How to tell if your cat needs more fiber

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 19, 2024

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6 Great Sources Of Fiber For Cats & How Much They Need Daily

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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Fiber is considered an essential part of a cats diet, but few of us understand its role, let alone know how much soluble and insoluble fiber is required per day.

Read on for more information on the role fiber plays in the feline diet, as well as how much you should be giving, and some healthy sources that you can add to your cats daily intake.

What Does Fiber Do?

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate. Although, and because, the body is unable to digest fiber, it is considered essential to cats, just as it is to humans. Primarily, it is used by the body to regulate blood sugar levels. And, because it doesnt get broken down into sugar molecules, it helps your cat feel fuller without putting on weight.

There are, in fact, two types of dietary fiber, both of which are advantageous and important for your cats nutrition.

Soluble Fiber Soluble fiber is dissolved in gastric juices when it reaches the cats gut. The gel that is created effectively holds water and this gives stools a wetter consistency, making them easier to pass without complications. Soluble fibers primary role is to help form and pass healthy stools.
Insoluble Fiber Insoluble fiber can also help form stools with a wet consistency, but they also add bulk to meals. This bulk means that your cat will feel fuller without adding unnecessary or unwanted calories and sugar to meals.

Image Credit: Sharaf Maksumov, Shutterstock

How Much Fiber Should a Cat Get?

Before we discuss daily fiber requirements, it is important to note that you should not increase a cats fiber intake too quickly. This can cause digestive upset because it leads to stools being too loose and too watery. This causes diarrhea and stomach pain, and it may mean that your cat is not getting all of the other nutritional benefits from their food.

Increase levels gradually, and always ensure that you meet the daily requirements. It is also worth noting that you should follow your vets advice if this differs from the recommended daily allowance. Recommended daily figures are based on healthy adult cats and do not take into account factors such as weight, activity levels, existing health complaints, or even the breed of your cat.

Experts recommend that cat food should contain between 2% and 8% fiber but never more than 10%. Check the label of your cat food, and if your cat is constipated, you can increase your cats fiber intake by adding some of the foods we list below, but do ensure that the figure does not go above 10% of the total food that they eat.

If you are making your own cat food as part of a natural or raw diet, this means first determining how much food you are giving your cat, per day, and then ensuring that is getting enough protein, fat, hydration, and fiber.

Many factors determine the amount of food you give a cat. Your cats age, weight, and activity levels, as well as the quality of ingredients and amount of food you feed, will ultimately determine its overall makeup. Therefore, it is impossible to give a precise weight of fiber to feed per day, and it does require some research and calculation on your part.

The 6 Sources of Fiber for Your Cat

Cats are indeed obligate carnivores, which means that pretty much all their dietary needs should be met by eating meat and meat-based foods. However, even in the wild, they would eat the whole animal. This includes elements like the fur and hair of the animal, as well as its stomach contents: all of which contain fiber. Unless you feed whole animals to your cat, you will need to find other, beneficial sources of fiber.

Always ensure that a food type is non-toxic and safe for cats before feeding and do remember that your cat is a carnivore so it needs to have a lot of meat in its diet. However, if you do need to feed more fiber, here are 6 ingredients that you can add to their daily food intake.

1. Wheat Bran

Per half-cup serving:

Dietary Fiber: 12.5 g
Calories: 63
Fat: 1.3 g
Protein: 4.5 g
Carbohydrates: 18.5 g

Wheat bran is a byproduct of the wheat milling process. It is often discarded or sold at a low cost. It is also a great source of dietary fiber. It has a sweet, nutty flavor, and can really bulk out food to fill your cat up without adding too many calories to their daily intake.

2. Cooked Carrots

Per half-cup serving:

Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Calories: 25
Fat: 0.1 g
Protein: 0.5 g
Carbohydrates: 6 g

Carrots are a fiber source that also contains some vitamin C. They are low in calories and have only trace amounts of fat in the amount you will feed your cat. Although they are non-toxic when fed raw, pieces of carrot can pose a choking hazard, so they should be boiled, blanched, or steamed without any additional ingredients or additives, and cut or pureed before adding them to your cats meal.

