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Fiber vs. Probiotics in a Healthy Cat Diet

by Dawn Campbell © 2007

False Reliance on Psyllium Husks

Proponents of psyllium feel it aids in the transition between a commercial pet food diet, namely dry food or kibble. They feel that it helps keep the stool moist, and thus helps it pass through and prevents constipation. Suffering from Irritable Bowel Disease myself I know that this isn’t the best and smartest solution. Constipation isn’t caused by a lack of fiber but by a lack of digestion. One of the main reasons digestion doesn’t occur is because there isn’t enough probiotics in the intestinal track. So, you can ease a cat’s transition to raw and help cats suffering from IBD by supplementing with a quality probiotic product like Primal Defense. This has the added benefit of not depriving the cat of nutrients that excess fiber in the diet can. Cats are obligate carnivores and don’t have a need for fiber as we do beyond what is normally found in their prey.

It is also a mistaken belief that fermentation only occurs in animals that eat carbohydrate based foods. This isn’t true because carnivores do ferment food as it digests as the following paper indicates. In herbivores, but not omnivores like humans, fermentation occurs in the stomachs as well. That’s part of why feeding green tripe is so good for our carnivore companions. Its chock full of nutrients, protein and probiotics and it’s very easy to digest.

The excerpts from the articles below describe the type of fermentation that does occur in cats as well with ingested protein. Note that cats have the highest level of bacteria in their small intestines when compared to dogs. No one knows why currently but I wonder if they did a study on probiotics and cats what they might find out. Cats’ digestive tracts are also shorter than dogs, so it would make sense that they would require an increased level of beneficial bacteria to aid in faster digestion.

The carnivore connection to nutrition in cats Debra L. Zoran, DVM, PhD, DACVIM* http://home.earthlink.net/~jacm2/id1.html

"First, cats have higher concentrations of bacteria in their small intestine (approx 109 organisms), compared to dogs and people (< 105 organisms).60,61 The reason for the increased number of bacteria in the small intestines of cats is not known, but it may be attributable to their expected carnivorous diet and shorter (relative to dogs on the basis of body size) gastrointestinal tract. It has been suggested that increased numbers of bacteria in the intestines serve to enhance digestion of proteins and fats in diets typically fed to cats.55"

High Fiber Diets in Cats Can Promote Overgrowth of Harmful Pathogens

The same article states, "Conversely, diets higher in CHO or fiber may influence bacterial numbers or species, altering bacterial flora in ways that may include overgrowth of non-beneficial or pathogenic species." The high carbohydrate diets many cats are on, dry food again, cause the bad bacteria in their small intestine to become over-populated at the expense of the beneficial bacteria. Excess dietary fiber can also cause this condition. In order to balance the bacteria then we need to supplement with probiotics.

Feeding felines an unnatural diet of kibble or even canned foods containing grains, sugars, cereals, etc can help "bad" bacteria like yeast over-develop which would not only inhibit proper digestion but also cause other health problems. It is believed by some that human autoimmune disorders are a combination of vitamin/mineral deficiency or malnutrition, and Candida (yeast) overgrowth. This can ultimately be triggered by vaccination. So besides setting up our cats for IBD, diabetes, urinary tract disorders and renal failure we are also paving the way for autoimmune disorders often triggered by over vaccination.

When to Use Fiber

Psyllium is unnecessary and possibly dangerous to aid as a "polish" to a diet that would be complete with the simple addition of probiotics. In emergency situations with a very ill cat psyllium can definitely help but should only be used on a short term basis to get past the crisis point and then the animal should be weaned off of it. I say weaned because if a cat’s body has become accustomed to dealing with excess fiber it can clog up fast when the fiber is taken away. The fiber isn’t natural to their bodies, so the body over-reacts.

Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics aid digestion and the passing of stool much better without taking up excess water, depriving the cat of nutrients or interfering with fat and protein digestion. It may be that sick cats, or cats that need help adjusting, need more help than just the probiotics but this remains to be seen as animals that received no benefit to their Crohn’s disease with the use of psyllium had complete recovery with Primal Defense probiotics.

