cats, having no evolutionary need for carbohydrates, can become overwhelmed by the relentless glucose load created by these starchy dry foods. Cats have very minimal ability to store all this extra glucose as glycogen in the liver (like dogs and people do) and instead it gets converted into fat. Then we end with an obese or diabetic cat.

Another big problem with grains, again because they're not a natural part of the feline diet, is their tendency to be hyperallergenic. These plant proteins are treated as a foreign substance and an inflammatory response is mounted. So then you end up with an itchy cat or one with constant diarrhea or vomiting. It probably won't happen the first or second or third time the grains are consumed, but continued long-term exposure in the amounts typcially found in kibble could eventually send the cat's immune system into hyper-drive.

The "fiber" cat's would eat naturally consist of small amounts of plant foliage like grass, the teensy amount of vegetation in the stomach contents of their prey, and fibrous material like feathers and fur. A normal fiber range is 0.1 to 0.2g per 100 calories, about what you'd find in decent canned food. It's possible that your Onnie needs more than that because his digestive tract has already adapted to higher fiber amounts, or perhaps he's just quirky like that, or maybe it's another issue entirely (maybe his intestinal flora is out of whack?) Adding low-glycemic soluble fiber like pumpkin or squash or zucchini or green beans or lettuce is way preferable to getting his fiber needs met with grains. Does he have any pots of grass around that he can munch on as needed? That might be another good option.
Thanks so much sugarcatmom! Your explanation made perfect of sense to me When I got Onnie from the shelter he was already obese and eating (and reccomended to continue with) Royal Canin . Ive managed to cut down his weight a bit, which is good but the anal gland issue is quite annoying. I think he needs to get them expressed again now *sigh* must watch out for scooting. They do have cat grass and Onnie loves eating it. He won't however eat any other greens/veggies. He wont eat squash unless in canned food (they get 1/2 can each per day) so maybe I'll just up that amount I had them both taking fortiflora packets for a week or two a few months ago because Bunduk's kitten diarrhea never went away (vet said he would grow out of it ), fixed bunduk right up. So i imagine his intestinal flora should be ok as he shared the packets with Bunduk.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Hall View Post
my big siamise had issues like that I have been told one of the things is . in the wild cats usually are somewhat dehydrted and that firms up thier feces

I am a gret beliver in pumkin and squash and my missser blockhead loved cat grass that relly seemed to help and the pumkin seems to take some of the excess water out of thier digestive systems
Thanks jim! that makes sense, the dehdration thing, Onnie is a big drinker too, both my cats are. They don't seem to realize that cat's shouldnt have much of a thirst drive

Quote:
Originally Posted by want4rain View Post
ahh.... you want the OTHER end of fibers magical work... fat wont help that at all. it will just make stools more loose. i guess from the raw feeders perspective, adding a touch more calcium (bone) to their diet or work on some actual whole prey like mice (with the skin and all that good stuff still on) or rats (unsuccessful so far!!).

we also keep 'spring mix' lettuce on hand for both the two leggers and the four leggers. probably twice a week we toss a handful of it on the floor in the mornings. almost all the 4 leggers partake. we had grass growing in the house at one point but they kept knocking it down and getting dirt everywhere. finally i nailed it down to a board and Hunter chewed the side off of it.

-ashley
lol @ hunter chewing the side of it! hahah did u try bitter apple on that?

Unfortunately, like I said Onnie only goes for cat grass. Turns his nose up to anything else "human food" unless its cream cheese . I can't do whole prey now (and to be honest I dont think I ever will...would give me the heebie jeebies, lol) but adding calcium thru bone is a suggestion I never got before, definately worth a try!


all, such a wealth of information. You guys are the best.

Last edited by onster; May 12th, 2008 at 10:53 PM.
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