3. Green Beans

Per half-cup serving:

Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Calories: 16
Fat: 0 g
Protein: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 3 g

Low in carbohydrates, free from fat, and with even fewer calories by weight than carrots, green beans are a reasonable source of fiber, although they contain only half the amount compared to carrots.

4. Broccoli

Per half-cup serving:

Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Calories: 16
Fat: 0.2 g
Protein: 1.25 g
Carbohydrates: 3 g

As well as being a good source of dietary fiber that is low in calories, broccoli is also packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants can help prevent signs of aging while fighting free radicals in your cats body, therefore improving their overall health and the performance of their immune system.

5. Spinach

Per half-cup serving:

Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Calories: 3.5
Fat: 0.2 g
Protein: 0.5 g
Carbohydrates: 0.5 g

Spinach is another green vegetable that is high in iron as well as vitamins C and K. It is also very low in calories and because it is low in protein, it means that you dont have to reduce the amount of meat protein that you give your feline friend.

6. Lettuce

Per half-cup serving:

Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
Calories: 4
Fat: 0.5 g
Protein: 0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 0.8 g

Not only is lettuce a good source of dietary fiber, but it is also high in moisture. It can be difficult to ensure that a cat stays hydrated because they dont like drinking water straight from a bowl, so dietary moisture is beneficial. If your cat accepts eating lettuce, offer darker lettuce varieties and avoid iceberg lettuce.

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Great Sources of Fiber for Cats

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they should get all, or the vast majority, of their proteins and other nutritional needs from meat sources. However, there is no denying that their dietary and eating habits have changed since becoming domesticated animals. Even a meat-based diet excludes the fur and stomach contents of their prey, and while this would have only given them a small amount of fiber on a wild diet, some cats benefit from a higher-fiber diet. Specifically, cats that struggle to comfortably pass stools and those that need to lose weight, can do well on a high fiber diet.

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Featured Image Credit: Zhuravlev Andrey, Shutterstock

8 Ways to Help Your Constipated Cat

Constipation is common in cats. Usually, its mild, and you can help your cat with simple home treatments.

But sometimes constipation in cats can indicate more serious health issues, and it can become very severe and uncomfortable. So how do you know when its a serious problem that needs vet attention?

Heres what you need to know about cat constipation symptoms and causes, what you can do to help your constipated cat, and when to be concerned.

Symptoms of Constipation in Cats

Constipation is characterized by infrequent stools or stools that are difficult to pass. Most cats will poop about every 1224 hours. If your cat is pooping less frequently and having some difficulty, she may be constipated.

While there is some normal variation, if its been more than 4872 hours without a bowel movement, you should contact your vet.

Normally, cat poop isa rich brown color and should look well-formed. Ahealthy stoolhas enough moisture that litter will stick to it, says Dr. Liz Bales, VMD.Cats with constipation may have very dry, hard stools. A constipated cat may also cry or strain in the litter box, or avoid it altogether.

Symptoms of constipation may include:

Decreased appetite
Lethargy
Abdominal pain
Straining to defecate (hunched posture trying to poop)
Pain or vocalization when defecating
Production of small, hard, dry feces

If youre seeing any of these symptoms, especially if your pet has not defecated recently, discuss them with your cats vet.

Causes of Cat Constipation

Anything that causesdehydrationin a cat may result in constipation, says Dr. Bales. Some issues are mild and treatable at home with dietary and lifestyle modifications, and some can be serious.

Constipation can happen if the intestines arent moving things along normally, keeping the stool soft and moist. This can be caused by underlying issues like stress and anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, nerve problems, and even some kinds of cancer.

