The roll of additional fiber as a supplement for a four year old cat on a raw diet? part 2?
Thank you for the response to part 1 of this question.
My little guy has had a gall bladder bypass (due to gallstones) which now discounts the gall bladder function
In this situation how should the raw diet be configured ie what is better and what is not so good (With regards his present diet)
He has been on a prescribed raw diet for plus minus two months, his weight, general demeanor, appetite, coat conditioning, eyes all give the impression of a healthy young cat.
However his stool is very inconsistent it varies from hard and solid to hard and solid with a mucous excess and occasionally slightly runny. The mucous excess has been quite predominant in the last two weeks. Opinion I have received has varied from a lack of fiber to healthy process of detoxification. I am not sure exactly where I should be looking? I have been advised of two different approaches 1.) A natural supplement such as Benifiber or small portions of grated sweet potato as a fiber alternative.
His diet consists of a breakdown of :- Lamb mussel meat, Lamb hearts , lamb livers, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken necks, with added multi vitamin supplements, Salmon oil, egg yokes, Benifiber (as an alternative to PSYLLIUM POWDER), an occasional treat of tuna in water.
Any other alternative fiber suggestions would be appreciated. A suggested approach and a slightly better understanding to what degree fiber is actually necessary in the healthy functioning of cats in general would certainly help.
Your advice is appreciated.
August 30th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
What you’ve described sounds good to me - I can’t really think of anything you should be changing. What I wanted to say though, is perhaps the bowel problems are a result of the surgery - and here’s why. I had my gall bladder out a few years ago. Ever since, I’ve suffered from what my doctors have all called Irritable Bowel Syndrome. After investigating on the internet though, there are a huge number of people complaining of the same problem as me - ie sudden diarrhea, then a few days where everything is normal, then back to diarrhea again.
After looking into this, I’ve worked out that when the bile from your liver is re-directed straight to the intestine (missing or bypassing the gall bladder) it can dump too much bile into the intestine. Bile is an irritant, and causes the intestine to react, leading to stomach cramps and diarrhea. I’ve found that changing my diet has led to little success, and am just living with the problem.
It may be worth discussing with your vet again, incase there’s anything else you could give to your cat - I’m just curious though if it’s the same kind of thing as what people go through. I don’t see why not. Unfortunately, many people don’t ever find a cure - they just learn to live with it. A consistent diet, which doesn’t vary much would probably help - ie not giving him any foods that he doesn’t get regularly. I find that eating something unusual or something i’ve not had for a while can make the problem worse.
Best of luck to you and your cat…sorry you had to hear my medical history!!
August 31st, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Plain pumpkin (not pie mix). Some of my cats will actually eat that happily.
But talk to your vet about anything you add/change.
Bulking up stool and other poop-related benefits would be the only thing I’m pretty sure about for a benefit of fiber. It doesn’t make them feel full like it does with humans. It seems to help mine with hairballs.
edit - I should probably add that I have no experience with the health problem your kitty has and I’ve only read some about raw diets. Pumpkin is just something I have used when I already know the cause of diarrhea in a cat (like when my boyfriend wasn’t thinking and gave one some aged cheese).
good luck!