Cats Do Not Have Sterile GI Tracts

It is a belief by some breeders and self-proclaimed raw diet experts that the gastrointestinal tract of a carnivore is sterile. Well, it’s not and I found it hard to believe that otherwise intelligent people think so. The study mentioned above talks about the high levels of bacteria in the cat’s small intestine and there are many published studies on probiotics though not with felines and how they do survive digestion.

HCL does not kill all bacteria. Cats have the highest level of bacteria in there GI tract compared to humans and dogs so their GI tract is anything but sterile. And the bacteria help the body digest food. It's a symbiotic relationship.  And when the bacteria digest foods one of the superb by-products is a highly bio-available form of B-vitamins which are crucial for good health.

Below is an abstract of a study on probiotics and canines.

Survival of lactococci during passage through mouse digestive Canadian Journal of Microbiology 1 November 2003, vol. 49, no. 11, pp. 707- 711(5) Kimoto H.; Nomura M.; Kobayashi M.; Mizumachi K.; Okamoto T. http://www.ingenta.com/isis/searching/Expand/ingenta?pub=infobike://nrc/cjm/2003/00000049/00000011/art00008
The Use of Probiotics in the Diet of Dogs 1 http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/128/12/2730S

The second set of experiments was intended to prove that Bacillus CIP 5832 could survive in the gastrointestinal tract of dogs as well as to determine the time required for its appearance and disappearance in the feces. Dogs consumed all of their food as well as the mix containing the spores in all studies. Delay of appearance of Bacillus CIP 5832 in the feces. When the probiotic was added to the diet, spores and vegetative forms were detected in the feces within 24 h and reached a plateau within 2 and 4 d, respectively (Fig. 1 ). Delay of disappearance of Bacillus CIP 5832 from the feces. When the probiotic was withdrawn from the diet, spores and vegetative forms could no longer be detected after 3 d (Fig. 2).

Another common myth is that if any bacteria were to survive the “sterile” stomach (it is not sterile) then it would be destroyed by digestion because bacteria is made up of proteins. Studies show, however, that bacteria do survive and populate the gut.  From the same study above.

"Bacillus CIP 5832 balance. The balance study showed that 29.6 ± 5.6% of the Bacillus CIP 5832 ingested was found in the feces of the five dogs; 69.9 ± 3.5% was in vegetative form. As expected from studies in other species, Bacillus CIP 5832 will thus survive and germinate in the gastrointestinal tract of dogs but will not persist if not fed continuously (Lestradet1995)."

This study wasn’t done using raw food so we can guess that the benefits might have been greater than was seen with kibble. The study is conclusive though that bacteria does survive digestion and does populate in the GI tract.

"In summary, these studies demonstrated that the addition of Bacillus CIP 5832 to a dry dog food was feasible under certain circumstances and that Bacillus CIP 5832 will survive and germinate in the gastrointestinal tract of dogs."

Fiber's Role in Natural Prey Diets

The proposed benefits of psyllium are due to misconceptions about the nature of a cat’s natural diet.  Proponents of psyllium in cat diets claim that it is directly proportional to the amount of fiber found in analysis of typical prey of small cats. However, we do not know how much of that fiber is in the meat and bone and thus not needed to be replaced with psyllium.

Also, what kind of fiber is in that analysis? Is this not what is normally found in the meat and bone we feed? So you would be adding more fiber than what the prey analysis indicates?

The Feline Future website, an excellent resource on nutrition with the exception of their reliance on fiber, says that the psyllium powder is used to replace the fur that would naturally be consumed in the diet of a cat. Psyllium and hair are too different to have one replaced by another, however. Psyllium does ferment in the gut, if the digestive tract is long enough, and hair does not. Psyllium husk can absorb a good deal of water and nutrients while hair and feathers cannot. Feline Future is also contradictory because they say that cats should be encouraged, by supplying cat grass, to regurgitate hair and larger bone pieces rather than trying to pass them. It can cause blockage.

