You might wonder why a cat would need a high fiber diet when people are usually advised to feed their cats a diet that is high protein. Afterall, cats are obligate carnivores and they need plenty of meat in their diet, right? We don’t usually think of feeding cats a diet with a lot of fruit and vegetables or grains. It’s true that cats are obligate carnivores and they have a natural need for meat protein. There are some nutrients that they can best get from meat sources since they can’t make them in their own bodies or get from plant sources. However, there are some good reasons why you might consider a high fiber cat food, as long as your cat is still getting the meat protein he needs. Some of the reasons to feed a high fiber cat food can include: So, cats who have some gastrointestinal problems or other health issues can sometimes benefit from a high fiber cat food. However, it’s always best to have your cat checked out by a veterinarian and follow his or her advice.

Your vet is usually the one who will make a recommendation to put a cat on a high fiber diet. There are a number of prescription high fiber cat foods made by companies such as Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, Iams Veterinary, and Purina. There are also some non-prescription high fiber diets that you can purchase online and in pet stores. These foods come in both dry and canned (wet) formulas but it is often advisable to buy the canned food, especially if constipation or impaction has been a problem. High fiber diets are most often used to help a cat lose weight or if a cat is having problems with constipation. If your cat needs to lose weight – especially a lot of weight – please talk to your veterinarian before you make any changes to his diet. For many years the common thinking was to feed a cat a high fiber diet to help him lose weight in the hopes that the fiber in the diet would make him feel full and he would eat fewer calories. This method is very often very successful with dogs (and with humans).

However, many cats fail to lose weight on this kind of diet. In fact, they may store the carbs from fiber in this kind of diet as added weight. Today some people are instead trying a diet with overweight and obese cats that increases their protein and fat and cuts down on their fiber. It is similar to the Atkins diet for humans. There are caveats with this kind of diet, especially if you have an older cat, so please talk to your veterinarian before making any changes to your cat’s diet if he needs to lose weight.Miniature American Eskimo Puppies For Sale In North Carolina If your cat is having problems with constipation or some of the other health issues listed above, a high fiber cat food may be a good idea, at least on a temporary basis. Chow Chow Puppies For Sale In WaBut it’s also possible that your cat could benefit from more moisture in his diet to help keep things moving through the gastrointestinal tract. House For Sale Prairieville La

Always make sure that your cat has access to fresh water and keep in mind that many cat experts recommend feeding canned (wet) cat food so cats can have more moisture in their diet. The preferred diet for cats with diabetes today is usually a high protein, low carb, high moisture diet. However, if your cat cannot eat this kind of diet for some reason (perhaps he has other health issues involved), there is an alternative high fiber diet. The idea behind the high fiber diet for a diabetic cat is that it will slow the absorption of glucose and fat in the cat’s body so he won’t metabolize it so quickly. This is supposed to prevent the cat from experiencing a glycemic high in his blood glucose level right after he eats. There is also the hope that the cat might lose some weight if he is overweight. A high fiber diet that is lower in fat would supposedly be filling and help your cat feel full without eating as many calories. This kind of high fiber diet would have to contain a lot of complex carbs to work.

These complex carbs would break down slowly so they wouldn’t spike your cat’s blood sugar level and they would help your cat feel satisfied and full long after he ate. This kind of diet is supposed to lower the diabetic cat’s insulin needs. Again, this is an alternative diet for a diabetic cat, though it was popular at one time. Diabetes in cats is not uncommon today. If you suspect that your cat might have diabetes, it’s important to get a diagnosis from your vet. Many of these symptoms are also present with other illnesses in cats, but your vet can confirm whether your cat has diabetes with blood work and other lab work, a physical exam, and talking to you about your cat’s symptoms and behavior. Once you have a diagnosis, your vet can recommend an appropriate diet for your cat, whether that is a high protein/low carb diet or a high fiber diet. Nutritionally speaking, fiber is a kind of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. We usually think of carbs as something that the body breaks down into sugar so it can use it as energy (or store it as fat), but fiber doesn’t break down.

Instead, it passes through the body. But it does other work. It can help regulate how fast sugar gets into the bloodstream, help you (or your pet) feel full, and it can help food move through your digestive system to prevent constipation. Some pet food sites erroneously state that fiber in pet food is a filler ingredient but that’s not the case – unless there is an overabundance of fiber. Fiber plays an important role in your pet’s food. There are two basic kinds of fiber in pet foods: soluble and insoluble. You may or may not see some of these ingredients listed on a cat food label. Common sources of fiber found in pet foods include things like rice hulls, soybean hulls, bran, peanut hulls, and pectin. Better quality foods are less likely to have these ingredients and are more likely to have fiber from vegetables and fruits. However, you may find some less than desirable ingredients in prescription cat foods. The ingredients listed on the labels of these foods may not be appealing but they make up for it by being very precise with their manufacturing.