Other causes of constipation in cats include:

Vet Treatment for Constipation in Cats

Constipation must be treated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of permanent damage due to prolonged distension of the colon. Effective treatment involves identifying and correcting the underlying disorder (if possible), removing the impacted feces, and preventing recurrences.

For immediate relief of constipation, your veterinarian can give your cat fluids and/or anenema. Administering an enema to a cat is a veterinary job and should not be attempted at home, says Dr. Bales. Some types of enemas designed for people are actually very toxic to cats.

Vets can also prescribe medications or recommend over-the-counter solutions to help you manage the symptoms of your cats constipation.

More importantly, your vet can help identify the underlying issue thats causing the constipation so it can be treated, rather than just trying to manage the symptoms.

Tips and Home Remedies for Constipation in Cats

In addition to the treatments prescribed by your vet, there are some potential lifestyle changes at home that may help your cat combat constipation. But remember: If your cat has not defecated in 4872 hours or if they are acting uncomfortable, contact your vet immediately.

Heres a list of tips to discuss with your vet that may help your cat:

1. Increase Water Consumption

Because dehydration contributes to constipation, drinking more water and staying well-hydrated helps prevent constipation. Cats arent very good at drinking standing water, so the best way to increase their water consumption and keep them well-hydrated is by feeding them wet food. This dramatically increases their water intake and significantly reduces their risk of constipation.

You can also encourage your cat to drink more water by adding setting up more water bowls in different areas of your home, trying pet water fountains orleaving a faucet dripping.

Hydracare is also a product that may help increase your cats total liquid intake and help keep them hydratedplus, its liver-flavored.

2. Try a New Diet

Food allergies can cause intestinal inflammation and constipation in cats. Changing the protein source of your cats food (chicken, lamb, etc.) can reduce inflammation and allow the intestines to move more normally, reducing constipation.

For cats that may be allergic to multiple things, there are also special limited ingredient diets, prescription diets, and hypoallergenic diets available. It does take about eight to 12 weeks for a diet change to work, though, so this is part of long-term management.

Talking to your vet about the best diet for your cat may be a long-term way to help deal with constipation. When changing your cats food, follow the recommended transition period, mixing the old food with the new as stated on the cat food package.

3. Help Your Cat Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity causes intestinal inflammation, which causes things to slow down in the intestines. Too much water is then absorbed from the stool, causing constipation. In severe cases, theres so much fat in the belly that it physically impedes movement of stools.

Your vet can help you figure outif your cat needs to lose weightand work with you to create a diet plan.

4. Increase Exercise and Enrichment

Exercise can help promote normal movement of the intestines, which helps treat and prevent constipation. Encourage your cat to be more active withthings like cat toys, cat trees, window seats,and more playtime with you. Exercise will also help provide enrichment and reduce your cats anxiety, and it will help with weight loss.

5. Minimize Stress and Anxiety

Cats can easily become stressed when their routines are disrupted. There could be a more obvious cause, like having a new pet in the house or moving. Or it could be less obvious, like a change in your schedule, construction noise nearby, or a new dog barking in the neighborhood.

Sometimes it just takes time for a cat to adjust to changes. But you can help reduce stress and anxiety by using items like calming pheromones (Feliway), supplements (Zylkene and Solliquin are commonly used), and/or medications.

6. Add More Litter Boxes

Cats can be quite particular about their litter boxes. If they dont like the location of a litter box or even the type of box or litter, they may not use it as much, which can lead to constipation.

You should have at least one more litter box than you have cats, and there should be at least one litter box on every floor of your home. You may need to experiment with different types of litter and litter boxes to find what your cat likes.

7. Try Fiber or Probiotics

Probiotics are good bacteria that help support healthy intestines. Healthy intestines will move stool along normally and keep stools soft, preventing constipation.

Fiber feeds the good bacteria and helps promote normal movement in the intestines. It can also help keep more water in the intestines, which helps treat and prevent constipation.