Feline Future’s website:
http://www.felinefuture.com/
Psyllium husks
Dietary fiber is non-essential for the carnivore cat, and her digestive tract is perfectly adapted to deal with small rations of concentrated food with minimal dietary fiber. Nonetheless, some fiber is beneficial for the cat, and is naturally provided by her quarries skin cover, i.e. hair, feathers, or scales. Psyllium husks provide a pure fiber source free of flavors and carbohydrates, maintaining intestinal health by regular, daily bowl movements. It is essential that psyllium husks or psyllium husk powder is ingested with sufficient water, as otherwise it can lead to constipation. Therefore follow recipe instructions precisely.

Fiber must ferment to some degree in the cat’s system because there was a study done on fiber (in cats) which states that fiber which ferments is the least beneficial to the body and often the most dangerous. If psyllium had time to ferment in the cat’s small intestine then it may be the breeding ground of Candida and other harmful pathogenic species. Probiotic supplementation can help mitigate this, however there is no need to risk complications with fiber supplementation when probiotics may be all that is truly necessary.

The study is available in PDF format at: http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/73/8/2329

Pendraig View of Probiotics vs. Fiber

At Pendraig we have noticed that our cats when fed fiber have much more moist stools that take longer to dry out than they do without it. We also experience more incidents of poop stuck to the fur on the back of the legs. This is probably also due to the increased moisture in the feces. This happened all of the time when they were on kibble. Which tells me that the cats can be losing nutrients and at the very least water. One can combat that by putting water in their food, which we do here at Pendraig Siberians even when we’re not feeding psyllium.

Fermentation in the GI tract of cats is of great benefit. Studies we have found do point to probiotics in the intestines helping to digest food so the protein is being fermented.  The only time it is necessary and beneficial to add psyllium husks is in a cat with a clogged system, a cat that has been on dry foods, especially carbohydrate heavy brands, or poor quality canned products.  However, the psyllium should only be added initially to help “scrub” the gut and move out remaining irritants that may have stayed behind.  This is especially true of cats suffering from IBD or something similar.  However it is crucial to add probiotics to their diets as well to help promote a healthy population of bacteria in the gut during this transition.

Though some breeders have extremely healthy cats and claim they do not supplement with probiotics they may actually be wrong. If they process whole prey animals probiotics will be present. If they include tripe then they are including probiotics. So though they may not be buying products like Primal Defense their cats are still benefiting from probiotics. Those who don't process whole rabbit or rely on poultry cuts don't have this benefit. And with irradiation of store bought foods both good and bad bacteria, enzymes and the very energy of the food gets destroyed. But that’s another article for another day.

The Inspiration for This Cat Health Article

The entire discussion that inspired this article began with a debate on a cat health email list over a breeder's queen that suffers from constipation when her current litter is approximately 2 weeks old. Some surmise it is because she is too sedentary and that her fiber levels should be increased. This might certainly force her to use the toilet more often but it isn’t going to fix the underlying problem. It could be, as they suggest, that she’s just too anxious to leave her kittens alone for very long even to answer the call of nature. Or it could be the excess stress on her body is taking its toll. High levels of stress have been correlated to high levels of yeast in the body, though it is debated what came first. Adding probiotics to this particular cat’s body may help eliminate her problem, increase her health and her ability to care for her young. It certainly won’t harm her at all which is why I recommended it.

Probiotics Necessary in this Super Sterile World

The argument against probiotic supplementation is that healthy cats shouldn’t require help digesting their meat. Indeed, they should not, and they shouldn’t need help with bowel movement either. Cats that are switching their diet need the probiotics to get things back on track. Cats already on raw need probiotics that are missing from the food we feed them because of our sanitation practices. This can be achieved by feeding whole prey, or if that isn’t feasible adding tripe or supplementing with Primal Defense.

I hope this helps you out on your journey as pet owners. We have learned and benefited from researching this article and it is situations like this that make us better caretakers of our little furry friends.

Yours truly,

Dawn Campbell
Pendraig Siberians

(Permission to link to this article is granted if credit given to Dawn Campbell/Pendraig Siberians)

Resources
You can buy Probiotics at Iherb.com
We sell mOrigins grass-fed raw beef, prepackaged which includes tripe at Animal Affinity

We are located near Austin, Texas USA